[TriLUG] A friend of mine shared this article with me--comments anyone??

[al johson]

Well, David, I think (but I may be mistaken) that the installing all the
different COMMON distributions articles are probably finished, esp. since
Tony is now in Japan installing some kind of new telescope (isn't it amazing
what some Linux guys do for a living??).
Again I apologize if  I offended anyone with that series. Unfortunately,
those articles appeared daily (because they were sent to me daily). But I
have promised to not send anything else from Lockergnome's free newsletter
"Penguin Shell", so if the group wants to continue reading them they'll just
have to subscribe for themselves. ---AL
P.S. I sympathize with your modem problem. Troubleshooting is a difficult
task at best. As a ham radio operator a particular scenario often takes
place like this: a guy has a problem with his radio not working correctly,
but well enough so he can receive and transmit. So all his friends attempt
to help him on the air. This usually doesn't work. But at least everyone
tries to help him narrow down the possible causes. In fact, I'd guess that
the success on-the-air rates have got to be only about 5 or 10%. To fix just
about anything in software or electronic you just about have to be there
looking at the problem yourself. You can suggest a solution, which sometimes
proves correct. But oftentimes the person with the problem doesn't even
understand what you're talking about (this is the problem I now face with
Linux---and I've read just about ALL the Linux books available [well to be
honest the ones I thought I could understand!]). Trouble is the problem you
have is never in the book!!! One thing that really drives me nuts about
Linux programs is that when you click on the Help button you get a course in
how the KDE (or GNOME) OS works, not how the program you need help for
works!!, very strange. Well it's still fun and hopefully one day both of us
will get our machines purring. I'm just looking forward to the day I can
kiss Microsoft GOODBYE!!!

----- Original Message -----
From: David A. Cafaro <dac at cafaro.net>
To: <trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] A friend of mine shared this article with me--comments
anyone??


> Al,
>
> Personally I like the Lockergnome stuff, it's interesting to read his
takes
> of the install, and I for one don't mind these posted to the news group
> every once in a while (not on a daily basis or anything though).  As far
as
> web articles, I would prefer a link to the website, actually I had posted
> the same article you did except the link was to "The Register's" version
of
> it.  I also try to make it clear that it's an article in the header so
> people who don't like those things can just delete them.  But you know,
you
> will never make everyone happy.
>
> As far as Linux, again, I'm all for the KISS method at first, and then
> looking under the hood once you know it isn't impossible.  Right now I am
> having one hell of a time trying to get RH7.2 to install on my
> server/desktop at home.  This is now my second weekend working on it, and
I
> think I have finally found the problem.  Apparently I can't use any of my
> ISA cards in it?  Now this system installed and ran perfectly fine with
> RH7.0, and I just decided to upgrade because of the 2.4 series kernel.  So
> for now no modem, and no sound card for the box.  And trying to search
> through RH Knowledge Base is a dead end.  When did they change it, I can't
> even find any mention of a U.S. Robotics (3COM) ISA or PCI modem
> anywhere.  Once I fiddle around some more with it, I may refer to the
> wonderful resource of the list for help, but for now, more of a tackle it
> my self thing (I'm a little past the GUI user stage :-) ).
>
>
>
>
> At 10:05 PM 12/8/2001 -0500, you wrote:
> >Well, the stuff from Lockergnome is not really available online, only by
> >subscribing to their free Penguin Shell newsletter. Moreover this
newsletter
> >encourages the forwarding of its articles by supplying a "Forward this to
a
> >friend" button at the bottom of each article!
> >     I thought that since this LINUX newsletter was rather new the group
> >might like to see a sample of SOME of the items in this newsletter and
from
> >other Trilug members' responses there has been some interest expressed in
> >reading about the state of various distributions.
> >      However, this particular article was emailed to me by a friend (as
I
> >said), and it included the reference to the place it came from (which
allows
> >interested parties to compare the text I've presented with the original).
In
> >fact, it could be called an "advertisement" for the website in question.
> >Thus I fail to see any harm has been done in either case.
> >    Now, if you don't want to read these (in my view) very "interesting
> >comments" about different distributions (and how easy they are to
install),
> >or interesting comments about the progress Linux is making in today's
> >marketplace, etc., then I will most certainly cease and desist sending
them.
> >==============================
> >     However, I'm more interested in a problem which I and at least one
other
> >member of Trilug have and that is the problem of FIXING a fairly
successful
> >Linux installation that still has a couple of problems. After getting a
new
> >motherboard, because my old one had developed problems with my previously
> >working Mandrake-Linux installation (7.2 if you're interested) is now
gone
> >and because a lot of the hardware had to be changed, I've been unable to
> >even get my new modem to work. Moreover, for some strange reason I cannot
> >get GIMP installed using my 8.0 distribution.
> >      The story with another member of Trilug is that he emailed me and
asked
> >if I could help him get his modem working!! And you can guess what I had
to
> >tell him (I didn't know enough to solve his modem problem because I don't
> >know enough to solve my own).  While the Trilug group gives great advice
to
> >all those setting up and repairing servers (which is indeed important),
the
> >amount of help available to those desktop newbies such as myself is very
> >small.
> >What is needed is some sort of help for those who are interested in
DESKTOPS
> >not Servers. I'm talking about those who are interested in learning about
> >the hundreds of Linux desktop applications and how to use them. Therefore
I
> >do have sympathy for those who are not "thrilled" about learning how to
use
> >text editors when they could just as easily use a command from some GUI
> >program instead. One must indeed crawl before they can walk or run. I
know
> >there are lots of Trilug members who could help newbies with this stuff.
The
> >problem is how to EFFECTIVELY communicate with them. Clearly just
referring
> >someone to a program in freshmeat (which works for oldtimers because that
> >person knows how to INSTALL AND USE that program properly) or some other
> >article located on the web (which assumes that the newbie UNDERSTANDS THE
> >SPECIAL LINUX COMMANDS and LANGUAGE) just doesn't cut it. Lots of times a
> >newbie just has trouble FINDING the command in question, and even if
he/she
> >downloads the program and knows how to use RPM there is always the
problem
> >of knowing WHERE it should be installed!
> >      I really hated it when I had to tell another Trilug member (who
emailed
> >me for help) that I couldn't help him with his modem problem because even
> >though Mandrake 7.2 had successfully installed my first modem, I now had
> >another modem which was giving me problems. In other words, I had the
same
> >problem as he did!! Is it possible that someone in this group can come
down
> >from the mountain and help us FIX the various problems we're having. What
> >I'm saying is that some "handholding" would be greatly appreciated. Maybe
> >instead of a meeting where we install new systems, there also ought to be
a
> >"fix your system problems" meeting?  In any case, You get your wish, I
shall
> >never present another interesting LINUX article to this group again.
Maybe
> >someone can help me with my wish?? --AL
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Brent Verner <brent at rcfile.org>
> >To: <trilug at trilug.org>
> >Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2001 6:50 PM
> >Subject: Re: [TriLUG] A friend of mine shared this article with
me--comments
> >anyone??
> >
> >
> > > [2001-12-08 18:18] al johson said:
> > > | Making Linux look harder than it is
> > > | By Robin Miller, Newsforge.com
> > > | Posted: 07/12/2001 at 11:18 GMT
> > >
> > > [~180 lines snipped]
> > >
> > > Al,
> > >
> > >   While these articles /are/ useful, I do not feel it is appropriate
to
> > > paste them directly into email messages; a brief description of the
> > > article and a link would be much prefered, IMO[1].
> > >
> > > [1] You are /potentially/ depriving the website from which you copy
> > >     the content of visitors.  Remember, these internet publishers
> > >     are /trying/ to make a living...
> > > [2] While you attribute the articles properly, there is no _guarantee_
> > >     to a recipient that you have not modified the copy.  Having said
> > >     that is in no way implicating that you do or have modified any
> > >     copy you've forwarded.
> > >
> > > cheers.
> > >   brent
> > >
> > > --
> > > "Develop your talent, man, and leave the world something. Records are
> > > really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you
enough
> > > to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing."  -- Duane Allman
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > TriLUG mailing list
> > > http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >TriLUG mailing list
> >http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
>
> _______________________________________________
> TriLUG mailing list
> http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug