[linux-help] Re: Alpha Server

[John Goerzen <jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Alpha systems of every platform and revision are fully supported by
the Linux kernel.

Several distributions also make Alpha versions, although my own
experience is only with Debian.  You will be able to install Debian on
it.  I do recommend upgrading to kernel 2.2 after you do that, as it
has some various performance and compatibility enhancements for
Alphas.

The Alpha architecture is a very nice one, extremely fast, and
robust.  I am quite happy with my Alpha box, which runs Linux
exclusively.

One of the other people here mentioned software availability.  In
general, the only software that will not run on the Alpha that may on
x86 Linux is the non-free software that comes without source.  This
would be things like Quake or StarOffice.  Everything that you get on
a Debian CD set, for whatever architecture, is free software with
source -- and with a few exceptions for architecture-specific packages
like as86 -- it will all come with the Alpha CD set as well.

A FEW programs have generic problems running on any 64-bit platform.
By now, Alpha people (myself included) have stamped out virtually all
of these.  And as more of the world goes 64-bit (with ultrasparc in
64-bit mode now being supported on Linux, and soon Merced), whatever
minor issues remain are sure to be cleared up shortly.

-- John

Curtis Hawthorne <cghawthorne@xxxxxxxxx> writes:

> Hi!
> 
> I'm looking at buying an Digital Alpha Server 3300R. 
> Does anybody know if it is supported by Linux?  I
> looked at a few compatibility pages and it wasn't
> listed anywhere.  For more info about it, check here:
> 
> http://www.digital.com/alphaserver/archive/3300/digitalserver3300.html
> 
> Thanks!
> 
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-- 
John Goerzen   Linux, Unix consulting & programming   jgoerzen@xxxxxxxxxxxx |
Developer, Debian GNU/Linux (Free powerful OS upgrade)       www.debian.org |
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The 40,444,115th prime number is 785,618,803.

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