Linux. Shell accounts. Real security.
I need to learn Linux. Actually learn it, not just fumble through commands. And DalNet isn't going to help with that.
DalNet's #linux is full of people asking how to boot from a floppy disk. Brand-new users who've just downloaded their first copy of Linux and want someone to hold their hand through every step. If I show up asking basic questions there, I'll look like exactly what I am—a Windows kid who doesn't know what he's doing.
EFNet has #linux too. The actual #linux. Where the people who write Linux documentation hang out. Where university system administrators help each other debug problems at 3 AM.
It's also the network Kaos warned me about. No NickServ to protect your nickname. No ChanServ to protect your channels. No safety net.
I open a second mIRC window. Keep DalNet running in one, start configuring EFNet in the other.
* Connecting to irc.efnet.org (6667)
* Looking up your hostname...
* Found your hostname.
* Checking Ident
* Got Ident response
* Welcome to the EFnet Internet Relay Chat Network SKa_
The usual server messages scroll by—message of the day, user counts, network rules. But the tone is different. Colder. No friendly "Welcome to DalNet!" Just network policies and warnings about abuse.
I try to change my nick to SKa.
* Nickname SKa is already in use.
The rejection hits harder than it should. Someone already has my nickname. On DalNet, I'd just identify to NickServ—reclaim what was mine.
But EFNet doesn't have NickServ. No registration. No protection.
I have to name myself SKa_.
The underscore appears next to my name like a scar. Not even myself here.
I join #linux.
Two hundred people. Messages scrolling fast—kernel compilation flags, filesystem benchmarks, someone debugging a SCSI driver issue. None of this makes sense to me.
The topic is just a URL to the Linux Documentation Project. No welcome message. No rules about being nice to newbies.
I watch for twenty minutes. Nobody saying "hi" or "hello." No small talk. Just technical conversation. Someone asking about XFree86 display settings, getting immediate precise answers with specific refresh rates.
On DalNet, questions get answered eventually. Here, if you aren't precise, you get ignored. Or worse—mocked for asking something obvious.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Three lines of system output. Two people analyzing it simultaneously. Problem solved in ninety seconds.
I need to be here.
---
The next morning before school, I catch Dad making coffee.
"Can I ask you something?"
He looks up from the Bialetti moka pot. "What's up?"
"I want to learn Linux. It's an operating system—like Windows, but different. More powerful. Used for programming and server stuff." Not a lie. "Could you help me get the installation CDs?"
"Linux," he says. "The free Unix thing?"
"Yeah."
"What brought this on?"
Can't exactly say *I keep getting remotely crashed by packet attacks because Windows is fundamentally insecure and I need to learn how real operators defend themselves.*
"The programming stuff I'm doing," I say. "A lot of it runs better on Linux. And it'd be good to learn. For college, maybe. Job skills."
He nods slowly. "You know this'll replace Windows? Or do you need both?"
"There's a way to have both. Dual boot—you choose which operating system to start when the computer turns on. Like having two different engines in the same car."
"Alright. Let me see what I can find." He grabs a notepad. "What's it called again?"
"Slackware," I say. "That's the one."
"I'll check CompUSA after work."
That afternoon I get home from school and find a bag on my desk.
Two CD-ROMs in jewel cases: *Slackware Linux 3.4* with a thick printed manual. Plus a book: *Linux Installation and Getting Started*.
Dad appears in the doorway. "Guy at CompUSA said Slackware was the real deal. Said you'd either figure it out or break the computer trying."
"Thanks. This is perfect."
Dad leans against the doorframe. "The guy at CompUSA also said most kids your age go for the easy version—Red Hat. GUI installer, menus, that sort of thing." He looks at me. "You specifically asked for the hard one."
"It's the one real Linux people use."
"Real Linux people." He almost smiles. "You remind me that there's always a harder way to do things. Usually the better way, too."
"Just—" He pauses. "Don't brick the computer, okay? It's the family machine."
"I'll be careful."
He leaves. I open the manual.
Three hundred pages. Partitioning hard drives. Boot loaders. Package management. Kernel configuration.
Okay. No clue what most of that means. But I'll figure it out.
The installation instructions start with a warning in bold: INCORRECT PARTITIONING CAN RESULT IN COMPLETE DATA LOSS.
Right. Careful it is. But dinner first.