[rescue] Linux

[Mike F]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl R. Friend" <crfriend at rcn.com>
To: <rescue at sunhelp.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2002 8:27 PM
Subject: Re: [rescue] Linux

>    OK, I'll risk becoming a pariah here, but I really think that
> the OEM's OS should be taken as part and parcel of the machinery.
> After all, it _is_ part of the historical "fabric" of any device
> one may collect.
> 
>    Sometimes, yes, the original OS can be maddening - infuriating,
> even - but that's a good chunk of what the system was like when
> it was new.  From the crowd here, and from the name of the list,
> I'd assume that there's a fair appreciation of history amongst
> us.

Very true, and I think it really depends on one's perspective. I, for
one, do not work in the IT industry, but rather collect and run
both older and newer machines, mostly in the UNIX/UNIX-like realm
as a hobby. If I worked in the IT industry and had been in it when
any particular "historic" OS was in current use I might not be
enthralled with using said historical software today. By running
older hardware with its operating system, a relative neophyte such
as myself is looking at a past which I was not a part of. I suspect
the same might be true for at least some others out there. Not all
of us had the opportunity to run big, heavy, expensive systems when
they were expensive (they're still big and heavy,:) so rescuing is a
good way to catch up with computing history.

On a slightly different note, currently my only "real" hardware is
Sun gear, so I'm looking to expand my horizons. I'd like to start
acquiring some DEC (either Alpha or VAX,) IBM RS/6000 and SGI gear.
If anyone now or in the future can help me out in these ventures,
I'd be grateful. I'm a little ebay'ed out for the time being, and it
seems that local rescue opportunities are few and far between (I'm
in Grand Rapids, Michigan) so I'm looking for other ways to find
old hardware.

Back to the topic, I'll agree with others here that Solaris 9 would
be the OS of choice for SMP SPARCstation 20s, IMO.

Regards, Mike