Re: Programming in Linux – Cold Start.

[Austin Obyrne <austin.obyrne@hotmail.com>]

On Thursday, December 12, 2013 8:26:37 PM UTC, Ludovic Brenta wrote:
> Austin Obyrne writes on comp.lang.ada: > Is it possible to purchase a CD ROM of an Ada compiler (I detest > longwinded downloading and the possibility of a load of malware coming > with it). It is possible to purchase a *set* of *DVDs* with or without malware on them, at your option. It is possible to purchase a network-install *CD* containing the Linux kernel and the installation program; this installation program then fetches the packages from the nearest mirror to install them. It is possible to purchase a USB stick with the Linux kernel, the installer, and as many packages as will fit on the USB stick. It is possible to download the entire distribution, with or without malware. If you opt for no malware, choose a distribution that uses multiple cryptographic hashes (SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512; yes all of them) to authenticate the binary packages you download. One such as Debian, for example :) With the net-install bootable CD-ROM, you download and install only what you need and nothing more. Last weekend, I salvaged a 5-year-old Debian 5 "Lenny" installation whose root password was lost, on an old laptop whose CD/DVD reader drive was dead, and that would not boot from a USB stick. I booted this laptop *from the network* into a Linux kernel and Debian installation program (which also works in rescue mode) served from my main laptop, and upgraded the machine to "Jessie" (testing) which is not even released yet :) all the while leaving the Windows XP installation untouched. As others have mentioned, you can install on a dedicated partition (dual or triple boot) or into a virtual machine (requiring enough physical RAM for both the host and guest OSes simultaneously). You could even buy a Raspberry Pi with Debian and GNAT on it :) The possibilities really are endless. -- Ludovic Brenta.

Many thanks to everybody for your help.

Austin O'Byrne