[olug] nostalgia

[Brian Roberson]

Got a huge kick out of this...

I pulled an OLD linux cd off my nostalgia wall to burn an iso for someone
today and took a look at the INSTALL, I will paraphase




The Linux Installation HOWTO
by Matt Welsh, mdw at sunsite.unc.edu
v3.0, 30 June 1994
This document describes how to obtain and install the Linux software,
focusing on the popular Slackware distribution (version 2.0). It is
the first document which a new Linux user should read to get started.
<SNIP>....


2. Hardware Requirements
What kind of system is needed to run Linux? This is a good question;
the actual hardware requirements for the system change periodically.
The Linux Hardware-HOWTO gives a (more or less) complete listing of
hardware supported by Linux. The Linux INFO-SHEET provides another
list.
At the very least, a hardware configuration that looks like the
following is required:
Any ISA, EISA or VESA Local Bus 80386 or 80486 system will do.
Currently, the MicroChannel (MCA) architecture (found on IBM PS/2
machines) is not supported. Any CPU from the 386SX to the 486DX2 will
work. You do not need a math coprocessor, although it is nice to have
one.
You need at least 4 megabytes of memory in your machine. Technically,
Linux will run with only 2 megs, but most installations and software
require 4. The more memory you have, the happier you'll be. I suggest
8 or 16 megabytes if you're planning to use X-Windows.
Of course, you'll need a hard drive and an AT-standard drive
controller. All MFM, RLL, and IDE drives and controllers should work.
Many SCSI drives and adaptors are supported as well; the Linux SCSI-
HOWTO contains more information on SCSI.
Linux can actually run on a single 5.25" HD floppy, but that's only
useful for installation and maintenance.

<SNIP>
In all, the minimal setup for Linux is not much more than is required
for most MS-DOS or MS Windows systems sold today. If you have a 386 or
486 with at least 4 megs of RAM, then you'll be happy running Linux.
Linux does not require huge amounts of diskspace, memory, or processor
speed. I (used to) run Linux on a 386/16 MHz (the slowest machine you
can get) with 4 megs of RAM, and was quite happy. The more you want to
do, the more memory (and faster processor) you'll need. In my
experience a 486 with 16 megabytes of RAM running Linux outdoes
several models of workstation.


</SNIP>