Wierd Hardware List:
Athlon 800,
GeForce DDR,
SB-LIVE!,
Smart&Friendly CD-R/W,
Pioneer DVD-ROM,
3COM 10/100 NIC,
MS IntellimouseExplorer.
Mandrake 7.1 identified and correctly configured it
all right out of the box, on 'custom'. I could use everything
with a few exceptions: 3D Acceleration, SBLive's Daughter Board,
all the buttons on the IntellimouseExplorer and the actual DVD playing
ability of my DVD player.
Setting up 3D acceleration invloved installing XFree86 4.0.1 from
binaries, deleting a few Mesa files, compiling and installing the
drivers from nvidia's sight and finally figuring out how not to mess up
/etc/X11/XF86Config when I modified it.
The IntelliMouse explorer was a few fairly straight forward modifications
to the same file, that is, straight forward having read the README.mouse
file. Then some heavy web browsing trying to figure out how to get the
side buttons to work. (used xmodmap for the first time).
The DVD bit is apparently going to have to wait until the release of the
2.4.x kernel - as I refuse to patch my kernel with (almost) everything
else working. Also, it's been difficult finding out how to configure the
damned Live daughterboard... a pity.
So, almost everything with no real pre-palnning ... all in all, I wouldn't
expect my parents ... or any of my friends for that matter ... to have the
ability/patience to figure it all out. Mostly, I was motivated by quake
withdrawls from leaving Win98. :)
Never underestimate and addict...
- John
