[lug] linux, my observations

[llornkcor]

Not that I needed to be convinced of linux' superiority over 
Windows. I have been setting up a firewall, with 2 NIC's,
booting linux/windows. Windows, because the CD's that came with 
the Cisco router has only Windows, and Mac applications on it. 
and since I haven't used a Mac since high school...

Setting up linux was fairly usual, except that the NIC drivers 
were in source form, located on the manufacturers disk!! (yeah 
Intel, yeah Linksys). Unusual, because I am used to having to 
scrounge the web, looking to see if someone, somewhere, maybe has 
written a driver thats similiar enough that it might just work. 
Compiled the drivers, set them up, no real problems at all. 
budda-bing, budda-boong...

Windows (98), on the other hand, doesn't like two NIC's living on 
the same motherboard, apparently. And for some odd reason, applies 
the wrong IRQ to the second NIC. (the Intel here)( and 
actually, changes BOTH NIC's IRQ's from what the BIOS sets it 
as).
Tried every little trick I know so I could to get both NIC's 
installed. But, eventually, gave up, and decided to scrap that 
partition, and install a minimal linux capable and set up for 
networking, as a back up, in case the firewall gets compromised.

Thing about windows is, you can't tell it what it needs to know. 
Try to change the IRQ's to what I know works, and up pops up a 
dialog.. "these settings cannot be changed".. ya, right.

Linux 1
Windows 0


LP