[kruuna.helsinki.fi] Login name: torvalds In real life: Linus Benedict Torvalds Directory: /home/kruuna/tkol/torvalds Shell: /bin/tcsh Last login Tue Feb 18 16:51 on ttypf from LKS500 No unread mail Plan: Free UNIX for the 386 The current version of linux is 0.12 - it has most things a unix kernel needs, and will probably be released as 1.0 as soon as it gets a little more testing, and we can get a init/login going. Currently you get dumped into a shell as root upon bootup. There are simple init/logins available, but it's not yet part of the "official" distribution. Linux can be gotten by anonymous ftp from 'nic.funet.fi' (128.214.6.100) in the directory '/pub/OS/Linux'. This directory structure contains all the linux OS- and library-sources, and enough binaries to get going. To install linux you still need to know something about unices: it's relatively straightforward to install, but the documentation sucks raw eggs, and people with no previous unix experience are going to get very confused. Linux still requires an AT-compatible disk to be useful: people are working on a SCSI-driver, but I don't know when it will be ready. There are now a couple of other sites containing linux, as people have had difficulties with connecting to nic. The sites are: Tupac-Amaru.Informatik.RWTH-Aachen.DE (137.226.112.31): directory /pub/msdos/replace tsx-11.mit.edu (18.172.1.2): directory /pub/linux (and many additional sites: there are now sites in the uk, japan etc that carry linux, but I have lost count) There is also a mailing list set up 'Linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi'. To join, mail a request to 'Linux-activists-request@niksula.hut.fi'. It's no use mailing me: I have no actual contact with the mailing-list (other than being on it, naturally). For those of you able to read the alt.* newsgroups, there is also a linux newsgroup available: alt.os.linux, which should hopefully become a comp.* group when the votings etc are ready. Mail me for more info: Linus (torvalds@kruuna.Helsinki.FI) PS. The next version (0.13, possibly called 0.95) should be out in early March. The deadline for patches to 0.12 was February 15th, and no more patches will be accepted any more unless they are important (bug-fixes etc). 0.13 should contain these new things (most of them implemented by others, I'm happy to say): - ptrace (gdb is in beta-testing) - VFS (at least a minimal stubs-version) - bug-corrections (notably mm, but also some other minor bugs) - better VC's (screen blanking etc) - init/login - faster floppies