Two computers — one monitor. The AB switch now allows alternation between them. This is necessary because I pulled my (original, first-ever-computer) ZEOS 486SX out of retirement. The old machine obsolete with VESA local bus and memory challenged might still be useful as a learning test bed. The other computer provides access to online help content, at least until I can get the LINUX OS to recognize its peripherals, and I’ve been using it for Google searches while typing cryptic instructions from the console command line on the other. After 3 or 4 relevant chapters and Appendix A & B in the manual, a HD format and re-partition I did a RedHat LINUX installation. The challenge is to install a driver for the network card. The driver is attainable as a free download but it is a source file, meaning that once downloaded and transferred over via floppy it must be compiled. So I use the windows machine to search for and retrieve the file. To get the file from the floppy to the LINUX system I had to learn how to mount the floppy drive. With the operating system that we all know and love all one does is open Windows Explorer and drag and drop. Takes a couple of mouse clicks. The floppy drive, fd1, I found in a directory called /dev/ (device). The command, and command line arguments, look like this: mount -t msdos /dev/fd1 /home/mnt/floppy. (Sounds simple but I had to read and learn this first) Finally, to transfer the file: cp /home/mnt/floppy/stl8139.c /home/temp. Whew! Except then I discovered that the software to compile the source file was on the RedHat Install CD 🙁 I researched and tracked down this one gcc-6.2.9-15.0.i386.rpm! after visiting and pouring over gcc.org and various other GNU and open source software web sites. To cut to the chase, after screwing around with trying to compile the driver source I discovered another command called locate which might just allow me to find the file ready to go. Another fork in the road because ‘locate’ wasn’t working. Happens that I must first build a db with script from a cron.date folder. More research. Mission accomplished even though I was thrown a kink with required script file misprinted in the manual it was similar and I gave it a shot. stl18139.o turned up in /usr/lib/2.2.2-15/etc . I struggled with this (must be fatigue at this point) file because the ‘l’ next to the 8 looks a whole heck of a lot like a ‘1’ and as we all know the computer does not forgive a syntax typo. Moving on, I had my file and could taste victory when the insert module, insmod command bombed. device active or not found… Okay, don’t give up yet! It’s early. Perhaps the kernel should be updated. This I understand is the most advanced thing that you can do in LINUX, so I wasn’t too hopeful. Every single tutorial on this tack was a variation on a theme. More .rpm files to download and these too large for a floppy so I had to burn them on a CD first. The kernel rebuild didn’t fly either. Too many absent file dependencies. Bail. Try a fresh re-install, I thought I had seen a dialog config option for network cards — nope —- same error msg. Arghhhhh!! I figure I’m computer literate but then I think to myself; I’m just trying to make it run (with varying degrees of success). There is actually somebody(s) out there in geekdom, godlike, that designed the thing from scratch! Impressive, no? If I could just get a hold of one of them! Time to put the keyboard down. It’s been total immersion for two days — two computers one exhausted overloaded pc nerd. Maybe after some rest… There’s a solution to the puzzle.