Introduction

Way back in the day (circa 2000) I was introduced to Unix-like operating systems in the form of Sun Solaris running on a Sun Sparc server. I was intrigued. And wanted to know more. Of course, at that time running a Unix-like operating system at home, on an x86 machine, meant Linux, not true Unix. Why? Well, to start, Unix simply didn’t run on x86. It has been ported to x86 in recent years, but at thetime it wasn’t. So, I started playing with Linux and have spent the last quarter century mucking my way around that system. And I think I’ve got a reasonably good handle on it.

Back in the late 1980’s, when I first began working with computers, there were a fairly wide variety of devices and OSes from which to choose. TRS-80, Commodore (I had the C-128), MS-Dos based PCs, Apple, Amiga, and so on. The challenge was to determine which device worked best for your intended use. DOS based PCs were best for office type work, Apple was the choice if you were doing multimedia, Amiga for gaming, etc. While you could do anything on most of those devices, each had particular strengths and weaknesses. The question you faced in making a purchase was, “which device is best for what I want to do?”

Using the Right Tool for the Job

Back in the late 1980’s, when I first began working with computers, there were a fairly wide variety of devices and OSes from which to choose. TRS-80, Commodore (I had the C-128), MS-Dos based PCs, Apple, Amiga, and so on. The challenge was to determine which device worked best for your intended use. DOS based PCs were best for office type work, Apple was the choice if you were doing multimedia, Amiga for gaming, etc. While you could do anything on most of those devices, each had particular strengths and weaknesses. The question you faced in making a purchase was, “which device is best for what I want to do?”

Driving a Hybrid Pickup Truck

I drove a 2000 Ford Ranger for over 20 years. I loved that truck and basically just wore it out. I think when I finally sold it in 2021 I had put over 250K miles on it. But, alas, all good things come to an end and as it got longer in the tooth it began to have more problems, with their associated costs, than I was willing to deal with. So, having two other vehicles in our house I decided to sell my favorite vehicle of all time. For two years, then, I did not have a truck and, by and large, didn’t find that I needed one.

Doing Unix-y Things

In an earlier post I noted that my foray into Linux began when I started an intensive program in network administration, etc back in 2000. That’s not precisely true. That course did not teach me anything about Linux. I don’t even recall it being mentioned. What it did teach me was Unix. Sun Solaris Unix, to be precise, running on a Sun Sparc server (rest their souls). Linux came along a bit later.