[CLUE-Tech] Enthusiasm for Linux

[Chuck Downing]

Match,

Thanks for your time.

On Friday 24 October 2003 09:41 pm, Match Grun wrote:
> 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
>

Blackdown comes on the Libranet 2.8 CD.  I have a dial-up Internet connection 
on a single phone line to the house, with a full-time wife in residence.  If 
the Libranet/Blackdown bundle won't work out of the box, how does that build 
my confidence in Linux?

> > 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.
>

Oh, I agree totally with this one.  However, I have spent a day or two at a 
time reinstalling Linux when Win4Lin or something else seems to garble things 
up, so it's not all roses.

> Match
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-- 
Chuck Downing
Leadville, Colorado