[nycbug-talk] Help me install a BSD on a notebook

Assaf Rutenberg assaf at eml.cc
Sun Jan 12 11:35:50 EST 2014


Hi all. I also have an Asus Ultra book I have been dying to have *BSD running on it and could use help installing. I can bring media and would be happy to buy drinks and food all around if we could get Free or Open installed on my UX32VD. thanks.

Assaf

George Rosamond <george at ceetonetechnology.com> wrote:
>James E Keenan:
>> Friends,
>> 
>> Several months ago I was given a brand new Asus Ultrabook, 2 cores,
>> running on Intel Core i3-32-3217U running Windows 8.
>> 
>> I'm not a Windows hater.  I used it on $jobs up until 2006 and on my
>> personal desktop until 2004.  But this version of Windows is so
>> different from what I used to use that I'm not strongly motivated to
>use
>> this machine, accept perhaps for when I need Microsoft Word.  (For
>the
>> record, I'm not enamored of the iOS-ization of Mac in 10.6+, either.
>> Give me a comfortable keyboard, a mouse and a Unix command-line, and
>I'm
>> happy.)
>> 
>> Last night I wiped the dust off the Asus -- literally.  The thought
>> occurred to me:  Could I make this a dual-boot machine, with a *nix
>> system on the other side?  Hmm, I ran Windows98 and RedHat 7.3 on my
>old
>> desktop for several years a decade ago.  I'm familiar with Ubuntu,
>which
>> I used as my desktop at a $job for six years.  (And I've run Debian
>on
>> my Linode since 2005, though that's not a desktop.)
>> 
>> Having attended NYCBUG since 2005 or so, I've noticed that very few
>> presenters at either the monthly meetings or the Cons run a non-Apple
>> BSD on their laptops.  At the 2010 Con there were more presenters
>> running Windows than PC-BSD.
>> 
>> Brian Callahan's presentation at NYCBUG this week suggested that it
>> might be viable to run OpenBSD, at least, on a laptop.  I'm at a
>point
>> where I need a more powerful, Unix-based laptop for my
>> home/open-source-development use, so I'm motivated to explore
>options.
>> I'm wondering if there is anyone in the NYC vicinity who could help
>me
>> do this.  I know that I'm unlikely to embark on this sitting at home
>by
>> myself, so I'm definitely willing to bring this Asus to wherever
>someone
>> who could help me lives or works. And I'm very willing to compensate
>> someone for this in beer, food, cash or perhaps a contribution to an
>> appropriate BSD foundation.  (If I don't do this, eventually I'll
>break
>> down and buy a new Mac, but I'm sure the foundation or anyone on this
>> list can use that $$ more than Apple.)
>> 
>> Assuming I do get a BSD up and running, there will be beneficial
>> results.  I will use it to run smoke tests of Perl and Perl libraries
>on
>> that BSD.  Those smoke tests will be publicly posted, raising that
>BSD's
>> visibility in the Perl community.  I periodically make presentations
>at
>> Perl user groups (like New York Perlmongers) and conferences; if
>people
>> at those meetings saw me booting up a non-Apple BSD, they'd say,
>"Cool!
>>  What's that?"  And, who knows -- I might eventually be able to make
>a
>> software contribution back to the BSD I'm running.
>> 
>> So, if you'd like to offer me some in-person help with this, please
>> contact me off-list.  (You're free to kibbitz on-list as much as you
>> want.  I know you'll do that anyway. ;-) ) Getting this done before
>the
>> Feb 08 Con would be a definite plus.
>
>Well, at some point in the next week or two, I'll be registering people
>for the con, most likely at Suspenders in the evening.
>
>You bring the appropriate install media, and I'm sure someone, such as
>myself, can help you out.
>
>And if more people are interested, we can make it an impromptu
>installfest.
>
>Before then, it might be useful to boot it off *some* BSD and upload
>the
>dmesg to dmesgd so we have an idea of the relevant chipsets.
>
>g
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-- 
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