> buy a collection of Linux distributions + the Sunsite archive on a 5-cd set that was released quarterly and available at computer stores.

I don't remember those collections, but I do remember boxed commercial distributions being sold at CompUSA, such as Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, and Corel.

> The dialog-based installer wasn't too different from now, IIRC.

From what I remember, they completely rewrote the installer with Sarge. I don't remember what the old one was like, though.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!