[1/n]

When I tried out Linux for the first time, back in 1995, I had been using DOS command prompts for a couple of years already.

I was really furious when I realized that "dir" didn't work, and that I had to put a space between "cd" and ".." to make it go to the parent directory:

"How could anyone work with this?! Why don't they make it more like DOS?" 😂

[2/n]

The first time I heard about Linux was on a BBS system I dialed into, and they offered an early version of Slackware to download for free.

You could boot into it right from your DOS system, using a little tool called loadlin[1]: it would load the Linux kernel from your FAT filesystem into memory, replacing your running DOS instance entirely.

This was probably the first time I realized there were alternatives to the FAT filesystem. Minds were blown!

[1]: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loadlin

Show thread
Follow

@fribbledom Definitely remember loadlin... Wow.

Sign in to participate in the conversation
Qoto Mastodon

QOTO: Question Others to Teach Ourselves
An inclusive, Academic Freedom, instance
All cultures welcome.
Hate speech and harassment strictly forbidden.