3 ms·

I'm to young to know about linux in 1996, but linux in 2013 also seems to fit what you describe.

• InclinedPlane 14y ago
  Imagine linux back in an age before it was possible to search the web for answers to problems you run into. In an age when some of the most popular linux distros not only didn't have advanced install-on-demand internet based package management (e.g. debian) but may not have had any package management at all. Also in an age when plug-and-play was still more a theory than a reality and when hardware support in linux was a cruel joke. Add to that a dizzying array of competing distros and hardware so slow it usually took hours to do a kernel compile. It was a frustrating time for computing in general and deciding to try using linux was a fairly daring venture certain to result in hours upon hours of frustration.
  • pjmlp 14y ago
    Oh, memories of installing Slackware Linux from floppies....
    • InclinedPlane 14y ago
      I can't believe I forgot about floppies and monitor hsync frequencies. Those were dark times.
    • zimpenfish 14y ago
      ...installing TeX, waiting 24 hours for your 16MB 486 to generate all the Metafonts...
• rmason 14y ago
  Imagine a time when during the install you needed to know all the details about your hardware intimately. For example by making a wrong choice during the install you could destroy your monitor. User groups had install parties so users would have a positive experience with Linux and not give up.