Welcome to Pick.Sel!

This computer runs Debian Linux version 2 -
The cutting edge of operating systems!

Useful Pages

The easy guide to installing Hurd on a Linux box.

This should make getting Hurd running multi-user a doddle for anyone with some time, a bit of disk space and a linux box.

Server Statistics

Provided by the Analog Debian Linux package. Updated daily...

Uptime Records

A useful guide to the reliability of Selwyn's power supply :-).

Matthew Vernon

I own the place...literally!

Peter Corbett

Another Selwynite. Ask him about his `superpower'...

Andrew Cowley

a friend of mine from Girton. Member of my WFRP campaign.

Tom Clapham

A Caius man. Is it safe to let a CompSci loose on my system?

Mark Harman

A Sheila member. He has strange tastes in nail varnish...

CSSWG Photos

No index or thumbnails as yet, but I'm working on it. They are in a decent format as well.

Information

Why Pick.Sel?

Four reasons -

1. Pixel - any of the minute areas of uniform illumintation of which an image on a display screen is composed. (Concise Oxford English Dictionary)
2. Pick Selwyn - Selwyn College, Cambridge. Need I say more?
3. Pick - a tool for breaking up hard ground, masonry etc.
4. Pick - A slightly obscure operating system/programming language
5. Can you add a meaning? got any views on the above? then email matthew@sel.cam.ac.uk

Linux?

Linux is a UNIX-like operating system originally developed by a Finnish Student, Linus Torvalds. It is free, and available over the internet, or on CD. It is a group effort, developed by individuals (many of whom are extremely good programmers) from all over the world.

So? Why use it?

1. It's free - Why pay for a poor operating system when you can get a better one for free?
2. It multitasks properly - You can run very many programs at once (which is especially good for servers such as this one, which may have several users on it at once), and the tasks are properly protected: if an application crashes in Windows, then it may crash the entire system, whereas this will not happen on a Linux system. It also uses the processor more effectively. In a recent experiment, I managed to get the system load to nearly 240, without a crash.
3. It has a full range of packages - and they're all free! (commercial packages are also available).
4. It supports a vast range of peripherals, and new ones are supported very rapidly.
5. It is not platform-specific - Linux runs on Apples, DEC Alphas, multi-processor machines, and more, so if you change your computer, you can still use linux.
6. The support is very good - electronic manuals come with every package, and if you still have a problem, then there are a lot of very helpful experts who can help if you have a problem who are contactable by email. Users of other systems' "support" lines (no names mentioned...) will appreciate the difference.
7. It runs emulators - these can be used to run MSDOS, Windows, Macintosh, Amiga, and Commodore programs under Linux.
8. There are ports for popular programs - still want to run Quake? no problems!

Why Debian?

Debian is probably the least commercial (and hence most 'free') of the distributions. I can get the most up-to-date packages from a machine in Cambridge quickly, although there are computers all over the world that you can do this from (see the Debian Website for details). Furthermore, I think that it is the best Linux distribution for practical reasons, particulaly that the support (and bug tracking system are very good (something that can be a problem with other distributions). It's also probably the easiest to install.The Debian penguin (the red one above) is pretty cool as well...

Why penguins?

Apparently, this is based on the name of Linus' computer.

Cutting Edge?

I installed Debian 2 in April 1998 (and it hasn't crashed yet!), when it was frozen for testing, to be released sometime in May.

Sounds good. How do I install Linux?

If you're in Cambridge, then email me, and I may be able to come and help you personally (though I'm no expert). Alternatively, and for people living outside Cambridge, see the Debian Website for instructions. Don't be daunted by the size of the instructions - most of the installation procedure is very straightforward.

So what about the computer?

Pick has recently undergone a major upgrade. We now have double the hard disk space (4GB), a Pentium II processor (266), more memory (64M), more video ram (8MB ATI Expert98)and so on..