[nzlug] favourite distro

[Simon Bridge]

On Fri, 2008-01-11 at 20:08 +1300, Cliff Pratt wrote:
> Dirk Pilat wrote:
> > On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:17:08 +1300, Cliff Pratt <enkidu at cliffp.com> wrote:
> > 
> >> <grin> I use Ubuntu on my old hardware. AMD 2GHz, 1024MB, Nvidia 6xxx 
> >> series video card, 210GB of HD and a DVD R/W drive, on-board sound 
> >> chips - just works.
> > 
> > Sorry, but I don't call that 'old' hardware.
> > That's a veritable new Ferrari compared to my 486 running DSL.
> > 
> I think that my slowest is a Pentium 100.

I think I still have an RCA 1802 around someplace... 1kRAM and 1k e-PROM
with five x 7-segment displays for a monitor. Programmed in machine-code
using a hex keyboard I hacked together on a breadboard.

I used a 555 timer for the clock for debugging. I could wind the speed
down to 0Hz ... though 1Hz was useful as I could use a moving-coil
multimeter as a logic probe.

It was unbelievably robust - mine was dropped and stepped on before
installation and it still worked.

That was too soon for linux, though writing an OS was my first task. I
learned I should have written a programming language first, and written
the OS in that.

Then there's linux on this toaster...
http://mosh.nokia.com/content/412A7AAA9FDD810FE040050A443025D1

Now, if someone will mention punched cards or using a telephony board to
arbitrarily rewire their analog components, we'll be done ;)