Pleasant Linux Surprises
It is still nice when I get an occasional pleasant surprise from Linux...
We have quite a few old DEC/Compaq/HP AlphaServer systems sitting around here, mostly just gathering dust or generating heat. Yesterday I decided to try loading a current Linux distribution on one of them, an AlphaServer DS10. The obvious choice was Debian, as it is well known as a good server distribution, and they still have Alpha distributions and installation instructions. I downloaded the latest stable release (4.0r6, etch), choosing the "netinst" version, which fits on a small CD-R. Then I booted that in the DS10, followed the on-screen instructions (on a serial console, as that poor old thing doesn't even have a graphic card), and it installed perfectly. Less than an hour, and it was up and running like a charm.
It's so nice when things "just work".
jw 23/1/2009