Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 16:15:11 -0500 From: "Steve Friedrich" <SteveFriedrich@Hot-Shot.com> To: "junkmale@xtra.co.nz" <junkmale@xtra.co.nz>, "K S Manu" <kmanu@heuristec.com> Cc: "questions@FreeBSD.ORG" <questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: supported hardware question Message-ID: <199811062116.QAA30154@laker.net>
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On Sat, 7 Nov 1998 09:47:34 +1300, Dan Langille stands accused of being an optimist: ;o) >On 6 Nov 98, at 13:34, K S Manu wrote: > >> I just bought dell PC (400 mhz) with windows 98 (ugh) and was >> wondering if I can install freebsd on it. The hardware in my system >> (video card, disk controller, etc) consists of the generic stuff sold by >> dell. Does this configuration present a problem? Also, I'm thinking of >> getting ADSL connection.. is it supported in freebsd? Any information >> would be greately appreciated. > >>From what I've seen and heard, just about anything will run under FreeBSD. > And I use ADSL. Not a problem. It needs nothing special when it comes >to FreeBSD. Whoa, what an optimist ;o) The BEST way to find out, IMNSHO (not so humble) is to download the boot floppy for 2.2.7 (and 3.0R, while you're at it) and boot it and see what it detects and what it doesn't. And if you have a spare drive available, try installing to the spare drive (why bother repartitioning your current drive until you know you REALLY want FreeBSD permanently) and verifying all your hardware is usable. Trial installs will reveal a LOT. And keep in mind, if some piece of hardware is incompatible, you can always disable it or pull it, and get another... Personally, I avoid moboards with built-in SCSI, ethernet, or sound. I only want built-in, PCI hosted EIDE, floppy controller, serial ports, and printer port. Everything else I want on a daughter card, so I can replace it at will, without the added expense of replacing the moboard itself. But I understand why some people like these things built-in for various reasons. And I've liked Dells because they stick to industry standards pretty well. Compaq, Gateway, IBM, and most others like to cut costs by creating non-standard moboards, cases, etc. Compaq even has SCSI and ethernet controllers on a single chip (try to get that to work under ANY non-Winblows environment!!). I like to stay close to the hardware mainstream... Unix systems measure "uptime" in years, Winblows measures it in minutes. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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