[sdtPikachu]

Originally posted by Cyrax9
I think I can buy a "Naked box" easily from a company like Antec, buy my own HDD, a Soundcard, and whatever else I need, and then install Linux.

The dilemea though is finding a way to get "Linux" onto the "Naked box" without DLing it onto my PC first and wiping it out, if I want Linux to be usable on "ONE" Machine, Windoze left intact on another and look for a "Mac" eventuall for comparison's, I need to get 'nux without Installing it on the Windoze PC.

**** man, that's easy. In fact, if you're installing Linux on a naked box (ie no Windows) then it's even easier than installing it as a dual boot.

If you choose a distro that has an easy install (AFAIK this includes Mandrake - my choice at the moment - , SuSE and Redhat, though there are almost certainly others) all you need to do is to go into BIOS, choose to boot form CD, stick in the first installation CD and reboot. Bingo, you've got Linux.

Originally posted by Cyrax9
I want to be able to install Linux on a "BareBones Box" and go from there, I'd keep my Windows PC for gaming, but I dont want to Partition my HDD to run 'nux and Windoze on the same machine.

Yup, that's what you'll have. Buy/build a naked PC and chuck in a dirt cheap Linux CD set, and you're rolling. Installation will take longer than with Windows cos you have to choose which software you want to install... which isn't a choice that 'doze gives you. Hmm, lets see... 3 word processors, 2 spreadsheets, 2 presentation programs, 5 movie players, some C compilers...

Originally posted by Cyrax9
Also, you said Linux DIND't work with Dial-up modems, right?

It doesn't work with ****ty winmodems, no. If you're lucky you'll have a Linmodem (a winmodem where someone has been lucky/clever/illegal enough to make a Linux version of the drivers), but do you really want your modem sucking your CPU cycles when you can get a modem that does it properly?

Originally posted by Cyrax9
What if I want to use a 56k INternal modem that's not some crappy winmodem, more like a US Robotics Modem if I decided to do that until I coul get my "Cable" Modemto run, which I'm not sure how I'd do, since the Software is Windoze and Mac only.

I've got a US Robotics 56K modem. Lovely piece of kit. Linux detected it automatically. Works even better in Linux than it does in Windows. US Robotics make the best modems in the world apparently, and I can't see any reason to argue with that...!
Internal (PCI) non-winmodems tend to be very expensive (tricky to get hold of too, if my experience was anything to go by), you're best off with a good old fashioned serial port if you wanna go dialup.
As far as cable modems go, I am at a loss - I don't know how the interface works. I do know that there are hundreds of DSL and cable users out there using Linux though - how else couild they download 3 CD's worth of OS once every month?! Although, aren't cable modems always extrernal? I don't know, I've never seen one and don't know anyone who has... I'll go google it...
The Linux kernels come with inbuilt support for virtually everything - as soon as the protocols are released, someone will start coding a Linux interface. So long as it's not primarily software based, it'll almost certainly work in Linux, just so long as you don't use an ancient kernel

Originally posted by Cyrax9
I wish Those companies had a few more balls to tell M$ to "shove it where the sun don't shine", because M$ might lose some ground then.

It's not a matter of balls, it's a matter of business. Although it would've been illegal (in terms of anti-competitive practices) to do so, M$ said they would just stop Dell et all selling Windows. This would have destroyed the company - can you imagine your average man on the street buying a computer and then finding it didn't have Windows installed? Never in a million years.

The reason Dell didn't argue was cos they knew that:
a) even a temporary loss in shipping would tarnish their reputation
b) they probably don't have the money to charge M$ with uncompetitive business practices, and it would take time to get other companies/govs on the bandwagon
c) judging by the way the legal system works, Dell would have been sans Windows for months, possibly years
d) even if Dell would have won, they'd be ruined as a business

Originally posted by Cyrax9
If you're buying a new PC, avoid XP, get Linux or a Mac if you don't like to program. I personally enjoy porogramming except using the Language "MICROSOFT Visual Basic", which is as @ss-backwards as the Winblows OS.

What? Who said anything about programming with Linux? I know sod all computer languages, although I am going to learn one someday. Yeah, Linux is more complicated than MacOS if you want to do advanced stuff, but almost everything has been done for you - either by way of software that's already been written, or gooeys for everything - GNOME and KDE are very easy and intuitive to learn, and desktop freaks like me will have a ball configuring them to look a million times better than 'doze. The only thing you need learn with Linux is the use of the Terminal, and this is really only for advanced stuff, since it's where all the real power is. There are still some things that Terminal can do that the GUI's can't, but the quality of software applications available for Linux is outstanding. And almost all monetarily free too.

Originally posted by Cyrax9
Also, Alienware is even having trouble with M$ and WinXP, users are returning machines because M$ can't even send "Valid" Lisence Keys for WinXP and their crappy servers are screwing up XP systems, I can't wait until someone tries to re-activate WinBlows XP and it dosen't work, 6 upgrades and it shuts down.

Buy a new mobo, and you're fscked.

Originally posted by Cyrax9
When Office XP shuts down on me, I'm going to be screaming obesnities at theM$ technican giving them death threats, maybe they'll lose some customers when theri sh*t starts to fall apart during use, I'l be laughing it up when that happens.

Unfortunately, while we're laughing the economy will be collapsing, ICBM's will launch against random targets, gravity will be reversed, the sun will explode and Britney Spears might make a listenable record. Windows is too tied in to the world, and it scares me.

Post on slashdot yesterday: in the antitrust trial, M$ have been asked to reveal the Windows software and to open source it so that the software community on the web can help fix the errors. Then MS said that "Windows is too insecure to have the code released. Some of it is so fatally flawed that if the code were released into the public domain, hackers would instantly exploit it and bring every windows computer in the world down within hours". Scary, no?

Whilst it sounds very plausible, I also have another theory - I think Windows contains GPL code. GPL (General Public License, the licese most Linux osftware is released under) means that the software must be released with the source code freely available to anyone who wants it, and they can modify it and redistribute it as they wish. Also, any software which incorporates (or "steals" if you like) GPL code instantly reverts to GPL software.

I (and many others) think that M$ has bee secretly stealing GPL code and incorporating it into Windows and others. If they release their source, and it's found to have GPL code, all of that software will revert to the GPL - namely, it will be free, for ever, and you can do what the hell you want with it. Microsoft would come to an end...

Call me paranoid, but given what I know about M$'s past performance it has a certain ring of "told you so" to it.

Some links:

Winmodem info

The full Linux-modem compatibility list - ones marked "OK" are the best, "LM"'s will work if you install the right drivers, "WM"'s won't work at all. The old "Ctrl-F" will come in very handy on this page

Some stuff on cable modems - hope it's useful!

Redhat modem info - "Any cable modem that attaches to a regular Ethernet interface will work with Red Hat Linux. Cable modems that require DHCP will need extra post-install setup."
Chances are, if it works with Redhat, it'll work with almost all other distros as well. Most distros borrow rather heavily from Redhat in fact!

Hope you have Linux fun...