Hello, unrelated to the OP but, concerning the Linux and Floppy experience. I had installed Slackware 3.6 (with a 2.0.36 Linux kernel) from floppies in 1998. This was a great experience because Slackware at this time was actually distributed in floppies (!)
Notice that I had downloaded these floppies through a 55.6 kbps dialup line (!!) from the Slackware ftp server (!!!)
The great thing about the Slackware distribution was that it was separated in "subsystems" each one being more or less standalone and being able to download and install separately. So there was the "base" subsystem which was on N floppies (I can't remember probably around 6) that contained the Linux kernel, libraries, bash and a couple of other useful utilities which could be downloaded, installed and with this you could start using Linux! And then there were various extra subsystems, for example the "development" subsystem that contained gcc, the "X" subsystem (with the FVWM window manager IIRC) etc. This made it really great to be downloaded through a dialup line.
I can remember various great stories from my installation and configuration process, for example becoming an expert in how disk partitioning works, configuring the modem by giving it AT commands (to dial my ISP's phone I needed to issue the ATX3DT command followed by the number), to make my (ISA) sound card work I needed to boot on windows (95) so that it's IRQ and memory address was configured properly and only then then (cold) reboot on Linux so it would work (!), using autoconfigure/make/gcc to compile stuff (this actually is needed and in 2017), configuring X by editing text files and playing with my monitor resolution and refresh rate etc.
Very interesting! My question is, how did you find a solution for a problem when you got stuck? Ask a friend? Trial and error? But what about things like needing a specific command for partitioning disks a certain way? Books?
I had a dialup connection so I could search the internet! There was a bunch of mailing lists back then where you could ask questions, also sometimes I checked the USENET (alt.os.linux.*) and there were some excellent how-tos... It seems there still are some how-tos (I'm not sure if they are the same as they were back then):
I still remember installing Slack around the year 2000 and completely borking Xorg.
Luckily I had ethernet and a cable modem - Lynx to the rescue!!! A lot of the linux forums were very 'text' friendly in those days - I dread to think what it would be like nowadays trying to navigate a forum from the cli.
I left slackware about 5 years ago for Xubuntu, mainly because I needed to use my laptop for work and not just having fun tweaking and learning.
The whole "Apt get into it!" just really works for me now. I think the final straw for me was last minute trying to compile a video editing suite (Cinelerra?) on slack, getting frustrated and then finding out it was much quicker for me to nuke the HDD, install Ubuntu Studio and an hour or so later I was happily video editing.
Now nostalgia is knocking at the door so maybe I will make a new partition and see how slackware has developed in the last few years...
man and the Internet. Yes the internet was around in 1998 :) . News groups, IRC, mailing lists... all existed.
Trial and error as well of course.
Being from that time period myself (18 years old) and installing Slackware as well RedHat (and even Caldera ... anyone remember that?) there was plenty of documentation.
However unlike the parent poster I got a bunch of Linux distributions by either mail ordering or going to conference. In fact I went to Linux conference in Atlanta circa 1997 and meet Linus himself... but more importantly picked up some distribution CDs/disks.
Oh man, the days of needing to go to a conference to pick up Linux CDs. Yes, I definitely remember Caldera. Only thing from that list I haven't done is meet Linus though I guess I will get around to it at some point.
Actually come to think of it, Ubuntu really hit the CD nail on the head with Shipit, those of you with 28.8 modems will know this feeling. I still have my 7.04 CD.
Notice that I had downloaded these floppies through a 55.6 kbps dialup line (!!) from the Slackware ftp server (!!!)
The great thing about the Slackware distribution was that it was separated in "subsystems" each one being more or less standalone and being able to download and install separately. So there was the "base" subsystem which was on N floppies (I can't remember probably around 6) that contained the Linux kernel, libraries, bash and a couple of other useful utilities which could be downloaded, installed and with this you could start using Linux! And then there were various extra subsystems, for example the "development" subsystem that contained gcc, the "X" subsystem (with the FVWM window manager IIRC) etc. This made it really great to be downloaded through a dialup line.
I can remember various great stories from my installation and configuration process, for example becoming an expert in how disk partitioning works, configuring the modem by giving it AT commands (to dial my ISP's phone I needed to issue the ATX3DT command followed by the number), to make my (ISA) sound card work I needed to boot on windows (95) so that it's IRQ and memory address was configured properly and only then then (cold) reboot on Linux so it would work (!), using autoconfigure/make/gcc to compile stuff (this actually is needed and in 2017), configuring X by editing text files and playing with my monitor resolution and refresh rate etc.
Happy days !