One should also remember that there are choices for
your Linux user experience. Examples given by David
are for the "KDE" desktop. The other popular desktop
environment is Gnome. I have used both, and each has
advantages. Even further is the fact that a computer
doesn't need to have any graphic environment, which
makes even the ancient 386/486 usable as a subsystem.
Some subsystem ideas I have, for reference, would be
for a control system in a greenhouse or aquaponic
setup. Run some motors to pumps, read some sensors,
activate some actuators, have a web services interface
for integration within a community food production
framework. Imagine perma-googling for food you
haven't tried yet.
-Sean.
--- David Neeley <dbneeley@gmail.com> wrote:
> Lawrence,
>
> I, for one, have no objection whatever.
>
> FreeBSD (and the other "flavors" of BSD) is fine.
> However, with the
> tremendous focus on Linux development, it represents
> a constant "hot
> bed" of development beyond what the BSD folks can
> produce.
>
> That said, Free BSD has a well-deserved reputation
> for stability and
> is the choice of quite a few folks who have
> mission-critical servers,
> for example. Last I heard, for instance, Yahoo was
> run on it...
>
> Both Linux and the BSD variants share many
> worthwhile innovations over
> time, anyway. For example, the networking stack in
> Linux originated on
> BSD.
>
> Dedicating an older machine to running Linux is
> surely a popular step
> for many. However, I also believe that it is quite
> worthwhile to set
> up a primary machine in a dual-boot configuration so
> you may do some
> direct performance comparisons using a single
> platform. For example,
> when you find out how much faster it is to do your
> Web surfing on
> Linux, you may find as I did that becomes your
> preferred web platform.
>
> In addition, there are many "eye candy" kinds of
> interface options
> available that run much better with ample memory and
> CPU cycles
> available. These are by no means necessary, but it
> can be fun to
> compare them with Windows--again on the same
> machine.
>
> For example, I remember vividly some screen shots of
> a system that had
> a totally Gothic desktop...with very ornate window
> frames and a Gothic
> castle theme in the background.
>
> There are many different desktop "themes"
> downloadable from
> www.kde-look.org, among others.
>
> For example, you can have your desktop look like a
> dead ringer for a
> Windows 9.x box:
> http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=12598&file1=12598-1.png&file2=12598-2.png&file3=12598-3.png&name=kde+win9x+full
>
> Or maybe you like the Mac OSX look:
> http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=153&file1=153-1.jpg&file2=&file3=&name=Acqua
>
> Or perhaps something quite different:
> http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=19045&file1=19045-1.png&file2=19045-2.png&file3=&name=Crystal+Color-GL
>
> http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=5254&file1=5254-1.jpg&file2=&file3=&name=Transilvania-Windeco
>
> Or even to be a clone of other, less common
> operating systems (in this
> case, QNX):
> http://www.kde-look.org/content/preview.php?preview=1&id=3414&file1=3414-1.jpg&file2=3414-2.jpg&file3=&name=QNX+Theme
>
> The point is that with Linux, *you* are in control
> of the way your
> computer looks and how it acts. Once you get a taste
> of what it is
> like to have a wide variety of choices in computing,
> you may find
> yourself "getting the bug" for sure...
>
> David
>
>
>
> >
> > Anyone mind if I concatenate all the Linux posts
> and upload them to a new WikiPage in the PC Wiki?
> > This is some of the best Linux info for novices I
> have seen. Glad to see there are so many subscribers
> > interested in this topic; I agree that it meshes
> perfectly with Permaculture.
> >
> > I have a spare older pc and will convert it to
> Linux. What about FreeBSD?
> >
> > LL
> > --
> > L.F.London
> > lfl@intrex.net
> > http://market-farming.com
> > http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > permaculture mailing list
> > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> >
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> >
> > End of permaculture Digest, Vol 24, Issue 14
> > ********************************************
> >
> _______________________________________________
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> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
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