Debian Upgrade Marathon: 3.1 Sarge

2 days ago

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The author reflects on their delayed start with Linux, aiming to reclaim lost experience by installing and upgrading Debian from the early 2000s to present.
Debian 3.1 Sarge was chosen as the starting point due to its historical relevance and hardware compatibility with the author's 2004-era motherboard.
The installation process required workarounds like disabling ACPI and manually configuring apt sources to use archived repositories.
The setup involved using a Pentium 4 system with Intel integrated graphics, SATA hard drive via a PATA-SATA converter, and overcoming challenges with optical drives.
Debian Sarge's installer and system configurations were notably different, including mandatory root password and manual sudoers file editing.
The GNOME 2.8 desktop environment was reminiscent of early 2000s UI design, with themes like 'Gorilla' and a suite of default applications.
Testing revealed limitations with modern file formats and media codecs, but nostalgic elements like TuxKart and PC speaker sounds were highlights.
Networking and security features showed their age, with outdated encryption methods and limited IPv6 support.
The project is focused on upgrading through Debian's releases rather than fixing issues in old versions.

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