Linux Air Combat Files

The downloads contained here are much, Much, MUCH larger than our other downloads. If you already have a LINUX system and you are just looking for the latest version of Linux Air Combat, you probably don't want the version stored here, because it also includes an entire LINUX operating system that you can run directly from boot media, with no need to install it to your hard disk drive. If this is NOT what you want, look in other areas of our SourceForge.net download archives to find the latest version of LAC, packaged up in smaller files ready for your use on your own LINUX system.

This folder contains "iso" files,  which are large, compressed files with an entire, bootable LINUX operating system configured with Linux Air Combat and all of the usual companion tools. Usually we choose the well known "PcLinuxOs" desktop distro for this because it can easily be generated according to the "Linux Live" convention, resulting in a dynamically configured LINUX that adapts to almost any combination of popular, industry-standard X86 hardware in a portable, "one size fits all" setup. NOTE THAT THIS VERSION OF LINUX uses "single-click" logic instead of the "double-click" conventions that are popular with Microsoft Windows. In general, in any situation where "Windows" would ordinarily demand a "double click" of your mouse, PcLinuxOs expects a single-click instead. If you double-click when PcLinuxOS expects a single-click, TWO copies of the designated software will be activated, and those two copies may compete against each other for your computing resources.

After downloading one of the large ".iso" files here, you will need to "burn" it to a bootable DVD ROM or to a flash memory chip (usually these are contained in a USB "thumb drive" package). If your desktop BIOS is too old to boot from a USB flash memory device, you will need to use DVD burner software to make the resulting, bootable DVD ROM disk according to long-established norms. Note that DVD ROM disks are not very fast, so bootstrapping from them is a lot slower; you'll need about 5 minutes to boot up every time using that option. 

If your BIOS is like most that have become available since about 2012, it can be configured to boot an operating system from bootable USB flash memory. Nowadays, high-speed USB flash memory devices can be purchased that are MUCH faster than DVD ROM disks, resulting in rapid bootstrapping, allowing you to bootstrap the entire PcLinuxOS desktop LINUX with LAC in well under a minute. After downloading one of the ISO files published here, you will need to "burn" it to your bootable USB flash memory device using an appropriate flash memory burner like "Balena Etcher" or "Ventoy". 

Most of these processes result in a "read-only", bootable DVD disk or USB flash device which CANNOT be modified or corrupted even if you try to write to it. This results in a very robust LINUX/LAC combination that's immediately ready to run, and which isn't easily compromised by hostile viruses, hackers, or operator blunders. Mumble is included too, along with espeak and even the optional "LacMenuLauncher". Everything you're likely to need or want in support of Linux Air Combat is here. For maximum security, it's best if you use this robust desktop LINUX system ONLY to exercise Linux Air Combat, since you won't be able to update it with newer security patches. 

If you use either of these two bootstrap methods in the most obvious and generally accepted ways, you can be confident that any existing "Microsoft Windows" software on your hard disk drive will NOT be affected, and you will retain the ability to bootstrap into Windows and to use it without compromise thereafter, according to your pre-existing bootup pattern. In order to AVOID windows and use LINUX instead, you will need to insert or connect the appropriate bootable device (thumb drive or dVD ROM) and you may need to adjust your "BIOS" according to well-established norms.

Before bootstrapping your PC into LINUX, you should connect any extra hardware you intend to use with LAC. This will generally include a joystick, a numeric keypad, and (ideally) a headset, and a microphone. 

This "PcLinuxOs" operating system will expect you to log in using the following credentials:

Username: "lac"
password: "lac"

(You will be prompted for the username and password values shown above at bootup. Don't enter the quotation marks.)

Knowing that most people will boot into a "read-only" desktop LINUX, we've configured LAC, mumble, and all related software components for easy, "generic" access. Almost everything will automatically configure itself for your use, but EVERY TIME YOU BOOT THIS SYSTEM UP, YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE SIX INITIAL, SIMPLE CONFIGURATION STEPS AS FOLLOWS (after the bootstrap process settles down and displays the usual and customary desktop tools):

1 of 6- Use the prominent Network/WiFi icon (near the lower right corner of your desktop) to connect to your WiFi or Ethernet network. 

2 of 6- Use the prominent speaker icon (also near the lower right corner of your desktop) to adjust audio volume to your liking.

3 of 6- Activate mumble and connect with our mumble server at "LinuxAirCombat.com".

4 of 6- Activate LAC and use its "SETUP OPTIONS" -> "VIDEO" menu tab to optimize its video resolution and detail to your liking. Most people have good success after setting "RESOLUTION" to "1280 x 720" and toggling "FULLSCREEN" to "YES". You'll need to exit all the way out of LAC (back to your LINUX desktop) and then  re-start it before those changes take effect.

5 of 6- Select "FLY A MISSION" and then "DEFAULT AIRCRAFT" to choose an airplane from among the 54 offered by LAC.

6 of 6- Select one of the online missions, begin flight, and then use LAC's "Morse Code" radio to designate your chosen online "HANDLE" (name). For example, if you want your online handle to be "JONESY" you would need to use LAC's Morse Code Radio to transmit the following message: "HHHHHHHH JONESY " (That's eight or more "H" characters, followed by a single space, then "JONESY" and then another single space).

You should be able to complete those six steps easily within about 60 seconds. After completing those six steps you can continue to fly the mission you chose in step 6, or you can choose and fly any of the other missions. You won't need to take those six steps any more until you re-boot LINUX for your next LAC session.

You can bootstrap into and use this read-only LINUX/LAC system as many times as you want, and there is never any need to "install" it to your hard disk drive.

On the other hand, if you want to install this setup to one of your hard disk drives, you can do that from a "bash" shell. You'll need to log in as "root" through the well-known "su" ("substitute user") command, providing the username "root" and the password "root". Then you'll need to issue this command to commence the hard-disk install process:

draklive-install

You'll be prompted for all of the subsequent steps. Be diligent about reading all of the instructions. If you don't pay diligent attention you could end up writing the operating system and/or the LINUX bootstrap logic onto the wrong disk drive and damage things you really don't want to compromise!