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14 January 2009
Pie will soon be a l33t haxxor→[More:]Pie is on his way to test out of the hardware portion of his certification at Free Geek. Please, wish him luck!
Oh Hai! What sakura means is that I'm learning to do linux command code. I've been volunteering at a sort of community technology resource and recycling center. They have a two week build class, in which you learn to identify all the electronic gubbins in a computer, and you build five computers and keep the sixth. Part of this process is the learning of linux. They install Ubuntu on all their machines, which are then donated to non-profit orgs or sold in their thrift store. With my certification, I'll hopefully be able to land a job at Intel, testing parts to see if they'll fail. Boring, yes, but until the market conditions improve, a job's a job. Meanwhile, I'll be studying for AICP and LEED certification.
I have an old Dell laptop that originally had XP (pre-service packs).
I got tired of constantly having to wipe it, reinstall XP and dealing with the massive organizational dysfunction that comes with keeping Windows updated, and got a new laptop.
I want to put linux on the old one and either keep it around or give it away. It's got a Linksys wireless adapter. It seems like a semi-fun, educational project for me.
Pie, does this seem doable, and can (generally) Linksys stuff run on linux?
I'll hopefully be able to land a job at Intel, testing parts to see if they'll fail
Hey, that's how my dad started out at the Shlage electronics division back in the late 70s - testing circuit boards before assembly. He worked his way up to lead hardware engineer. His stories from that time are pretty fascinating.
'Dude and I have thought about installing one of the linux distributions on our laptop, but we need more hand-holding than the internet can provide.
danf, the beauty of linux is that if a few people need a driver for a piece of hardware, one of them probably created one. So yes, this should work. If you can't immediately find the driver you need, there's a ton of linux user forums out there, so answers should be forthcoming. Good luck!