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Frequently Asked Questions
A very Frequenty Asked Question - Why can't Microsoft do stuff as well as Linux?.
Which version of Linux is used in these Tutorials?
We run Damn Small Linux. The first tutorial shows you how to download this popular Linux version and install it on your computer running Windows. The process is quick, relatively painless, absolutely free, and completely legal.
Damn Small Linux was designed to be running on your computer. What are you waiting for?
What is the difference between your Tutorials and your Articles?
Our tutorials step you through Linux procedures on a computer running Linux and include screen shots to smooth the process.
Each tutorial is designed to help you DO something useful in Linux on your computer running Microsoft Windows. These tutorials are not posted to article websites.
Our articles present various aspects of Linux, MySQL, and PHP. We post them to article websites such as Ezine Articles to popularize our own website.
You should read these articles actively by trying out the examples on your Windows computer running Damn Small Linux.
What are the requirements to run Damn Small Linux?
According to their website you need at least a 486 processor (that’s an old one) and a minimum of 24 MB of RAM. The full system requires only 50 Megabytes.
Their website does not specify a minimum version of Windows but I don’t plan to try it on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95. I haven’t had access to such computers for years.
Can I run Damn Small Linux on a computer without an Internet connection?
Yes. First download it to a computer desktop. Then copy the downloaded (50 MB) folder to a USB drive and then to the
desktop of the computer without the Internet.
What about running Linux from a USB drive (they call it a USB Pendrive) or a CD?
Our tutorials run from the Windows desktop. But we also show you how to save your Linux files to a USB drive
and then copy these saved files back into Damn Small Linux. You can also install Damn Small Linux to a CD or even to floppy disks
but we don't cover these options.
Which version of Windows do you use for the tutorials?
I run all my Linux tutorials with the Windows XP Media Edition. For the screen shots I use FastStone Capture.
On the rare occasions that I edit the screen shots to protect personal information I note this fact in the tutorial.
Which version of MySQL is used in these Tutorials?
We run version 4.1.9, associated with version EasyPHP vestion 1.8 . The first tutorial shows you how to download MySQL and install it on your computer running Windows. The process is quick, relatively painless, absolutely free, and completely legal.
MySQL was designed to be running on your computer.
Which version of PHP is used in these Tutorials?
We run EasyPHP 2.0b1. The first tutorial shows you how to download this popular PHP version and install it on your computer running Windows. The process is quick, relatively painless, absolutely free, and completely legal.
PHP was designed to be running on your computer.
What are the requirements to run MySQL and PHP?
It is hard to get specific minimum requirements. I know that MySQL won't run on Windows 3.1 and
I don't think it will run on Windows 95 but it will probably run on Windows 98 computers.
As I was writing this section I tested MySQL on a Dell Dimension XPS T450 computer purchased new in August, 1999. I could not copy
the files because this computer did not recognize my recently purchased USB pen drive. However, under Windows
2000 this computer had no problem with MySQL. When I launched MySQL the system even prompted me to change the location
of the configuration files. All I had to do was say yes.
Can I run MySQL and PHP on a computer without an Internet connection?
The above computer does not have an Internet connection. I do have an off-line version of Firefox.
While you can run MySQL from the Internet (even without a live connection), in general
it is easier to run from the DOS command line in Windows. The tutorials will show you
both ways.
What is your policy on helping me get the tutorials to run?
We provide no technical support, whether for these tutorials or anything else.
I realize that in general you do not provide technical support. But my situation is special…
Which part of the word NO don’t you understand?
Can I get a job as a high-paid Linux, MySQL, or PHP specialist by following your tutorials?
No, but they do get you started. Each tutorial finishes with a list of suggested projects. If you don’t care to try the projects our guess is that a Linux career is not in the cards.
The workplace usually requires more than Linux mastery. Many employers want LAMP: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Apache is a web server. MySQL is database system and PHP is a programming language. They are all free (open source) and work together.
We have a few MySQL and PHP tutorials. There are no plans for Apache tutorials.
Contact us if you have a frequently asked question to add to the list.
What do I get if you post my frequently asked question on this website?
You get the answer to that question.