Linux and Computers

These pages are information related to computers and especially the Linux operating system for radio amateurs.

I have been using Linux for about five years now and it is now my prefered operating system. The learning curve can be steep and frustrating, but the rewards are worth it. You can have stable operating system that in many cases costs nothing and that can be tailored to your needs. There are very few (almost no) viruses out there and the security of your system is strong if you keep up to date with your software.

 

Computer Related

Green computers

Reduce, reuse and recycle! No doubt you are becoming aware that in some places you are being charged to dispose of your old PC. The computer processing power for your typical ham radio station is not significant, so have you considered reusing that PC before you throw it out. Alternatively why not buy a refurbished older PC. I use a pentium II desktop and another PII laptop for my amateur activities. Put linux on the PC (which can be free) and you have a reliable and usable workstation.

If you are wondering why there is a charge for disposal, well the typical PC contains some nasty materials and it is worth disposing of these carefully. If you must get that old machine out of your house consider donating it to charity if it is still usable.

Linux

Live CDs:- The easy way to test drive linux

If you are considering giving linux a try then consider trying a live CD. These are Linux distributions on a CD. Basically your computer will run Linux but instead of loading a running from the hard disk it will run from your CD drive. This makes them great for recoving a PC from a hard drive crash but that is quite an advanced application. If you just want to se what linux is all about try one of the popular Linux live CD distributions. Such as

Updating my Laptop's OS

I have been updating the Linux distribution on my old laptop that I use for my PSK when portable. Read my weblog for details on some of the details. For those new to Linux, it should be pointed out that laptops are perhaps the most challenging to setup with Linux, especially to configure the sound.

Last modified 21/10/2005