[CLUE-Tech] Enthusiasm for Linux

[Match Grun]

On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 13:37:56 -0600
Chuck Downing <chuckdowning at earthlink.net> wrote:

> 
> 1.  While I realize that manufacturer cooperation is required, I have
> been unable to get any of those distros to recognize a winmodem. 
> Several driver-makers make wild promises, but none of them work
> because of dependancy issues.

So now you know they are lozemodems. However, have you checked:

	http://www.linmodems.org

> 3.  Open Office 1.1.0 for Linux can't even recognize characters in a
> file saved by Open Office 1.1.0 for Windows--all apostrophes and quote
> marks show up on-screen as question marks.  Try to explain that to a
> computer-phobic spouse.  In addition, the index to the OO help files
> is so fouled up that I can't find instructions about changing to a
> readable display font.  These problems are solved when printing a
> document, but make OO 1.1.0 for Linux impossible to use.

So. Are you quite sure that the problem is OpenOffice? We found a
similar problem on a Solaris box with Java. The problem is probably
caused by using an incorrect locale/character encoding.

Maybe the environment should be setup with:

	LANG=en_US.iso885915

or

	LANG=en_US.utf8

I believe OO uses XML as its data format. If so, this setting is
important.

> 4.  OO would like me to install Java.  The Blackdown Java installation
> included with Libranet 2.8 on the CD cannot be completed because some
> library dependancies are not available on the debian web site.  Java
> has installed on Windoze for at least 8 years!

So why are you using Blackdown? I used it for several years ago before
jdk1.2. I thought that they had stopped development. Have you tried
Sun's? Go to:

	http://java.sun.com


> 6.  USB connections to PDAs seem to be impossible to make work.  I
> have been unable to find a HOW-TO that is actually understandable.  It
> worked for the author, but not for me.  Even the Sharp Zaurus, which
> is a Linux box, cannot be syncronized using Linux.  Sharp refuses to
> acknowledge that PC-Linux exists!

I never did get USB to work either. However, the wireless card works
just great on the Zaurus.

> So, somebody please tell me how Linux is the greatest thing since
> sliced bread and how it's the wave of the future and will be in every
> home during my lifetime.

So now it is time for me to rant. This week Windows on my daughter's
computer decided to trash the hard-drive. Directories were unlinked. I
had no option but to recover files, using Linux (Knoppix). Then I had to
re-format the hard drive. Some people say Windows is easy to install.
What ABSOLUTE KRAP. I hate it. Anyway, after 4 or 5 hours, with multiple
reboots, I eventually got the machine into a usable state.

By comparison, Linux is easy to install. Less than one hour. Also, the
hard-drive would would never have been trashed in the first place.

Match