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submitted 1 year ago by sharun@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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[-] tool@r.rosettast0ned.com 8 points 1 year ago

and how hard it was to get x11 working

Oh good God. If you really want to test someone's resolve, sit them down at an old computer with a CRT and no Internet and have them configure X11 from scratch. Seeing that default X11 crosshatch background for the first time was practically orgasmic after the bullshit I went through to make it work.

That's one of those traumatizing experiences I'd completely blocked from my memory until I read your comment.

Traumatizing experience #2 that just came back to me was getting a winmodem working and connected to my ISP via minicom.

[-] InverseParallax@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Didn't do winmodems, that would be a nightmare.

I can't remember how long it was until xf86config made things slightly easier, yeah, getting modelines at first was basically impossible, I think it was trial and error for hours at least.

[-] tool@r.rosettast0ned.com 3 points 1 year ago

I don't think it became easier at all until it was forked off into Xorg and they started making dramatic improvements.

I think it was trial and error for hours at least.

It certainly was until I discovered the monitor I hadn't fried had the modelines printed on a sticker on the back...

[-] InverseParallax@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

You are so damn lucky. I just took the safe ones, and pushed them until it looked good but the monitor's whine wasn't too scary.

Fucking dark ages...

Xorg was a massive improvement, still bad, but less insane.

this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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