Pleasant Linux Surprises
![j-a-watson.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/d5b37f343a396aa64de9a93a660dc39be69e85da/2014/07/22/2c0d2650-1175-11e4-9732-00505685119a/j-a-watson.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
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