Subject: Linux-Misc Digest #759
From: Digestifier <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 94 20:13:41 EDT

Linux-Misc Digest #759, Volume #2                Wed, 14 Sep 94 20:13:41 EDT

Contents:
  XConfig file for MPC 775 notebook (Walter Neuenschwander)
  Re: Installing a new kernel on the Slackware Boot disk! (Steve Larsen)
  Re: Linux DOOM for X released (Alan Cox)
  linux 1.2? (Sean A. Long)
  perfmeter no connect (again?) (Bill McCarthy)
  Re: Linux vs NeXTSTEP (Doug  Dejulio)
  Re: Horrific bug in DOOM! (Mark A. Davis)
  Re: Copyright and licensing - a plea to software authors (Matt Welsh)
  Re: Qlogic Fast!SCSI ISA Support? (Michael Griffith)
  Re: Linux Doom available via anon FTP for limited time (Sam Oscar Lantinga)
  Re: Horrific bug in DOOM! (Jake Colman)
  Can XFree work in a portable? (Ricard Torres)
  486 Motherboards (Hayim Hendeles)
  ide CDROM on linux (Tom Mehrkam)
  Re: Linux vs NeXTSTEP (Doug  Dejulio)
  Re: Sony MiniDisc (Andreas Zeidler)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Walter Neuenschwander)
Subject: XConfig file for MPC 775 notebook
Date: 14 Sep 1994 17:51:43 GMT

Hi there,

I just bought a notebook from MPC Tech. Inc. and I'm trying to install
linux on the machine.

I want to know whether anyone of you does have any experience in
setting up X for those notebooks.
The problem is the XConfig file. 

I would appreciate if someone colud send me a XConfig file that works.

        Thanks a lot.

                                        Regards,    Walter
 
-- 
  ++  Walter Neuenschwander,  [email-masked],  ETHZ,  Switzerland  ++

------------------------------

Date: 14 Sep 94 13:43:20 GMT
From: [email-masked] (Steve Larsen)
Subject: Re: Installing a new kernel on the Slackware Boot disk!

[email-masked] (Olav Kvittem) writes:

>From: [email-masked] (Robert Kroes)
>...
>   I would like to know how I can create a Slackware boot disk (the one used
>   to install Linux from scratch) and install a kernel of my choice...

>   Why? So I can make use of an alpha network driver to perform an NFS install
>   and save copying 100+ MB of Slackware 2.0 on to floppies :-)

>I have exactly the same need !

>   I've formatted a diskette with "fdformat", 
>   added my kernel with "dd if=/zImage of=/dev/fd0", 
>   created a ramdisk with "rdev -r /dev/fd0 1440", 
>   and changed the root file system with "rdev /dev/fd0 /dev/ram" (I think :-)

>   The bit I can't work out is how to tweak it so it asks for the ROOT disk, 
>   and copies that filesystem to the ramdisk, after the kernel has loaded...

>Done the same thing execept that I did  "rdev /dev/fd0 /dev/fd0".
>After boot the system ask for the  root diskette, but when I insert it
>I get errormessages like 'IO-error on /dev/fd0' and 'could not read
>masterblock'. 

It seems like you guys have the 'boot' disk figured out, so your'e trying
for a 'root' disk? Mount the one you currently have for an example. Incident-
ally, it's Minix! Seriously, I've done it out of necessity, and you can make
one alot better than what you get with most distributions. I don't know why
it has to be Minix---I think it hearkens back to the pre-historical days
of Linux development.......hope this helps.
                  
-- 
===============================================================================
Steve Larsen          [email-masked]        [email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Alan Cox)
Subject: Re: Linux DOOM for X released
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 15:40:19 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Greg Harewood) writes:
>Digging up an old thread, the only way I would like to be using SVGALIB
>applications on a regular basis is this - the SVGALIB and a suitable
>window manager/X patches allowed you to flip between full screen and X
>windowed versions of SVGA programs. And it would be nice if the X versions
>were portable.

Well if you build a shared library with the Xlib calls DOOM makes that
just happens to map onto SVGAlib bits that suit doom and use that shared
library earlier in your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment then by magic you will
get SVGAlib doom. Aren't shared libraries neat!

Alan
-- 
  ..-----------,,----------------------------,,----------------------------,,
 // Alan Cox  //  [email-masked]   //  GW4PTS@GB7SWN.#45.GBR.EU  //
 ``----------'`----------------------------'`----------------------------''

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Sean A. Long)
Subject: linux 1.2?
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 1994 21:41:32 GMT

I caught Linus' post about his trip, and was wondering when the "effective" 
code freeze at 1.2 will be an official 1.2.x release.  I didn't want to 
post this to c.o.l.development since I'm asking, not contributing...

Thanx!

-=>Sean Long
[email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Bill McCarthy)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help
Subject: perfmeter no connect (again?)
Date: 14 Sep 1994 14:00:35 -0400

Keywords: perfmeter fvwm Ygg Sum '94

Hi all:

Dunno if this is an oldie, but..... am running Ygg Sum '94 and
using fvwm for a window mngr. When I call perfmeter, it comes up
and I can access the selection window, but I get the message:
'lost connection'. This happens when I use xview and olvwm as well.
No biggie, but I'd like to see how it works, as compared to xload and
xosview. Anyone have any suggestions/pointers/hacks/etc? TIA.

Bill McCarthy
[email-masked]

"Isn't it pretty to think so."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT\__Jake Barnes___________________________
LinuX + i486dx2/66 
usual disclaimer 

   

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Doug  Dejulio)
Subject: Re: Linux vs NeXTSTEP
Date: 14 Sep 1994 15:26:06 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
S. Hosseini <[email-masked]> wrote:
>I know there are lots of Linuxers with high performance PC's, so
>there is a good chance that some of them have thought about 
>installing NeXTSTEP, or have had experience with
>it and now converted to Linux, or maybe currently working with both 
>OS's on the same platorm.

I used to own a NeXTstation, but when NeXT stopped making hardware, I
sold it to raise the cash to upgrade my PC so it could run NeXTstep.
For a while I was running with three partitions on my gig drive --
DOS, Linux and NeXTstep.  Unfortunately, NeXTstep performance was so
bad when compared with Linux performance that I eventually sold my
copy and now I use Linux exclusively.  Running Linux, my PC now
outperforms my old NeXTstation mono (it had a 40MHz 68040 and 20M RAM)
as long as I'm not doing graphics (X11 is yucky and brings performance
down to about the same as my NeXTstation was when it had 8M RAM).

I had "only" a 486DX2-66 with 8M RAM, gig hard drive, Trident ISA SVGA
card, Pro Audio Spectrum 16, dual-speed CD-ROM, etc.  The 8M RAM and
ISA SVGA card made NeXTstep virtually unusable.  If you've got 32M of
RAM and one of the supported VLB SVGA cards, you'll probably do a lot
better.

What I *really* want is an OpenStep implementation for Linux, with
Display PostScript and all, so I can throw away X11 and tcl/tk.

>I want to ask the following:
>
>Given the same high performance PC platform, 
>
>1. Which is cheaper to get?
>     (Answer is easy) Linux, of course. This is one of
>     the main advantages of Linux. Otherwise I wouldn't be using it.

Yes, Linux, you got this one right.

>2. Which one is easier to install and has less problem with existing 
>   PC hardware?

Depends.  If you've got a really good Slackware 2 based CD-ROM, Linux
is a lot easier to install.  If you don't know what you're doing and
you FTP bits and pieces from all over, Linux is a lot harder to
install.  On the average, on my machine and those of folks around me
Linux has been easier to install.

>3. Which one has more choice of application software?

Commercial or free?  NeXTstep has the edge as far as commercial
application software, but Linux has the edge as far as free software
I'd say.  Free software matters more to me, so...

>4. Which one is faster (for the same task) ?

Linux, no contest.  Don't even begin to think they might even be
comprable.

>5. Which one has a capability that the other doesn't have?

Both.  Linux supports more devices.  Linux will let you root about in
the kernel.  Linux is (in my experience) less buggy.  Most POSIX-ish
things just work under Linux.  Linux will let you run DOS applications
(via DOSEMU) without an expensive 3rd party product.  Linux has VCs,
which remove the need for a windowing system for a lot of folks.
Linux will run SCO binaries (via iBCS) if you know what you're doing.

NeXTstep comes with a really cool development environment, IMHO
unmatched anywhere else by any vendor.  NeXTstep has a unified imaging
model (PostScript) -- anything you can throw up on the screen can be
put on paper, and it will look good.

So, hm.  Systems-level folks and die-hard Unix-heads will probably
consider Linux more capable, and applications-level folks, publishing
types and Macintosh fans might consider NeXTstep more capable.

>6. Which one has better future? (this is a question for discussion
>   and not for a definite answer.)

I'd say Linux, probably.  NeXT *still* isn't really on 100% solid
footing yet, are they?  Let's assume the worst case, and say that both
Linux and NeXTstep disappear.  With Linux, you've got the source, so
you can keep using it.  With NeXTstep, you're tied to a vendor.  So,
Linux has more of a future as far as *I'm* concerned.

I don't think either of them has much of a commercial future at all,
though.  They're both for folks on the fringes (which is fine).

-- 
Doug DeJulio
[email-masked]
http://www.pitt.edu/~ddj/

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Mark A. Davis)
Subject: Re: Horrific bug in DOOM!
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 1994 21:15:11 GMT

[email-masked] (Shawn L. Baird) writes:

>[email-masked] (Mark A. Davis) writes:
>>Linux is DOS.   DOS stands only for "Disk Operating System".  Most all
>>operating systems are DOSes.  It did not read MS-"DOS", which is a 
>>different story all together.....

>Hmmm, a case of semantics.  I prefer to consider a "Disk Operating System" to
>be an operating system whose primary concern is simply serving as a way to
>access physical file storage.  DOS does not, for example, manage tasks to any
>great extent, nor does it provide multiuser capabilities, etc.  So, in that
>sense, I see the term DOS as being a limit to the capabilities of the OS in
>question.

Actually, I see it more that a DOS is an operating system which uses
random, non-volitile storage as its medium for operation.  An embedded
controller with such storage is probably not running a DOS, but certainly
the traditional view of Unix is that it is a DOS.

My point, originally, is that the word DOS has nothing to do with
Microsoft... neither does the word "windows".  The proper names for those
products always have been, and still are MS-DOS and MS-Windows!  Microsoft
could not, cannot, and will not be able to register common, generic
English words to their exclusive use.  That would be like trying to 
make a new computer called "computer" and registering the name so nobody
else can use it.  Then end up confusing the market-

Is that a computer?
Yes
I mean, is it a computer computer?
What?  It is a computer?
But what brand is it?
A Compaq.
Oh, so it is not a computer then.

(Now substitute "windows", above in context of MS-Windows, X-Windows,
Amiga Windows, windows on your car, windows as an abstract concept of GUI, etc)
-- 
  /--------------------------------------------------------------------------\
  | Mark A. Davis     | Lake Taylor Hospital | Norfolk,VA (804)-461-5001x431 |
  | Director/SysAdmin | Information Systems  |    [email-masked]       |
  \--------------------------------------------------------------------------/

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Matt Welsh)
Subject: Re: Copyright and licensing - a plea to software authors
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 14:12:20 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Ian Jackson) writes:
>I AM ABSOLUTELY LIVID.  FURIOUS DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE IT.

All right, Ian. Calm down. It is, after all, only USENET.

>Secondly, because the moderator of comp.os.linux.announce, Matt Welsh,
>posted this so-called "correction" WITHOUT ANY REFERENCE TO ME.  I
>find this particularly galling considering the fact that Matt is a
>*member* of the mailing list I mention above.

I've already mailed you about this, but here's my defense: I
decided to approve Ted's posting to present an "alternate viewpoint"
to the opinions (yes, opinions) stated in your article. In retrospect, 
neither article should have been posted to c.o.l.announce. But I'm
having to put on the moderator hat, so I can't play favourites.
Get me? There were a number of impassioned responses both to your
article as well as Ted's, but I refused to post them, because c.o.l.a
shouldn't be a mudslinging match between Linux enthusiasts.

Both articles were accurate as to their claims. The rest is opinion.
I'm not going to defend my decisions any further. Maybe I screwed up. Cope.

>This has greatly damaged the cause of free software, and will no doubt
>make the lives of all the developers and users of Linux much more
>difficult as they wrestle with the problems caused by missing,
>unclear, home-built or otherwise unhelpful copyright notices.

You have a gift for overstatement, Ian. 

M. Welsh

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Michael Griffith)
Subject: Re: Qlogic Fast!SCSI ISA Support?
Date: 14 Sep 1994 16:42:53 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Greg Badros <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
>Does anyone know the current status of Qlogic host adapter support by Linux?
>The SCSI howto says it's under development, but the howto is several
>months old.
>
>Has anyone gotten a Qlogic SCSI adaptor to work with Linux?  Please respond
>via email to [email-masked]

Its working for some people.  Try it out from:

        ftp://cs.ucr.edu/pub/linux/qlogic/stable

-- 
Michael A. Griffith ([email-masked])
Department of Computer Science
University of California, Riverside

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Sam Oscar Lantinga)
Crossposted-To: alt.games.doom
Subject: Re: Linux Doom available via anon FTP for limited time
Date: 14 Sep 1994 16:09:36 GMT

Dave Ahn ([email-masked]) wrote:

: I've had Linux Doom (the original and patched) available via anon
: FTP for the last few days on a very temporary basis, but I've gotten
: a few messages suggesting that I keep it available for a few more
: days, since some people are having problems getting a copy from
: sunsite.unc.edu.  I have no problem with that.

        Me too.  Check out dewdrop.water.ca.gov:/pub/doom
Also check out the interesting collection of Linux stuff in /pub/Linux

Feel free to upload any _LINUX_ONLY_ doom utilities there.  Hopefully
I'll be able to provide a small archive of Linux stuff there. :)

Uploading should be done to the /incoming directory.

Enjoy!

        -Sam

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Jake Colman)
Subject: Re: Horrific bug in DOOM!
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 14:35:05 GMT

Kevin Lentin ([email-masked]) wrote:

: Huh? I know QDOS as a separate product. Sort of in the lvein of 4DOS. Is
: this a coincidence?

QDOS is a product from Gazelle Systems which is more like X-Tree than it
is like 4DOS.  The latter is a replacement command processor for DOS
in that it fully replaces COMMAND.COM.  QDOS is a file selector/browser
tool with a few other goodies thrown in as well.

--
Jake Colman                      email: [email-masked]
Lehman Brothers, Inc.            voice: (212) 526-1762
3 World Financial Center         FAX  : (212) 526-1411
21st Floor
New York, NY  10285

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Ricard Torres)
Subject: Can XFree work in a portable?
Date: 14 Sep 1994 16:46:05 GMT

I have been using linux on my desktop at home for quite a while. Now
I am about to buy a (not very sophisticated) portable with a grant,
and I wonder if I will be able to use XFree when I install linux
in it. Does anyone know? 

Thanks,

Ricard

--
Ricard Torres                           e-mail: [email-masked] 
Department of Economics                 Phones:              
Universitat Pompeu Fabra                (34-3) 542-1755  (office)       
Balmes, 132                             (34-3) 542-1746  (fax)       
08008 Barcelona, Spain                  (34-3) 340-4790  (home)    

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Hayim Hendeles)
Subject: 486 Motherboards
Date: 14 Sep 1994 14:56:11 -0700

I am in the process of buying a 486 system. As everyone I spoke
to recommended says PCI is the way to go, (with SCSI), I reviewed
the PCI-HOWTO for more information.

The HOWTO's recommended a specific 486 PCI Motherboard (ASUS-486-PCI ...)
which uses the Saturn Chipset rev. 4. However, my dealer has just
informed me that that chipset is no longer used, and they now use
the ARIES (sp?) chipset.

Does anyone know anything about this chipset? 

On a tangential issue, I am in the process of buying a system which I
would like to run LINUX on, and am curious if anyone knows of any
vendors in the Los Angeles area who are Linux-knowledgeable, and
that I can trust to deliver a system which is 100% Linux compatible.
Needless to say, I would hope the dealer to be honest and reputable.
Can anyone recommend me a specific dealer? Or am I better off assembling
a system myself?

Any advice suggestions would be very much appreciated. Please reply
via E-mail, if possible. If there is any interest, I will post a summary
of the responses.

Thank you,
Hayim Hendeles
E-mail: [email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Tom Mehrkam)
Subject: ide CDROM on linux
Date: 14 Sep 1994 21:49:45 GMT

I receintly purchased a Compudyne 2x CDROM from Comp Usa. At the time I did
not intend to run Linux. The drive seems to be made by AZTECH. The interface 
card definently is. The model number displayed when the DOS driver is loaded 
is AZTECH CDA 268-01A.

I am using Slackware 2.0. I have tried using the sbpcd boot disk. The ALPHA
version of the sbpcd driver says that it supports the Kotobuki/Matsushitha/
Panasonic CD5xx drives and the AZTECH card/"drive ?". my AZTECH card is at
address 320. When I load the boot disk no cdrom device is foud. 

Can anybody help me with this drive.
Has anybody heard of this drive. 

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Doug  Dejulio)
Subject: Re: Linux vs NeXTSTEP
Date: 14 Sep 1994 15:28:35 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Doug  Dejulio <[email-masked]> wrote:
>copy and now I use Linux exclusively.  Running Linux, my PC now
>outperforms my old NeXTstation mono (it had a 40MHz 68040 and 20M RAM)
                                               ^^^^^

OOPS, I mean 25MHz.  Sorry.

-- 
Doug DeJulio
[email-masked]
http://www.pitt.edu/~ddj/

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Andreas Zeidler)
Subject: Re: Sony MiniDisc
Date: 14 Sep 1994 01:42:17 +0200

Hi Alberto,

>Does anybody have some info about the new Sony MiniDiscs (or whatever they
>are called)? I heard they will be 340MB magneto-optical R/W 2.5" discs 
>costing less than 10$ apiece; the controller will be also very low-cost
>(400$?), maybe with floppy interface, maybe IDE.

hmmm... as far as I know, they will only hold about 120mb each. The
prices within this rumours were the same, but IMHO the main
disadvantage is the speed. I've heard, that they won't be much faster
than a usual floppy disk...
In case they have SCSI, Linux will support them without trouble, but
otherwise I'm afraid it won't, unless somebody writes a device driver...

Btw, I've just bought the new SyQuest 270mb removable harddisk drive,
and I'm very pleased with it... here're the facts:

        270mb, 14-16ms, SCSI or IDE, 3.5", bootable, no problems with Linux
        media: 120 DM (probably 65-70$)
        drive: 700 DM (probably 380-420$)

so long,

        Andi

-- 
...and if I died today,
I'd be the happy phantom...

------------------------------

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End of Linux-Misc Digest
******************************