When I was 19 years old, I got the brilliant idea in my head to build a mini-itx custom into a large jewelry box with a 7" LCD in its lid. my dad thought it was such an interesting proposition that he funded it, even though the obscure parts cost about as much as a standard full featured desktop. This was in 2003.
I had also decided that Windows would be inferior for such a project.
I got about this far:
This was the second time I was going to install Gentoo Linux on a system. This time I had decided to be hardcore and start from stage 1 (meaning, I compile the kernel myself).
It took me roughly 4 attempts and 2 1/2 weeks to figure out that you just don't ever want to start from stage 1 if:
- Your processor is roundabouts 600mhz.
- Your screen is 7" and you're not prepared to stare at it for a couple hours or so a sitting.
- Your competency level with that particular distro and stage is on the newb level: following a step by step printed manual and still fucking up at some point in the process causing you to start over repeatedly and re-experience the pleasure of watching white text scroll across the screen for a day and a half or more while it compiles. Just to discover that you left something out or did something wrong or want to make changes to see if a different driver will work or increase efficency.
I wound up gifting the system that was secured to a board (that wouldn't fit in the jewelry box without possibly destroying the box), as well as the LCD display, to an ex-boyfriend that fancied putting slackware on it and installing it in his car. He got it working but he never did tell me whether or not he installed it in his car.
It was a tumultuous but brief love affair with Gentoo, and I now have a much greater appreciation for debian and *buntu. I've also fiddled with slax, knoppix, damn small linux, and ancient implementations of SUSE, Redhat, and Mandrake.. but I haven't installed Linux on a machine in like, three years.
Edit: Also fiddled with FreeBSD on a laptop I had briefly 4-5 years ago and liked it.
I had also decided that Windows would be inferior for such a project.
I got about this far:
This was the second time I was going to install Gentoo Linux on a system. This time I had decided to be hardcore and start from stage 1 (meaning, I compile the kernel myself).
It took me roughly 4 attempts and 2 1/2 weeks to figure out that you just don't ever want to start from stage 1 if:
- Your processor is roundabouts 600mhz.
- Your screen is 7" and you're not prepared to stare at it for a couple hours or so a sitting.
- Your competency level with that particular distro and stage is on the newb level: following a step by step printed manual and still fucking up at some point in the process causing you to start over repeatedly and re-experience the pleasure of watching white text scroll across the screen for a day and a half or more while it compiles. Just to discover that you left something out or did something wrong or want to make changes to see if a different driver will work or increase efficency.
I wound up gifting the system that was secured to a board (that wouldn't fit in the jewelry box without possibly destroying the box), as well as the LCD display, to an ex-boyfriend that fancied putting slackware on it and installing it in his car. He got it working but he never did tell me whether or not he installed it in his car.
It was a tumultuous but brief love affair with Gentoo, and I now have a much greater appreciation for debian and *buntu. I've also fiddled with slax, knoppix, damn small linux, and ancient implementations of SUSE, Redhat, and Mandrake.. but I haven't installed Linux on a machine in like, three years.
Edit: Also fiddled with FreeBSD on a laptop I had briefly 4-5 years ago and liked it.