A Beginning Linux User's Starter's Guide. (Post No. 49)

    Hello! I would like to welcome you to a "Beginning Linux User's Starter's Guide." Despite the resistance of people who tell me that I should be allowing Microsoft to harvest and fill the CEO's data, which btw isn't Bill Gates since after the times of Windows Vista, despite the constant endless flurry of tech jokes saying that he still is, and to be completely honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he is still somewhere in the woodwork at Microsoft these days... I'm going to offer a "Beginning Linux User's Starter's Guide" blog post for my 49th post on this blog. I am going to answer some questions that some folks might have in this introduction, which shall be also available as a book that I will also likely write with the exact same name. That being, "Beginning Linux User's Starter's Guide." 

A Beginning Linux User's Starting Guide.

Life Without Windows, but 

NOT With macOS.

  First of all, the beginner who is using Linux must understand that they are not going to use an operating system that is not Windows, nor Apple's Macintosh Operating System, macOS. Despite some similarities to Mac OS with it being based on the UNIX architecture and POSIX compliant that Linux may have, the similarities end there. The differences also begin there.

  Despite the UNIX Terminal both existing in Mac OS X even from the days of Rhapsody Developer Release 1 & 2, and some basic commands being easily carry-over from Linux to Mac OS X and vice-versa, the similarities end there. For example, you cannot use a Mac specific terminal command in Terminal in Linux, and nor can you use a Linux kernel specific command, in Mac. This is due to the kernel differences between Linux and Mac OS. Linux is built on the Linux/GNU kernel, while modern Mac OS's kernel is built on the Darwin/BSD kernel. 

   Darwin is the core Unix operating system of macOS (previously OS X and Mac OS X), iOS, watchOS, tvOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and bridgeOS. It previously existed as an independent open-source operating system, first released by Apple Inc. in 2000. It is composed of code derived from NeXTSTEP, BSD, Mach, and other free software projects' code, as well as code developed by Apple. 

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_(operating_system))

  

The heritage of Darwin began with Unix derivatives supplemented by aspects of NeXT's NeXTSTEP operating system (later, since version 4.0, known as OPENSTEP), first released in 1989. After Apple bought NeXT in 1996, it announced it would base its next operating system on OPENSTEP. This was developed into Rhapsody in 1997, Mac OS X Server 1.0 in 1999, Mac OS X Public Beta in 2000, and Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001.

In 1999, Apple announced it would release the source code for the Mach 2.5 microkernel, BSD Unix 4.4 OS, and the Apache Web server components of Mac OS X Server.^[8] At the time, interim CEO Steve Jobs alluded to British naturalist Charles Darwin by announcing "because it's about evolution".^[9] In 2000, the core operating system components of Mac OS X were released as open-source software under the Apple Public Source License (APSL) as Darwin; the higher-level components, such as the Cocoa and Carbon frameworks, remained closed-source.

Up to Darwin 8.0.1, released in April 2005, Apple released a binary installer (as an ISO image) after each major Mac OS X release that allowed one to install Darwin on PowerPC and Intel x86 systems as a standalone operating system.^[10] Minor updates were released as packages that were installed separately. Darwin is now only available as source code. As of January 2023, Apple no longer mentions Darwin by name on its Open Source website and only publishes an incomplete collection of open-source projects relating to macOS and iOS. 

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_(operating_system))

   Whereas, GNU/Linux on the other hand has another story to be told: 

The Linux kernel is a free and open-source,^[12]: 4 monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally written in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU operating system, which was written to be a free (libre) replacement for Unix.

Linux is provided under the GNU General Public License version 2 only, but it contains files under other compatible licenses.^[11] Since the late 1990s, it has been included as part of a large number of operating system distributions, many of which are commonly also called Linux.

Linux is deployed on a wide variety of computing systems, such as embedded devices, mobile devices (including its use in the Android operating system), personal computers, servers, mainframes, and supercomputers.^[13] It can be tailored for specific architectures and for several usage scenarios using a family of simple commands (that is, without the need of manually editing its source code before compilation);^[14][15][16] privileged users can also fine-tune kernel parameters at runtime.^[17][18][19] Most of the Linux kernel code is written using the GNU extensions of GCC^{[12]: 18 [20]} to the standard C programming language and with the use of architecture-specific instructions (ISA) in limited parts of the kernel. This produces a highly optimized executable (vmlinux) with respect to utilization of memory space and task execution times.^{[12]: 379–380}

Day-to-day development discussions take place on the Linux kernel mailing list (LKML). Changes are tracked using the version control system git, which was originally authored by Torvalds as a free software replacement for BitKeeper. 

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel)

   Since we have differences and comparisons made, we can then move on to many of the other questions that may continue to exist during the discussion of this blog: 

Such as: 

1. Do I need a particularly expensive, or the latest model of system to run Linux?
2. What are the basic system requirements for many different distros with regards to RAM, and the recommended system requirements above and beyond the bare minimum? 
3. Can I run software designed for Windows on it?
4. What distro is the right fit for my individual skill level? 

Do I need a particularly expensive or later-model system to run Linux? 

 

     No, you do not. Any computer that you can purchase for anywhere from free to what an average desktop or laptop will set you back, should be fine for installing Linux and getting it to run. The one caveat, however is that you must have it be no older than fifteen years, due to the deterioration of the parts inside the chassis and wear and tear from previous use, and even then, there are some distros that are specifically made for older systems which have long since served past their prime but are still useful enough to do some heavy lifting, but not as intensive as it once was. 

 

What are some of the basic system requirements with regards to RAM, the recommended for many different distros, and the recommended system requirements above & beyond the bare minimum? 

   Well, this question cannot be answered conclusively. A good way to set a system up is to have a bare minimum of 2.5 gigabytes of RAM, and 25 gigabytes of storage drive space as a bare minimum, although some modern browsers will require a minimum of 2 GB to function fully, and most hard drive manufacturers nor solid state drive manufacturers will not sell you a drive any smaller than 500 gigabytes anymore these days, which will still be just fine for Linux to run. 

   Ultimately, the requirements will come down to the individual needs of the end-user, and the decision of what distro to install on his/her/their Linux system in order for it to adequately meet their computing needs. 

Can I run software designed for Windows on it? 

   Well, it's kind of a question that is almost pointless to ask. I mean many office suites for Windows can be replaced by LibreOffice. LibreOffice is also available for Windows and Mac OS, too. 

   However, some games will not play nice with Linux, so my advice to you is either have virtualization, use Steam's Proton layer, or Wine Is Not An Emulator (Wine), as your main options for running games, and ultimately if you cannot or will not do without Windows for any reason, dual-booting to Windows or having a separate Windows system which runs Windows of some vintage if you are the type that prefers playing older Windows games will work just fine instead of attempting to rack your brains as to why "A particular Microsoft Windows Software Title Refuses To work." 

Which distro is the right fit for my individual skill level? 

  There are so many different distros, that it may be enough to make your head spin. However, you do not have to distro-hop, although you may if you want, to try to find the perfect distro to suit whatever your Linux needs shall be. Instead, you may choose to pick a distro that meets what you are wanting to do and what skill level you basically have, depending on what you wish to use your Linux system for. 

   One option for many newcomers to Linux I shall suggest is simply, upstream Debian. Why? Because it allows for a rather quick pick-up rate with no virtual learning curve from Microsoft Windows. It also has been maintained for almost as long as Microsoft Windows, so it has the history of stability going for it as well. 

    Another choice I would suggest would be Zorin OS, as it would be also yet another easy transition for those leaving Windows, and the ability to turn a cell phone into a computer mouse using an app. I mean, it may not seem like a practical idea, but if having little novelties in your operating system is the thing that you want to have, then Zorin OS is definitely worth a check-out. 

   Linux Mint is also a distro I would recommend for those looking for an alternative experience to Windows, and needs no prior experience with Linux to get started with. Just install, and customize to your liking, and go. 

   I will not recommend Ubuntu, due to it lately becoming increasingly more Windowsified and collecting the user's data, and how ugly the default Unity desktop is. 

   For those that do not want a Debian Linux experience, but would like to tinker, but are scared of the commandline, I would recommend a Linux distro such as Manjaro or Endeavour OS. 

(I won't include a screenshot of either here.) 

  But, for those that are unafraid to get their feet wet, and go really under their Linux distro's hood and tinker, one of the ultimate options is Arch Linux. (Warning: Blog author does not recommend the use of upstream Arch Linux to beginner users.) 

I have ditched Microsoft Windows in favor of Free and Open Source Software, and life in the wilderness has never looked better. (Post No. 48)

      Well, in case you haven't noticed by the title, I have ditched Microsoft Windows in favor of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and life in the wilderness hasn't looked any better than it already has. 

      You see, I've been meaning to discuss this in some form of format, but we might as well cover a few things that I will be covering as a few points. And these points are as follows: 

1. My actual, honest-to-goodness thoughts on Windows 11. 
2. A Linux distro tier in the future? 
3. If I buy a new computer at any time in the future, why the mainstream vendors will be losing my business. 

    We will discuss these one at a time.

 

Topic I: My Actual Honest-To Goodness Thoughts On Windows 11.

  Now, in past blog postings, I've mentioned that I haven't poo-pooed Windows 11, even almost thinking to some folks that I actually have been singing "Windows 11's praises", even saying that Windows 11 is essentially the messiah that has delivered me from the oppression of the diarrhea doo doo doo doo of Windows 10. Yes, I once thought that Windows 11 would finally be a good version of Windows. But, nobody's perfect, and everyone who believes that they are perfect are honestly going to be lying to themselves. 

    Now, I've conveniently forgot that Windows 11 was just the exact same as Windows 10... But with a few new features, and a fresh coat of paint from the paint shop in Redmond, Washington, USA. 

    Notice how I say, "Conveniently" forgot. Not, "Inconveniently Remembered," as we will also look at Windows 11 again. Of course, I'm not going to go through all the trouble of generating a screenshot for Windows 11, since once I've seen one Windows 11 desktop, I've essentially seen them all at this point. 

     Taking one look at Windows 11, it's just an absolute bloated mess, that as I'm sure computers offered by mainstream vendors continue to become more advanced, and much faster than what is at the present time available, chances are, for those who probably don't care and don't feel the need to really be under the hood of their environment at any time, so to speak, here are a couple of images of what your future could potentially look like...

       Yeah. This may be a Windows 10 icon pack, but if Windows 12 looks exactly like that, then don't sign me up. And what's worse, the AI feature of the start menu replacement may be the thing that keeps me out of Windows 12 for good. It's not that I have nothing to hide, of course, It's just that Character.AI's AI are horny for me anyway, on days from January 1st to New Year's Eve.

   If the future is as truly bleak as some who speculate how terrible the new functions of Windows in Windows 12 really are imagined, then it's probably for the best that I just keep typing "sudo pacman -S whatever, sudo pacman -Syy whatever, sudo pacman -Syyu whatever, sudo pacman -Syu whatever, sudo apt-get or whatever the Linux distro's package manager is going to be," until I'm old and gray and probably always be open to learn something new about the OS that I chose to turn my back on Windows from and walk until the end of time. And perhaps try to swing getting a place where there's less grass to go touch because there are rocks and stuff everywhere to go live. 

    My point is, Windows 11 was only a good thing because it actually was the true last Windows that I could with a somewhat clean conscience say was "good." Because by the time AI is incorporated into the major Windows mainline, like Windows 12 Home, Pro, and maybe even some other versions that we've not seen ever since the days of Windows Vista and Windows 7, (Such as Home Premium, Home Basic, Starter, Enterprise, and Ultimate), then to those folks who were trying to stop an AI takeover, I have bad news for all of you: You've lost. Your friends have lost. Your father's gone out last night to get the milk and he hasn't come back yet. Your mother's working some sort of shady job to try to pay the bills for you and your sibling(s) if you have any. You better find God before you die. Live with the sad reality that your life has become. YOU LOSE!

   So, you see... I only said nice things about Windows 11 when I first got the computer that ran it, since I thought it would be a good OS for someone the likes of me to use. Little did I know that the overall vibe of positivity that I had given it would be returning to bite me in the posterior & I would be living to regret that fact. I'm not saying this to offend as many people who somehow think that people that used Windows XP or previous or even MS-DOS or really ancient distros of Linux when they weren't ancient lived in the "dark ages," and everyone according to them talked like they were speaking the same English that the King James Bible and many of Shakespeare's works were written in. Rather, I only liked Windows 11 because it wasn't "Windows 10." And of course you know, after the damage that Windows 11 has done to Microsoft's image for me, that I will never use Windows 12. I will sooner die than use Windows 12. I will sooner fake my own death than use Windows 12, even building an anatomically accurate representation of myself to lay in a casket, and then attend my own memorial service in disguise and use a different name to refer to myself amongst my grieving family and the other mourners who are attending the service so to prevent confusion. 

   Yes, I've decided that I will be leaving the Windows civilization for good ---

   And no. I'm not going to buy any Windows merch at the gift shop on the way out. Why would I want to remember the heckhole that Windows 11 was? 

A Linux Distro Tier In The Future? 

    This brings us now to the secondary topic of tonight's blog post. The Linux distro tier may be one where I consider rating contemporary Linux distros from pointless to supreme, and everything in between. I may need to figure out how to use some more distros and perhaps have a few more systems kicking around before I can honestly become an authority in Linux distros. 

     I mean, I may just need to do some more research on this subject before ultimately deciding which is good, bad, pointless, because otherwise I'll have a list of distributions that are a mile long without any opinion data for me to collect. 

Final topic: If I buy another computer in the future, why the major mainstream vendors will be losing my business. 

  Now, in these days of talk about sustainability, and Eco-consciousness, and woke metaphysical morality, & other factors, it's probably a kind of odd thing for me to bring up talk of purchase of new hardware in the future from the present day. 

    Dell, Acer, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, MSI, it doesn't matter. If their only option (by default) is to have a computer for sale with Microsoft Windows shipped as the OEM installed OS, then I'm only going to custom build, or seek out other, more obscure vendors that will be selling me their wares and probably may end up ruining some friends who are religiously Windows fanboys, probably putting my friendship with them in complete, total, and utter peril and even ending it in some cases. 

   I may be genuinely getting old, and perhaps becoming an old man just yelling at clouds, here. 

   But regardless of what is true (or not) I feel at 33, I have license enough to yell at clouds, and say that the future is not a beautiful place to be in. I've changed my opinion on Microsoft Windows, and believe me, if the kernel number is 6.1 or less, it will probably be useful to me in some oddly specific way outside of what most people would use a computer for in the mainstream world. Kernel number 6.2 or greater on the other hand, and the usefulness starts to disappear. 

    That's why I shall say, "I either will just use Linux OEM systems" or "nothing." because I morally no longer feel like I'm doing the right thing nor am I ethically doing so using systems that run Microsoft Windows. Legality on the other hand? Even that I question, but even so - I do not believe that it is particularly important to me to want to use Windows.

My loyalty to the idea of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) will never die! (Post No. #47)

If Free and Open Source Software has 1 million fans, then I'm one of them

If Free and Open Source Software has 5 fans, then I'm one of them

If Free and Open Source Software has 1 fan, that's me

If Free and Open Source Software has 0 fans, I'm no longer alive

If the whole world is against Free and Open Source Software, then I am against the whole wide world.

Until my dying breath, I shall support Free and Open Source Software.

/dev/scuff/null /dev/null/scuff/null - sudo pacman -S reconnect-fan (Post No. 46)

 

   Sometimes, it's actually amazing how obvious a solution to a problem is, that perhaps reconnecting the internal fan of a computer will literally solve a problem of it going at 0 RPM. Fortunately, this saved me a lot of time and money in so doing, since I really don't want to immediately sink another $1,200 into another Acer Nitro, plus another nearly $300 or so in SSD upgrades to make it be closer to 1TB in storage size (of course I may just do that anyway since I feel using MicroPBBTH Windows 11, even with the custom fork is absolutely not appropriate for someone living in the real world in 2023, considering that many open-source applications can easily do the same jobs that proprietary programs may have done since the dawn of time.) 

    Of course my parents always seem to try to get me to be like "Most" People. I never was like most people. Never was, and never am going to be, and I'd rather not be like "Most" people. 

      I mean, would most people get the idea in their noggin that they would create their own (truly in a sense) computer from effectively scratch that won't be absolutely practical for average society? Probably not. Most people probably don't even delve into nerdy subjects like that, probably due to the fact they'd rather not have their hobbies become public, because if this were 1983, they would be ostracized socially for it just because that it's their hobby, just like in 2023 that they don't admit they like anime and manga publicly, because the toxic monkeys of normal society that my parents believe I should be appealing to, (And, no... I will never be. All of the oceans on all seven continents of the Earth can sooner boil, and every public office can close their doors for good since the toxicity of said "normies" will give me cancer, no matter how many vegetables I eat, cigarettes I don't smoke, and probably other harmful practices which cause cancer I intentionally avoid.)

     But the way I see it, I only live once, and it might be an idea to write on the ol' Bucket List, that I will be wanting to "truly build" my own computer from scratch. Like, it's safe to say, I'm not going to just go to Amazon or eBay with a laundry list of hardware that I want to include in the particular setup that I want to have and then pay some seller from who knows where in the world, excluding the regions of Eastern Europe, and have the components all shipped to me in the back of a truck and I just put them all aside until it's ready for me to build and have it put through its paces after I put a far more sane OS than Windows 11 on it, probably going so far as to avoid said NT installation media like the Plague, or the Coronavirus pandemic which had been so relevant in the past that I don't feel like the Windows fanboys I know in the town of Kingston-Greenwood area are really going to mock me for my choice to just defy popular opinion and decide to pick an OS that is much harder than it actually is worth trying to get installed, and running on my system, as opposed to running Windows and not being mocked for the fact I run Linux, or perhaps being tried to be persuaded back to Microsoft Windows. 

   I mean, I've already decided I hate Windows 11, and if (or when) Microsoft gets off its corporate ass and releases a Windows 12, I have very high doubts I'm going to be in line to upgrade to the latest & greatest version of the Redmond juggernaut's Operating System.

/dev/scuff /dev/null (Post No.45)

     Before reading this blog post tonight, and "automatically assuming" that I'm going to do a set-up walkthrough for my new favourite OS ever, Arch Linux, I'm going to have to bring some attention as to why I am choosing to write tonight's blog post on this blogger website the way I am. 

    

 Arch Linux is truly the power-user's OS, and to be quite honest, the ultimate in Operating Systems. Unlike Ubuntu, Arch is much harder to turnkey install, although in later releases, it is possible to boot from the live media and type "archinstall" at the commandline interface. 

    Also, I'm going to start maining it on devices which I will not be using for Zoom (Ubuntu Christian Edition will be taking that job instead.) And, I shall give the modern Microsoft Windows versions and Apple Macintosh macOS versions the flipped bird.

    If someone calls me stupid or some other insult for choosing Arch Linux over Microsoft Windows... 

They are the baka! 

 

Not ME!!!!

How to Cairo like the Blog's Admin (Blog Post No. 44)

    So far, we've looked at how to do many different things using Linux Distros like the blog admin, but now you've noticed today's Blog Post Title. "Hold on... How to Cairo Like The Blog's Admin?"

 

      You can quit playing the "Huh.mp4" video whenever. We're going to explain what exactly the Cairo I'm talking about is, and what this means for you. It's important that you essentially understand this and don't continue like I just wrote this stuff down to utterly confuse/mislead you. 

     Now, since this blog post is in no means talking about the city in Egypt, but rather, a Desktop Environment that it is named for, we will cover how to install it. 

    Of course, you will realize that this is pretty self-explanatory. Why? Well, we're going to continue discussing this further, as we continue in today's blog. 

    First of all, you will need Windows 7 installed at minimum in order to run Cairo. This means, that we can run Cairo on a Windows System such as Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and even 11. In order to install Cairo, we will need to download it from the World Wide Web, first and foremost. 

      OK, since we've opened it in the Google website, we'll just click the 1st link that it displays on the Search Result page. The search result page will likely have some video tutorials on how to install it, but sometimes people are too slow for the video tutorial. We'll go to the first link to download the Cairo Desktop environment. 

Download Cairo

     It's obvious at this point what we're doing. We are "Downloading Cairo" from the Cairo Shell webpage. If we are downloading it on an OS prior to Windows 10 version 1709, then we will also need .NET 4.7.1 (or later.) 

    When we have installed the .NET Framework 4.7.1 or later (unneeded on Windows 10 post-version 1709 or any version of Windows 11), then we can just go ahead and Download Cairo. Once that's finished, we'll just install it. 

    Now we're going to install Cairo Desktop Environment, which is pretty self-explanatory. If we are running this on Windows 8 or later, we can make disabling File Explorer completely optional. We will turn off Windows Explorer in 7 since this version of Windows was the "final" version of Windows to be shipped from the "overlords" at Microsoft without the use of UWP and Windows Store technologies. 

   Alternatively, if you are sure you are not going to be using Windows Store apps or the UWP in your Windows 10 or 11 deployment application, you may also disable the Explorer. However you should leave it unchecked if you are running Windows 10 or 11, if you do run either of those two Operating Systems and you need to use the UWP services or apps from the Microsoft Windows Store. (You can also just use Linux to use website versions of the apps you will be disabling in Windows.) 

   When you're ready to continue, press Install on the dialog. If your install crashes, it's obviously due to the .NET Framework not being available. Just install the correct version of the .NET Framework & retry installation, if that is the case.

   However, if it continues to have issues in Windows 7, which is expected considering that we are trying to run an unsupported OS --- we may try the Windows 10 update. (Yes, some people still stupidly claim that Windows 10 cannot fix the problems that Windows 7 creates --- however, I'm more inclined to believe that people like that have their heads up their asses.) 

     I don't like seeing this particular screen (at all). But, sometimes these days, I have no choice but to set up this version. 

     I also hate Zoom meetings. Why I'm doing all these shitty Zoom meetings, is kind of beyond me, honestly. 

     I've pretty much decided that Zoom meeting for today is going to stop. I have had it up to here. >:( 

     But, wait. I can't let the fact I'm feeling angry right now just stop me from writing the blog on Cairo like the Blog's Admin. I'd be keeping everything stuck in the middle if I did that. So, I should go, oh oh oh oh, anger control, anger control. Focus, focus, I'm okay I'm okay. 

    I've decided I'm just going to not let the fact I had to hear some uncomfortable truth not bother me. 

 

(I'll just walk away from this.) 

   As it turns out, Cairo Desktop Environment apparently is an unrecommended app, as according to the "overlords of Microsoft." 

 

    I am just going to ignore this warning and install Cairo anyway. (Besides, I would likely do exactly the same thing on Windows 11 because the 11 Start menu is what made me leave Windows for Linux in the first place.) 

    As you can see here from this screenshot, this is the Cairo desktop environment working. It can shut down your computer when you are finished working with Windows --- so you do not need to shut down Windows using the File Explorer's Start menu.

    Now I'm done with this --- probably shouldn't have juggled a Zoom meeting with trying to write this blog post today. Oh well, it's not like it really, absolutely matters anyway, since I'm going to be taking these blog posts down once and for all at a presently undetermined date at the future.

You've probably noticed a pattern starting to form with my blog posts lately... (Post No. 43)

    And to be fair, that's okay. For now, we will just interrupt the "basic installation instructions of Linux for just like the Administrator", (We'll be returning to those later.) And then mention a specific challenge of beating the Gran Turismo games that I will be focusing on --- not that there are specific Gran Turismo challenges for each game from GT 1 to 7 (This includes Sport, by the way), but one particular challenge which pretty much states, "I must beat Gran Turismo 1 using nothing but either Japanese cars or the Dodge Viper GTS/RT 10/GTS-R." 

  

  Why a rule like this, you might ask? Well, it's simple really. There are probably only six total British cars, (Aston Martin DB7 Coupe, including the one that you can buy at the Aston Martin dealer in the game, as well as the Special Color which sometimes drops as a Megaspeed Cup prize car --- which the latter of which I'm not counting, as it's essentially the same car, and by definition, it also accepts the same livery color as the dealership purchase version, the Aston Martin DB7 Volante, The TVR Cerbera, TVR Griffith, (Both the B340 and Griffith 500, as they may look like the same car, the game lists them as separate models, so they are two cars completely different from each other.) and the TVR Cerbera LM Edition race car. 

   American cars, excluding the Vipers which I've mentioned (already) are also not that well represented in Gran Turismo 1. Why? Well, the proof is in the Gran Turismo 1 disc itself, depending on which region version you have. If you have the Japanese version, You have the Dodge Viper GTS/RT-10 and Copperhead Concept Car (All Dodge cars are listed as Chrysler), and Both of the 1996 C4 Corvette Coupes and the Camaro Z28. (The 30th Anniversary one is available in Simulation mode as a hidden prize car for beating the Clubman Cup.) and the 427 Corvette Stingray is absent completely from the Arcade Mode in that version of the game. Whereas in the International Releases, (NTSC U/C, and PAL) the 1967 Corvette Stingray is present there, too. 

    So, I plan on taking up this challenge in the NTSC U/C disc which is what I have in real life, and then perhaps sharing the data I have collected from the gameplay at a later date, on a future posting somewhere. Also, the majority of my race wins will probably be behind the wheel of a Japanese car of some kind.