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3. Overview

3.1 What is Raven

Raven is an on-line shareware £3 magazine to promote Linux, and help you to do something useful with it.

3.2 Raven isn't Free

Indeed not! I'm hoping to make money from this project. Initially enough to get by without resorting a "proper job", but later I'd still like to retire with a pension, thankyou very much.

However, I don't discriminate WHO is using it, whether for business or at home. If Raven saves a student from 2 wasted days, the value is much the same as anyone else's time, and the cost is affordable.

Initially, Raven avoids depending on anything that isn't Free, so it's value is self contained, and doesn't accumulate restrictions. I am looking at ways of keeping it within these guidelines, but also developing things of value. These are likely to be "useful menu utilites", that you could live without, write yourself or find alternatives from the Net.

In addition, once you have purchased a copy of Raven for (you), it is yours.

3.3 Feedback needed

The chances of getting anything done is remote, but you never know. Send me an email, saying what you think. I might lose it, but if you see that idea implemented, award yourself a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

At present I am torn between leaving Raven as-is, and "maintaining" Raven, to cover new facilities, and new versions of packages as they happen.

EG a review of Lyx-0.8 is no good to you if Lyx-0.9 is available. However, I do try to put version numbers in there, so you can check for yourself.

You may find that some articles do get updated, and others don't. Please tell if this is a problem, or if I miss the point somehow.

3.4 Contributions

To keep things simple, I initially want to avoid using contributions from elsewhere (and adverts too!).

The best form of contribution, is to do it yourself, and tell me about it. For example, if you think that my LAN configuration needs a worked example of a multi site sendmail gateway, interlinked with dial-up Internet. Why not write it up, put it on your home WEB pages and nag me to write a paragraph and X-reference.

Then you can select what License your work is released under, but still have it available to Raven readers (who mostly have NET access), and other people too!

This particularly applies to User Groups, who have built up a site, and would like the Table-Of-Contents reviewed and included somewhere. (Remember the off-line CDROM readers too!).

3.5 Target Reader

You tell me who you are, my guess is one of ...

3.6 Your Machine

Probably a Linux machine, but maybe a old Xenix, new FreeBSD, or Apollo, It might just possibly be a 100 VDU SVR4 machine, with several services offloaded to turbo-charged satelite servers.

Most likely an Intel based-PC, but not necessarily. Linux has gone 64 bit, and is reported to work on several different CPU architectures.

The DEC Alpha jumped the queue, and took Linux on-board with project funding. Contact your local DEC dealer, or one in Linux Journal

Here, I'm assuming that you have a limited hardware budget, and can buy new disks, you might also be inheriting an old sun station, or attic PC.

3.7 But I already have a machine

Issue-1 takes you through the motions of building a Penguin from scratch. If you already have a machine, you won't have to do any of that.

You will probably have to install an extra disk, and maybe upgrade the memory. You can check that that worked, using DOS if you like. You have the CDROM already?

Linux DOES require a lot of disk space to lay out all the apps and play with them, and 2.0 Gig disks cost £200 each these days. £100 for 16 M (making 20 or 24 if your MB can pick-n-mix) £100 modem, £120 Internet £120 phone £100 spinnach £100 books £50 cables, means that Uncle Bob's "free gift" of a PC costs £1000 in the first year. Almost as much as half of the rent!

Now follow Issue-1 to install Linux onto that new £200 disk, probably using LOADLIN.EXE until LILO or GRUB works.

3.8 Your Machine

You should have a large machine to see it all running properly first, and to assist the smaller machine (network CDROM).

My 'typical hardware configuration' is what USED to be called a big PC, but is now quite affordable, and fits in one small box.

tower + monitor + keyboard + wires

If you only have a 386/sx, 4Mb RAM and 40 MB disk, you can still proceed, but life won't be easy. If you have it as a second machine - you will see a lot more of the unix world.

Rebuilding small machines and putting them to good use, is part of the fun of Linux - which supports a large range of hardware devices.

I have heard USENET reports of 386 4 MB boxes, with no hard disk, booting from floppy and working as an IP router. (YMMV).


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