User Feedback :: Damn! Some impressions and questions



Hello, my name is Joćo and I write from Brazil.

Almost ten years ago (1998) I was a heavy linux user. So much that I did not had windows into my box. Don't remember why, I took it off and focused on windows. Suddenly I decided to give Linux another try.

First I downloaded Ubuntu, but sincerely, it is just too bloated. My computer is not old, but I loved linux just because it was clean. I mean, I had the power to put into it just what I wanted. I had a nice Pentium 133 case with my everyday stuff, an 486 DX2-66 as a router of my home network, and a 386 DX-40 for fun purposes (like BitchX IRC'ing, or Lynx web-browsing).

Ubuntu left me sad. Why Linux got so fat? Then I googled and found DSL. So far I am very happy with it.

But I have some issues. Remember that I did not use linux for almost ten years.

1) I want to put a new Kernel. My machine is old to the USA standard, but I guess I can put a 2.6 kernel in it. It's a Duron 1600MHz on a ECS K7S5A, 256MB SDRAM, 40GB Hard Disk. (512MB DDR is coming). Does DSL supports natively the bz2 or do I download the .gz format?

2) Why I want a new kernel? I have to setup my hardware. I have the onboard K7S5A Sound (that I guess DSL recognizes) AND the D-Link DWL-G510 Wireless Card (Revision C, Ralink chipset). And I do NOT know ZILCH about setting wireless in Linux. Damn, when I used linux I was getting ISA cards out of nowhere to make my home network, LOL! Coaxial connections and stuff.

3) I created a 600MB SWAP partition when I made the partitions. Yes, old times habits never goes away :D -- I ran linux even with 8MB of RAM -- Guess I made this partition too big, but as it's already here, might as well set it up.


Props for making a Linux distro the way it should be! Small yet powerful and fast.
You might want to try DSL-N.

I do not understand what you mean by bz2 or gz.  DSL can extract/compress both if that's what you mean.  If you meant for kernel booting, I believe it supports both as well.

For wifi, DSL includes a gui tool wlancardconfig... but I think your rt61 chipset does not have an included driver.  You could compile one - and there's always ndiswrapper as a last resort.

I run with a 2gb swap - it just depends on what you plan on doing.  As to the reference to Ubuntu, again, it depends on what you plan to do, and your preference - its made more for modern desktops in mind.
Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ Feb. 04 2007,16:20)
You might want to try DSL-N.

I do not understand what you mean by bz2 or gz.  DSL can extract/compress both if that's what you mean.  If you meant for kernel booting, I believe it supports both as well.

For wifi, DSL includes a gui tool wlancardconfig... but I think your rt61 chipset does not have an included driver.  You could compile one - and there's always ndiswrapper as a last resort.

I run with a 2gb swap - it just depends on what you plan on doing.  As to the reference to Ubuntu, again, it depends on what you plan to do, and your preference - its made more for modern desktops in mind.

I already extracted the kernel. Seems that I have to download a ton of stuff, like gcc and others. Right? I am starting now.

I want to do it step-by-step. It's part of the plan :)

I totally forgot how to set up the swap partition. Slackware (the distro I used in the past) put it all to use. I did it once manually, but as I said, I totally forgot. How I format it and put it to use?

PS.: My reference to Ubuntu was just a comparsion, no flame intended. Sorry if that was not clear.
Quote
I totally forgot how to set up the swap partition. Slackware (the distro I used in the past) put it all to use. I did it once manually, but as I said, I totally forgot. How I format it and put it to use?
If you want to make a swap partition, use type 83.  You can use fdisk or cfdisk (included in dsl).
Quote (^thehatsrule^ @ Feb. 04 2007,17:33)
Quote
I totally forgot how to set up the swap partition. Slackware (the distro I used in the past) put it all to use. I did it once manually, but as I said, I totally forgot. How I format it and put it to use?
If you want to make a swap partition, use type 83.  You can use fdisk or cfdisk (included in dsl).

Already done.

But how do I put it to use?!
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