OT: Windows is too expensive

Baron Munchausen · #1 March 22nd, 2007, 12:43 AM

I am presuming that the kernel in nearly all distributions is also compiled for vanilla 'Pentium' rather than using any exotic instruction that risk compatibility. Many Linux installations are on very old hardware that doesn't have any other uses. I'd like to actually use the fancy capabilities of my hardware. The MMX instructions are now something close to 15 years old. Even SSE is about a decade old now. (And then there is SSE2 and SSE3, but I don't have any processors that handle those...

) Also, there might be some services included in the kernel by default that I don't need and don't want for security reasons. It's been a few years but I did tinker with Linux a bit back in the 1.x kernel days. Then, you had to recompile to change quite a few options. Maybe that has been fixed?

parabolize · #2 March 22nd, 2007, 02:06 AM

For the most part yes the default kernel for a distribution is generic usually coming in 386, 686, k7, 64bit and what have you. I have never seen much improvement in making hardware specific kernels or software in general though many people still do it. If you think compiling for days just to get mild performance increases is what you want to do there are many distributions made around that ideology. I would suggest Gentoo.

One thing is for sure, configuring the kernel is a butt load easier then what you remember.

Here is a quick run through: Gentoo Handbook

Baron Munchausen · #3 March 22nd, 2007, 01:02 PM

Days!? When I had Linux 1.x running on a 40 Mhz 386 it only took an hour and a half or so to recompile the kernel. Has it grown that much that it now needs days to recompile on modern hardware? Or has the optimization performed by the compiler become that arcane and complex?

Anyway, the kernel and the windowing system (when in use) underly all other programs running on the machine. I would expect any improved use of hardware features to have a noticeable effect on system performance.

parabolize · #4 March 22nd, 2007, 02:01 PM

No, compiling the kernel itself is quite fast. But a stage 1 Gentoo install does often take days. Luckily it looks like the handbook is pushing a stage 3 these days.

Baron Munchausen · #5 May 17th, 2007, 10:24 PM

OK, every day I'm getting closer to actually swapping drives & starting to install things. But I am trying to get everything in order. Since I don't have broadband, I need to know "How do you setup a modem in Linux?"

parabolize · #6 May 18th, 2007, 01:14 AM

This help? https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DialupModemHowto

Baron Munchausen · #7 May 22nd, 2007, 12:47 PM

Well, here I am getting used to Windows XP -- only 6 years after everyone else!

I finally got tired of 'preparing' and just made the switch last night. Any 'personal computer' is a moving target of course. You can never have everything just right. But thanks to all the preparation I am getting programs and data moved over very quickly. But it did keep me up into the wee hours.

In a few more days I expect to finally install Linux on the reserved partition.