A Survey of Linux CD-ROMS Linux is a freely redistributable POSIX-compliant operating system currently running on intel-based 386, 486 and pentium processors, MIPS processors using intel-based peripherals, and 68020, 68030, and 68040 processors with MMU support. CD-ROM distribution for Linux is becoming increasingly popular. Here is a brief look at a few of the key players in the Linux CD marketplace. [Note: I think these CDs only support the intel architecture.] The two most important distributions of Linux are Slackware and Debian (others such as SLS, MCC, TAMU have various shortcomings). A few companies offer their own "home-brewed" distributions (Yggdrasil, Red Hat, Fintronic et. al.,). Both Slackware and Debian are excellent choices, but right now Slackware is easier to obtain on CD. Some CD distributors offer "images" of the Linux ftp archive sites. These vary in their quality and ease of use (fortunately, they generally have at least Slackware included). One problem with Linux CDs is that development is so rapid that the CD is often out-of-date by the time it arrives. Therefore, it may be necessary to buy an updated CD every three to six months in order to stay at the "cutting edge." The PACS Multi-SIG BBS will try to alleviate this problem by keeping some of the most important new packages available for download by PACS members (from the individual login account "BBS menu" type "b" for bs and go to the "unix/linux" or "linux" areas for our two file collections). I will now discuss several CDs that have distinguished themselves in my mind. All of these products can be run off the CD for testing purposes and can be ordered through ACC Bookstore at (800) 546-7274. NB: I don't have a CD drive and all of this is well-researched (!) "net-rumor" and wisdom gleaned talking to people who have installed Linux from CD. Product Price ** Slackware Professional 2.0 .......... $47 Yggdrasil Computing.................. $37 Linux Developer's Resource........... $19 ** Prices will almost certainly vary Slackware Professional 2.0 is probably the easiest to install, highest quality CD distribution of Linux. Morse Telecommunications struck a deal with Patrick Volkerding, the author of Slackware, to produce this "official distribution" of Slackware Linux. Slackware is the most popular Linux distribution because it's FSSTND (Files System STaNDard) compliant, it's stable, easy to install, and has great breadth of software included. Matt Welsh's book "Linux Installation and Getting Started" and 90 days free technical support are included with this shrink-wrapped package. A new version of Slackware is expected soon -- which will probably include, among other improvements, X11 R6 and the 1.2 kernel (at the time of this writing neither of these have been released). Yggdrasil Computing's Plug & Play Linux is also very popular. The hackers at Yggdrasil have added support of X11 Release 6 (the rest of the Linux community is still waiting for this). So this is a value-added offering. This CD features an easy to use installation using the X Window System and a getting started booklet. On the downside they only offer technical support if you give your credit card number or dial their 900 number. Because of the X Windows installation, Yggdrasil is very hard to install if your monitor/video card are not "standard." Several people have complained that they are not FSSTND compliant (though they claim they do comply with FSSTND). One of our members really likes it. My overall impression is that it is pretty good, but is less flexible than Slackware. Another very nice product is the Linux Developer's Resource put out by InfoMagic. This 2 CD set for only $20 is great for those who want a gigantic archive with most of the software you'll ever need all in one place. Since they have concentrated on providing so much material for such a low price, this CD is somewhat less easy to use than the others. However, Slackware is included, so it should be fairly easy for "newbies" to install. It is probably the best choice for one's second Linux CD (once your familiar with the Slackware or Debian installation) or for experienced UNIX users who already understand "UNIX problem-solving." But an ambitious first-timer should be able to figure is out simply by reading the copious documentation on the CD. Unix Notes 1. How well supported is Linux? Support is an important question for any computer system. Since Linux is free the impression is that support is less than adequate. Linux support comes in two main forms. First, from other Linux users (Internet IRC, e-mail, net-news, or our own PACS Multi-SIG BBS) and from companies whose business is supporting free software. The Internet support is free and very good. Well, very good *if* your questions (bug reports) are well worded, complete and incisive. My first few attempts at getting help on the net failed because I didn't include sufficient information for others to deduce my problems. The Linux developers take great pride in their work and are willing to correct any real problems that are uncovered (I could list many of examples of this "cooperative spirit"). Now that I have learned the basics of writing complete problem reports, I get very quick and very helpful responses from the net. Commercial technical support for Linux is growing but at this time seems to be unavailable in the Delaware Valley. A friend of mine has downloaded, compiled, and installed the Khoros system (about 100 Megs) under Linux. Apparently the build went fairly easily. Khoros is free software, but is under a very restrictive redistribution license. From the Khoros FAQ: "Khoros is an integrated software development environment for information processing and visualization, based on X11R5. Khoros components include a visual programming language, code generators for extending the visual language and adding new application packages to the system, an interactive user interface editor, an interactive image display package, an extensive library of image processing, numerical analysis and signal processing routines, and 2D/3D plotting packages. Khoros contains over 260 programs, in the following categories: arithmetic, classification, color conversion, data conversion, file format conversion, feature extraction, frequency filtering, matrix algebra, spatial filtering, morphology filtering, geometric manipulation, histogram manipulation, statistics, signal generation, linear operations, segmentation, spectral estimation, subregion, and transforms. Khoros supports the following file formats: TIFF, pbm, BIG, DEM, DLG, ELAS, FITS, MATLAB, Sun raster, TGA, and xbm." Khoros is available by anonymous ftp from ftp.khoros.unm.edu in /pub/khoros-1.5 or ftp.uu.net (192.48.96.9) in /pub/window-sys/khoros. Late NEWS: A developer's release of Khoros 2.0 was just announced and is available from the main Linux ftp archive: sunsite.unc.edu. Next Month: UNIX Q & A and (maybe) some words on OSF/1.