Slashdot Mirror


What's Coming In Red Hat 7.0

An anonymous reader writes: "MaximumLinux.com has a story about Red Hat 7.0 which is coming out on Tuesday. Apparently it will ship with 2 installation CDs, XFree4 is set to default and the USB support is s'pose to kickass." I've finally seen USB work properly under Linux and its sweet. The sad part is that the only USB device I have is a mouse ... with a PS/2 adapter.

260 comments

  1. Re:New Web Server? by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

    Bullshit. Your cable modem will filter out all packets not destined for your computer's MAC address.

    Really? Cool. Ok, I take that back :)

  2. That's the thing... by GenetixSW · · Score: 1

    "Come on if u just read the documents its quite easy"

    The problem with this is that the average user doesn't have the slightest clue about configuring files or looking for hidden options in a GUI without a mouse. It simply doesn't work. That's why the USB development is so important: it helps bring Linux to the average user. Yes, that's what everyone says, but everyone says it because it's true.

    I have the same mouse as you (Intellimouse Explorer) and haven't seen Red Hat or SuSE get it to work without at least some hacking of config files. Mandrake 7 works, but not quite. So, now that the USB drivers are nearing completion, anyone with a USB mouse, or any other USB device for that matter, will now be able to adopt Linux more easily.

    Think about it. It's largely psychological. If Joe Newbie takes the plunge and installs Linux, only to find that he can't do the slightest thing because his mouse doesn't work and he just clicked OK throughout the install, he's not going to be impressed. In fact, he will probably shun Linux as a whole because of his sloppiness.

    Anyhow, that's my long-winded way of saying this is a Good Thing (tm).

  3. whatever happened to bob young ? by befan · · Score: 1

    Wasn't he the CEO ? Where is he?
    The article says
    "workstation users and developers," said Matthew
    Szulik, president and CEO of Red Hat."

    syam

    1. Re:whatever happened to bob young ? by teg · · Score: 1

      Bob Young is chairman and open source evangelist.

    2. Re:whatever happened to bob young ? by bero-rh · · Score: 2

      With Red Hat getting bigger and bigger, you can't put the workload of being CEO and chairman at the same time and holding a lot of speeches about open source on any single person.

      Bob remains chairman.

      --
      This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  4. Redhat 7 for dummies... by 1516dcl · · Score: 1

    Does it come with a reasonably safe *in situ* upgrade from 6.2. Or should my first RH7 install be as a VMware guest? And actually, now that I think about that, do I have any compelling reason to expect VMware (2.0.1-570) wouldn't throw up on an RH7 guest? Not that the world would end if it did of course...

  5. Re:About time by aabrown1971 · · Score: 1

    Holy moly!! Apple is about to release version 10 of their OS. Does this mean we're 3 versions behind?!? Hmm... Caldera has something called "Preview 2.4", with the 2.4 Kernel, while Mandrake has "Mandrake 7.2" with the 2.2 kernel. Duh! *You*, yes, *You* can release your own distribution of Linux tomorrow, and call it "Maroon Hat Linux 8.0", then you'll have everyone playing "catch up". ;-) I don't mean to insult anyone, including the author of this comment, but newspapers glean info from this page, and this is the kind of goofy comment that gets them to print things like "Next Version of Linux to be released soon." And leaves people who work for distributions scratching their heads!

  6. Re:Internet - Network Installs by aabrown1971 · · Score: 1

    Mandrake *is* Red Hat with a different installer slapped on it. Try Red Hat 7.0... not bland at all! :-)

  7. Re:Internet - Network Installs by ibpooks · · Score: 1

    You can do it in Slackware and Debian too.

  8. Re:Internet - Network Installs by aabrown1971 · · Score: 1

    You can still install "Red Hat Linux" over the internet. Just did it myself last week. Email me if you need help doing this.

  9. Re:Will there be more exploits? by Cookie+Monster · · Score: 1

    After installing the beta and checking out the security, my response to the line about Redhat increasing security is that is is plain crap.

    They should hire a couple differnt professional security firms that would be willing to have their name in the product saying it is secure.

    Sensible things like no telnet and ftp and have secure shell installed. Files in the bin and etc
    dir should be read only and not visible to other
    then say the admin/wheel group.
    xfont server dose not to be installed by default.
    ipchains and tripwire, and an automatic update cheker should be installed by default.

    desktop side:
    xv and xanim are not installed and are needed by kde/gnome.
    Until basic things like this are delt with, I cannot reccomend linux for use by other then geeks with spare time on their hands.
    Same thing with FreeBSD btw.

    Cookie babbles

  10. Probably not by uradu · · Score: 2

    If they keep bungling things up like they do, they'll probably be closing their doors by year end. Bye bye USB CueCat.

  11. Re:Redhat 6.9.5 running damn fine by devapoj · · Score: 1

    I've also been using 6.9.5 for the past couple of weeks, and my experience of it couldn't have been more different. It's running damn terrible on my system...

    First my MS intellimouse explorer works in USB mode only about half the time - reason enough for be to go back to using the PS/2 mouse adapter! The other half, the mouse doesn't "light up". Though strangely enough, the mouse's accelleration and resolution seem to be much more user friendly in USB mode than in PS/2 mode.

    Second, while the single processor kernel works fine, the default SMP kernel that ships with 6.9.5 hangs very often (/var/log/messages says its something to do with weird APM calls). Strangely enough, a new kernel build with all default values (except for enabling SMP) fixed this problem. Maybe Abit BP6's aren't that common out there...

    Third, and most serious of all (for me) is that for some reason, if I ever quit from X and try running startx again (without a reboot), the machine hangs. This wasn't a problem with 6.2, though I used the SuSE ATi rage128 server for it as RH6.2 didn't have any out of the box support...

    Somehow I expected more from Redhat, even if it is beta. Right now I can only hope that a proper install of 7.0 come next week will solve these problems.

    --

    Karma makes sense. It makes a lot more sense if you add reincarnation.

  12. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by titus-g · · Score: 2
    Keep the faith!!

    Surely there are enough of us by now, we could have Blue BGP4 clubs.

    Me here pub 2 miles away (and unless I really want to talk about collies I don't go there), everyone in the house don't drink.

    But a 'nerd' pub, now that has gotta be worth the travelling and hotel expenses.

    And can you imagine the ideas that could be birthed when everyone is so far out of thier gourd that they might be a hamster.

    As twisted sister once said "we have the mumble mumble, they have the mumble mumble"

    --

    ~ppppppppö

  13. Re:USB support? Not exactly by gowdy · · Score: 1

    I believe the support for USB2 is already present in 2.4 bar the host controller driver (ehci). AFAIK there is only one of these so far which is available for $800 if you are a member of the USB-IF.

    You should note that most of the work is not by RedHat. I'm not sure what exactly they have added (I've not checked if they are using their own startup files or our's).

  14. You sick little monkeys by mholve · · Score: 2
    • 2000-09-21 14:43:33 RedHat 7.0 Coming! (articles,news) (rejected)

    You rejected my story, which lead to a different story about the same thing.

    Bastards.

    1. Re:You sick little monkeys by Tuzanor · · Score: 1
      I think it entirely depends on the person (CmdrTaco, Hemos, etc) that gets to the story first. So, say, Hemos may have gotten your story and though it was not worth posting, and then CmdrTaco would have gotten another one from some other dewd and decided it was worth posting.

      I can't tell you how many of my submissions have been rejected only to be later posted a day or two later. >:-(

  15. Re:New Web Server? by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

    The kernel web server is only enabled if:

    1) You compile in support in the kernel. I'd be surprised if many distributions do this, given that they all ship Apache and similar.
    2) You manually change a value in /proc

    You really do have to make a concerted effort to give it any real possibility of becoming a security risk.

  16. Re:Will there be more exploits? by guacamole · · Score: 1

    If you are a newbie and thus you selected a "workstation install" option during install,
    then inetd and a whole bunch of network daemons will not be even installed, so there is no much to root, at least from outside.

    As far as server class systems are concerned, newbies absolutely have no business setting up servers of any kind.

  17. Re:2.4 upgradability by dohnut · · Score: 1


    People need to chill...

    The reason these "old" interfaces are going the way of the dodo is because, well, they are old and we have better alternatives that people are actually adopting this time.

    Plus it doesn't hurt that the PC99 spec eliminates the ISA bus and steers people away from serial, parallel, and PS/2.

    --
    Stupider like a fox! - H.S.
  18. Re:Will there be more exploits? by pivo · · Score: 1

    What does Dell's binary drivers have to do with RedHat? If Dell shiped their own binary drivers with with Debian pre-installed on their hardward, would that be OK? What does what Dell does have to do with RedHat?

  19. Re:USB in Linux, yay! by TheInternet · · Score: 2

    I hope it is more like USB in Windows 2000

    Hmmm... my coworker tried for a few days to get an USB Espon color printer installed under Windows 2000, and eventually just gave up. Downloaded the newest drivers, etc.

    - Scott

    ------
    Scott Stevenson

    --
    Scott Stevenson
    Tree House Ideas
  20. Re:New Web Server? by small_dick · · Score: 2

    > No. Saying Linux will be as valid as Windows for > the desktop is deluding yourself.

    Yes, in many cases, it's better for the desktop. We have many machines at work that don't shut down properly with win98, endless problems with ILOVEYOU virus attacks, BSODs under all versions (fewer on the newer versions, I'll give you that).

    > Few examples:

    > Office Suites: If WordPerfect Office 2000 is
    > better in Windows than in Linux, why use Linux?

    Free/Open office suites like OpenOffice/StarOffice show a lot of promise. They are low cost, easy to install, and fairly reliable. I am able to manipulate larger Word docs under Linux w/ SO than under NT, given the same mem/cpu setup. Licensing issues are non-existent, and they will only get worse as MS moves forward. There is a lot of lost time in many companies when dealing with license issues, waiting for legal copies of software to show up, etc.

    > Gadget Software: Where's that ultra-simple
    > photo-grabber/correcter for my $50 scanner?

    I don't know, but I have a scsi flash card reader that I use with Linux and my digital camera, and it's rock solid. Under WinDOS, it's iffy. Not always recognized, needs reboots, etc. It just worked under Linux. CD burning is also more reliable under Linux, at least for me. As far as a scanner, I'm not sure what the state of that is, I've heard they are advancing.

    > Games: Even QuakeIII get's boring eventually.

    There are a few games for Linux, many more for WinDOS. What is your big hurry? Things are improving, especially with XFree 4.0, which has much better support for GL accelerator cards. No on is saying Linux is better than Windows at everything, but it's pretty hard to ignore the speed at which Linux is improving -- in many areas.

    > Being "as valid" for the desktop as Windows
    > takes more than just technical quality. It takes
    > creature comforts, asthetics, ease of use,
    > integration.

    Linux is still maturing, using a development process that is completely radical and new. It's use is spreading rapidly. In several graphics benchmarks, Linux is superior to all MS products. Same with server benchmarks.

    Can you really say the Gnome Desktop (ala Helix Code) lacks aesthetics, integration and ease of use? That's really reaching. It's solid and easy to use. If your a shorcut or DND guy who;s going apeshit over X, remember that the vast majority of people don't even use either, and the situation is being worked on by some of the best in the field.

    > 1) There are very few creature comforts in
    > Linux. Sure stuff like ActiveDesktop or Win98
    > Explorer (with the integrated preview) are not
    > absolutely necessary, but they're nice to have.

    Many people strongly dislike the previews and active desktop. There's nothing quite like watching an active control freeze your desktop, or watching the AD render a bunch of crap when I only want to see the files. Not much of a comfort for the many people (like me) who get frustrating watching there system freeze while Window is off doing God knows what.

    > 2) Linux has no asthetics. Asthetics goes beyond
    > pretty GUIs into the system itself. There is
    > only so much KDE and GNOME do for you. Once you
    > get into the system itself, its ugly.

    And the system, as seen via MKS in NT, is not ugly? Surely your making a big joke here. After programming NT for 2 years all I can say is many things, from the GUI API, to DLLs, to font handing, to the command environment, to the documentation are horrifying compared to nearly any Unix variant.

    > Initscripts are ugly (except in Slackware).
    > Adding hardware is ugly. The config files are
    > ugly. (My thinking is that the whole mess in
    > /etc could be condensed into a dozen well
    > planned files.)

    Yellow question marks in the device manager, driver hunts, and downloads of many a binary file are your elegant solution. I don't think so! In many cases, I've been able to fix minor problems on my machine with a quick search on deja.com and a simple edit of a config file. No 20 meg service packs.

    > 3) Linux has a learning curve shaped like an L.
    > Sure, if your doing basic stupid-user stuff,
    > it's just as easy as Windows. However, the
    > minute you need to do something a little more
    > advanced (like install non-KDE software!) or
    > have to configure hardware less than 10 years
    > old, you've got a problem. Take ALSA for
    > example. This is supposed to be the next-gen
    > Linux sound architecture, but I need to tell it
    > how many soundcards I have? WTF! Need to install
    > NAT? Though luck, you have to figure out the
    > mess in /etc/rc.d first. Setting up a telnet
    > server? Figure out inet first. It doesn't have
    > to be that way. Take a look at BeOS. Setting up
    > telnet and ftp servers is literally just a
    > checkbox and a password-field away. Look
    > underneath, however, and you have those
    > plain-text config files, giving power to both
    > groups of users. For some odd reason, no
    > enterprising distro maker thought of this? (And
    > don't point me to some link on FreashMeat. If
    > the user was advanced enough to do that, then
    > they'd be able to figure out inet. Also, find a
    > way to get that link to the thousands of people
    > who are sitting without a personal telnet server
    > (incredibly usefull if you've got DSL and a
    > static IP) because they can't figure it out.

    I don't know what you mean about installing a telnet server. Most distros let you choose that from the install, others require something really challenging like "apt-get install telnetd" or some such.

    > Another this is recompiling important system
    > software. One of the great potential benifits of
    > Linux is allowing users to custom compile their
    > software for speed. However, most system
    > software is so ridiculously (comparativly)
    > difficult to hand configure, that this feature
    > goes unused. A GUI interface for making any
    > source package? That's the right thing to do. If
    > Linux were judged by the same standards Windows
    > is judged by, reviewers would bitch constantly
    > about this missed opportunity. The bottom line
    > is that Linux is hard. For ultra-basic uses, it
    > may be easy, but the minute you venture out of
    > KDE or GNOME, you hit a mess of legacy
    > configuration crap, ill-thought-out
    > configuration methods, and a totally
    > inconsistant system. In Linux there are no
    > advanced or intermediate users. There are
    > newbies, and there are UNIX-gurus.

    And if you want to compile anything under WinDOS, go shell out the bucks for Visual Studio, and spend hours learning how to tweak all the settings for whatever it is you're trying to compile.

    And then you go on to imply that any novice to advanced windows user can or should be able to do this. Ridiculous. No one needs to compile any software for Linux, especially "critical system software", in any case.

    But if someone chooses to go download a tarball, extract it, do a "./configure; make" in their home directory, they hardly need to be a "unix guru". The newsgroups are full of stories of people doing just that, who have no experience with Unix, and enjoyed the learning experience of how software is built. All for free! The tools came with their distro, in most cases.

    Have you ever even used Kdevelop, Glade or DDD?

    > 4) Linux isn't an OS. It is a bunch of software
    > randomally glued together by a distro maker.
    > Case in point: Some software uses make
    > config/make/make install. Others use straight
    > make. Others use the BSD style edit the config
    > file, run make. Others use xmkmf. The kernel
    > uses its own method. That's the wrong way to do
    > it. There is no standard format for config
    > files.

    Actually, make, xmkmf, imake, BSD tools, etc. are all defacto standards with their strengths and weaknesses, proponents and detractors. For some reason, you don't like any of them, and you choose to say they are all horrible. Is there any environment you like, besides VS and MFC? Or are you just all about "Be"? I don't care about Be, but I also don't go looking for press releases about Be and posting endless falsehoods about what a crappy product it is.

    Basic computer science, and common sense, tells you that if a distro were put together in a random fashion it wouldn't compile, let alone run. Give it a rest.

    > Good GUI interfaces for configuration aren't
    > included in the OS, and aren't similar to each
    > other. Sure it may be hard to get so many
    > developers to agree, but consistancy is a good
    > thing for an OS to have, and I could care less
    > about the managerial problems on OS has to bring
    > consistancy to me. If its an inherent problem
    > with the development model, then too bad, Linux
    > should be judged by the same ruler as a
    > commercial OS.

    Gnome (especially the helixcode stuff) and KDE are both fairly intuitive and consistent.

    > Can't fill a niche in the Linux software line?
    > Then go help at www.beunited.org, where every
    > developer counts.

    After reading your post, I think I'd tend to shy away from Be, in ever increasing increments...Linux has a much larger following, and so many people using the product really helps to get it stable, and gives employers a nice pool of potential employees. Not to mention I don't get caught up in some marketing depts. grand sceme of how their going to dethrone Billy the Borg. No thanks.

    Is the source code for Be availible? Just curious.

    --


    Treatment, not tyranny. End the drug war and free our American POWs.
    See my user info for links.
  21. Re:Internet - Network Installs by Roundeye · · Score: 3

    Over the last few weeks I've installed RH, Mandrake, and Debian over the Interet (not to mention OpenBSD). Download a floppy (or two or three depending on what you're installing), boot, select the appropriate Internet install, and away you go. For some distros the floppy you download may have to be a "network" floppy (which contains the appropriate drivers for network installation), but it's *always* documented where you download the floppies. RTFM much?

    --
    "Cause there's 40 different shades of black, so many fortresses and ways to attack, so why you complainin'?"
  22. Re:Internet - Network Installs by CTalkobt · · Score: 1
    Okay... I wasn't sure which distribs it was ... just remember being able to do it... However I'm a Mandrake fanatic right now so wish they had something similair.

    Are there any others than RedHat? For my tastes, RedHat is too vanilla-flavored ... sorta bland. ( But then again, I haven't used it since 4.0 so ... *shrugs* ).

    --
    There's a gorilla from Manilla whose a fella that stinks of vanilla and has salmonella.
  23. Re:What kind of USB support by gowdy · · Score: 1

    I've posted a pointer to this earlier, but I'll do it again. If you look at http://www.linux-usb.org/policy.html you'll find scripts to automatically load drivers. Not all devices are supported yet but patches to add new drivers are welcome.

  24. Give credit where its due by Nima · · Score: 1

    I have been using my intellimouse explorer since last year using just my usb port using the early test versions of the 2.4 kernel and USB worked fine. Come on if u just read the documents its quite easy lets not be so harsh on our hard linux workers.

    P.S Get Slack.

    negahban@mindspring.com

    1. Re:Give credit where its due by pope+nihil · · Score: 1

      i have been using my intellimouse explorer with RH 6.2 (2.2.17) for quite some time...

  25. Re:What kind of USB support by The+Troll+Catcher · · Score: 1

    There most certainly ARE drivers!

    That's one of the reasons I'm getting a Visor on Saturday (my 18th b-day! w00!).

    You just need to tell coldsync (which works much better for visors than pilot-link, or so I've heard) to use /dev/ttyUSB0, and it should sync away to your heart's content.

  26. Will there be more exploits? by 13013dobbs · · Score: 2

    Have they tried to be more security minded? Lots of 'newbies' install red-hat and run it with everything in default. Those boxes are a big security concern; both for the person who gets rooted, and the person who gets attacked via the rooted box.

    --

    No replies made to AC posts. Please log in.

    1. Re:Will there be more exploits? by NaughtyEddie · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that's exactly what everyone knows. So next time people here are going on about how Linux is going to rule the desktop, I'll gently remind them of this.

      --

      --
      It's a .88 magnum -- it goes through schools.
      -- Danny Vermin
    2. Re:Will there be more exploits? by Kierthos · · Score: 1

      One would hope so, but I tend to doubt it. Frankly, Redhat should not be used by 'newbies' at all... it should only be used by people who know what they are doing. Unfortunately, the various flavours of Linux are becoming enough of a popularity item that security really needs to be addressed in a major way.

      Oh well, it's still better then Windows.

      Kierthos

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    3. Re:Will there be more exploits? by Muz · · Score: 1

      default install of rh6.2 has that annoying wu-ftp problem and now the sysklogd problems, default rh6.2 is very easy for a script kiddie to get into, I mean how do u think _I_ got into the schools machines.

      Morons. all of them

    4. Re:Will there be more exploits? by Ed+Avis · · Score: 3
      Files in the bin and etc dir should be read only and not visible to other then say the admin/wheel group.

      What is the point in that? Security through obscurity? Anyone could just buy a RedHat CD and look at these files anyway.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    5. Re:Will there be more exploits? by NaughtyEddie · · Score: 2
      Is it better than Windows, though? If you install Windows Me with everything selected, I don't think it installs a webserver, FTP server, news server, DHCP server, etc. etc. etc. Which actually sort of sucks if you want those things, but if you just want to "try Linux" and you're on DSL and you can't be bothered to scour the internet for information, you're screwed.

      I myself installed Debian for the first time ever 2 weeks ago, and I couldn't really be fscked to check everything - I'm not linked to the internet on the box, even through a modem, so it doesn't matter. But I was shocked to find that I could open a default website on that box from the LAN.

      Even if a newbie does install Apache, should it really auto-configure itself too? [Same goes for ftpd, etc. etc.] For Joe Average, it's painful enough finding CDs that he might just install everything so it's there when he needs it ... but until he needs it (and reads the README at the very least) it really shouldn't autoconfigure.

      Just my $0.02

      --

      --
      It's a .88 magnum -- it goes through schools.
      -- Danny Vermin
    6. Re:Will there be more exploits? by greg · · Score: 3
      Increased security is mentioned several times throughout the article. They say that Redhat has improved security for default installations and quote RedHat's CEO listing increased security first in a list of improvements in RedHat 7.0.

      RedHat has taken a bit of a (deserved) beating over the holes in it's default install. I hope this is a sign that they are listening to the criticism.

      Well, we'll al find out soon enough.

      --

      I browse with my threshold at 2 so I can't read my own comments :-)

    7. Re:Will there be more exploits? by pivo · · Score: 1

      What's the problem with RedHat if you know what you're doing?

  27. Re:You need more than just that! by pqbon · · Score: 1
    Likely the first USB2 controllers available will be in the form of add in cards. Later Intel will introduce it in there chipsets and then others will too.

    the PQBON

    "... That probably would have sounded more commanding if I wasn't wearing my yummy sushi pajamas..."

  28. ActiveDesktop? Nice? by TheInternet · · Score: 1

    Sure stuff like ActiveDesktop or Win98 Explorer (with the integrated preview) are not absolutely necessary, but they're nice to have

    I have to admit I've never really heard anyone rave about ActiveDesktop other than Microsoft. I've used it, and didn't think it was that great. Not sure why my desktop wants or needs to be a web page. Ther former seems considerably more task-oriented than the latter.

    - Scott

    ------
    Scott Stevenson

    --
    Scott Stevenson
    Tree House Ideas
    1. Re:ActiveDesktop? Nice? by be-fan · · Score: 2

      Actually, push is pretty usefull. Of course, I have it turned off myself (because of the speed hit) but some people want it, and implemented correctly, it could be pretty nifty.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  29. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The whole 2nd CD is EMACS.

  30. "enhanced security" eh? by the_tsi · · Score: 2

    Since it's coming out next week, I guess it'll include RSA... :)

    -Chris

  31. Re:USB support? Not exactly by jmauro · · Score: 1

    USB2 devices, when plugged into a USB1 or USB1.1 port, will downgrade themselves to use the older protocols. As always you'll still need a driver for this all to work, but it isn't as bad as your trying to make it to be. USB2 really just specifies a faster data path, most of the protocol is exactly the same.

  32. Re:ummm.... actually.... by afc · · Score: 1

    FYI, xanim is also non-free (free for non-commercial purposes, blah-blah) and is thusly categorized in Debian.
    --

    --
    Information wants to be beer, or something like that.
  33. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by bugger · · Score: 1

    You compare a Mercedes Benz with a Beetle.

    I have yet to see a match for Microsoft Office on Linux, Visual Studio 6, MSDN, and others on Linux. Not that I would *want* it, but still, it's there.

    FWIW, MSDN has MUCH better documentation, and while MSDN largely is a piece of rubbish, it is infinitely better than the documentation coming with a Linux distribution. Draw your own conclusions about the state of Linux docs.

  34. Re:2.4 upgradability by NuclearArchaeologist · · Score: 1
    Ah yes, I could smash your head with my nice old IBM keyboard. There are three reasons for this. First, the keyboard can take the impact. Second, my writsts don't ache. Third, your trolly little post made me want to.

    A nice 1200 baud modem keeps plenty of people from having to walk across the plant where I work. The machine is older, but it's not worth recoding everything just because a PC is cheap. That old modem has been worth it's weight in gold for saved man hours.

    540M hard drives are great for 486 routers. There's enough room for the router software and al the goodies you could want or need. Why would you want to throw out the drive or the box that does something useful?

    Old fax modems are very nice for job hunting. With useful old MS win3.1 software (ultra fax and word perfect 5.2) it was trivial to get a nice looking resume to someone who did not just happen to have MS Word. Belive me, it's much better to get in touch with the person who's looking for an employee than the HR web page. Not everyone checks their email all the time outside of the computer world. Wow, it only needed a 486 and a 540M hard disk, unless you install newer MS BS, then nothing works.

    "We know, sit down!" Think before you flame, please.

  35. Re:When RedHat Reaches version 100 by pivo · · Score: 1
    Hey, that's cute. But it's happened to me only a few times in the many years I've been using RedHat. Compared to the many hours it would have taken me to compile and install source and (especially) figure out all the files I need to delete to remove that particular package or packages once I decided I didn't need it (them), RPM is great. Sure, there might be something better (like Debian's apt-get) but is is really *that* much better? No.

    On the installation side, Debian sucks. I've installed FreeBSD and OpenBSD, and nothing sucks as bad as Debian, (actually, the *BSDs were pretty easy) so trade offs are made and RedHat's ease of instalation makes Debian a has-been in my book.

  36. Re:2.4 upgradability by dohnut · · Score: 1


    I was just stating the obvious, not necessarily endorsing it. But assuming I was, by your logic, we should, and will, never upgrade interfaces because it might adversely affect the installed user base.

    Sorry, way it goes. Change is going to happen sometime, better now than later. People keep talking about how hard and temperamental computers are to use, and how we should make them easier. Funny, that about 90% of those hardware issues could probably be directly attributed to the serial ports, parallel ports, and the ISA bus. Yes, that's all there was, but they are still a pain to deal with when something goes wrong. My mom can install a PCI card or a USB scanner, but set up jumpers on an ISA card or change the IRQ or base address on a serial port. Doubtful.

    As far as existing hardware and operating systems go, they *do* make hardware PCI modems. I can't help it if someone bought a gateway and are stuck with odd, proprietary video and a winmodem. If I want to run certain operating systems, it's my job to make sure my hardware is supported. Just because one owns a computer doesn't mean they have some right to run the operating system of their choice, even if it is linux.

    In fact, I just bought a printer last year, first one I've ever owned, and I'm not as young, or wealthy, as you think I am. I connect to it through the parallel interface. I can't see myself ever needing a new printer, barring equipment failure of course. Because of me, and you, and many others, there will be a market for a parallel port interface. Whether the port will be on the motherboard, a PCI card, or a USB-to-parallel router, who knows? Point is if there is a demand, there is a product, and that goes for all the interfaces.

    --
    Stupider like a fox! - H.S.
  37. Journalism, or Press Release... by Christopher+B.+Brown · · Score: 2
    As you say, it was merely a press release, as opposed to a full-featured review.

    And it's not as if Red Hat was the first distribution to offer configurable degrees of security at install time. I've already seen it with Mandrake and StormLinux, and that is merely two that I've done installs of in the not-so-distant past

    As for the "sliminess," that's more or less a given when there starts to be tens or hundreds of millions of dollars flowing in from the Vulture Capitalists... Look forward to more...

    --
    If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
  38. Re:You need more than just that! by ddstreet · · Score: 1

    Pretty sure no motherboard is making mobos with a USB 2 port at the current time.

    The USB 2.0 (final release) was just released in the beginning of May, so USB 2.0 mobos probably aren't out yet - but should be coming soon.

  39. Re:2.4 upgradability by Spoing · · Score: 2
    You're also forgetting that people still have a lot of that old hardware out there. Some folks (not as wealthy as you) don't want to throw away a perfectly good modem, printer, or NIC if they don't have to. ... I think some of you guys are just too young to understand that good equipment does not become obsolete.

    I agree with what you say. Most computers and parts that are being dumped are perfectly fine. Since most computers are never upgraded, the fact that they have any free slots or external ports after they are initially bought/configured is not usually an issue. Use what is appropriate for the task at hand -- especially if it's cheap!

    Personally, almost 1/2 of the adapter cards I use are ISA, and I'm still using a serial modem...yet, that's changing.

    I'm getting rid of many of my ISA/serial/parallel devices by selling them or giving them to friends and family. The trend for new stuff is clearly towards USB devices and PCI-only systems. In a few years, you won't be able to buy many ISA/serial/parallel devices (or they will be dumped...cheap!). Here's a short list of reasons why I'm dumping ISA/S/P devices;

    1. New equipment has mothballed old, new equipment is fairly cheap, better, and better supported. Example: 512k SVGA cards (XFv4 does not support it), ISA SCSI cards (slow), and other cards sitting unused in static bags.

    2. Many devices are only available in USB/PCI versions. Example: Most web cams.

    3. Existing ISA/serial/parallel devices are becoming dated -- speed/capabilities -- in comparison to similar USB/PCI devices. Example: Printers, scanners, and sound cards.

    USB and PCI are much better interfaces. There's little reason to fight the trend toward eliminating serial/parallel/ISA.

    As for USB compatability with *BSD, Linux, ... there's some work to be done but it doesn't look too dire. My main concern is with dumb devices that use propriatory -- binary -- drivers and hidden interfaces. These have been and will be an issue regaurdless of the interface used.

    (An aside: first computer - Columbia Data Products lugable with 2-320k floppies, 128k RAM, and bundled CPM/86 and MS DOS 1.24.)

    --
    A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
  40. Re:Sigh by Jon_S · · Score: 1
    Because there's more to life than shrink-wrapped hundred dollar office suites. AbiWord, Gnumeric, KOffice, are all coming. Additionally, StarOffice is being drastically reworked into something that doesn't suck. :)

    sigh is right. I am in VMWare right now because of the limitations of all these Linux programs. I've tried them. And when they don't crash (WP and SO crash way more than any windows office suite), they still can't handle most of the files I work with. The files I have to work are not just for my use. They have to be used collaboratively and retain specific formatting features. These are lost when you resave them under a different program. Furthermore, "track changes" of Word is used extensively in these group projects, and this just isn't supported. There are plenty other such examples (especially excel macros that are essential).

    The only viable solution is to use WP all the time (make sure you hit ctrl-S every character or so since wine crashes randomly and your backup isn't saved - read the corel newsgroups!). This handles the formating problems. Too bad my company is switching to word (over my complaining), and never did use quattro.

  41. USB's pretty cool by imroy · · Score: 2

    I've been using the USB support in the 2.3/2.4 kernels for a while now.

    First I got it working for my Kodak DC240 Camera. Downloading all of the pictures from a mostly-full 64M CF card (160 photos?) took about an hour with the serial connection. With the USB connection, it got down to a couple of minutes. i.e about 10 seconds a photo, to around 1.

    Second was my Epson Stylus 740 printer. The only problem is that it seems to take up a fair bit of CPU when tranferring data to the printer. I don't know if this is an actual USB problem, or is just something to do with the kernel driver and the way lpr uses it (polling?). I can 'renice' the lpr process so that it doesn't use nearly as much CPU and the print speed doesn't seem to be affected at all.

    I've recently splurged on a Logitech keyboard and mouse and a HP scanner, all USB. The keyboard has a 2-port USB hub in it, which is cool. One port for the mouse, the other for my camera. The problem then was that I needed another hub to plug everything into the two USB ports on my computer. The new hub acts strange though. It doesn't initialize properly when I turn my machine on. I have to pull the power and put it back in; then it works. And my camera doesn't work when it's connected to that hub, it times out. That's why it's connected to the KB hub.

    Of course, this requires the correct drivers in the kernel. The camera, printer, and scanner are pretty simple drivers to setup. Make sure that the drivers are finding their devices on the USB bus, and reconfigure your apps or redirect symlinks.

    The KB and mouse, however, were just a little trickier. The 'input' subsystem had to be compiled into the kernel, along with the KB and mouse drivers. I hope the whole 'input' system goes into the kernel in 2.5, abstracts input devices and interfaces very well. It should make porting and adding new devices even easier, but for the moment it's just handeling USB keyboards, mice and joysticks.

    Ok, so it wasn't "user friendly" for me, but I like being on the bleeding edge :).
    For anyone who doesn't mind compiling the kernel and mucking about in /dev and /etc, it's not too hard. I imagine that RH has it already setup nicely for new users.

    I assume the USB support in RH7 is based on SuSE's backport of the 2.3/2.4 drivers to 2.2 kernels, or something similar. I wonder, is there anything that had to be left out of this backport due to other differences between 2.2 and 2.4? I haven't had to use 2.2 for so long now, and I've lost track of all the differences.

    1. Re:USB's pretty cool by buysse · · Score: 1

      Second was my Epson Stylus 740 printer. The only problem is that it seems to take up a fair bit of CPU when tranferring data to the printer. I don't know if this is an actual USB problem, or is just something to do with the kernel driver and the way lpr uses it (polling?). I can 'renice' the lpr process so that it doesn't use nearly as much CPU and the print speed doesn't seem to be affected at all.

      It's very simple, actually. Most of the time when you print, the output from the program is either a) postscript or b) text. The Epson printer doesn't understand either of them. If it's text (or a jpeg, etc) it's converted to postscript, then GhostScript is run with the epson output driver. The CPU load is from gs rendering to something that your printer understands.

      In short, if we all got postscript printers, no problem. In the real world, we use CPU time to fake it. :)

      I spent some time hacking away at redhat's printfilters to add a few things I needed. Banner pages to Postscript printers, etc. The patches are *really* ugly and I haven't taken the time to clean them up enough to submit. Oh, and they were done against redhat 6.1. Guess I'll go do it again.


      --
      -30-
    2. Re:USB's pretty cool by imroy · · Score: 1
      It's very simple, actually. Most of the time when you print, the output from the program is either a) postscript or b) text. The Epson printer doesn't understand either of them. If it's text (or a jpeg, etc) it's converted to postscript, then GhostScript is run with the epson output driver. The CPU load is from gs rendering to something that your printer understands.

      Oh, I didn't mean Ghostscript. Perhaps I wasn't clear. It's the lpr process that has the high CPU usage. Besides, I use the wonderful gimp-print plugin to print photos now. It can take quite a while for it to produce the output data and when it eventually prints, the lpr process has a high CPU usage. For documents, gs doesn't need too much CPU to render text and with my Athlon-750 the printer is the slow part. The gs process stops and starts as the printer eats chunks of data. It doesn't use much at all.

  42. ummm.... actually.... by mattdm · · Score: 3
    Sensible things like no telnet and ftp and have secure shell installed.

    SSH couldn't be included before just a few days ago because of the RSA patent. FTP and Telnet servers haven't been installed on RH workstations for several releases -- and not installing the clients seems a bit harsh.

    Files in the bin and etc dir should be read only and not visible to other then say the admin/wheel group.

    There are a lot of files in /bin and /etc that you can't make readable only by admin/wheel. For example, /etc/passwd. That doesn't make sense. And is there really a meaningful difference between root read-only vs. root read-write?

    xfont server dose not to be installed by default.

    The X font server is needed for TrueType fonts under XFree86 3.3.x -- still a necessity until 4.0 is finished. Plus, if it's like RH 6.2, it's not configured to listen on the network.

    ipchains and tripwire,

    Packet filtering and Tripwire would be good, although doing it in a way that wouldn't utterly confuse newbies might be a trick. And tripwire isn't really useful without a database on read-only media.

    and an automatic update cheker should be installed by default.

    Looks like selling that is part of their business plan. Of course, you can subscribe to their free mailing list, which notifies you of updates, or use one of the many available autoupdate systems.

    xv and xanim are not installed and are needed by kde/gnome.

    xv isn't free software, and it's not even the best of its kind. Not sure about xanim. What exactly do you mean "needed by kde/gnome"? And more importantly, how is excluding these things a security problem?

    --

    1. Re:ummm.... actually.... by mattdm · · Score: 1
      How big is "pretty big"? I use gqview all the time with 1600x1200 images....

      --

    2. Re:ummm.... actually.... by tuffy · · Score: 1

      I've tried GQView again and the results are much-improved, thankfully. I do have a 5000x4000 700k+ jpeg that soaks up lots of memory, but the performance is on par with xv and ImageMagick. But I'll get a better idea on performance once I point it at my hefty bg image collection - I am hopeful that it'll work okay, though.

      --

      Ita erat quando hic adveni.

    3. Re:ummm.... actually.... by Tet · · Score: 2
      xv isn't free software, and it's not even the best of its kind.

      Really? Then please tell me what's better. Sure, Electric Eyes and kview are OK, and I'm sure Eye Of Gnome is going to be OK too. But for me, xv lets me get the job done quicker. Please don't suggest gimp. It's an awesome program that I use almost daily, but it fills a different niche to xv. Were KImageShop ready, that would fall into the same category too. xv is not without its faults (displaying images larger than the screen being a particular weak spot), but the end user interface is better than the alternatives (that I've seen, anyway).

      --
      "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
    4. Re:ummm.... actually.... by mattdm · · Score: 2
      *shrug* Display, GQView.

      But the main point is really its non-free (as in beer, even) nature.

      --

    5. Re:ummm.... actually.... by tuffy · · Score: 2
      *shrug* Display, GQView.

      But the main point is really its non-free (as in beer, even) nature.

      I think we'd all like a really good image viewer. ImageMagick's display is good for just viewing an image, but it has no browsing capabilies like xv, which is the only thing keeping me from using it all the time.

      GQView is Imlib based, unfortunately, and I haven't seen Imlib scale very well at all, making it useless for pretty big images.

      xv is old, unsupported and non-free. But I'm still on the lookout for an alternative...*sigh*

      --

      Ita erat quando hic adveni.

  43. Remote graphical login needed too. by yerricde · · Score: 2

    3. Microsoft Back Office for the server apps
    6. Third-party software for shells, scripting, and other essentials.

    Does this third-party software in your working Windows system include a remote Windows graphical login tool?


    <O
    ( \
    XGNOME vs. KDE: the game!
    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  44. I will not trust my data to a system that... by yerricde · · Score: 2

    I will not trust my data to a system that has known filesystem corruption bugs. Does 2.4-test8 have any bugs in ext2 or vfat support?
    <O
    ( \
    XGNOME vs. KDE: the game!

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  45. Re:New Web Server? by Anonymous+Coed · · Score: 1
    Your cable modem will filter out all packets not destined for your computer's MAC address. Also, your cable modem has a private key and everything between you and the bridge for your segment is encrypted.

    This may be true for the newer generation of cable modems like I have (RR Austin / Toshiba PCX1100) ... god I hope so ... but I belive this was not the case for the first generation cable modems, which were much as the original poster described -- you could put your ethernet card into promiscuous mode and see all the traffic in your segment. However, I don't have any references to back this up. A lot of people still have the old-style cable modems ...

  46. Re:New Web Server? by mattdm · · Score: 2
    2) Linux has no asthetics. Asthetics goes beyond pretty GUIs into the system itself. There is only so much KDE and GNOME do for you. Once you get into the system itself, its ugly. Initscripts are ugly (except in Slackware).

    This comment is quite amusing. Obviously, you don't grok Sys V init scripts, which are far more elegant than the BSD-style mess. In fact, I'm afraid you're missing the beauty of Unix altogether.

    The config files are ugly. (My thinking is that the whole mess in /etc could be condensed into a dozen well planned files.)

    You're kidding, right? Sure, it wouldn't hurt to make config file formats more consistant, but can you imagine how nasty those twelve files would be? They'd have to be machine-readable and manipulatable, since they'd have to be very different depending on which packages are installed. You'd have to use some sort of special utility to edit them. In short, you'd have the Windows registry -- which even Microsoft doesn't understand fully.

    --

  47. Re:USB support? Not exactly by KidSock · · Score: 1

    Of course, I don't mean to knock RedHat's work -- it's great that USB support is finally working in Linux!

    Why do you make it sound like Red Hat was solely responsible for bringing USB to Linux. I don't think they had much if anything to do with it actually. They just put it in their dist. You should really credit those responsible.

    KidSock

  48. Re:Internet - Network Installs by CTalkobt · · Score: 1
    Mandrake *is* Red Hat with a different installer slapped on it. Try Red Hat 7.0... not bland at all! :-)

    Actually, as of Version 6 ( or 7? ) Mandrake has forked from RedHat.

    --
    There's a gorilla from Manilla whose a fella that stinks of vanilla and has salmonella.
  49. Linux improvements by TheInternet · · Score: 2

    Yes, which is why people are working on things like Nautilus. These features are gradually appearing.

    Problem is, the "gradual" appearance of such features will compound UI inconsistency problems.

    Graphical programs that allow you to manipulate init scripts in a more sensible way exist

    Dunno about you, but I've had some pretty bad experiences with such GUI tools attempting to modify my config files. In general, they don't seem very robust.

    - Scott
    ------
    Scott Stevenson

    --
    Scott Stevenson
    Tree House Ideas
    1. Re:Linux improvements by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

      Problem is, the "gradual" appearance of such features will compound UI inconsistency problems.

      For Gnome, at least, I'd expect this not to be too much of a problem. The Gnome Foundation has something of a vested interest in having a consistent interface, and groups like Eazel and Helixcode have a vested interest in seeing their code appear in any standard Gnome distribution rather than somebody else's code. I'd imagine that KDE will end up in much the same state.

      Dunno about you, but I've had some pretty bad experiences with such GUI tools attempting to modify my config files. In general, they don't seem very robust.

      I've seen it done well. Smit (I've only used it on AIX 3.2.3, so I have no idea how this applies to other versions) seems to manage things without too much trouble, and really does make system management easier. It also outputs everything it does as a shell script, so in theory all you have to do to get a brand new system to the same state as an old one is run the smit script from the first machine. It's also useful for seeing just what the thing is doing.

      Again, it's in distributors' interests for this to happen. I'd be surprised if there aren't decent config file managers in the not too distant future.

  50. Re:2.4 upgradability by Arandir · · Score: 2

    The reason these "old" interfaces are going the way of the dodo is because, well, they are old and we have better alternatives that people are actually adopting this time.

    You're also forgetting that people still have a lot of that old hardware out there. Some folks (not as wealthy as you) don't want to throw away a perfectly good modem, printer, or NIC if they don't have to.

    And an even more relevant example, every external serial modem and 99% of internal ISA modems WORK with FreeBSD and Linux. But how many PCI modems do? Not very many. I have a few friends that want to try Linux but CANNOT because they have purchased a new computer with hardware that the OSS guys haven't figured out yet.

    I think some of you guys are just too young to understand that good equipment does not become obsolete.

    --
    A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
  51. Re:Internet - Network Installs by aabrown1971 · · Score: 1

    True enough. I think version 7 was the fork in the road. I'm just biased. :-) Red Hat 5-6.2 have never puked over months of constant use, all other distros have.

  52. System config files as XML by TheInternet · · Score: 3

    The config files are ugly. (My thinking is that the whole mess in /etc could be condensed into a dozen well planned files.)

    I think Apple actually has a good approach to this in OSX. It is transitioning the config files into XML, with a specialized XML editor as the front end. And since it's XML (and not some file format made up at 3am), other replacement editors could easily do the same job.

    - Scott

    ------
    Scott Stevenson

    --
    Scott Stevenson
    Tree House Ideas
    1. Re:System config files as XML by Temporal+Organism · · Score: 1
      Funny, I was just thinking the same thing. There are several advantages to using XML based (config) files:

      • the basic layout is widely known and understood
      • the file structure can be documented and validated (to a greater or lesser degree depending on dtd/xsd usage) using reusable parsing engines, not custom parsers for each app.
      • It is relatively easy to add new tags/attributes to an xml schema when enhancing file formats in the future.
      --
      "Why was he so stupid? When told that his mind could change his response was: How? Why?" - John Cage.
  53. Re:New Web Server? by mattdm · · Score: 2
    [...] unless you're sharing a LAN with people you don't trust (that includes remote users) or if you don't trust your upstream provider.

    Not to mention all of the networks between your system and your destination. Are you positive that no one along the way has had a security breech? Sure that none of their employees are bored and unhappy with their jobs?

    And of course, if your own system or the one you're connected to is broken into, a switched/filtered network doesn't help much, and a sniffer is a lot faster than a password cracker.

    --

  54. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by SisterRay45 · · Score: 1

    Uh, Linux still fits on a floppy, you fucking pile of dumb. Linux is a kernel, red hat is a distribution. Please refrain of speaking as it will make the universe a better place in general.

  55. Re:About time by magic+weaver · · Score: 1

    DUH...! Have you bothered to check the Kernel Version before commenting? Just a suggestion.
    -----

  56. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by eomir · · Score: 1
    Exactly, genuis.

    Funny you should say that(as ego inflates)...

    Now, if you would read the post carefully you would see that he claims that the c++ stuff alone takes two cds. Look at this for instance: How many CDs do MS development tools take up? Let's just use C++ and call it two.


    Ok, I must admit, I definitely broke the cardinal rule of posting to slashdot. Never try to defend Microsoft no matter how asinine the argument against MS is. For this I must apologize. The delusions of slashdot are very sacred and should not be tampered with.

  57. Why they could include SSL by yerricde · · Score: 1

    Anyway, the feature listed that excites me the most is including SSL support.

    They only included SSL because the RSA patent ran out. They were counting down.


    <O
    ( \
    XGNOME vs. KDE: the game!
    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  58. Re:New Web Server? by fm6 · · Score: 1
    Most distributions include redundant software, including multiple web servers. It's all free, so why not? And there are always people who go to a lot of trouble (and risk!) just to squeeze a few extra cycles out of their machines. To quote a recent Dilbert: "If your machine were working, it would be twice as fast!"

    I wish I had my copy of Secrets and Lies at hand. It has a pithy comment about developers putting their apps in the kernel just to make the app secure -- and thus making the kernel itself less secure.

  59. Re:When RedHat Reaches version 100 by pivo · · Score: 1

    I'm from the planet where they learn how to use tools correctly instead of not doing so and complaining when things don't work.

  60. Re:Finally, a reason to upgrade? by mattdm · · Score: 2
    Encrypted identd is a good thing, though. Hopefully, with the inclusion of other crypto, this will get in there too. (It's a matter of a recompile.)

    --

  61. Re:New Web Server? by Arandir · · Score: 2

    I don't know anything about cable modems, but the original poster was talking about DSL. On my ADSL account I can *effortlessly* sniff all sorts of info from other people's traffic. And this is a quality DSL service, not some phone company crap. It gave me the willies when I first saw it.

    --
    A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
  62. Re:xinetd by Chuck+Milam · · Score: 1

    Qmail works best with DJB's tcpserver. Much better performance, and easy to set up.

  63. test post by Justin+Goldberg · · Score: 1

    test post

  64. Re:Services on by default by Alan+Shutko · · Score: 2

    Sorry for the confusion. Iirc, xinetd won't install on a workstation install, either.

    (And the sysv init has been around forever, it's not new to redhat 7.)

  65. Re:USB in Linux, yay! by hackerhue · · Score: 1
    Once, just plugging in a USB device would cause win98 to crash. True story.

    Bah. That's nothing. I once crashed WinNT by clicking on the Start button. And the system wasn't doing anything other than formatting a floppy. Now that's multitasking!

    --

    To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three persons, two of them absent.

  66. SMP kernel and APM by Nightbane · · Score: 1

    There isn't a problem with your SMP kernel. It's responding fine. On a SMP box, APM should not be enabled and/or installed. I don't know about ACPI but APM should diffently be disabled.

  67. goat sex is pretty gross by Hunk+of+Cheese · · Score: 1
    Off topic: You know how the library web filter debates are always full of the idea that "children might be psychologically damaged by accidentally finding some porn"? I never realized before that that's really not a specious argument or a euphemism to avoid talking about porn-snarfing 10-year-olds.

    I feel ill. I think I might be damaged.

  68. Re:Good for them by dlb · · Score: 1

    IBM said the same thing about Microsoft back in the 80's.

  69. Re:Just don't run inetd. by Craig+Davison · · Score: 1

    Also kill portmap and lpd if you're running it - lpd is not started by inetd.

    I didn't install NFS, so why the hell does Debian install portmap by default? Grr

  70. Re:2.4 upgradability by bogado · · Score: 1


    This PC99 is extremely windows oriented. It seems to be made for fitting windows perfectly.
    It even says that remote control should suport a "windows" key to pop-up the start menu.

    :-P

    My question is, is this a real standard or this PC99 is only a intel recomendation, that no one will listen?


    --
    "take the red pill and you stay in wonderland and I'll show you how deep the rabitt hole goes"

    --
    []'s Victor Bogado da Silva Lins

    ^[:wq

  71. Re:USB support? Not exactly by teg · · Score: 1

    As seen in the Pinstripe beta, we just took one of the available backports. Sure, we've fixed bugs in it and backported some more recent work but the credit for making this possible goes to the people at linux-usb

  72. Re:Finally... USB by boletus · · Score: 1

    SuSE has been doing USB for three versions now.
    SuSE 6.3, SuSE 6.4, SuSE 7.0. In fact, SuSE
    developers contributed greatly in backporting the
    2.4 usb stuff into the stable 2.2 kernel. See

    http://www.suse.cz/development

    for more details.

  73. Re:USB (2.0) support? Not exactly by Big+Jojo · · Score: 2

    It's not as if any operating system is currently shipping with USB 2.0 support. Not many folk claim to have even seen a USB 2.0 host controller. I don't think even Microsoft supports USB 2.0 yet -- they very publicly announced ship criteria that can't be met till next year some time.

    Oh, and RedHat wasn't as big a backer of USB in Linux as SuSE ... by orders of magnitude, near as I can tell!

  74. IPv6 active? by decaym · · Score: 2

    I'm not going to hold my breath for it, but it would be nice if this version came with IPv6 support enabled by default. This would include the kernel, net tools, applets such as telnet, ftp, & ssh, and Apache.

    The tools for a working IPv6 host are out there. It's time for the distributions to start including the support. Once the core system is up and running with IPv6, the rest of the app developers will have some incentive to get their stuff cleaned up to start running under IPv6.

    --
    World Beach List, my latest project.
    1. Re:IPv6 active? by JimDabell · · Score: 2

      I'm not going to hold my breath for it, but it would be nice if this version came with IPv6 support enabled by default.

      Erm... by default? Why? Think about the userbase Redhat is targeting, and think about how many of them with need IPV6 out of the box.

    2. Re:IPv6 active? by decaym · · Score: 2

      By default could mean as a kernel module with required support compiled into utilities such as nettools. I can't speak for other applications, but nettools with IPv6 support will still work if the IPv6 kernel module is not loaded. It will just not display the IPv6 information. Surely other applications could be setup the same way. The main idea here is to not have to labotomize my machine to get IPv6 support working.

      --
      World Beach List, my latest project.
  75. Re:2.4 upgradability by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    Don't underestimate the importance of easy upgrading to 2.4. This will be one of the killer features in 7.0

    We're even including a patched 2.4.0test kernel on the second CD in the preview directory for people who need its features and/or want to play.

    [root@bero]# uname -r
    2.4.0-0.24
    [root@bero]# uptime
    7:08pm up 43 days, 24 min, 2 users, load average: 4.13, 4.17, 3.38

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  76. Re:You need more than just that! by NoWhere+Man · · Score: 2

    yeah I remember reading that. Which is why I think no mobo's support it. Motherboard companies will most likely release new rev.s of current boards, just to keep in the game without spending too much money

    --

    "Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." -Jules de Gautier
  77. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by xtinct · · Score: 1

    that's bullshit. i have visual studio 97 right before me, and:

    MSVC++ 5.0 = 1 CD
    MSVB 5.0 & MSVFP 5.0 = 1 CD
    InterDev & J++ 1.1 = 1 CD

    that's 3 CD's, not 1 as you "claim"...

    maybe you mean visual studio 2000... yeah, right...

  78. Re:2.4 upgradability by delong · · Score: 1

    I hear that. I'm sorry, but my external USR Courier V.Everything 56k smokes every PCI winmodem you can drudge out of Windowsland. Bah, I'll keep my serial ports and ISA 3com NICs and run Linux forever, keep yer lousy USB meeses. Who needs that much bandwidth on a bus for a freeking mouse anyway? ;P

    Derek

  79. This was NOT a press release. by bero-rh · · Score: 3

    You're wrong - the story was not a press release, at least not one from Red Hat.

    We aren't in the habit of announcing releases before they're done, and it's "Red Hat Linux 7"
    as opposed to "Red Hat 7.0". We don't issue press-releases that get the product names wrong.

    Here's the other parts they got wrong:

    XFree86 4.0 is set to default

    This depends entirely on the chipset. XFree86 4.0 is used by default on certain chipsets only.
    There are a couple of chipsets where XFree86 4.0 is far less stable than 3.3.6. For those (and those generally not supported by 4.0 [4.0.1 actually]), we're defaulting to 3.3.6.

    The article also doesn't mention the two additional versions (special editions of the Deluxe and Professional versions for Europe) which will be out soon(tm).

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  80. Re:This is Bogus!! by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    Your article was probably rejected because it wasn't news.
    We've had a copy of SuSE 7.0 in the Red Hat office for a couple of weeks, and we're usually not the first ones to get them. ;)

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  81. Re:New Web Server? by flikx · · Score: 1

    You say that Linux can not overcome it's shortcommings, and that IT IS NOT A DESKTOP OS... what exactly qualifies as a desktop OS??

    Is it an operating system that shelters the user from the underlying system? Is it an OS that does not burden the user with any learning? Is it an OS that has pretty little buttons and widgets grafted and pasted into the inner workings of the system.

    I for one, believe that Unix (in general) can be both a desktop, and a server... it is adaptable. The modular design is what makes it that way. Things like KDE and Gnome are more like extra layers on the cake, but what do you expect? That everything should come in a perfect little package, in one homogenious mixture... a cookie cutter OS? The purpose of these linux distributions is to bring everything together. Sure, I could build a linux system from scratch, but it is much easier to download or get a CD and run a quick install.

    they have no incentive to switch from Windows

    This is purely because of user stupidity. Plain and simple. The common user is both fearful and stupid. (I really mean that.) People will not change because they are afraid of it, because they hate learning. The number one question is "what if xx will not run under linux?". But this is no excuse to write everything off and say that everyone should stick with windows. Windows is pure crap...

    things like BeOS, Linux, *BSD, and even OSX need to push this trash off the desktop. The day I see the majority scorn windowsand avoid it, is the day the sun will rise upon a better world.

    Hey, nothing's perfect .. but people shouldn't give up and leave these powerful OS's in the server rooms and on the desktops of the minority. Take the windows attitude: "It's good enough" -- though take it one step further, "but it can be better". And spread it. I'm sick as hell of everyone thinking computer==windows.

    --
    One future, two choices. Oppose them or let them destroy us.
  82. Re:USB in Linux, yay! by AFCArchvile · · Score: 2

    Really. I plugged in the Sony Music Clip, and Win98 gave me the BSOD. Good thing I now have Windows 2000 and a Rio 500, they work well together. In Win2k, USB devices (except for the mouse and keyboard) are treated like PC Card devices (i.e.: you stop services to them before you remove them; it's nice having the power to tell programs when to shut up).

    --
    "Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
  83. Re:Redhat 6.9.5 running damn fine by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    7.0 was quite a difficult release to finish since a lot of the basic stuff (compilers, glibc) was still under heavy development.
    That's where a number of problems in the beta (not the final, no known bugs yet) are coming from.

    Please do report these bugs at Bugzilla - we can't fix problems we aren't aware of, and we won't notice hardware specific problems unless one of us happens to have the same hardware.

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  84. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by pen · · Score: 2
    The other part is that you don't have to install any of it. Mix and match. Install what you need, throw out what you don't need. But if you're not sure what you need, it will make a reasonable choice for you.

    --

  85. Re:USB is cool. by Avumede · · Score: 1

    For me, the dc2xx driver does not autonomatically load. It did, once upon a time, but my version (a pre-2.4 kernel that's about a few months old) does not autodetect it.

  86. Re:New Web Server? by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    What is the deal with this new web server Red Hat is working on?

    It'll be released in a while (7.0 actually has a preview).
    It's a kernel-based acceleration for serving static pages; the primary benefits are speed and scalability (an 8 CPU system makes a large difference as opposed to a 4 CPU system. It doesn't on some competiting products).

    Caldera 2.4 [...] has a lot of what RH 7 has, plus KDE2

    What makes you think we don't have KDE2?

    We're still using KDE 1.1.2 by default (because it's more stable), but a KDE 2.0 preview is included on the second CD (in the "preview" directory).

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  87. Re:New Web Server? by Craig+Davison · · Score: 1
    Incidentally, using a telnet server is a fantastically stupid thing to do, especially on a cable modem. [...] Somebody sitting on the same cable modem segment as you can sniff those passwords as you type them.

    Bullshit. Your cable modem will filter out all packets not destined for your computer's MAC address.

    Also, your cable modem has a private key and everything between you and the bridge for your segment is encrypted. So, even if you designed your own cable modem-like device that did not filter packets based on MAC address, you would not be able to decrypt anything but the traffic destined for you anyway.

    There should be a FAQ about this shit.

    [...] You do realise that telnet doesn't encrypt passwords, right? [...] Use ssh.

    You have a point there. ssh is a good idea in general, but don't get too paranoid about it unless you're sharing a LAN with people you don't trust (that includes remote users) or if you don't trust your upstream provider.

  88. Re:USB in Linux, yay! by Dan+Guisinger · · Score: 1

    My Epson 900 works fine with Windows 2000. The Win2k generic Epson printer didnt work well, but when I got the official Epson drivers worked 100% of the time.

  89. Re:Nothing about Tux ? by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    TUX is included in the preview directory on the 2nd CD.
    It's not ready for prime time yet (and requires kernel 2.4), so it's not part of the default installs.

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  90. Re:Quotas don't seem to work in beta by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    If you reported it, it's fixed.

    If it isn't, please take the time to report it.

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  91. Red Hat Bloatware? by Enoch+Root · · Score: 3
    2 installation CDs? Damn... You only need one installation CD for Windows. Who said Linux was lean and efficient?

    Remember when Linux fitted on a single floppy?

    1. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by eomir · · Score: 1

      Ok...I think we are mostly in agreement here then. I am not trying to say that MS is not bloated and RH is bloated. All I am trying to say is that both most likely have some bloat. The guy who I responded to just put the MS bloat way out of proportion. That needed to be corrected, because it was just not true.

    2. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by eomir · · Score: 1

      I have visual studio 6 sitting in front of me right now. There are three CD's plus a bunch of other service packs, et cetera. When I installed VC++, VB, VFP, and InterDev, I had to put only one CD into my computer. Unless CD's have some new technology where you no longer need to insert the CD into the drive to read data off it, then they are all on the same CD. There is another CD for visual j++, but I severly doubt that takes anywhere near 650MB. I have no idea what the other CD is for.

      that's 3 CD's, not 1 as you "claim"...

      So there are three CD's in the bunch, but only one is needed to install just about everything. On a side note, why is the word claim in quotes?

    3. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by SquadBoy · · Score: 2

      The second CD is of course for all the ports. It includes more software but the defualt install is still smaller just makes it easy for those without a big pipe. /me hugs his DSL router.

      --

      Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
    4. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by buysse · · Score: 1
      Yes, if all you want is a desktop and a web browser, it can easily fit on one CD. How many CDs do MS development tools take up? Let's just use C++ and call it two. That covers emacs & friends. What else... oh, the Gimp. Photoshop is a CD. (repeat ad infinitum)

      OK, it's a bullshit comparison, but it makes the point. You get everything you need to make a usable system in those two CDs. You don't in the Windows package at all.

      --
      -30-
    5. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by pen · · Score: 2
      Exactly. If you know what you're doing, you can set it up any way you want. If you don't know what you're doing, however, it is better to just go with the default. For a newbie, it is much better to install something than not to install it. Besides TCP services like httpd, etc., of course.

      --

    6. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by ottffssent · · Score: 3

      Tee hee. That was clever. You only need one CD for RH7 too. Just because it comes with a bunch of apps doesn't make it a bloated OS. On that stupid windows CD, you only get the OS. The RH CD comes with the OS and hundreds of apps.

      I don't know if that was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but it came off as being stupid...

    7. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by mclinc · · Score: 1

      Hold on, the CD's include application software! Are you trying to tell me that windows, office, painshop pro, visual C++ would fit on a single CD! Next you'll be saying SuSE crap because it comes on 6 cds!

      --
      "Oh no, not again"
    8. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by Felinoid · · Score: 1

      Disk 1: Install disk... this is the eqivlent of Windows + MsOffice it contains everything you need to run a Linux desktop/server including all the apps...
      Windows NT only comes as server or workstation never both... 9x dosn't offer a server setup...

      Disk 2: Source code... Microsoft dosn't offer this.. thus no Disk 2

      As RedHats single install cd covers 2 microsoft cds...
      it might be posable for microsoft to put ms office on the windows install cd... but as they are not one product (and we want to keep it that way) they are shipped on two diffrent cds...

      linux still fits on a floppy... this is just the os with some rescue tools... the cd contains a vast amount of software tools... apps etc etc etc on top of the basic operating system...
      that is all on the first cd

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    9. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by Felinoid · · Score: 1

      It must be a compressed multilayored DVD then

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    10. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by sharkey · · Score: 1

      Cue flaming posts about choosing your packages, it's choice dammit, I can choose which packages I want, choose another distro, neither Windows OR Linux are as lean as Natalie Portman, 1 Windows CD or 2 Linux distro CDs mixed with hot grits and poured into your pants cause the same amount of discomfort when sat on.

      Gee, my sarcasm filter really poked my spew button that time.

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    11. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by titus-g · · Score: 1
      *I don't know if that was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, but it came off as being stupid...*

      Hard to tell innit.

      I reckon that the only real solution is for /. to open an international range of pubs with video conferencing and forget about this bbs thing.

      text just doesn't have enough language to convey real meaning and avoid all the miscellaneous flame wars...

      All paid for by banner advertising.

      Beer wants to be free!

      Right enuff about the apps though, people seem to be missing the point that a linux Distribution _isn't_ an OS, it is more a working environment (or server environment), which is kinda fun cos that's what MS are getting done for trying to do... :)

      If all you want is a just Linux system then you're probably gonna have to DIY.

      --

      ~ppppppppö

    12. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by eomir · · Score: 1

      Ok, let me just say that MSVC++ does not involve two CDs. With one CD you can install VC++, VB, VFoxPro, VInterDev, and a whole bunch of other useful utilities. When you get Developer Studio, you get a whole slew of CDs, but they are not really necessary. I'm sure that things like Photoshop, et all don't really take up a whole CD either. Anyway, I am sure that there is a lot of bloat in a lot of products(this does not disclude linux software), but please try to be more accurate with your posts.

    13. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by Delphis · · Score: 1

      I reckon that the only real solution is for /. to open an international range of pubs with video conferencing and forget about this bbs thing.

      Now that just sounds EXCELLENT :) .. I'd definitely like a nice geek pub (hell even A pub) near me :)

      If I had the cash, I'd start one.. get some /. DSL VPN action going.

      --

      --
      Delphis
    14. Re:Red Hat Bloatware? by Azog · · Score: 4

      You know how many Microsoft CD's it would take to come close to having as much content as those two Red Hat CD's?

      1. Windows 2000 CD for the OS
      2. Microsoft Office 2000 for the user apps
      3. Microsoft Back Office for the server apps
      4. Dev Studio 6 for the compiler
      5. MSDN for the documentation
      6. Third-party software for shells, scripting, and other essentials.

      That's at least 6 CDs, and thousands of dollars. Install it all on one computer, and it will take up many gigabytes. Good luck getting it all running at the same time, and stable.

      But Red Hat has all that and more (Beowulf, more development tools, etc), for 30 bucks, on just two CDs. It probably installs into about 1.5 GB (based on my experience with Mandrake 7.1, which also comes on two CD's.)

      So who's bloated?


      Torrey Hoffman (Azog)

      --
      Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
      "HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
  92. Re:Red Hat Is Good News For Proletariat by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    Yes.
    Right.
    Red Hat is good news for everyone, them included.

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  93. Re:This just pisses me off... by -benjy · · Score: 1

    Dude, you seriously need to consider upgrading your CD-ROM before even thinking about moving to Red Hat 7.0.

  94. Re:The new c++ compilier is nice by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    I wonder if the redhat kernel will compile with gcc or is this new compiler going to be used by redhat to lock out competitors.

    The new compiler actually is gcc, just a newer version of it.
    And of course, the kernel will keep on compiling with older compilers.
    Actually we're using egcs 1.1.2 to compile the default (2.2.x) kernel because it contains a lot of code that isn't ready for ISO C99 compatible compilers. 2.4.0 is ok, and works perfectly with gcc 2.96 (which we're shipping in Red Hat Linux 7).

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  95. Backwards compatability? by Majix · · Score: 1

    I understand Red Hat 7 ships with a new compiler (gcc 2.96?) and RPM4. What does this mean for backward compatability? If I create a binary RPM with RH7, can RH6.x users install it? I suspect RPM4 will cause problems.

    1. Re:Backwards compatability? by mab · · Score: 1

      Yes and will helix-update work? didn't last time I tryed

  96. USB support by plover · · Score: 3
    The sad part is that the only USB device I have is a mouse... with a PS/2 adapter.

    Yeah, but in a little while you can hook up a CueCat! :-)

    John

    The Church of the SubGenius -- because somebody had to put all that slack in there...

    --
    John
  97. Re:One problem I had with Redhat 6.9 by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    For some reason X itself took up 71M of memory.

    Which graphics chipset? Which CPU? Did you report it?
    We can't fix problems we aren't aware of, and this stuff definitely didn't happen on any of our test machines.

    Too bad it will still use KDE 1.

    7.1 won't - at the time we had to go gold, KDE 2 simply wasn't ready.
    We're including a KDE 2.0 beta on the 2nd CD for people who want to play, though.

    Is Redhat even *attempting* to create a nice KDE setup?

    Sure. That's part of my job, actually.

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  98. WPOffice/Linux was disappointing by Cardinal · · Score: 1

    I was a beta tester for WPOffice/Linux, and I was just plain depressed when the first CD arrived, and I saw what they had done. Talk about a mess. At least StarOffice went to the trouble of porting their monolithic bloatware to a native Unix toolkit. I am holding out hope that the GPL'd and split apart future of StarOffice (OpenOffice, which is buzzword compliant) can improve things. But it'll probably be vaporware for at least a year, sorta like Mozilla.

    You're right of course, the apps I listed aren't ready to provide alternatives to the proprietary features of MSOffice. Even if they were intended to, MS would just break compatibility with their next revision anyway. :)

  99. Re:u got rh7 iso??!??!???! by bero-rh · · Score: 2

    Try accessing that great warez server, ftp.redhat.com, some time after Monday. ;)

    --
    This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  100. LinuxConf by Cardinal · · Score: 1

    Dunno about you, but I've had some pretty bad experiences with such GUI tools attempting to modify my config files. In general, they don't seem very robust.

    Like linuxconf. Am I the only one that doesn't trust linuxconf as far as I can throw it?

  101. Re:USB is cool. by Timex · · Score: 1

    i'm using out-of-the-box RH6.2 (2.2.14 kernel) and i have my Logitech TrackMan Marble Wheel connected at the USB port. granted, it's my only USB device (don't have anything else), but it's working quite nicely, thank you very much.


    Just another computer geek....

    --
    When politicians are involved, everyone loses.
  102. This is Bogus!! by psxndc · · Score: 3

    I submitted a story two days ago about SuSE 7.0 shipping. I provided commentary on the two different versions coming out, what was in each, and the fact that SuSE has braille support and the article got rejected. But since Red Hat has USB support now, this story gets posted. WTF?? Linux is not Red Hat, psxndc

    --

    The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.

    1. Re:This is Bogus!! by psxndc · · Score: 1
      So do you guys get copies of SuSE for ideas? ;-)

      psxndc

      --

      The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.

    2. Re:This is Bogus!! by bero-rh · · Score: 2

      Sure - I don't think that there's any distributor
      that doesn't watch other distributions and other
      similar OSes closely.
      It's the nicety of open source - if they come up
      with something nice, we can usually take it - and vice
      versa.

      --
      This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
  103. Minor Story Nit-Pick by John_Booty · · Score: 3

    Noticed a small inaccuracy in the story...

    "USB support, or the lack there of, has proven to be one of the negative aspects surrounding Linux as a consumer OS. Development for USB support has gone into high gear lately, and Claiborne says Red Hat handles it nicely -- even surpassing the competition in some cases.

    "I was a bit surprised when I tried my Kodak DC 280," Claiborne said. "In Windows I have to put the flash card into an adapter which connects via a serial port and then Windows sees it as another drive and I have to take them off one by one. In Linux, I hook my camera up to my USB slot, run Gphoto and there are all my files."

    Not true... I have a KodakDC280 and it works fine in Windows via a direct USB connection. No need for a separate CompactFlash card reader. Kodak even finally released Win2K drivers a little while back. I hate to nitpick, but it's better than having inaccuracy in the story... :D

    --

    OtakuBooty.com: Smart, funny, sexy nerds.
    1. Re:Minor Story Nit-Pick by John_Booty · · Score: 2

      "I hate to nitpick a nitpick, but maybe she was using Windows NT 4.0. No USB support last time I checked."

      That may be true, but now that we're recursively nitpicking, the original statement in the RedHat article is still wrong.

      The Kodak DC280 comes with a serial adapter, too. You can directly connect it to Windows (even NT) via the serial port. They mention having to "put the flash card into an adapter which connects via a serial port" which is kind of an interesting solution, since they could have just plugged the Kodak directly into the serial port. WTF?

      So, like a previous poster said, welcome to the world of Linux-distro-anti-M$-FUD-FUD. Ah, what the hell, maybe I'm just mad because I bought a DC280, instead of the DigitaOS-equipped DC260 that can run MAME. DC280 is a damn fine camera though,I'm in love with it.

      --

      OtakuBooty.com: Smart, funny, sexy nerds.
    2. Re:Minor Story Nit-Pick by dmp · · Score: 1

      "I was a bit surprised when I tried my Kodak DC 280," Claiborne said. "In Windows I have to put the flash card into an adapter which connects via a serial port and then Windows sees it as another drive and I have to take them off one by one. In Linux, I hook my camera up to my USB slot, run Gphoto and there are all my files."

      ...

      Not true... I have a KodakDC280 and it works fine in Windows via a direct USB connection. No need for a separate CompactFlash card reader. Kodak even finally released Win2K drivers a little while back. I hate to nitpick, but it's better than having inaccuracy in the story... :D


      I hate to nitpick a nitpick, but maybe she was using Windows NT 4.0. No USB support last time I checked.

      dmp

      --
      Stop talking about who's to blame when all that counts is how to change --"Born of Frustration" - James
  104. Telnet server? by BlowCat · · Score: 1
    Also, find a way to get that link to the thousands of people who are sitting without a personal telnet server (incredibly usefull if you've got DSL and a static IP) because they can't figure it out.

    Yes, it's incredibly useful if you are online all the time, but a reasonably old sendmail or wu-ftpd will do as well :-)

  105. USB is cool. by MSG · · Score: 2

    I'm in the same boat. I've got a Microsoft USB IntelliMouse optical, and it's not too bad. I updated Red Hat 6.2 with the initscripts (and required modutils) from 6.95, and USB works really smoothly with 2.2.17.

    Clay Claiborne of Cosmos Engineering is quoted in the article as saying "[USB] still needs to work so that moduals [sic] automatically load." In my experience, they do. I wonder what modules didn't load for him??

    Anyway, the feature listed that excites me the most is including SSL support. I haven't seen this in RawHide yet, so I don't know much about what uses it. If anyone has information about what secure server (apache-ssl or mod_ssl) is used, whether or not openssh is installed, whether or not there's an SSL proxy for POP/IMAP, or whether telnet is still enabled by default, post it, please : )

  106. Re:Finally, a reason to upgrade? by Platinum+Dragon · · Score: 1

    The only thing that I found inapproprately running was identd as a stand-alone server, a service that I am morally opposed to.

    Morally opposed to?

    Enlighten me.
    -------------

    --

    Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
  107. Re:xinetd by Delphis · · Score: 1

    Did anyone ever get qmail to work under xinetd? .. I never could .. the stupid thing would then not allow smtp mail .. maybe I just configured it wrong but I went back to using regular inetd (works fine really as long as you know what you're running) so I could at least get mail.

    I like qmail .. so much easier to configure than the sendmail beast.

    --

    --
    Delphis
  108. Seriously though... by psxndc · · Score: 1
    Seriously though, SuSE 7.0's release wasn't ever posted on /. I did some checking and some of the SuSE pages went up the 7th, yet no mention anywhere on /. Why? Why does it seem like the majority of "release stories" I see are Red Hat and Debian? I have no beef with Red Hat, SuSE was just what my friends used and introduced me to. But I think things like Braille support are pretty cool and worth mentioning (and knowing about). USB is important too, no doubt, but every distro will have USB support. Braille? Now that's cool. My $02.

    psxndc

    --

    The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.

    1. Re:Seriously though... by bero-rh · · Score: 2

      Actually there was an article about it...
      http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/08/01/0056 239&mode=thread

      --
      This message is provided under the terms outlined at http://www.bero.org/terms.html
    2. Re:Seriously though... by psxndc · · Score: 1
      Crap. Fair enough.

      psxndc

      --

      The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.

    3. Re:Seriously though... by psxndc · · Score: 1
      Ahhhh... it says it has been released, but at the end it says it will be available from late August (the article was on 07/31 and the announcement wasn't on their US site then (that I know)). I just know my local stores don't have it. :-( Maybe I'll just have to buy a copy of Red Hat (hey I own a share or two, might as well) until I can find it. :-)

      psxndc

      --

      The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.

  109. USB support? Not exactly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2
    RedHat 7.0 has USB support, yes, but it only supports USB1 devices. The USB2 standard is already finished, and the first USB2 devices will be shipping in time for Christmas. While USB2 is quite a bit faster than USB1, it's also not backwards-compatible (according to usbworskshop.com's FAQ), so you'll need upgraded software to make use of the new USB2 devices.

    Of course, I don't mean to knock RedHat's work -- it's great that USB support is finally working in Linux! Just trying to clear some things up since the article wasn't too specific...

  110. Re:**FlameBait** by Smallest · · Score: 1

    but unfortunately... there's no USB on NT. (Iomega's proprietary hack doesn't count).

    so, i either have to to go Win2K, ME or back to 98, if i want to use those cute little connectors on the back of my box.

    -c

    --
    I have discovered a truly remarkable proof which this margin is too small to contain.
  111. Re:Finally... USB by TeknoHog · · Score: 1
    winmodems

    You can't be serious. There are winmodems and linmodems, and then there are real modems. No one in their right mind should have made any OS-specific hardware in the first place.

    The case with winmodems is a bit like that with non-standard file formats like Winword.doc. They sell you a cheaper modem, which will use up some processor power and only works with special drivers. No respect for the standards.

    On the other hand, IMHO USB is a Good Thing because it may become a new standard in place of numerous interfaces like serial, parallel, ps/2 &c.

    --

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  112. Re:USB Backport by Alan+Cox · · Score: 2

    Grin..

    as so nicely and sarcastically pointed out most of the backport was most definitely not done by Red Hat. Bits of stuff/debugging were. Most of it came from the USB backport work done by Vojtech Pavlik at SuSE. The 2.2.18pre stuff is also based on that work along with other fixes. Greg KH is currently working hard to keep my mailbox filled with patches to get the USB almost fully in line with 2.4test by 2.2.18

    Alan

  113. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by Chiasmus_ · · Score: 1

    Oooh... if only Hiro Protagonist were around to hear you say that.

    --
    "Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."
  114. Re:This just pisses me off... by mbyte · · Score: 1

    and your memory .. ;)

    I still use 5.2 sometimes, as it installs on machines with 8 mb memory. >= 6.0 requires 16 mb .. that is quite unusual on low-end 486 machnines ...

    (Damn .. I have so many 1 Mb SIMMS ... I whish those old mainboards had more than 8 sockets ...)


    Samba Information HQ

  115. New Web Server? by ERICmurphy · · Score: 2

    What is the deal with this new web server Red Hat is working on? It is supposed to be part of the kernel.

    BTW, I have ran Caldera 2.4 Kernel Preview, and it rocks. It has a lot of what RH 7 has, plus KDE2...

    In a few months, there is really going to be some nice Linux distros that are as valid as Windows for the desktop.

    --


    -- ERICmurphy -- www.jabber.org for open-source, XML-based IM
    1. Re:New Web Server? by be-fan · · Score: 2

      1) UNIX's beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I personally don't see a huge mass of code to be terribly beautiful. I personally dig streamlined, slick, simple systems. SysV (and UNIX in general) is far from that.

      Those twelve config files would not necessarily be ugly. It would just take actual THINKING on the part of the distro maker.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    2. Re:New Web Server? by onion2k · · Score: 1

      That said, I don't think Linux can overcome these problems. It's not its fault though, because IT IS NOT A DESKTOP OS!! It does a great job at being what it should (a server) but it has no place on user desktops. It lacks all the things users need to do what needs done. Right now, they have no incentive to switch from Windows.

      Absolutely. Linux command lines are great. The idea of the X interface is about as daft as trying to crowbar a decent GUI onto the front of Microsoft DOS. Hang on.. Wait.. Windo..

    3. Re:New Web Server? by be-fan · · Score: 2

      I'm not a newbie Linux user. I've compiled my fair share programs. (X, the kernel, dozens of utilities, KDE, Qt, KDevelop, etc) I think there IS a problem. Nobody ever reads the documentation, they want to click on something to compile it, click to install, and click to uninstall. (Or type a command instead of click.) Also, there is no GUI for making packages. The ability to compile software is potentially on of the greatest advatnages of Linux, and it is wasted on those who understand make. It wouldn't be hard to write a program that would put a GUI to make, but getting people to standardize on one system (make config/ make / make install perferably) would be impossible. I never said anything about a registry. WTF are you talking about? I have no problem with the current make, as long as there is a GUI for it, and all software uses the same system.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    4. Re:New Web Server? by jrcamp · · Score: 1

      To me, the ideal desktop is this:

      -It can be used by any newbie who walks up to the computer

      BUT

      -It can be hacked away at just like *BSD, *NIX, etc. can.

      There are just too many things to go wrong under Linux right now for a newbie to handle. Sometimes I'm left to wonder what the hell it's bitching about.

      In addition, the Ideal Desktop[tm] includes integrated configuration utilities or installing hardware, fonts, and the like. Sure, you got DrakeFont, then you got your RPM, then you got LinuxConf for configuring stuff, then you have RPM's for OpenLinux, then you got the RPM's for SuSe, and so forth.

      And so I stand behind my comment earlier--it's just a big mess. Trying to make Linux into a Desktop OS is just like trying to turn Windows '9x into a server. They both can do it, but it just won't work around in the end.

    5. Re:New Web Server? by be-fan · · Score: 2

      Is it an operating system that shelters the user from the underlying system? Is it an OS that does
      not burden the user with any learning? Is it an OS that has pretty little buttons and widgets
      grafted and pasted into the inner workings of the system.
      >>>>>>>>
      Stupid thinking. Take a good long look at MacOS X or BeOS. You'll see that it presents the whole power of the system to you without REQUIRING you to be hacker to use it. Things like organized, simple directory structure. Sane, simple package management. Well planned configuration files (MacOS X's XML idea kicks ass), a consistant environemnt. All of these go a long way to make an OS "good." (BTW: Eliteist bastard. If an OS FORCES learning upon the user, than its useless as a desktop OS. Not everyone cares about computers, and if you want Linux to succeed in the desktop market, you have to understand users who need to do advanced work, but couldn't care less how the computer works.)

      I for one, believe that Unix (in general) can be both a desktop, and a server... it is adaptable. The
      modular design is what makes it that way. Things like KDE and Gnome are more like extra
      layers on the cake, but what do you expect? That everything should come in a perfect little
      package, in one homogenious mixture... a cookie cutter OS?
      >>>>>>
      Integration. That's all I need to say. There is nothing wrong with being moduler and adaptable as long as the finished product LOOKS smooth and polished. You know, they used to whitewash castles to look like they're made of one big piece of rock, even though they're made up of seperate blocks. Same concept. Take a look at the average car (not American). The things are very moduler, engines can be taken from one, replaced with another. Transmissions can be swapped, etc. The whole system is very adaptable, yet looks like its polished, consistant product.

      The purpose of these linux
      distributions is to bring everything together. Sure, I could build a linux system from scratch, but it
      is much easier to download or get a CD and run a quick install.
      >>>>>>>
      But they don't. The distros are still terribly disorganized.

      This is purely because of user stupidity. Plain and simple. The common user is both fearful and
      stupid. (I really mean that.) People will not change because they are afraid of it, because they hate
      learning. The number one question is "what if xx will not run under linux?". But this is no excuse
      to write everything off and say that everyone should stick with windows. Windows is pure crap...
      >>>>>>>>
      I've been using UNIX-like systems for years. I still can' stand them. Its not user stupidity, but the fact that half of the population doesn't give a damn how the system works. Linux people don't think in terms of commercial product, they think in terms of CS project. If Linux is to succeed as a desktop OS, it has to cater to the same people as Win98. Half those users just don't want to learn how the blasted thing works. To them it is a tool, like a hammer. I'm sure they don't force you to learn how a chainsaw works when you cut down a tree, do they?

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    6. Re:New Web Server? by UVABlows · · Score: 1
      In a few months, there is really going to be some nice Linux distros that are as valid as Windows for the desktop.

      Wanna expand on that? Not trying to be an ass, but I'm sure there are others as well who would like some links to check them out.

      --

      <high-level position here>
      <name of stupid small company here>

    7. Re:New Web Server? by Vic · · Score: 2

      What is the deal with this new web server Red Hat is working on? It is supposed to be part of the kernel.

      That's the kernel web server. It's not a Redhat thing....anyone running Kernel 2.4 can use it on any distro.It's intended as a simple, and VERY FAST web server.

      Cheers,
      Vic

    8. Re:New Web Server? by be-fan · · Score: 1

      No. Saying Linux will be as valid as Windows for the desktop is deluding yourself. I can (and have) listed numerous reasons why Linux isn't yet ready for the desktop, so ready my past posts before responding. Few examples:

      Office Suites: If WordPerfect Office 2000 is better in Windows than in Linux, why use Linux?

      Gadget Software: Where's that ultra-simple photo-grabber/correcter for my $50 scanner?

      Games: Even QuakeIII get's boring eventually.

      Being "as valid" for the desktop as Windows takes more than just technical quality. It takes creature comforts, asthetics, ease of use, integration.

      1) There are very few creature comforts in Linux. Sure stuff like ActiveDesktop or Win98 Explorer (with the integrated preview) are not absolutely necessary, but they're nice to have.

      2) Linux has no asthetics. Asthetics goes beyond pretty GUIs into the system itself. There is only so much KDE and GNOME do for you. Once you get into the system itself, its ugly. Initscripts are ugly (except in Slackware). Adding hardware is ugly. The config files are ugly. (My thinking is that the whole mess in /etc could be condensed into a dozen well planned files.)

      3) Linux has a learning curve shaped like an L. Sure, if your doing basic stupid-user stuff, it's just as easy as Windows. However, the minute you need to do something a little more advanced (like install non-KDE software!) or have to configure hardware less than 10 years old, you've got a problem. Take ALSA for example. This is supposed to be the next-gen Linux sound architecture, but I need to tell it how many soundcards I have? WTF! Need to install NAT? Though luck, you have to figure out the mess in /etc/rc.d first. Setting up a telnet server? Figure out inet first. It doesn't have to be that way. Take a look at BeOS. Setting up telnet and ftp servers is literally just a checkbox and a password-field away. Look underneath, however, and you have those plain-text config files, giving power to both groups of users. For some odd reason, no enterprising distro maker thought of this? (And don't point me to some link on FreashMeat. If the user was advanced enough to do that, then they'd be able to figure out inet. Also, find a way to get that link to the thousands of people who are sitting without a personal telnet server (incredibly usefull if you've got DSL and a static IP) because they can't figure it out. Another this is recompiling important system software. One of the great potential benifits of Linux is allowing users to custom compile their software for speed. However, most system software is so ridiculously (comparativly) difficult to hand configure, that this feature goes unused. A GUI interface for making any source package? That's the right thing to do. If Linux were judged by the same standards Windows is judged by, reviewers would bitch constantly about this missed opportunity. The bottom line is that Linux is hard. For ultra-basic uses, it may be easy, but the minute you venture out of KDE or GNOME, you hit a mess of legacy configuration crap, ill-thought-out configuration methods, and a totally inconsistant system. In Linux there are no advanced or intermediate users. There are newbies, and there are UNIX-gurus.

      4) Linux isn't an OS. It is a bunch of software randomally glued together by a distro maker. Case in point: Some software uses make config/make/make install. Others use straight make. Others use the BSD style edit the config file, run make. Others use xmkmf. The kernel uses its own method. That's the wrong way to do it. There is no standard format for config files. Good GUI interfaces for configuration aren't included in the OS, and aren't similar to each other. Sure it may be hard to get so many developers to agree, but consistancy is a good thing for an OS to have, and I could care less about the managerial problems on OS has to bring consistancy to me. If its an inherent problem with the development model, then too bad, Linux should be judged by the same ruler as a commercial OS.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    9. Re:New Web Server? by blakestah · · Score: 2

      What is the deal with this new web server Red Hat is working on? It is supposed to be part of the kernel.

      Ingo Molnar was working on it. See this interview with Ingo or this article about the results.

      Basically, the web server uses a kernel module for some tasks, and userspace for others. The TCP/IP stack in 2.4 kernels is very parallelized compared to 2.2 and earlier kernels. There are a few other key fixes as well. According to the articles, the server was to be released, GPLd, and folded into Apache as time and hacking efforts permits. Presumably that is not happening yet...

      The more time I use linux, the better Debian looks...

    10. Re:New Web Server? by fm6 · · Score: 1

      AAAK! NO! Some things just should not be in the kernel. Or should I say most things? Everything you add to the kernal is a potential exploit!

    11. Re:New Web Server? by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

      2.4 comes with a kernel web server, but it only deals with static content and has almost nothing in the way of features. Red Hat are working on their own kernel-based webserver (I'm afraid I can't remember what it's called), presumably including features required to compete with existing web servers. It's the sort of thing that Linus is never likely to let into the kernel, so Red Hat are developing it themselves.

    12. Re:New Web Server? by Bun · · Score: 1
      Red Hat are working on their own kernel-based webserver (I'm afraid I can't remember what it's called), presumably including features required to compete with existing web servers.
      I believe you (and others) are talking about Tux. There was a Slashdot article about it a while back, where it apparently kicked some serious ass. Later on, they interviewed Ingo Molnar about it's design and the rationale behind creating it.
      --
      "Anyone that has ever gotten an idea based on any of my work and done something better with it-good for you."--J.Carmack
    13. Re:New Web Server? by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 3

      1) There are very few creature comforts in Linux. Sure stuff like ActiveDesktop or Win98 Explorer (with the integrated preview) are not absolutely necessary, but they're nice to have.

      Yes, which is why people are working on things like Nautilus. These features are gradually appearing.

      2) Linux has no asthetics. Asthetics goes beyond pretty GUIs into the system itself. There is only so much KDE and GNOME do for you. Once you get into the system itself, its ugly. Initscripts are ugly (except in Slackware). Adding hardware is ugly. The config files are ugly. (My thinking is that the whole mess in /etc could be condensed into a dozen well planned files.)

      Yes, the initscripts and so on could probably be made simpler. It would be against the UNIX philosophy of individual programs working together, though, so I don't see it as likely to happen. Rather then dealing with this at the underlying level, it makes far more sense for your distribution to abstract these away from you. Graphical programs that allow you to manipulate init scripts in a more sensible way exist. More structured configuration programs for manipulating configuration files are becoming more common. It won't be long before you really don't have to worry about that sort of thing.

      3) Linux has a learning curve shaped like an L.

      You're not comparing like with like. As you say later on, Linux isn't an OS. Don't compare Linux with other operating systems - compare distributions. I use Debian here, so I'll compare that with the points you raise.

      ALSA: Debian includes a program that asks you what sort of sound card you have. ALSA includes ISAPNP support, so it's pretty good at finding things. No editing of configuration files, no magic numbers.

      Telnet: apt-get install telnetd, or pick it from the software installation program of your choice.

      NAT: No idea, I'm afraid - I've never needed to do it.

      Incidentally, using a telnet server is a fantastically stupid thing to do, especially on a cable modem. You do realise that telnet doesn't encrypt passwords, right? Somebody sitting on the same cable modem segment as you can sniff those passwords as you type them. Use ssh.

      4) Linux isn't an OS.

      As I said above, I agree. However, you then go on to say:

      Linux should be judged by the same ruler as a commercial OS.

      Why should it be compared to a commercial OS if it's not an OS? What is far more sensible is to compare distributions with commercial OSs. Debian (Incidentally, I'm not trying to demonstrate any superiority in Debian here - it's just that I maintain a large number of Debian systems, so I have significantly more experience of it than any other Linux distribution) has features that answer several of your points. Software installation is as simple as choosing the program you want from a list and waiting for it to either be read off CD or downloaded along with any other software it depends on. You rarely need to mess about with configuration files yourself. Building from source is something that people keep claiming is a necessary part of running a Linux system, but I can count the number of programs I use that I've had to compile by hand on my fingers. Provided your distribution is reasonably comprehensive, it's just plain not needed.

      Most of your claims about the deficiencies of Linux are because you're not using everything that's available to you. The fact that you feel you have to do stuff the difficult way is obviously a very good argument for better documentation being required (and I'll agree that that is one thing that Linux is seriously deficient in having spent several hours yesterday struggling with initrd stuff that now bears little resemblance to the kernel documentation for it). I'm not going to claim that Linux is as ready for the average desktop user as Windows is, but it's not as far away as you're implying.

    14. Re:New Web Server? by jrcamp · · Score: 2

      Excellent post, I must say.

      I'm not Linux expert, but I consider myself educated enough to understand what is going on. Through my experience, I've come to realize that it is just a huge mess all glued together with .99 glue. There just aren't enough standards. Some examples would be a:

      -Standard installation system for dependency checks, upgrading, installation, uninstallation, etc. I look at RPMFind.net and my head just tilts to the side in amazment. Why are there all these packages that are the same, but they're there 30 different times?! It just doesn't make sense. Another thing that would be nice would be for there to be a way for depedencies automatically downloaded, installed, and configured. There also should be central place to store what libs are installed, and what ones aren't.

      -Integrated GUI. A good example of this would be BeOS. It's extremely fast, and fires up in just a few seconds. X is, well, umm...it's like an out of tune car. It'll take a while to start up, and it'll get you where you need to go, but it just isn't very efficient.

      -Config files. Talk about cryptic and unorgannized. I fear the etc directory. I think the windows registry has the nice idea. I can still be as cryptic, though, but it's easy to find things when you know what you're looking for. There also should be a standard way so that you only have to learn one way and not a way for all software.

      That said, I don't think Linux can overcome these problems. It's not its fault though, because IT IS NOT A DESKTOP OS!! It does a great job at being what it should (a server) but it has no place on user desktops. It lacks all the things users need to do what needs done. Right now, they have no incentive to switch from Windows.

    15. Re:New Web Server? by axel+from+afkmn · · Score: 1
      All hail Fluffy, for he owns Usenet. http://extra.newsguy.com/~shpxurnq/archive/raoul25 .html

      Axel

      --

      Axel
      mhm23x3, alt.fan.karl-malden.nose

  116. Re:Finally... USB by be-fan · · Score: 2

    Reality: More people have winmodems than USB devices.

    --
    A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  117. Re:Finally, a reason to upgrade? by Sensor · · Score: 1


    I might be daft but why not just install all the sevices by default (after all people install the OS to play) but have a set of IP chains rules in the local init file to block off access?

  118. Re:xinetd by orabidoo · · Score: 2

    and what I'd *really* want to see is sendmail and wu-ftpd going the way of the dodo (or just not installed by default), and replaced by postfix and openbsd-ftpd respectively.

  119. Re:Finally... USB by be-fan · · Score: 2

    1) Linux 3D acceleration is still weak. Software support is iffy (those stupid statically compiled apps) its still slower than Windows, and the fastest implementation (NVIDIA's) isn't officially supported and isn't quite perfectly stable. The state of 3D on Linux is still in Microsoft-beta quality.

    2) 3D sound may be supported by various apps, but then they're writing their own 3D sound engine (unlikely.) I'm talking about the DirectSound3D or Aureal3D hardware everyone has, but Linux can't use.

    3) I put the winmodem arguement, because winmodems prevent more people from using Linux than USB devices. Very few people have critical USB devices, but millions have Winmodems. I don't care if its supported to the maximum extent of the patant law, the fact remains that winmodem support is a bigger issue than USB support (which is what the author of the article I'm responding to said.)

    4) Tell that to all the people who've bought force-feedback joysticks for $200. They're pretty cool technology, and they are an entire class of devices unusable on Linux. For every USB device, there are dozens of PS/2/parallel/serial equivilents. However, force-feedback devices cannot be used at ALL in Linux.

    --
    A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  120. Finally, a reason to upgrade? by Platinum+Dragon · · Score: 4

    For the record, I'm still using the same Red Hat 6.0 install from a year ago. It's been pretty heavily modified by now, though. I think it's about time to upgrade.

    I quickly parsed the story, mostly looking to see if RedHat said anything about the infamous default installs. Lo and behold, there are claims that the default installs will be "more secure for cable and ADSL users" - does this mean no more apache, login, shell, nfs, etc. by default?

    On the one hand, "It's about time a major distributor got around to thinking about security."

    On the other hand, it just goes to prove that enough people demanding something will make it happen - how often do people complain about the wide-open default installs from most major Linux distros nowadays?

    Re: USB support. I was kinda forced to try out USB support under Linux when my new Epson couldn't print using my parallel-port scanner's pass-through - the scanner's fault, I think. All it took was a quick kernel recompile, a quick skim of a howto, and that was it. Works like a dream.

    As long as a rash of exploits don't appear in the two weeks after 7.0's release, it sounds like this version will be worth upgrading to. Of course, if you already have Mandrake 7.0 installed, then why bother - same stuff, looks like.

    My main reason for even considering an upgrade is the fact that Red Hat, and other distributors, seem to be moving toward using a new glibc in compiling their brand-spanking-new packages. Go ahead, try a rawhide package. There's a good chance it won't install, giving you a dependency error requesting...glibc2.2? News to me, but if I want to keep up, I'll have to upgrade. For free, of course:)
    ----------
    -------------

    --

    Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
    1. Re:Finally, a reason to upgrade? by Russ+Steffen · · Score: 2
      Lo and behold, there are claims that the default installs will be "more secure for cable and ADSL users" - does this mean no more apache, login, shell, nfs, etc. by default?

      FWIW, since Red Hat 6.2, if you do a "workstation" install, there is very little listening to the network. It doesn't even install inetd. The only thing that I found inapproprately running was identd as a stand-alone server, a service that I am morally opposed to. After disabling that, it's pretty tight.

    2. Re:Finally, a reason to upgrade? by Ryandav · · Score: 2

      While I appreciate your commentary on linux, I have to point something out. This was not a story, it was a press release. From the subtle FUD vapors to the slimy use of quotes and manipulation, i felt dirtier after reading it. RH 7 may be a great product, but I dislike the corporate air gathering...

      Guess I'm a crank.

      --
      Check my Go-related blog for beginners: DGD
  121. Nothing about Tux ? by lonoak · · Score: 1


    TUX was a promise for the month of August (if I remember well). Someone knows if it will be included together RH 7.0 ?

  122. Re:Finally... USB by be-fan · · Score: 2

    However, Fred is an odd entitiy. Very few people actually HAVE a USB zip drive, a USB mouse, and a USB scanner. Take a look at all the commercial computer systems (Compaq, Dell, HP). How many of them ship with USB hardware?

    --
    A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  123. Re:Sigh by be-fan · · Score: 2

    Alright, you've said your peace, and I think you're a fool, so I will now say mine.
    >>>>>
    Fair enough. I think you're a fool too ;)

    Because there's more to life than shrink-wrapped hundred dollar office suites. AbiWord, Gnumeric, KOffice, are all coming. Additionally, StarOffice is
    being drastically reworked into something that doesn't suck. :)
    >>>>>
    Don't ever talk to me about what WILL happen. People are touting Linux as a competitor to Windows NOW, not in the future. Right now, there is nothing comparable to Office or Wordperfect Office on Linux. Believe it or not, some people actually USE the extended features in Office. I for one, could never live without Publisher. If you need to write more than just plain documents, then you need the power of "a hundred dollar shrink wrapped office suite." Right now, WP Office 2K is the only (usable) one on Linux and its better in Windows.

    Meet the tip of the iceberg. What, did you expect Linux games to multiply overnight? These things take time.
    >>>>
    Like I said, people are hyping it NOW!

    Once you get into the system itself, you're doing more than 80% of the Windows userbase will ever do. Let's draw some parallels. If /etc is essentially very
    similar to the Windows registry and .ini files, how many end users will ever touch their registry, or even realize a file called win.ini exists on their system?
    >>>>>>>>>
    Lot's of people know how to registry hack and edit .ini files. You fail to remember that the majority of the work-force grew up in DOS. However, look at it this way. How many desktop users install updates to their system via ActiveUpdate? How many install service packs (in essence recompiling your kernel, updating X, updating GNOME and KDE, and your libraries.) How many people install new drivers for their hardware? All this stuff is just too damn hard in Linux. For example, there is no standard way to install a driver. Some, you can just add a line in modules.rc. Other, you've got to edit modules.conf. Still others need to be compiled and installed via installers. Installing the NVIDIA drivers (which, sadly is indicative of how the bulk of Linux installs are like) requires opening up a terminal, compiling a program, and manually replacing files. Only a few applications "get it" in Linux. Helix GNOME is one such application. However, if one app does something well, you can't just point to it and say "oh, we're easy too!"

    If you believe /etc can be condensed into a dozen files and retain all their information and ease of access (An all-encompasing GUI is not easier to access
    than opening a text file.) then you either aren't familiar with the Unix way of thinking, or you aren't interested in retaining the configurability and
    flexibility that Unix offers.
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    I'm quite familiar with "the UNIX way." I started with Slackware 3.5, moved to Redhat, then Mandrake, then Slackware, then finally FreeBSD. I use BeOS most of the time, which is quite UNIX-ish in the CLI. I still don't like it. The UNIX way of thinking is not appropriate for a desktop computer. People like organization, and aren't willing to put up with the additional learning curve that the UNIX directory structure presents. For example, what is the difference between /usr/bin and /usr/local/bin on a single-user machine? I'm not suggesting that all UNIXes change. I'm just saying that the "UNIX way" isn't going to cut it for the average desktop.

    Of course, if Linux is to be this grand desktop OS that people want to be, I fear it may lose that anyway. And that would indeed be nothing less than a tragic loss. (Which is why I don't think Linux in its current state should be a desktop OS. At least, not the way you seem to think a desktop OS works)
    >>>>>>>
    Duh, WTF are you argueing with me if you agree with me!

    I'm going to be as brief as possible. First, have you ever even read about how Debian works as opposed to RedHat? There are distros besides RedHat, you
    know.
    >>>>
    I know. I've used Slackware, Mandrake, RedHat, and SuSE. (I'll never run Debian since they aren't cutting edge) They all work more or less the same way. The NVIDIA drivers install the same way in all of them, ALSA installs the same way, the kernel compiles the same way.

    Second, comparing BeOS to Linux doesn't work. BeOS is the project of a single development group lead by a single program management group. How can you seriously expect Linux to have the same goals?
    >>>>>>
    Let's be clear here. I'm not talking about Linux in general. That would be stupid. I'm talking about Linux as a competitor to Windows on the desktop. That's a very specific genere, and to succeed in that area, the goals better be pretty damn similar.

    Now, if you want to compare a distro to BeOS, that's fine.
    >>>>>
    Why do people think the distros are so damn different? Do they all only run the software that comes with their distro? All the Linuxes work more or less the same way.

    Third, personal telnet server? Are you
    completely disconnected from reality? SSH, my friend. Telnet has no place in the hands of end users that don't know anything about security, nor should
    they be expected to.
    >>>>>>>
    Good god. I'm talking about a specific way of configuring something, not the technical merits of the configuration. Fine, if you're so inclined, SSH should be configured with a check-box and a password field. (Which would be useless as the only account on BeOS is root.)

    Fourth, your suggestion that Linux and Windows should be held to the same standard is a repeat of your faulty reasoning behind comparing it to BeOS. See above.
    >>>>>>
    The faulty reasoning is on your part. If you say that Linux is going to be a competitor with Windows (which everybody including Torvalds and the poster I'm replying to is) then it damn well better be held to the same standard.

    Interesting, you've been judging and condemning it like one. And throughout this paragraph you expect it to be one. "Consistancy is a good thing for an OS"
    is irrelevant if Linux isn't an OS. "managerial problems an OS has" is meaningless, since Linux isn't an OS.
    >>>>>>
    When I said "Linux isn't an OS" I was pointing out a problem. You seem to misunderstand me. I have nothing against Linux. I think it is a fine system if it suits you. However, I think it is useless as a destkop OS (at the moment, I'm sure it will get better.) Linux ISN'T an OS. In order to compete in the desktop market, it HAS to be.

    Now, to point out why none of this matters. Linux isn't a product. It's a kernel. Linux distributions are products, and I'm sick of people comparing this
    mythical thing that is Linux to operating systems. If you want to bitch about RedHat, call it RedHat Linux. Don't give the other distros crap for the
    product of one company. Further. Don't expect the contents of any distro to be perfect, flowing, and totally consistent until a company shows up that
    writes every single application in-house. Then, and only then, does it fit into your world of what an OS is. Then, and only then, may you compare it to
    Windows and BeOS.
    >>>>>>>>
    Again, you mistake me. I'm not talking about Linux in general, but Linux in the context of a Windows-competitor. In that case, the Linux refers to the distros implicitly. It doesn't matter how many different people are chugging along behind the scenes, if the end result is inconsistant and hard to use, then that's a problem for the desktop market. The point is that nobody (statistically) in the desktop market cares about Linux as a movement, but Linux as an OS. All the "managerial stuff" I refer too hinders Linux. If the distro makers can't get such a disparate group of coders to unify, then maybe Linux wasn't meant to be a mass market, desktop OS.

    --
    A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  124. hrm.... by lizrd · · Score: 2

    Well, sounds like things are moving in the right direction. Better security in the workstation installs is a big step in this direction. As far as I see it I'll wait for 7.1 so that I can actually get kernel 2.4 and KDE 2.0. Those are the things that are really be going to push me to do some upgrading. The inclusion of Open SSH on the disks is also a very good thing.
    ________________
    They're - They are
    Their - Belonging to them

    --
    I don't want free as in beer. I just want free beer.
  125. NTFS support by Osvaldo+Doederlein · · Score: 1

    Will this version finally come with the NTFS driver prebuilt (read-only is OK if it's not yet robust), or will the large number of NT+Linux dual-booters be required to config & rebuild the kernel for this single reason, as in all distros? :-(

  126. Re:Internet - Network Installs by plagiarist · · Score: 1

    I 'spect the long download time is intentional. Too many people actually have the bandwidth now to download one CD's worth, so they don't sell enough copies... so if they make it two CD's, less folks will want to spend the time downloading the free version...

  127. Re:Internet - Network Installs by spagthorpe · · Score: 1
    I just did my first net-only (usually I do CD installs) install of Debian about two weeks ago, after downloading the boot floppy image. I have to admit it was a piece of cake. Boot the machine, select the source location, and let it rip. Now when I want to add something to it, I dselect it, and again, it all comes over the net. This has got to be the most painless install I've ever done.

    WWJD -- What Would Jimi Do?

    --

    WWJD -- What Would Jimi Do?
    (Smash amp, burn guitar, take home the groupies)

  128. Good for them by Froid · · Score: 1

    I know people here have mixed feelings towards RedHat. One the one hand, they support the free software movement by GPLing all their software, but on the other hand, they're a big corporate interest who perennially inspires fears of becoming Microsoft.

    It's still good to see them putting another distribution out on time and within budget. Even if they try to change future liscensing, this distribution will make for at least one more before they do so. Let's hope they never pursue that course.

    1. Re:Good for them by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 2

      The concept that RedHat is a large corporate anything is absurd. They are a small company with less than 500 employees. They are 1% or less than the size of companies like IBM, Intel and Microsoft.

    2. Re:Good for them by dark_panda · · Score: 1

      Well, Microsoft started off with 2...

      Although I doubt that Red Hat will become Microsoft.

      J

  129. Quotas don't seem to work in beta by mab · · Score: 1

    When you install redhat 6.9 fdisk puts labels on the disks and these show up in fstab something like

    LABEL=/ / ext2 default

    but when you do a "quota" you get bad lable or something lie that.

    I hope that will be fixed

  130. Re:You need more than just that! by ddstreet · · Score: 1

    Motherboard companies will most likely release new rev.s of current boards, just to keep in the game without spending too much money

    agreed. Plus, why should they scramble to design&release USB 2.0 mobos when there are few if any USB 2.0 devices out there...

  131. Finally... USB by Wepeel · · Score: 2

    Yes, I know kernel 2.4 supports/will support USB, but this is, to my knowledge, the first distro to support USB out of the box. Which is fabulous, because USB has been the single most significant harware lack-age in linux.
    My only question, however, is whether or not the Red Hat USB support is as integrated with the OS as Windows' is. Specifically, when I plug in a device, will the OS recognize this and do nifty configuration things for me? Anyone know?

    1. Re:Finally... USB by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

      1) Quake 3 and UT are both dynamically linked against libGL, as are most other Linux 3D apps that I've seen. Which statically compiled ones are you talking about? In any case, I was under the impression that it was hardware support that was being discussed. Most modern 3D hardware is supported under Linux, albeit not to the same level of quality as under Windows.

      2) www.openal.org appears to have support for Creative cards. I've certainly seen applications that implement 3D sound under Linux, but can't find the URLs at the moment. Apologies for the lack of a terribly convincing argument.

      3) On the one hand you're arguing that USB support isn't a big issue because PS/2/parallel/serial equivilents are available, but on the other hand you're complaining that WinModem support is despite the availability of real Modems? Remember that real Modems are superior to WinModems, a feature not shared by PS/2/parallel/serial equivilents to USB. Please attempt to present a consistant argument.

      (also note that I can pick up a real modem for less money than it would cost for me to replace my USB devices with non-USB ones. I think that's a pretty important issue, too)

      4) However, force-feedback devices cannot be used at ALL in Linux. - nonsense. The majority of them work without any problems at all. You don't get the force-feedback, but they're still perfectly usable input devices.

    2. Re:Finally... USB by be-fan · · Score: 2

      1) Several older Linux 3D programs are statically linked. And what do you mean "most" modern 3D hardware. You've got the NVIDIA cards, the Matrox cards, the ATI cards (not the Radeon, the important one), and the 3DFX cards. What about S3, Intel, NeoMagic, etc? And "not to the same level of quality" is severly candy-coating it. Even the best Linux3D drivers (NVIDIAs) are still significantly slower than their Windows counterparts.

      2) As I recall, OpenAL isn't complete yet. And it is a middle-level API. The lower-level drivers don't seem to exist yet. Also, Creative is listed as a member company, but doesn't actually have any drivers yet.

      3) I'm arguing that USB isn't a big issue because the installed base of USB devices is pretty small. Winmodem support is a big issue because the installed base of winmodems is quite large. Installed base is king, as is market momentum. Right now, PS/2 and Winmodems have both. USB and regular modems do not.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    3. Re:Finally... USB by be-fan · · Score: 2

      Nifty configuration in the OS from Linux? Yea right.

      As for USB being the most significant hardware lackage, I'd cite 3D acceleration, force feedback, 3D sound, and winmodems ahead of USB support. Namely because no real hardware is totally USB dependant.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    4. Re:Finally... USB by MSG · · Score: 2

      no real hardware is totally USB dependant

      Ah, but that is where you are mistaken, eh? See my post here on exactly why USB support is damn important : )

    5. Re:Finally... USB by be-fan · · Score: 2

      1) ISA has been officially dead for 3 years. It's not going anywhere soon. You really think people are going to ditch PS/2 and parallel just like that? It took 3 years after ISA was denounced until motherboards finally started appearing without ISA slots. ISA will be relevant for another 1 or 2 years at a minimum. So a total of 5 years from the time a technology is pronounced dead, to the time it actually dies. The same will go for PS/2 and parallel/serial (even if ISA is gone, they'll probably move PS/2 somewhere else). PC2000 or PC2001 will reccomend USB slots only, and around 2005-2006, USB-only motherboards will be the norm. The point is, that USB won't really be all that relevant for another 2 years minimum. Announcements or not, when I find a critical piece of hardware that is USB-only, then I'll consider it. Until then, 3D accelleration is a much bigger problem that USB.

      --
      A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
    6. Re:Finally... USB by StarTux · · Score: 1

      Redhat 7.0 is NOT the first distro to feature USB support right out of the box. In fact I have been using SuSE 6.4 with a creative USB modem with no problems for the past few months. Pretty cool to see it get identified precisely during install too :-) I believe the engineers from SuSE are the ones to have put most work into getting USB to run on Linux...I maybe wrong on that though. It is very exciting to see that Redhat have included its support :-). Anyone else have the problem with having so much good choice in distro's, yet not enough computers to run them on? StarTux

    7. Re:Finally... USB by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

      3D acceleration as supported by 2.4 (and 2.2.18 when it's released) and XFree86 4? 3D sound as supported by various applications and sound cards? Winmodems are supported as much as patents will allow (there appear to be US patents on V.42[bis], V.34[bis] and V.90. I'm not sure what the international situation is), and are hindered by the complete lack of programming information available. I've no idea about force feedback, but I think placing it higher than USB in the desirability stakes is misguided - there is already hardware that requires USB, whereas lack of force feedback doesn't prevent you from using anything.

    8. Re:Finally... USB by Nailer · · Score: 1

      > this is, to my knowledge, the first distro to support USB out of the box

      Its actually the second or perhaps thrid. I know at least Mandrake 7.1 has had USB for five months now, and 7.2 is just around the corner.

      it works great to....

      Mandrake install: Put CD in. get cursor from MS Intellimouse

      Windows ME install: Put CD in. Don't get a cursor for the first part of the three reboots. Including the part where you select what components you want installed... tab tab tab space tab tab tab tab space enter enter tab tab tab speca...

    9. Re:Finally... USB by steveha · · Score: 1
      USB won't really be all that relevant for another 2 years minimum.

      Fred: Hey, Joe, stop using Windows and give Linux a try!

      Joe: Will all my hardware work with it?

      Fred: Sure! Except for your USB Zip drive, your USB mouse, and your USB scanner. But don't worry; they aren't critical... they won't even really be all that relevant for another 2 years minimum.

      Joe: Wow! I think I'll run out and buy a SCSI card, a SCSI Zip drive, a SCSI scanner, and a PS/2 mouse so I can be relevant!

      be-fan, I find your comments baffling.

      steveha

      --
      lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  132. So which do I choose? by RennieScum · · Score: 1

    I've just been given the call to set up a Red Hat distro here at w*rk. It seems like 6.2 would be the obvious choice since that's what our webserver is, and we want to mirror it (or at least the content) for development/testing/backup purposes.
    But this box has an ass-full of devices hooked up to it, including 2 (!) USB scanners, a CDR, IDE zip. If I had the plugs I'd bring my USB trackball in also.
    So should I put up 6.2, or get 7.0? It's my first Linux install and I'll probably do a twin boot system. Note: it's a K6-2/475 Compaq.

    Recommendations?

    --
    ...Time is the best teacher, unfortunately it kills all of its students.
  133. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by John_Booty · · Score: 2

    Somehow I fail to see the connection between "ridiculously huge boxes" and security holes in the software. WTF are you talking about?!? Please elaborate, sounds intriguing. :-P

    --

    OtakuBooty.com: Smart, funny, sexy nerds.
  134. That's quite funny by Wheely · · Score: 1

    It's funny hearing someone from the Windows world talk of watching Linux re-inventing the wheel.

    I remember when Microsoft discovered interupts
    I remember when Microsoft got a tcp/ip stack
    I remember when Microsoft discovered device "shares"
    I remember when Microsoft discovered DNS
    I remember when microsoft discovered 32bits
    I remember when Microsoft discovered the "mount" system call (pretty recent that one)
    I remember when Microsoft discovered multi-tasking
    I remember when Microsoft discovered remote access
    I remember when Microsoft discovered the pipe
    I remember when Microsoft discovered sockets
    I remember when Microsoft diskcovered real i/o redirection
    etc etc etc etc etc

    I've had all of these for 14 years or more.

    One day NT will evolve into Unix and all they will have achieved after all the time will be to have designed a GUI.

    Regards

    1. Re:That's quite funny by Wheely · · Score: 1

      Well maybe not ALL of them for 14 years but all way way before good ole Microsoft.

      Regards

    2. Re:That's quite funny by cduffy · · Score: 2

      Whadaya mean? CORBA *is* the answer.

  135. Re:Sigh by Cardinal · · Score: 2

    Fair enough. I think you're a fool too ;)

    Alrighty. We're even then. Granted, my response was probably somewhat reactionary. :)

    People are touting Linux as a competitor to Windows NOW, not in the future.

    You're right, we do agree this is a bad idea.

    Right now, WP Office 2K is the only (usable) one on Linux and its better in Windows.

    Talk about a sad state of affairs if the best we can do is WP Office. I did the beta for that, and.. yuck. IMHO, doing it with wine was a half-assed way to go. I have to give StarOffice some credit for at least being functional, and using a native toolkit. Sure, it's monolithic bloatware like nobody has ever seen (Hell, MS hasn't even written an app like SOffice). But it does work.

    Lot's of people know how to registry hack and edit .ini files. You fail to remember that the majority of the work-force grew up in DOS.

    This may have been true 5-10 years ago, but certainly not today, where people take a few community college classes on how to use MS Word and head for any job that sits them in front of a computer. I work as a PHP developer in what is otherwise a ColdFusion shop, for example, and out of the 15 developers we have, perhaps 2 of them (Not counting myself) know anything about the registery, .ini files, etc. They're just end users that know ColdFusion.

    Lots of people may know how to hack the registry, but I assure you that number pales in comparison to the millions of users who don't.

    Only a few applications "get it" in Linux. Helix GNOME is one such application. However, if one app does something well, you can't just point to it and say "oh, we're easy too!"

    In most cases this is true. Tounge firmly in cheek, I'll also point to RedHat's kudzo utility and say "We're easy too!", but realistically I find kudzo a distateful utility that I remove as a matter of course whenever I install a RedHat system. It's a step in the right direction, but it's still fundamentally incapable of being the solution, because the only things it can provide answers for are the things already contained in the kernel.

    For example, what is the difference between /usr/bin and /usr/local/bin on a single-user machine? I'm not suggesting that all UNIXes change. I'm just saying that the "UNIX way" isn't going to cut it for the average desktop.

    As per the FHS, /usr/bin is system-installed and maintained software, and /usr/local/bin is stuff installed by the user that should never be overwritten or removed by the system. Which is to say if I manually install Netscape in /usr/local, even though RedHat already has a netscape rpm installed, upgrading the rpm should have no effect on the /usr/local copy. Put another way, /usr/local is packages installed from a source other than the RedHat distro.

    (I'll never run Debian since they aren't cutting edge)

    As a Debian loyalist I can't pass this one up :) Yes, the stable release always gets stale fairly quickly. And unstable is usually unsuitable for most people, but it's also usually perfectly fine for users that are fine with lagging a few weeks behind cutting age and be mindful about when they do apt updates. To make that a bit easier, Debian's been musing over adding a middle phase in development between the bleeding-edge unstable and the near-release frozen. Called test, probably, it'd essentially be a few weeks older than unstable, and it would only update when unstable had been noted to be relatively free of major bugs. Should be promising if they do roll it out..

    Why do people think the distros are so damn different? Do they all only run the software that comes with their distro? All the Linuxes work more or less the same way.

    I make the distinction of saying distros should be used for comparison because that's where the battles, for lack of a better word, will be fought. It's not Linux that's going to be held up by the media and reviewed side by side with Windows ME, it's RedHat, Caldera, Suse, Corel, etc. individually. We've seen this happen for years now. Nobody in the media compares Linux to Windows, because that would be too ambiguous. It's much easier (And more consistent with the mindsets of the mass market) to take RedHat or CorelLinux out of the shrink wrap, and compare it to Windows. Sure they work more or less the same at the core. We both know they even use 99% of the same software. But it's that 1% that distinguishes them.

    All too often C-Net or ZD-Net will focus an unusual amount of attention on the installation process. This is unique for each distro. The next thing they'll look at is what the system has installed, and what the default environment(s) is/are. They'll say "Well, RedHat installed and provided us a desktop with a file manager, some links to a few websites, the Gnome panel, and some apps." Or they'll say "We installed Caldera's distro, and when it finished we were presented with a fine KDE2 desktop and a copy of StarOffice.", etc, etc. The mass market is very superficial that way, and that's why the task of becoming a viable desktop lies in the hands of the distro makers (And, in retrospect, the folks behind KDE & Gnome, which I should've thought to mention earlier)

    < The next several paragraphs are all good, I plead no contest to your points. :) >

    If the distro makers can't get such a disparate group of coders to unify, then maybe Linux wasn't meant to be a mass market, desktop OS.

    Well, I think we're seeing some efforts in this area. Certainly distro makers are backing the developers of projects that aim to make things better, either financially or with additional resources. It's progress, but I don't feel ready to predict if it will ever reach that level of consistency and unity that one may attribute to BeOS or Windows. I'm also not sure it should even be a goal.

    Since this article has long since fallen off Slashdot's front page, I suppose this is it for our thread. It's been fun. :) See you around.

  136. Re:2.4 upgradability by Li0n · · Score: 1

    quake players do :)

    ---
    ~
    ~
    ~

    --

    ~
    ~
    :wq
  137. ReiserFS by Aquafina · · Score: 1

    How about a journalling file system like ReiserFS? I think Red Hat is a piece a crap right now. I have 10GB of stuff and everytime my computer crashes it takes a stinkin' 30 minutes for fsck to get everything back up and running again.

    With my windows machine (that's got journalling file system of course) it takes 2 minutes!

    Seriously, unless Red Hat ships with ReiserFS built in, gets rid of wu-ftpd, and comes pre-configured with ssh, it's just another piece of crap that I'll never take seriously.

    BTW, I know Suse comes with ReiserFS. I've never tried suse myself. How is it compared with RH?

  138. Hey.... by soulsteal · · Score: 1

    Didn't we just get a submission dealing with what's in Red Hat 7.0? I guess it's so nice they're covering it twice.

  139. Re:Sigh by be-fan · · Score: 1

    Thank you. I do agree that Linux does seem to be heading in the right direction, and I'm sorry for being inflamatory myself. However, it just bothers me how many people are blinded by Linux's success and don't see the long road still left to travel.

    --
    A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something...
  140. Have you noticed the lack of content? by randyflood · · Score: 1
    OK, so 7.0 has USB support, and a new gcc. What else does it have? Does it include the new KDE? Helix Gnome? The articles linked to from this discussion seem to be extremelt sketchy. Does it come with Star Office (or something like it)?

    Also, How do network installs work with 2 CD's?

    Just some sIuNbSlIiGmHiTnFaUlL thoughts.

    Randy
    Randy.flood@rhce2b.com www.rhce2b.com

    --
    Randy.Flood@RHCE2B.COM
  141. Re:2.4 upgradability by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

    How can PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports be 'part of ISA'? Most PS/2s are MCA-based! Serial and parallel ports, mouse and keyboard ports, and ISA slots are three separate issues. You can get rid of one without the others.

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
  142. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by Felinoid · · Score: 1

    it's just how all software has been shipped for the last 15 plus years... I don't like it but even windows shipps in a huge box...

    however at least it's cardboard...
    my old commodore 64 software is pacaged in larg plastic boxes... the boxes are fine the software is probably dead... but the boxes are indistructable..
    my old geos 64 box is a tad smaller than my redhat box but my norten utilitys box is a tad bigger... it's all the same anyway...
    there was an artical about this a tad over 10 years ago about how basicly software trys to be more visable and companys achive this by making big boxes so the constummer can see it better on the shelf...
    big larg Linux 6.9 box with a king sized tux on the front... and a slim little windows fu box to the side... people tend to but the larger box...

    the box size isn't a machine reality btw... you can ship 100 flopy disks or one dvd... and having shipped 100 disks they can be stuffed in a small box (i've done it) having a single dvd you can stuff it into a huge massive box with a weight in the box to give it mass...

    --
    I don't actually exist.
  143. Re:USB support? Not exactly by buysse · · Score: 2

    If I understand it correctly, you'd need to have a USB2 controller as well. I could be mistaken, but I thought it needed a USB 2.0 bus as well as software improvements.

    --
    -30-
  144. Re:umm.... by cthulhubob · · Score: 1

    The truncate() bugs are gone entirely, as of 2.4.0-test6 (they're up to test8 now, with test-9 well under way). They were originally uncovered due to a bug in Mutt, actually (good thing, too).

    They've been in there (more or less) since 2.2.3 or thereabouts, but nothing ever triggered the bug until the also-bugy Mutt code. So it's definitely not something that you're *likely* to have problems with, by any stretch of the imagination. But, it's good to find it and get it out.

    --

    In post-9/11 America, the CIA interrogates YOU!
  145. Re:Will the base install be 600mb like Mandrake? by Felinoid · · Score: 1

    BSD dosn't do everything...
    Nither dose Linux...
    FreeBSD for a stable secure webcam? workstation? no?
    yes FreeBSD can do thies things but not as well as Linux... great so BSD dose what YOU want... it dosn't do what ->"I"<- want and before even the must dullest of dullards will install anything it must pass that simple test...

    BSD is cute too... but if it dosn't do the job.. cute isn't my box...

    --
    I don't actually exist.
  146. Re:2.4 upgradability by Felinoid · · Score: 1

    I still use my sereal port and I'm not preparied to toss my keyboard.

    --
    I don't actually exist.
  147. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by Felinoid · · Score: 1

    You are nuts...

    Nobody is installing Linux to make money... cripes where did you get that idea?
    Redhat offers an installation menu.. you set up your own system.. there are no defaults...

    most of this is just taking the old issues people have had with Windows for years and applying them to Redhat...

    Why is a loyal Debian user using the term Hacker to refer to computer criminals?
    Debian develupers are hacker community... the REAL hacker community. as in people who tweek technology and improve it... not criminals...

    quite simply this loser is a troll... attempting to start a flame war between Debian and RedHat users...

    --
    I don't actually exist.
  148. SIMM expanders by pete-classic · · Score: 1

    I don't know if you can get them any more, but they used to make "SIMM expanders" which would let you put 4 1mb simms in one SIMM slot. They came in two heights, and alternate sides, so you could actually fit 16 1mb simms into 4 slots, sort of like this:

    =| |=
    =| |=
    =| | | |=
    =| | | |=
    | | | |

    You need good cooling though. Note that the SIMMs are horizontal ( "=" is two SIMMs.)

    -Peter

    1. Re:SIMM expanders by pete-classic · · Score: 1

      Damn! Why didn't I preview?

      Well, slashdot says I'm too lame to post the corrected version. I hope you get the idea.


  149. Red is not Purple... by King+of+the+World · · Score: 1
    and Dogs are not cats.

    'nuff said.


  150. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by Chiasmus_ · · Score: 2

    Hey, Semantics Whore...

    I've always thought it was a sign of an unhealthy community when labels became significant, i.e. "Negro" versus "Black" versus "African-American".

    Your whining over the [h|cr]acker issue is pointless. My point is, simply put, that fixed media is a dangerous thing in an era where 0-day updates are everything.

    --
    "Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."
  151. Services on by default by Alan+Shutko · · Score: 2

    On a normal workstation install, RH7 will not install any services. Iirc, even inetd isn't installed by default.

    However, if you install a service, it defaults to on. RH's rationale is that you should not install services unless you plan on using them.

  152. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by Chiasmus_ · · Score: 2

    See, obviously I didn't make my point clear enough, since I got moderated down as "flamebait".

    Lots of people who are trying to jump on this weird "learn Linux and make money" bandwagon end up buying a Red Hat box off the shelf from their local WaldenSoftware or CompUSA, installing it, connecting to the internet, and just kind of going along.

    These "default Red Hat installs", I would estimate, account for 75% of Linux exploits. In stark contrast, few people who download Debian and realize that you need to update it once in a while are ever hacked.

    Man, those off-the-shelf Red Hat boxes are the best thing ever to happen to the hacker community. Powerful enough to be useful, simple to exploit.

    --
    "Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."
  153. Re:ok, so what? by DavidOgg · · Score: 1

    I didnt say "USB port", I said "USB support", the pins are there, head on over to ASUS's website and check out some of their 486 offerings.

    --
    Fear the government that fears your guns. Fear the government that fears your computers. Remove them from my email.
  154. Re:**FlameBait** by DavidOgg · · Score: 1

    Three versions later, it still is.

    --
    Fear the government that fears your guns. Fear the government that fears your computers. Remove them from my email.
  155. 2.4 upgradability by MSG · · Score: 5

    Don't underestimate the importance of easy upgrading to 2.4. This will be one of the killer features in 7.0. (as an aside, I installed a 2.4pre kernel in my mother's machine and it works great )

    According to AMD, during the next year the ISA bus will no longer be available on most motherboards. That means that a lot of new systems are going to be sold with NO ISA slots, NO PS/2 ports, NO serial ports and NO parallel ports. Removing the old ISA controllers will mean more available area on the motherboard for high speed controllers or smaller, faster, and less expensive motherboards, depending on your market.

    Internal expansion will be available with PCI, i810 bus from Intel, or LDT from AMD (LDT bus can be 2,4,8,16, or 32 bits wide and features 1.6GB bandwidth). External devices will use either IEEE 1394 or USB. I'm guessing that support for these buses will be (or has been) back ported to the 2.2 Linux kernel, but will be better supported in the 2.4 kernel.

    1. Re:2.4 upgradability by MSG · · Score: 1

      Not according to the documentation I read. Most current motherboards have the serial/lpt/ps2 support in the _SOUTH_ bridge, not the north bridge. None of my motherboards have those devices on the PCI bus, either. Where do you get your information? I'm not trying to be rude... if I'm wrong, then just back up your claim.

    2. Re:2.4 upgradability by MSG · · Score: 1

      PS/2, serial, and parallel don't require ISA, they're part of it. You're missing my point. By removing all of this legacy garbage, PC hardware becomes a lot simpler. Simple hardware is smaller. Simple hardware is more reliable. Simple hardware is less expensive.

    3. Re:2.4 upgradability by MSG · · Score: 1

      ISA slots already have gone away on a number of motherboards. The point is that the manufacturers who are making said chipsets don't really want to support PS/2 any more. Supporting the ISA bus requires a larger, and more complex chipset. By removing legacy equipment, chipsets become smaller, more reliable, and most important: less expensive.

  156. Re:Will the base install be 600mb like Mandrake? by King+of+the+World · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but you live in a box right?

  157. Re:umm.... by Shanes · · Score: 1

    The only trouble I've had is that the kernel-version 2.4.0-testX contains the string "4.0" which triggers javascripts that look for 4.0 browsers (javascript:navigator.appVersion) to exclude buggy netscape 4.0 browsers. So when I run a 2.4.0-kernel I'm locked out of my bank.

    Not excactly a kernel-bug, though :)

    And as for the kernel itself, I've had no problems.

  158. Redhat 6.9.5 running damn fine by phoebe · · Score: 2

    I've been running what the ftp site says is Redhat 7.0 beta or Redhat 6.9.5 (Pinstripe) and is not too bad. It only runs a 2.2.16-17 kernel but it has USB hacked in and works a treat apart from a Sony memory stick reader which instantly freezes the box. I chose the default install which looks pretty security conscious - inetd is not installed. I've added sshd and wftpd for remote access. Xfree86 versions 4.01 and 3.3.6 are installed (with glx and xvideo on 4). So you can play DVD's on 4 with the XVideo support, but drop down to 3.3.6 to use the more stable Utah-GLX drivers for Quake3. My only nags are superficial - the File manager in X is very basic, I prefer what ships with Corel Linux - which has the ability to user mount samba and nfs shares on login. There's also several very nice OpenGL screen savers included with the many fantastic ordinary X savers already packaged.

  159. Re:What's NOT coming? by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 2

    2.4 is now in "Nothing gets done unless it's written down on the TODO list and even then not if it's not really, really necessary". The latest 2.4s have the dire VM from 2.2 replaced with something better (as opposed to something worse earlier in 2.3/2.4) and are now pretty stable. It's not too far off.

  160. What kind of USB support by reaper20 · · Score: 1

    Anyone know what kind of USB support we can expect? I'm really looking forward to the day RH automagically detects my Handspring Visor USB instead of the current solution .....

    1. Re:What kind of USB support by KidSock · · Score: 1

      That's not going to happen soon. Getting Linux to detect a USB device is one thing but you would need drivers for communicating with it in a meaningfull way. But maybe there are drivers for the Handspring?

      KidSock

  161. **FlameBait** by Steveftoth · · Score: 2

    The reason you've only got one device that's USB CT is that you use linux, join us Windows users and our (flex) awesome USB devices!

    1. Re:**FlameBait** by DavidOgg · · Score: 1

      Tee hee hee, I have this video of Bill Gates demonstrating win98 support for AWESOME USB DEVICES, hee hee hee, The screen went blue...

      --
      Fear the government that fears your guns. Fear the government that fears your computers. Remove them from my email.
  162. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by pivo · · Score: 1

    At least RedHat will install. Several of my Linux-newbie friends have tried to install Debian 'cause they heard it was cool, but gave up because configuration was such a freakin pain.

  163. xinetd by Barbarian · · Score: 2
    I know that xinetd is replacing inetd--it allows better access control.

    What I'd really like to see it come with:

    • iplog 2
    • ipac - ip traffic accounting/monitoring software
    • Dangerous stuff (sendmail) off by default

    --
    1. Re:xinetd by Russ+Steffen · · Score: 1

      Personally, I want to see them use syslog-ng in place of the old syslog, and postfix instead of sendmail (with sendmail being an optional install if you really it.

  164. Re:Installation CDs in boxes. by John_Booty · · Score: 2

    OK, good point. Your previous post made it sound like the big, wasteful, game-like boxes themselves were the source of the security holes. :D

    --

    OtakuBooty.com: Smart, funny, sexy nerds.
  165. libstdc++-v3? by Foresto · · Score: 1

    Will Red Hat 7's distribution of gcc 2.96 be configured to use libstdc++-v3?
    Will libstdc++-v3 will be installed with the gcc RPMs at all?

  166. This just pisses me off... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    My 386 finally finished installing redhat 5.2 last week.

    you open source goons need to quit releasing stuff so early and often.

  167. RedHat back on track by Ur@eus · · Score: 1

    I have used RedHat almost exclusivly since a started out with Linux. Yet the 6.x releases seemed to be very aimed at the server users with other distro's putting more effort into making their distro work nicely out of the box for desktop users. After running the beta and seeing what is to expect in the 7.0 release I think RedHat once agains gives priority to the desktop system. The added applications, GUI lilo, improved USB support, great hardware detection through Kudzu etc. I think RedHat is poised to once again be the undisputed leader also in the Linux desktop segment. Big kudos to RedHat and especially the guys at the RedHat Labs for their great work.

  168. Re:When RedHat Reaches version 100 by pivo · · Score: 1

    What's your problem with RPM?

  169. USB in Linux, yay! by AFCArchvile · · Score: 2

    I hope it is more like USB in Windows 2000, and less like USB in Win98 (Once, just plugging in a USB device would cause win98 to crash. True story.)

    --
    "Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer
  170. RH can't become Microsoft... by PacketMaster · · Score: 1

    ...because they don't have complete closed control over the source. Sure I think they could become a highly customized Linux version. But is that necessarily bad? People who don't want all the specialized RedHat customizations can use Debian, SuSE, Slackware and many more. The key to the Linux world is that no one company can control kernel or most of the supporting applications, which are mostly built on GNU and GPL.

    I welcome a direct competitor to Microsoft on the desktop. I think it would either get Microsoft moving fast on a lot of issues or else replace a buggy OS with a much more stable one.

    --

    Some people take their .sig way too seriously

  171. Re:umm.... by titus-g · · Score: 1
    Thought the same way, but then someone replied to me and mentioned a truncate() bug in one of the 2.4-test kernels, which could trash your files...

    I've been using the devel ones and it's never bitten me yet, but it could have.

    I guess the theory is that the test kernels whilst probably ok, might have problems, and they may be serious enough to completely trash your system, including data.

    If you have a decent backup system going, or don't have anything that you _can't_ lose, then cool.

    If you've spent the last 20 years of your life writing the world's greatest app, then ummm.

    That's the theory anyway, zero problems here also, and I don't lose much sleep when I run it, then again most of my data is duplicated (at a safe distance) anyway...

    --

    ~ppppppppö

  172. You need more than just that! by NoWhere+Man · · Score: 3

    Pretty sure you need more than just support for USB 2 in order for it to work. You also need to have the hardware built into your computer. Pretty sure no motherboard is making mobos with a USB 2 port at the current time.
    Check out USB.org
    Although they do not make a direct statement saying it is different, they have alot of good info about the specs and classification.

    --

    "Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." -Jules de Gautier
  173. Internet - Network Installs by CTalkobt · · Score: 1
    At one time - in the early linux days there were distribs that you could download a small file subset and then do installs over the web after entering the minimal dial-up connectivity etc...

    It might pay for the distrib makers to add this feature back in -- it comes in very handy... doing updates this way is also very very useful.

    Why / Where did that disappear to?

    Granted - I've got ADSL and a CD-Burner but downloading multiple ISO's etc gets time-consuming.

    ( I'm into the I want it now! phase of my life. )

    --
    There's a gorilla from Manilla whose a fella that stinks of vanilla and has salmonella.
  174. Re:USB Backport by Fluffy+the+Cat · · Score: 1

    Well, if'fn you're interested in messing with USB RIGHT NOW, scarf a copy of the 2.2.16 backport patch at SUSE

    Alternatively, get the latest 2.2.18 pre patch from ftp.kernel.org (or your nearest mirror) and enjoy not only USB but also all sorts of previously 2.4 features such as AGP support, DRI with XF86 4 and (finally!) decent NFS. Sure, most of them have been available as separate patches before but it's nice to finally have them in the stable kernel tree.

  175. Exploits definately yes, but... by detach · · Score: 1

    No software is purrrfect. There's bound to be an exploit in ONE small part of RedHat if they do it really well. I've expressed my views on their installation which, by the DEFAULT option, opens the box to exploits. Heck, I'd not comment anymore until I get my hands on 7.0. Hopefully the installation is simple and comprehensive. Anyway, that's where I really appreciate Microsoft's effort in making its Operating Systems -- It's comprehensive to install and use as compared to Linux. (However with a heck lots of bugs I do not wish to mention) A combo of Microsoft + Linux machines at home are the best to work with. (Gee I wish I had a Mac)

  176. Sigh by Cardinal · · Score: 3

    Alright, you've said your peace, and I think you're a fool, so I will now say mine.

    Office Suites: If WordPerfect Office 2000 is better in Windows than in Linux, why use Linux?

    Because there's more to life than shrink-wrapped hundred dollar office suites. AbiWord, Gnumeric, KOffice, are all coming. Additionally, StarOffice is being drastically reworked into something that doesn't suck. :)

    Games: Even QuakeIII get's boring eventually.

    Meet the tip of the iceberg. What, did you expect Linux games to multiply overnight? These things take time. Frankly, I'm surprised Linux gaming has advanced as far as it has. My predictions that I made in 1998 didn't expect games to be commonly available for another year, but I can buy everything listed at lokigames.com at my local big computer store (Fry's)

    2) Linux has no asthetics. Asthetics goes beyond pretty GUIs into the system itself. There is only so much KDE and GNOME do for you. Once you get into the system itself, its ugly. Initscripts are ugly (except in Slackware). Adding hardware is ugly. The config files are ugly. (My thinking is that the whole mess in /etc could be ondensed into a dozen well planned files.)

    Once you get into the system itself, you're doing more than 80% of the Windows userbase will ever do. Let's draw some parallels. If /etc is essentially very similar to the Windows registry and .ini files, how many end users will ever touch their registry, or even realize a file called win.ini exists on their system?

    If you believe /etc can be condensed into a dozen files and retain all their information and ease of access (An all-encompasing GUI is not easier to access than opening a text file.) then you either aren't familiar with the Unix way of thinking, or you aren't interested in retaining the configurability and flexibility that Unix offers. Of course, if Linux is to be this grand desktop OS that people want to be, I fear it may lose that anyway. And that would indeed be nothing less than a tragic loss. (Which is why I don't think Linux in its current state should be a desktop OS. At least, not the way you seem to think a desktop OS works)

    3)

    I'm going to be as brief as possible. First, have you ever even read about how Debian works as opposed to RedHat? There are distros besides RedHat, you know. Second, comparing BeOS to Linux doesn't work. BeOS is the project of a single development group lead by a single program management group. How can you seriously expect Linux to have the same goals? Now, if you want to compare a distro to BeOS, that's fine. Third, personal telnet server? Are you completely disconnected from reality? SSH, my friend. Telnet has no place in the hands of end users that don't know anything about security, nor should they be expected to. Fourth, your suggestion that Linux and Windows should be held to the same standard is a repeat of your faulty reasoning behind comparing it to BeOS. See above.

    4) Linux isn't an OS.

    Interesting, you've been judging and condemning it like one. And throughout this paragraph you expect it to be one. "Consistancy is a good thing for an OS" is irrelevant if Linux isn't an OS. "managerial problems an OS has" is meaningless, since Linux isn't an OS.

    Now, to point out why none of this matters. Linux isn't a product. It's a kernel. Linux distributions are products, and I'm sick of people comparing this mythical thing that is Linux to operating systems. If you want to bitch about RedHat, call it RedHat Linux. Don't give the other distros crap for the product of one company. Further. Don't expect the contents of any distro to be perfect, flowing, and totally consistent until a company shows up that writes every single application in-house. Then, and only then, does it fit into your world of what an OS is. Then, and only then, may you compare it to Windows and BeOS.

  177. Re:ok, so what? by DavidOgg · · Score: 1

    X windows is older than MS windows. Microsoft reinvented.

    I have a 486 VLB motherboard with USB support, it took Microsoft 3 1/2 years to support it. (they were working on it for 3 years). The Linux USB support was in developement FAR less.)

    95b USB support doesnt count. it only works for mice and keyboards, which can be emulated by the BIOS anyway. You cant GET a USB printer to work in "Windows 95 with USB support", they only work in 98.

    So even if Linux takes THREE YEARS to get USB support working for more than just keyboards (which they already have) they are ahead of the game.

    --
    Fear the government that fears your guns. Fear the government that fears your computers. Remove them from my email.
  178. Re:fp by DonkPunch · · Score: 3

    I've been on Slashdot for quite some time now. I've posted, moderated, and meta-moderated more than my share.

    IMHO, moderating down "First Posts" is really a waste of points. It is also not in keeping with the spirit of moderation (concentrate on marking up good posts rather than slamming bad ones).

    The truth is that 99.99% of all FPs are made anonymously. This means they start at 0. The moderation system is designed so that people can bump their thresholds up to 1 and filter out all the FPs and AC goatse.cx links. Now, as a moderator, you should be browsing at -1, so you are exposed to this vileness. At the same time, you should remember that most serious slashdotters aren't seeing it.

    Slapping a -1 on a First Post uses a moderation point that could have been used bumping a worthy AC post up to +1. Then, those of us who usually browse at +1 could see it.

    I've been on Slashdot long enough to expect the "First Post" at 0. I set my threshold accordingly. By moderating the FP down to -1, you don't really spare me anything. At the same time, there's probably a post at 0 somewhere in this thread that is worth my attention. It's a pity I'll never see it.

    CmdrTaco has worked hard designing this system. It really works if we just let it.

    --

    Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.