[Blackpool] Ripon road open 10-12 Saturday 6th

[Andy McClements]

On 04/12/2014 15:09, MJ Hewitt wrote:
> Hi folks -
>
> I will be open on Saturday 6th.

Hello Folks,

I just subscribed to this list after a brief chat with Mike the other 
day, and I'm planning to come to the meet on Saturday.

I'm returning to Linux after a long period of inactivity, and need to 
get some pointers from folk with more current experience. I've been away 
from the industry for a few years now (I was a University Network 
Manager) so what I do recollect is mostly old hat. My first Linux 
experience was installing Slackware 1.0 in '93, but most of my Unix 
experience (such that it is) was on Solaris.

I have a couple of initial tasks. Firstly I need to build myself a new 
system to serve as my main day-to-day 'desktop' productivity computer. 
Secondly, I need to re-install an old low-power home server appliance 
(Cobalt Qube 3) which is quite an interesting little beastie.

I have to make some decisions and I'm hoping some contact with fellow 
enthusiasts may help. eg:

Package management vs compile from source
Pros/cons of various distros
Pros/cons for various window managers / desktop environments
Lifecycle issues (really I want a long-term supported system)

For the Qube, I have some challenges, as there's no longer an 
off-the-shelf mainstream kernel that will run this box. However the box 
itself is (IMO) worth the effort to keep going. Patches are available 
for kernels up to 3.4, and my best bet seems to be to set up a 
cross-compiling system to build the software for it.

See you Saturday !

Andy McClements