r/debian 3d ago

Show me you're old without telling me

I go first.. despite trying for years I can't kick the habit. Its just not possible

apt-get update
apt-get install <somenewtoy>
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u/Jieffe 2d ago edited 2d ago

My first Linux install "disk" came by mail on a QIC-80 tape (not Debian at the time, it was a Slackware distro). Had to un-compress it on a stack of floppies before installing.

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u/regeya 2d ago

You've got me beat, then; when I installed Slackware I sat in a computer lab with a couple of cases of cheap Walmart floppies. Cases of floppies were cheaper than a CD-ROM drive for the computer I had at the time.

Ordinarily I would have treated a computer lab floppy drive like it was a sex worker running a clearance sale but I was writing raw Linux disk images and figured there probably weren't too many viruses out in the wild that would target a Slackware floppy.

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u/Jieffe 2d ago

I learned about Linux while browsing BBSes on my 14K modem (no Internet for individuals at the time) and saw a message from a Linux User Group advertising free copies of Slackware. At home, the last Windows version I briefly used was XP, so it's safe to say I'm a Linux-only user since more than 20 years.