infos on GRASS/LINUX/PC

[Robert C. White Jr.]

Thomas Hack (hack at typhoon.sdsu.edu) wrote:

: - What are your recommendations regarding hardware (e.g.
:   incompatiblities to avoid ...)?

This is a huge land mine area. There are several CD-ROM drives out there
that Linux *does not* yet support.  I had the Yggdrasil CD-ROM sitting around
here for months before I finally just disposed of my old CD-ROM and purchased
a new IDE based one (a Sony 55U, I believe) .
You should read the FAQs and newsgroups related to comp.os.linux.*
There is a steep learning curve.

Once I've gotten Linux installed, I have to say I am flabbergasted at the power
one can get on an intel based computer.  I am running Linux version 1.2 and
am amazed that 1) it's free and 2) it's so stable.  I'm a veteran of old
PC unixes like Microport and Linux is much, much better than than.

: - Where can I obtain LINUX?  Any hints for smooth installation?
You can purchase several commercial distributions, or you can ftp it from
sunsite.unc.edu.

: - Can I have a UNIX and a DOS partition on the same PC?
Yes - as well as an OS2 partition, an NT partition, etc. etc.

: - Is there a compiled version of GRASS for LINUX available?
I've recently downloaded the version from moon.cecer.army.mil.  I'm
not sure how good it is yet, though - I have been having some trouble with
the X window setup.

:   I assume LINUX will come with a C-compiler (gcc?)?
Yes - gcc.

:   Any suggestions for compiling GRASS modules for LINUX?
Haven't tried it yet.

: Are there any documents on the Internet that may describe
: some of the above?  Where can I find them?
Look on the aforementioned ftp sites.


Robert C. White, Jr.                                        rcw at whitestar.com
The WhiteStar Corp                                                 Malamutes!
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