Okay, first off: I’ve got a massive MacWorld / Borders / Trip to SF and back report to write up. It’s coming, and I hope it will be worth the wait. Until I can get it done, there are some wonderful links in the comments for my previous entry, from other bloggers who came to MacWorld, Borders, or both.
My short version? It was awesome. It was everything I’d hoped it would be, and more than I could have ever expected. The drive up was great, and the drive home (without Anne, because she went over to Tahoe to spend the weekend with her friend) was lonely, but enjoyable because I listened to Jay Mohr’s book Gasping for Airtime most of the way. It’s a interesting story . . . but you have to hear him read it. It’s the difference between listening to Dark Side of the Moon and reading the sheet music.
Okay. Enough about the trip report that’s coming. Here’s the thing that made me fire up this nifty browser called “Epiphany,” and write these words: I totally, completely, utterly b0rked my Debian machine before I left for MacWorld. I don’t know what I did, exactly, but somehow it completely lost my mouse. modprobe psmouse and modprobe mousedev did nothing, and I couldn’t find anything in a single online forum that would help me make my goddamn mouse work again. I tried dpkg-reconfigure gpm. I tried mouseconfig I tried cursing in lots of different languages, and making Faustian bargains with gods I’m pretty sure I just made up . . . I even taught myself how to recompile a linux kernel (the debian way and the other way) . . . but no dice.
Finally, I gave up, and decided to just start over with a clean partition and a new install. So I did mv /home/wil /mnt/hda1/backedup/, did a diff to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and burned myself a copy of the latest Debian (Sarge) Network installer.
Oh. My. God. Becky. It was so easy.
Okay. Seriously. Back in the old days of 1999, everyone told me how easy it was to set Red Hat up, but how much cooler Debian was if you could just get past the nightmare install . . . well, this was about as easy an install of anything I’ve ever done. It was literally a handful of commands, and then a bunch of waiting while it grabbed a ton of packages and set them up.
I’m now sitting here with a honest-to-goodness Debian system, running kernel 2.6.8!
Check it out:
wil@bender:~$ uname -a
Linux bender 2.6.8-1-386 #1 Thu Nov 11 12:18:43 EST 2004 i686 GNU/Linux
Okay, this is probably not as exciting to anyone else as it is to me . . . but the fact that I got this working, and took all the HAM radio and isdn stuff out of the kernel, and still got it to work . . . it’s a pretty big deal to me.
I’m logged into Gnome right now,( which I usually don’t use — I’m a KDE or Enlightenment kind of guy — but it looks beautiful) and I’ve got apt installing Firefox and Thunderbird in a terminal, and then I’ve got to restore some of the backups, but I’m very proud of myself. Until I totally screw something else up, I feel like I can put on my propeller hat and give it a mighty spin. *snort*
I’ve got an audition tomorrow morning, then I’m working on the audio book of Just A Geek in the afternoon. Check back around Friday for the full SF trip report, and some other cool news.
Oh, man! And if this moment needed to get any better . . . They Might Be Giants just started singing Ana Ng on the radio behind me.
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I like to think I speak fluent Geek. But man… for the first time, I’m completely lost. Thankfully, you end with TMBG… now that I understand.
I bow to your mad l33t D36i@n skillz! And welcome back!
Now that post was worth the wait. Pure geek. Plus it reminds me of my debian install experience. I like the debian sarge installer – though I perfer FreeBSD for other tasks… [Is Wil BSD freindly?]
Now how about a “best links out of the comments from Wil’s MacWorld” post?
-D
wow, I’ve totally been outgeeked. Glad to hear everything worked out, Wil.
Congrats on the Debian install, Wil! Any chance that your upcoming update will include the latest details on your iBook tribulation?
wow wil. you’re… a geek. i mean, i always knew you were a geek but… you’re really… a GEEK. congratulations. you have crossed the line of no return. 🙂
its my birthday on thursday!!! im going to be 21!!!! anybody who lives in the LA area should come to Borders and say happy birthday because i have to work on my 21st birthday. 🙁
OMG you are a total nerd! 🙂 Rock on with your Debian-installing-bad-self! Saw you at Borders in SF, want to send you the Pirates of the Spanish Main wind rules like I promised. I will fire the email your way after this, and hopefully it makes it past any filters you might have. couple ‘a pdf’s.
Glad you had a good time. Can’t wait to hear your account of the trip.
My goodness – long time, no comment.
Can I spin your propeller?
I just got a visual of you flying around like Calvin did in his fanatasies before he actually got the beanie he sent away for (and had his dreams horribly crushed).
Congrats on your success with the computers. I just smiled and nodded as I read it. I get the feeling my life would be more complete if I were more of a nerd. But then, I’d probably be broke.
Hmm, I always shyed away from Debian thinking it would be too hard to install, I’ve been using Gentoo for the past few years. I’ve been wanting to try out a few new distro’s though, it’s all very well having it up and running and everything but man, that’s dull. I’ve heard Ubuntu is good so I may test that out too.
The one thing I like about Gentoo is that I get a real warm feeling in my heart watching my kernel compile. The linux bit is easy to be honest, anyone can do it, the problem I often come across is knowing the right thing to install to get the rest of your bits and peices working, it can be a task and a half.
For example, I need to figure out how to get my wireless LAN card working in Gentoo, which I’m sure is easy, but I’m so lazy right now and so have been using Windows instead. Bad, bad me, I shame myself in front of the world of geeks.
Sob.
Oh, Wil, BTW, I forgot my favorite aside from you at Borders, when you did the Stewie Griffin “Oh yeah, I went there” with the ‘internets’. You even did a bit of the head movement… hilarious.
Wil:
OK, I won’t pretend that I understood in the slightest what you just wrote!
I’m just glad you got it running again!
Geek!
LOL
🙂
Scott
Wil:
OK, I won’t pretend that I understood in the slightest what you just wrote!
I’m just glad you got it running again!
Geek!
LOL
🙂
Scott
Haha, good job though did you try to remove mouse support then reinitiate it… or try booting in safe mode and see what it says about mouse initiating. Personally I am a FreeBSD guy (other than work lousy win boxes)
Hey, I have the sheet music to DSotM. It’s really not that bad a read! (OK, the “ooooooo, ooooohhh” stuff in “Great Gig in the Sky” doesn’t translate that well, but…)
Hi Wil,
How do I put this?
I’m a middle aged guy (45), I try to keep up with the latest stuff, i’m building my own computers for my family (with a little help), but as I read your post I started to feel like I’m in the dark ages! But then…you mentioned Firefox! I know firefox! You bought me back from the brink! Thanks.
I’m looking forward to your trip report!
John
If you were running Sid previously (I see you’re running Sarge now), then I think I had the same problem. There was an update of GPM that screwed with the mouse settings under X. I never use GPM, so (after hanging out on the debian irc channel and verifying that this wouldn’t hurt me) I uninstalled GPM and everything was beer and skittles again.
Nice to know about the new installer. I got to debian via knoppix hd-install, which was (and still is) easier than any windows install I’ve done since 95.
I used to be a Slackware guy, but the package management in debian is just way way cool. For anybody who has a NIC-based internet connection, I’d strongly suggest burning a copy of the latest knoppix and giving it a spin — it runs from the cd without installing to the HD, for those not already aware, so you can get an idea of what it comes with and how well it works. It doesn’t have Firefox and Thunderbird yet, but it does have the Mozilla suite and Konqueror. For those of a Gnome persuasion, Gnoppix is supposed to be quite good also (never tried it).
Way to go Wil! Woot Woot! \m/. It’s funny, I was actually able to follow along with you the whole time! We are such G33k$ LOL. Can’t wait for your update on the MacWorld. Wondering, what did you think about the Mac Mini thats coming out?
Anyway, one question though? Do you ever do any shows in Canada at all? Would love to see a book reading or something up here in Toronto! I’ll be front and center on that one!
Debian puts out.
Nice going Wil !
Some posters mentioned FreeBSD. That is one great OS. You realy should give that one a try. And if you are _realy_ into a trip, try OpenBSD. A OS for the practicle paranoid 🙂
Will, if you don’t allready know about it, take a look at rsync. It is a great way to keep backups of your system. I have an hourly cron that backs up all of my user directories. It will only sync changes between the systems and thus is ideal for periodic backups.
I totally understand the high of getting through the Debian install. I was in Brazil over the summer with a bunch of Debian Developers and was somehow conned (I blame my husband, mainly) into helping test the installer.
It was just a test installer, so it didn’t matter much in the long run, but! Still! SUCCESS! And instantaneous feedback of the installer!
Yes, I amuse easily.
The true measure of geekhood, Wil, is sending us an installation report about your sarge experience.
An audio version of ‘Just a Geek’ will be awesome. 😀
Back in the day we used Linux to run my game company’s mail server and Debian was the best distro IMO. Slackware was twitchy, and RedHat was just too worried about ‘user-friendly’ displays. Debian all the way.
Of course, I’m now a tool for Microsoft or perhaps always was since we were doing DirectX games.
Your editor Andrew can attest that I was always an Atari ST man at heart from back in our UT dorm days. I still fondly remember him checking e-mail and reading news on his crappy Commodore 128 in 1992. I wonder if there is a Linux distro that runs on an Atari 1040 ST?
It’s awesome that Debian’s so easy to install now. I had to do a reinstall recently when a hard drive died, and was very happy at how easy it was.
Debian rules.
Ah Debian – home of the brave, etc, etc.
You tried Ubuntu? Definitely worth a look, although the LiveCD is a bit shoddy.
I never quite understood this obsession about difficult installs. The old installer worked fine with just you sitting there hitting enter all the time. Afterwards, all you needed to do was compile your own kernel and modprobe until stuff worked…
Good to hear the new installer is working out for more people. I’ve been meaning to try it on my old laptop.
I look forward to reading your MacWorld report etc. What’s your opinion on the miniMac?
I’m quite taken with it myself 😉
Good man! Welcome to upgrade hell – when you start feeling anxious because it’s more than 12 hours since your last apt-get update[1] then you know you’ve been hooked.
Phil
[1] aptitude is for wimps, as I’m sure you’ve realised by now.
Sweet geekness! and Ana Ng! That rocks!
While I’m a big apt-get fan, do “apt-get –install synaptic”, then from the menus Applications > System Tools > Synaptic Package Manager and you might never apt-get again.
I would agree that the Debian-based Ubuntu – http://ubuntulinux.com/ – is well worth a look. The live CD is a great way for Windows users to get a taste of the whole Linux and Gnome thing without having to install anything on their hard drive. And best of all, they’ll even send you officially pressed CDs free of charge!
Wil,
Is there an MP3 anywhere online of you speaking at MacWorld? I’d love to hear it! or do you know if Apple plans on putting it online in video (or audio) format?
Brian
My podcast: http://shesaid-hesaid.com
I just wanna state: thanks so much for the detour to Borders! a) Because that bookstore is a personal favorite hangout of mine (free coffee refills!) and b) because some of us didn’t score the cash/job/resources to get into Macworld. It was a pleasure to be able to see you in the flesh and fur and if’n you’re back in SF on a Thursday evening, we usually have a D&D game running in the kitchen that you’re welcome to drop in on!
Welcome to the Dark Side of Linux, Wil. Embrace Debian, and it will make you stronger than you ever thought imaginable. <laughter type="evil" />
wow you really are a Geek(I mean that in the most loving way too) and I didn’t understand a single thing you said in this post,lol.
The only thing I got was the Oh. My. God. Becky. That was so easy remark, that made me laugh really hard 🙂
I am glad you are up and running again
and best of luck with that audition. *sends positive audition vibes your way
Wil,
Love the post. I live on the edge of geek and mommy,so didn’t understand it all but can relate.
Couldn’t install something the other night and by some miracle my hubby did it. He out-geeked me. That bastard.Snort,Snort. Anyways good luck with the audition.
Debian rocks, good choice.
Also, finish your /. questions pls.
My God, it’s full of geek!
Okay, I know I’m a dinosaur and all, but not only was Wil’s post in a language I didn’t understand, but most of the preceding comments were in g(r)eek too! I look forward to the next installment–it’s fun reading Wheaton in any language!
Im sorry that I missed you at Borders. Sick kid at home.
Sounds like you had a good trip. Good thing you had an audio book. I got real tired listing to the sheriff of Bakersfield guest hosting a talk show on my last drive on I-5.
What radio station plays TMBGs?
Wil:
OK, I won’t pretend that I understood in the slightest what you just wrote!
I’m just glad you got it running again!
Geek!
LOL
🙂
Scott
Wil:
OK, I won’t pretend that I understood in the slightest what you just wrote!
I’m just glad you got it running again!
Geek!
LOL
🙂
Scott
Wil:
OK, I won’t pretend that I understood in the slightest what you just wrote!
I’m just glad you got it running again!
Geek!
LOL
🙂
Scott
Hey Wil, Thanks again for an amazing performace at ACME this weekend. You guys killed! Now the big joke with Jeff and I is “…use it in a sentence”. Keep up the awesome work, Baby Tiger! 😉
Yeah, I pretty much have absolutely no idea what you just said (do I have to turn in my geek card now?), but yay for TMBG! At least that I understood. I’m looking forward to your trip recap.
I think I can honestly say that I am a Geek. Not only was I riveted to this post but I understood it all.
You should e-mail the Debian installer team ([email protected]).
People are always happy when you thank them.
Congrats on the Debian install, Wil. I’ve been a FreeBSD guy running X and fvwm2 for about four years now. For my new computer which I got last week, I’m trying Ubuntu Linux (which is based on Debian), and damn, even though I don’t know a thing about how to configure a Debian/Gnome system, it’s turned out to be a pretty sweet system. Within 24 hours I was watching DVDs, and today I installed a DNS cache and reconfigured my DHCP client. Way to geek out!
*giggles*
that is a great post
& it is great to know that you are alive – I was begining to worry about you since you usually comment when you will be away.
Break a leg tomorrow morning – I really hope you get it
I sort of understand what was said (disclaimer: XP is my primary operating system ATM because I’m in school and all, but I’m planning on getting a 2nd hard drive and installing Linux on it).
Anyhoo – I remember reading an article on /. a while back about the new release of Debian, and they were saying that the install wasn’t a royal pain in the maximus glutious than previous versions. Looks like they were right.
Wil, congrats on your Deb install! You sound like a good source distro geek, so I thought I take a sec to evangelize. 😉 If you like Deb, you’d LOVE Gentoo. 🙂 Check it out if you get a chance. 🙂