Found my first Linux distro, Mandrake from 1998, on an old magazine CD

4 bundie 1 5/24/2025, 6:51:56 AM neowin.net ↗

Comments (1)

ddingus · 8h ago
Oh man! Mandrake 8!

That was my first really fun Linux setup. At the time, I had RedHat running at work and was running SGI IRIX daily along with WinNT 3.51 then Win 2k.

I had setup Ogle to play DVD media and at that time DECSS was a controversy. People could have legal media, legal drive, display, computer, sound, but playing the movie under Linux was a crime.

Any how, I set Mandrake up in our bedroom so my wife and I could enjoy great movies. Ogle would just play the movie. No bullshit, insert disk, press T then P and you were into the movie.

That was a hit and the fam wanted a DVD player for the living room.

I got one and the second day, I got the call: "this POS is broken"

M: What happened honey?

H: It won't just play the movie

M: Which movie?

H: Tarzan

M: Slaps head! Of course. Honey, that one has 15 mins of previews that players will not skip.

H: WTF? That one you made sure would. Why?

[I explain OSS and she gets it and always has since. Neat!]

M: OK, I can solve the problem.

I ripped the movie, brought it home and proceeded to do that to all the kid movies.

They love it and when they break one, I just make another. Same for the neighbors kids mooching one, etc...

Mandrake was nice. I had it running on a Matrox G400 card that could do a very respectable TV out. Was gorgeous on our huge Sony WEGA set in the living Room.

Good times!