Grump: The Upgrade Treadmill
2004-06-14 07:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdlbearOne of the things I like about Linux is that it runs well on aging hardware, such as the 500MHz K6-3 processors on my fileserver and the three downstairs client machines. Unfortunately, most software is no longer packaged for i586 anymore -- it requires i686 (which I think covers Pentium-III, Athlon, and above). This means that add-on packages like the Firefox browser won't work out of the box.
Fortunately, being Linux, I'll be able to recompile things like Firefox. But that won't work for the few binary-only packages one runs across. And I really can't afford to upgrade three machines right now, even at $180 for a minimal Athlon box at Fry's. Things are tight right now.
Fortunately, being Linux, I'll be able to recompile things like Firefox. But that won't work for the few binary-only packages one runs across. And I really can't afford to upgrade three machines right now, even at $180 for a minimal Athlon box at Fry's. Things are tight right now.
