http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?u=339742 LinuxQuestions.org offers a free Linux forum where Linux newbies can ask questions and Linux experts can offer advice. Topics include security, installation, networking and much more. en Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:13:44 GMT vBulletin 60 http://e1h7.simplecdn.net/lqcdn/images/questions/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?u=339742 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=583 Fri, 11 May 2007 23:12:56 GMT Made the mistake of typing in linuxquestions.COM. That web site immediately seized control of my computer (I'm still using XP)and tried to download a bunch of crap. Even when I punched "no" the downloads tried to continue. Closing the browser made no difference. Finally had to lock my firewall and dispose of the items one at a time. Beware. I have since bookmarked linuxquestions.ORG. Warn new linux users. Fear, fire, foes. ]]> bertmag http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=583 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=578 Wed, 09 May 2007 00:15:23 GMT Almost there. Distro in hand, modem on the desk ready to be installed. Only need to back-up existing data. Arrrrg. New hard drive to go in... Almost there. Distro in hand, modem on the desk ready to be installed. Only need to back-up existing data. Arrrrg. New hard drive to go in external box won't format. It says it's formatting, it takes all the time it needs, then says, sorry, didn't format. A RAW disk is not much good for back-ups. Will have to get another drive. This is getting irritating. Should have stuck with known quantities (Maxtor, WD) instead of trying a new bird (Samsung). That will teach me. Never try anything new. Wait, that's not the lesson I need to learn at this point. Everything is new! Anyway, maybe next week. Hopefully Linux will still be a viable alternative then. ]]> bertmag http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=578 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=564 Tue, 08 May 2007 06:23:17 GMT Found out a couple of the distro disks had a "run from disk" option. Plugged in the Ubuntu disk and booted up. Nice. One of my big beefs with Red Hat was how primative the GUI was compared to Windows. Doesn't seem to be a problem any more. Didn't have high expectations, and therefore was not disappointed. Had tried Linspire previously on "boot from disk" and knew the potential problems.

It didn't find my printer so had to configure that manually. No big deal. Been there, done that. Got the printer recognized and made the mistake of printing a test page. What is the use of a test page that uses up all the ink?

No modem, of course. My Linux modem should be in tomorrow.

Nice little set of apps on the Ubuntu disk. Tried a little bit of the photo browser. Nice, if not quite as intuitive as ACDSee. Also didn't handle damaged photos at all, whereas ACDSee will generally show them with a few lines missing. Not a big problem. Tried the Photoshop wannabe. Nice full range of editing options. Only a few of them I tried caused the program to crash. Most worked.

Tried the movie viewer. Apparently the distro disk has NO CODECS on it, so no movies were playable. The program went right to the Internet, however, to find the CODECs. See Modem above. Who needs movies anyway.

The biggest disappointment was the music player. Simply could not get it to make a sound or play a song. Tried opening from file, tried creating a playlist, tried dragging and dropping, tried double clicking and telling it (when it asked) to use Music Player. Nothing. Well, I will not be running from disk and I will not be using Ubuntu in any event. But still, you would think that the developers would include a working music player!

Debian's turn next. ]]> bertmag http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=564 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=558 Mon, 07 May 2007 18:51:55 GMT The distros are here. I'm psyched. Only two tasks to go before Linux day. Back-up all existing data (something I FAIL to do on a regular basis) and installing a Linux friendly modem. Dial-up is a bitch, but it is all I have. I once had a processor-based modem in my Red Hat days. Lightening surge did it in, fortunately after I had given up on Red Hat and its Windowesque daily "security" updates. Three kernals a month took up about all my time with dial-up. Still, I do know people with DSL, so if the flash drive will work with Linux, I do have some options. I don't know whether to let Linux do all the configuring for me, or if I should gleefully erase Windows from my system line by line and watch it die a slow, lingering death (yes, I really have come to hate Microsoft and all it stands for).

Watch this space. ]]> bertmag http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=558 http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog.php?b=531 Mon, 07 May 2007 18:32:15 GMT I am not much of a gamer. I have a few favorites that I play every once in a while, first among them being Halo. I was disappointed when Microsoft... I am not much of a gamer. I have a few favorites that I play every once in a while, first among them being Halo. I was disappointed when Microsoft refused to even consider making a PC version of Halo2, but I understood the company's obsessive need to sell their over-priced Xbox 360 gaming system, so I accepted the fact that Red vs. Blue would probably be the closest I would come to Halo2. Microsoft's announcement of Halo3 and Halo Wars rubbed salt in the open wound, but almost made getting an Xbox 360 worthwhile. Then the unexpected. I saw a box on the wall of a software store that proclaimed Halo2 for the PC! Not believing my eyes I picked up the box (empty, advance reservation) and noticed the small print: Requires Windows Vista.

I had decided long ago not to buy Windows Vista. I felt it was over-priced, under powered (ANOTHER 32-bit OS?), and I had really gotten tired of Microsoft's policies that maximized their profits at the cost of usability of the product. This blatant attempt to extort innocent (but addicted gamers) into spending hundreds of dollars getting an unnecessary new OS was beyond the pale. I have been a customer of Microsoft for over 20 years. I have bought multiple copies of every OS they have made since DOS 3.0. I have bought every version of Microsoft Word since Word 3 for DOS. I put my reputation on the line to get organizations I worked for to purchase Microsoft's office software before their WAS Microsoft Office, even after they screwed me by dropping FOX Pro after I got it adopted by my office. I have paid my dues Microsoft, but no more. Bill Gates worked many years to make the computer accessible to everyday people. Now his company is doing everything in their power to squeeze every dollar out of everyday people, without offering anything substantial in return, except the opportunity to spend MORE money. No more. I am now a LINUX man, and will remain so for the rest of my computing life. I will not build another PC with a Microsoft OS! I will not buy another Microsoft hardware or software product! Hear me, LINUX world! Receive me into your bosom (I can say bosom, can't I?)! I repudiate Microsoft and its evil forever!
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