I got my start remastering DSL, often winding up with 75 MB or so once I put Firefox, etc. in there. I then switched to Knoppix 3.4, using the 2.4 kernel to support older hardware as mentioned. Here is my Getting Started Guide, also have a technical blog here. There are some screenshots available there. One post that I need to draw your attention to is the one about "testcd" for Knoppix remasters. I did run into problems with some versions of DSL using isolinux, in that they would not boot on many of my older computers, due perhaps to the "testcd" problem. It is extremely important that any knoppix remaster pass that test, or there will be complaints concerning no-booting on boxes that used to run the distro flawlessly in an earlier syslinux version. For that reason, DSL often offers syslinux versions alongside isolinux versions. I don't feel that I have to, since I pass "testcd" 100%, and mine boots on all my older boxes, in addition to the newer P4 ones. One clue that I did take from DSL is to include lots of custom-made applications, found nowhere else. That makes a remaster different, and not just a re-arrangement of stock applications. I do have a bright yellow boot: command line against a black background, making it easy to enter long cheatcodes when trying out a new build. So many knoppix builds have a pale gray boot: command line with black background, very hard to see what you are doing!
Also, see the main screenshots page link in my signature, below.
With more attention drawn to Windows 98 problems, the solution is to run XP, which requires a "new" computer. Who would just buy a copy of XP, and try and place it on the box that came with '98. I have several older computers and laptops that came with 98 when new, and no, I do not run 98 when on the 'net anymore on them. I do run my Rapidweather Remaster of Knoppix Linux (2.4 kernel), see the screenshots below. I find that the newer livecd linux distros with the 2.6 kernel do not run on these older boxes well, if at all. Katonix Linux, for example, will not boot on this very machine, a dual Pentium Pro 200 mmx box, with 256 mb of ram. My remaster does run perfectly, however. So, there is an alternative to just "trading in the old '98 box", or "giving it away". One machine I have is a HP Pavilion 6330, with 128 mb of ram. The remaster runs perfectly in every way. Great for listening to internet radio, using dial-up, believe it or not. (Not much selection, but some does exist.)
Better security is mostly a good thing, especially for an OS as traditionally as insecure as Windows, isn't it?
Windows certainly has been attacked by the virus and worm writers, etc. and is famous for that.
It is not, by itself, in the absence of attacks, insecure, unless you compare it to other available operating systems. Sure it has holes, and probably needs to be completely redesigned to be as secure as other OS's. Microsoft Linux? Have they fixed up Vista so it is really secure, or is it just a matter of time before Vista is attacked with the same success as XP or '98? (They have to release it first.)
Still, no other OS has a real chance unless it's preinstalled on all PC's like Windows is. A parallel that comes to mind is that "all cars run on gasoline". Sure, there are a few others, but do they have a chance? A better one than any OS running up against preinstalled Windows.
Just my thoughts, now. Windows is supposed to be preinstalled on boxes, and if one goes out and buys an installation cd, of windows (XP) then one is looking at a PC that did have windows on it, but now (1)needs a new install, and (2) the restoration cd or original media is lost, or the HD was formatted completely, hence no "restoration partition". No fair taking a new PC or laptop designed for XP, for instance, and trying to install _something else_, (Vista) on it. Vista will be preinstalled, and everyone, (manufacturer's engineers, Microsoft) will see that _everything_ works.
Knoppix, for instance, is supposedly designed to boot up and run on as many PC's as possible, and "autoconfigures" itself to whatever hardware it can. Sure, the sound may only work through the USB headphones, not the speakers, etc. but "X" will come up, which is something rare for an oldie like RHL 6.
I have a Knoppix remaster, see the screenshots, and no, mine cannot do a lot of newer hardware, but _it does_ boot on a bunch of older boxes that had '98 preinstalled. Has no problem with sound, X, etc. on my HP Pavilion 6330, for instance. Pentium II laptops take a few cheatcodes, and no sound on Toshiba, but X does look good at 800x600. So I see where they are coming from. Not suprised at all that Vista would not recognize all the cards, etc. on some boxes that were not designed at the factory for Vista, but XP. I say if the box had XP on it, buy an XP cd. Wanting to install Vista as a test, you get a few cards that are left waiting at the bus stop! Ubuntu and Mandriva? They go way out of their way to support everything, and the size of the distro tells the tale.
I have tried/tested Kanotix and PCLinuxOS, both do multimedia very well. Mostly, I like to listen to internet radio stations on ShoutCast. Now, when it gets right down to productivity, I had to make my own knoppix remaster. I have older equipment, and some newer, so I stuck with the 2.4.26 kernel in knoppix 3.4.
What do I do with it? Maintain web pages, keep up with the news, do a little graphics work with Gimp. For the news, I packed a bunch of RSS feeds in Opera, 13 in all, and just to keep those who use Mozilla Firefox happy, I put some on that toolbar also.
My favorite applications are EmelFM and SciTE, which I put in the remaster, and enjoy using. Here is my (long and detailed) Getting Started Guide, so you can see what I have been up to.
Also have a blog, with some screenshots there. I have lots of applications that I put together: This livecd linux can switch between several built-in mouse cursor themes in seconds, has a dial-up wizard of sorts, can copy itself to any hard drive partition for remastering purposes, and has an automated remastering application that takes a lot of work off whoever is doing that. Leaves just the fun part, adding or removing applications Just asks one question, which hard drive partition is the "master copy" located in. Answer that, and the system does the rest, your iso is ready soon (depending on speed of box) for burning to CD. You'll have your own customized operating system! I have a Wallpaper Control Center that can easily handle the saving of downloaded (from skins.be, of course) wallpapers in the configs.tbz, so they can be restored, and zoomed to fit on the desktop to suit the user. Allows you to handle the downloaded image files immediately, so you get desktop wallpaper right now. Built-in wizards to help you with any problems. Once fixed, you have your wallpaper applied. Lots of other fun features in that application. Many scripts had to be made to go behind the wallpaper interface. Same thing for the mouse cursor theme setup. Nobody else has that, you are stuck with a default cursor, probably too small, and hard to see on laptops. No so with mine. Also have a front end for XMMS, so internet radio connections can be made in seconds. Click on a station (only the best are preconfigured), and the music starts playing right now. The system is protected by a preconfigured Guarddog Firewall, (can be changed) so the user does not have to do anything but surf the web, send and receive E-Mail, and do FTP, with the firewall in place as the system boots. I have the/ramdisk "df" down to 1% on a 256 MB box, as all web apps load their home directory configuration just before they start. Most remove it on the way out, so the/ramdisk use remains low. I sure have tried to put a lot of things in this livecd linux, to give Windows users something they could use as an alternative OS, especially if Windows gets where it won't boot. I can't imagine anybody wanting to do "online banking" with Windows. I have Opera set up to completely delete the entire home directory files when it exits, and I crash-proofed Opera, also. I prefer Opera when I work on web pages, and like for it to stay up and running while I get things done. Here's a sample. Opera and SciTE make it easy to create/maintain pages like that. Wonder how they do that in Windows? At least you have to give us linux folks credit for trying to provide an alternative OS, anyway.
I have based my knoppix remaster on Knoppix 3.4, using the 2.4 kernel, and have excellent results running on older equipment. I did try the "Easter" beta edition of Kanotix, which uses a 2.6 kernel, and it ran very slow on a Pentium 4 HT with a gig-o-ram. Something is wrong there, do not know what. Glad I am sticking with the 2.4 kernel. Typical equipment I use is 200 MMX with 256, AMD K6-2 400 mhz with 128, Pentium II with 512 cache. Also will run very well on the Pentium 4 HT, but that is no suprise.
Maybe it was always here. No beginning, no end. Lots of changes, however. Good grief! My "To confirm you're not a script, please type the word in this image" word is "geology".
The Walmart near me has gone from having one boxed HP in a corner shelf (with no one there that knows anything about it) to having a fair selection of laptop computers (in bulletproof see-through displays). Undoubtedly all Windows preinstalls, no way they would have anything with Linux preinstalled in a retail outlet here.
As far as the DIY counter goes, I would guess that they would station geeks there to do it for you, similar to what CompUSA does. Probably need a nice sign behind the counter to give the walk-in customer some idea of what to ask for. Sounds to me like each customer, if they buy, would take at least 30 minutes to process, and then the machine could be picked up "the next day" at a certain time. Might have a back room with less-presentable geeks, but with talents, putting the boxes together, and getting them working.
Really does not sound anything like what Walmart does best, that is, put the stuff out there, and let the customer self-checkout, and exit the store, no sales clerks needed. Just stockers. And of course, lots of anti-shoplifting staff stationed in the ceiling.
The other idea would be to handle this like the satellite storefronts at the front of the building, like the Banks, Baby Photographers, Pharmacists, etc. that work more like mall stores, rather than like the main Walmart store area. So, they just put the "computer store" under the same roof, but it really is not "walmart" any more than the Bank or Eye Doctor there is.
Walmart would still offer boxed desktops and laptops in traditional walmart shelf areas, in the Electronics area. Sure, the "computer store" would do linux installs, but with the Windows OEM setup, those would not be any cheaper. Microsoft does discourage that, or so I hear. Since Vista is many months away, XP is what everyone will want/get, and dual booting an option, maybe.
With a livecd linux, they would get "dual booting" instantly, and a super-secure linux system at that.
So Dvorak missed a point or two. Having a new UI for Office is not (in itself) a reason for another sign MS is dead in the water. I agree that re-training would only involve those who were trained on the earlier version, not on new trainees.
It's important to throw all the "eight signs" out on the table, because of the hit the stock (MS) has taken this week with the new spending directions "mostly designed to head off the likes of Google" as WSJ puts it (May 3, 2006, Marketplace, B1 column 1. WSJ goes on to say, Shares have been stagnant for 3 1/2 years, and the shareholders thought that bringing out Vista and a new Office would reward them for their patience.
So, there are "shareholders", and they expect a return.
Office runs on Windows, not linux, so the underlying problem of Windows being insecure when on the Internet is behind it all. Solving those security problems may be what is delaying Vista, not just designing some more eye-candy.
Will the shareholders start to move away from Microsoft? Good thing that the problems are being discussed openly here, for Microsoft needs to get something to market, and have a product to sell. Not just promises.
Lets see... The bill does, however, include a provision to authorize the FCC to outlaw digital receivers that record broadcasts. "Digital Receiver Recorders". That could fit a VCR, some of it, if just the clock, is "Digital". Then, in combo with the TV, is a "Receiver Recorder". So, I guess that would mean that Soap Operas cannot be time-shifted to a time when the lady of the house is home from work, and can relax and view "Days of Our Lives", broadcast earlier in the day, and recorded. Not so, you say? "Soap Operas" first came on the Radio, not TV. The device in question in the "Bill" is a Digital Radio Receiver with recording capabilities? They need to be really specific here, and give model numbers, etc. so we know just what is going to be illegal. Here we have another law that would be hard to catch people breaking. (Wait while I do some figuring...) (350 million people times...Uh... This is going to be hard... divided by two equals 125 million soap opera fans...) Sounds to me like this bill will get laughed off the Senate floor, while more important legislation, such as "Plan X for Gasoline Prices" gets front row center in the Congress.
The graphics card is powered via the slot on the motherboard. I have had burn-outs of the motherboard power connector(s) due to too many cards. Takes hours to fix, one solution I have in place is dual power supplies, takes the load off the motherboard power connectors. Extra hard drives, cdrom drive can be powered by the extra power supply. I just turn on the main power supply first, then the second one, which is fixed with it's own toggle switch and power-on light. That way, the bios knows what to do. Next mod is a big externally powered fan, aimed at the memory bank, keeps it cooler. Comes on with the power strip(s), of which I use two, Monitor on one, PC on another. I hesitate to use a big graphics card for fear that the power draw would do this setup in. Using a 32 MB card now, the monitor, a Gateway 2000 EV900 wouldn't look any better with a 64 or 128 MB card, or so I am telling myself.
I get my shoes wet anyway. My car leaks when it rains. Would ride my bike, but there is no decent shoulder on the road there, and so it's dangerous. Parallel bike paths are almost non-existant here, would be a good idea who's time has come considering the high cost of gasoline and other maintenance/required costs of a vehicle.
I note this part from the link on Von Braun: After the Apollo space program, von Braun felt that his vision for future spaceflight was different than NASAs, and he retired in June 1972.
I like going to Walmart, mainly the grocery store. They got the best groceries around. I started working at age 11 in a grocery store, so I know what I'm talking about. That was a long time ago. Walmart has good prices too, fair and as low as can be expected. I like the self-checkout setup. Once you get the hang of it, you can pay for your stuff and get going. Almost the next day after Katrina, Walmart was open for business, with dedicated, hard-working people. A lot of homes were without power, mine was, trees fell on the power lines. Cooking done outside over an open fire. Able to get some stuff from Walmart to help with that.
One thing for sure, here's a comparison between Microsoft and Walmart:
Walmart always has something you need. They sell it, you buy it. Microsoft may or may not have Vista ready to sell. Too bad they don't. Here's what Bloomberg.com reports today:
The stock tumbled 11 percent, erasing $31.6 billion in market value. At least five analysts, including Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker, cut their ratings after the forecast, issued yesterday with the Redmond, Washington-based company's third-quarter earnings.
Walmart, on the other hand, has lots of everything to sell. If you don't find anything you need on one aisle, there are plenty more. Let's see now, I want some new shoes... some socks... go see if they have any more of those cheap chinese cdrom drives... a nice pumpkin pie...
Just run a knoppix livecd linux. I run mine on an XP box all the time, and can enter the XP filesystem. Probably not with Vista, but I would like to give it a try. Check my knoppix remaster's screenshots, below:
A desktop, you say? Take a look at some of my screenshots, in the signature below: This linux does not need to be installed! Runs from the cd, and mine boots up about as fast as XP, even on this dual-200 MMX box! I use it every day, and my favorite feature is using Opera 8.54 with 12 built-in RSS news feeds, that load up with stories in seconds, nearly 200 of them, ready to review. New stories arrive often, with that many feeds active. The Getting Started Guide is here. The blog is here. Enjoy!
Have to have a web browser in an OS today. Should MS just include Firefox and drop IE? Didn't Bill Gates say IE is "part of" Windows, and it cannot be "removed".
No work on IE, then no money spent on coding, no loss.
Windows may not survive as it is today without something like IE.
Microsoft is stuck with having to provide a web browser, be it IE in it's present form, or something else. Can't really be Firefox, it is not "part of the OS" as Bill Gates puts it. Tough to call, since hackers are out to get IE, and Windows also. I do notice that a lot of XP users just run AOL, however, and let it go at that. AOL for broadband keeps them entertained and emailed so nothing else is needed.
That might explain why some of the problems my users have had with XP did not exactly match the documentation Microsoft provided about the patch.
The lockups were big-time, and the screen was smeared in some areas. They did report that Powerpoint was being used. Then I was called to witness a locked-up screen as AOL was being used.
To determine if the hardware was going bad, I rebooted using my livecd linux, a knoppix 3.4 remaster, known to work perfectly on the Dell P4 HT before.
Everything looked good, no problems.
I booted XP up the next day, and stayed away from Powerpoint, as I don't use it, and strangely, XP seemed fine.
Do have a HP 750 PCS printer, however, to I did meet the criteria for having a "HP Printer" in the Microsoft report.
Didn't turn it on, but the drivers are there. Don't know if the specific HP driver they were talking about (MS) was present on the box.
I suppose the reworked patch will be applied by the update system, I'll take another look at the machine on XP soon.
if a copy of my desktop was captured and sent to my boss at a random interval I would not be making this post.
You must be using Windows, with no virtual desktops! I have 4 in IceWM in my knoppix remaster, so if you were using that, you could somehow get the "spy software" to focus on a desktop where you are doing some work, while you actually use another desktop to do something more interesting. This sounds like a case where lots of software is made for Windows, "boss spyware", and none for linux! Good thing. Could also be the real reason bosses like Windows. Can't have the employees using Linux, where they could actually modify the applications, etc. to their needs. I think it's worse than that. Do you suppose bosses see "computers" as a "necessary evil" in the workplace? Undoubtedly then, they would not want "Linux" to be used at all, gives all the control over to the employees.
That's an interesting review. Those of us who do not have access to Vista, or for that matter, a machine with a 64-bit processor appreciate the list of items, especially the part where Vista is slower. There was a time when they got $2400 for a 486, and it ran Windows 3.1, fairly fast on 8 MB of RAM. I run my Knoppix remaster on the same machine as XP, and find they both run about the same, speed-wise. Perhaps Knoppix is faster, I suppose, and it certainly is not slower than XP by any means. So, I am wondering about Vista, and why it would be so slow. Thanks for the look inside your Vista experiences, makes me wonder if MS is going to get this product out soon enough for everyone. You know they cannot have Vista running so slowly, people with Dial Up, and cheap 128 MB XP boxes complain about that now, and surely don't want a slow box when they do decide to buy a new one. The rating stickers that Vista boxes will carry should prevent manufacturers putting together "cheap 128 MB XP" boxes and selling them "down to a price", to get grandmothers on fixed incomes to put them on lay-a-way at Walmart. I hear that 512 MB of RAM is needed for Vista, I run XP now with a gig-o-ram. Linux likes that too.
What a wonderful opportunity to be in an area where lots of Microsoft employees are posting their thoughts...
Now, about those patches last Tuesday. My Daughter is reporting that Powerpoint on her Windows XP machine locked up, and the next day, AOL locked up also. I went to take a look when AOL locked up, and the display in some areas was full of what I can only describe as "vertical smears", lines, where the images were no longer viewable. The Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse were locked up, and we had no choice but to "turn the computer off" and start over.
Today, I booted up the box, a P-4 HT with a gig-o-ram, and as long as I did "computer maintenance", i.e. ran Norton SystemWorks, (everything there, took a couple of hours), did "defrag" and Windows update, Spybot Search and Destroy, everything was fine. I was using my "user account" and did not boot up Powerpoint or AOL. (Didn't want to push things)
When no one was looking, I did (don't tell anyone) boot up Opera, and discovered that I needed to update to Version 8.54, which I did, and then looked at a couple of web pages... Just trying to get some use out of XP today, rather than dedicate the entire session to "maintenance".
I did Norton SystemWorks "LiveUpdate" three times, and twice I got some updates, the third time it was OK.
I do have a HP printer, and read that the patches could affect machines with HP printers, etc. I didn't turn it on.
Did look at the Microsoft "edit the registry" site, on how to "do it yourself" Chickened out on that.
Now, if I go out and buy a new computer, hook it up to broadband, won't it just update all the patches once again, and possibly have the same problems?
Some discussion around here about "nope, different chipsets" Maybe the patches only foul up on some boxes, not all.
Now I am waiting for the next "Patch Tuesday", hoping to get some new automatic updates, which I have told Windows XP to do at 9:00PM every Tuesday, and then all will be well again.
Additional thoughts around here are that tech-support people must be busy with PowerPoint customers, and retail stores are selling new computers to replace those that "lock up". Seems like I have heard that one before somewhere...
There is an alternative to installing linux, use a livecd linux.
That way, nothing is installed, and the user can see if linux will meet their needs for web surfing, e-mail, photo editing, music. I did a demo for a Windows XP user a short while ago, and got a good laugh when the fonts on the web pages looked much better using Opera in my livecd linux than when using Opera in XP. Same hardware, monitor, just a different OS. Almost impossible to do a demo for someone with a full install, taking a while, requiring a partition, dual booting, etc. With a livecd linux, you are up and running in a few minutes. When mine boots up, I don't have it ask the user any questions, it just goes to the desktop, and it's ready to go. Microsoft makes sure it's OS works on the boxes that it is placed on. With a Knoppix remaster such as mine, or Kanotix, there is a certain luck factor that the all the hardware will work reasonably well. Kanotix is a good one to demo, as it runs well on newer boxes. Mine will do well on those, and older hardware also, as I am still using a 2.4 kernel. I run it all the time on Windows 98 boxes, 128 MB ram, and find that it makes a good replacement OS. It can be copied to the hard drive and run from that, if the drive has some room, and is fairly fast. That makes it a little more responsive than if it's run from the CDROM drive. With Microsoft giving up on updates, support for 98 soon, this makes a good, inexpensive way to get more use out of older hardware. Very secure, that's the main selling point.
The Flock web browser has a setup where you can share bookmarks. I don't use that feature, but I do use Flock, it is based on Firefox. I have it in my livecd linux, see signature, below for screenshots of Flock in action.
Slashdot Mirror
I got my start remastering DSL, often winding up with 75 MB or so once I put Firefox, etc. in there.
I then switched to Knoppix 3.4, using the 2.4 kernel to support older hardware as mentioned.
Here is my Getting Started Guide, also have a technical blog here.
There are some screenshots available there.
One post that I need to draw your attention to is the one about "testcd" for Knoppix remasters. I did run into problems with some versions of DSL using isolinux, in that they would not boot on many of my older computers, due perhaps to the "testcd" problem. It is extremely important that any knoppix remaster pass that test, or there will be complaints concerning no-booting on boxes that used to run the distro flawlessly in an earlier syslinux version.
For that reason, DSL often offers syslinux versions alongside isolinux versions.
I don't feel that I have to, since I pass "testcd" 100%, and mine boots on all my older boxes, in addition to the newer P4 ones.
One clue that I did take from DSL is to include lots of custom-made applications, found nowhere else. That makes a remaster different, and not just a re-arrangement of stock applications.
I do have a bright yellow boot: command line against a black background, making it easy to enter long cheatcodes when trying out a new build. So many knoppix builds have a pale gray boot: command line with black background, very hard to see what you are doing!
Also, see the main screenshots page link in my signature, below.
With more attention drawn to Windows 98 problems, the solution is to run XP, which requires a "new" computer. Who would just buy a copy of XP, and try and place it on the box that came with '98.
I have several older computers and laptops that came with 98 when new, and no, I do not run 98 when on the 'net anymore on them. I do run my Rapidweather Remaster of Knoppix Linux (2.4 kernel), see the screenshots below. I find that the newer livecd linux distros with the 2.6 kernel do not run on these older boxes well, if at all.
Katonix Linux, for example, will not boot on this very machine, a dual Pentium Pro 200 mmx box, with 256 mb of ram. My remaster does run perfectly, however.
So, there is an alternative to just "trading in the old '98 box", or "giving it away". One machine I have is a HP Pavilion 6330, with 128 mb of ram. The remaster runs perfectly in every way. Great for listening to internet radio, using dial-up, believe it or not. (Not much selection, but some does exist.)
Better security is mostly a good thing, especially for an OS as traditionally as insecure as Windows, isn't it?
Windows certainly has been attacked by the virus and worm writers, etc. and is famous for that.
It is not, by itself, in the absence of attacks, insecure, unless you compare it to other available operating systems. Sure it has holes, and probably needs to be completely redesigned to be as secure as other OS's. Microsoft Linux?
Have they fixed up Vista so it is really secure, or is it just a matter of time before Vista is attacked with the same success as XP or '98?
(They have to release it first.)
Still, no other OS has a real chance unless it's preinstalled on all PC's like Windows is. A parallel that comes to mind is that "all cars run on gasoline". Sure, there are a few others, but do they have a chance? A better one than any OS running up against preinstalled Windows.
Just my thoughts...
Just my thoughts, now.
Windows is supposed to be preinstalled on boxes, and if one goes out and buys an installation cd, of windows (XP) then one is looking at a PC that did have windows on it, but now (1)needs a new install, and (2) the restoration cd or original media is lost, or the HD was formatted completely, hence no "restoration partition".
No fair taking a new PC or laptop designed for XP, for instance, and trying to install _something else_, (Vista) on it.
Vista will be preinstalled, and everyone, (manufacturer's engineers, Microsoft) will see that _everything_ works.
Knoppix, for instance, is supposedly designed to boot up and run on as many PC's as possible, and "autoconfigures" itself to whatever hardware it can. Sure, the sound may only work through the USB headphones, not the speakers, etc. but "X" will come up, which is something rare for an oldie like RHL 6.
I have a Knoppix remaster, see the screenshots, and no, mine cannot do a lot of newer hardware, but _it does_ boot on a bunch of older boxes that had '98 preinstalled. Has no problem with sound, X, etc. on my HP Pavilion 6330, for instance.
Pentium II laptops take a few cheatcodes, and no sound on Toshiba, but X does look good at 800x600.
So I see where they are coming from. Not suprised at all that Vista would not recognize all the cards, etc. on some boxes that were not designed at the factory for Vista, but XP.
I say if the box had XP on it, buy an XP cd. Wanting to install Vista as a test, you get a few cards that are left waiting at the bus stop!
Ubuntu and Mandriva? They go way out of their way to support everything, and the size of the distro tells the tale.
Live CD linux is the way to go...
/ramdisk "df" down to 1% on a 256 MB box, as all web apps load their home directory configuration just before they start. Most remove it on the way out, so the /ramdisk use remains low.
I have tried/tested Kanotix and PCLinuxOS, both do multimedia very well. Mostly, I like to listen to internet radio stations on ShoutCast.
Now, when it gets right down to productivity, I had to make my own knoppix remaster. I have older equipment, and some newer, so I stuck with the 2.4.26 kernel in knoppix 3.4.
What do I do with it? Maintain web pages, keep up with the news, do a little graphics work with Gimp. For the news, I packed a bunch of RSS feeds in Opera, 13 in all, and just to keep those who use Mozilla Firefox happy, I put some on that toolbar also.
My favorite applications are EmelFM and SciTE, which I put in the remaster, and enjoy using.
Here is my (long and detailed) Getting Started Guide, so you can see what I have been up to.
Also have a blog, with some screenshots there. I have lots of applications that I put together:
This livecd linux can switch between several built-in mouse cursor themes in seconds, has a dial-up wizard of sorts, can copy itself to any hard drive partition for remastering purposes, and has an automated remastering application that takes a lot of work off whoever is doing that. Leaves just the fun part, adding or removing applications
Just asks one question, which hard drive partition is the "master copy" located in. Answer that, and the system does the rest, your iso is ready soon (depending on speed of box) for burning to CD. You'll have your own customized operating system!
I have a Wallpaper Control Center that can easily handle the saving of downloaded (from skins.be, of course) wallpapers in the configs.tbz, so they can be restored, and zoomed to fit on the desktop to suit the user. Allows you to handle the downloaded image files immediately, so you get desktop wallpaper right now. Built-in wizards to help you with any problems. Once fixed, you have your wallpaper applied.
Lots of other fun features in that application. Many scripts had to be made to go behind the wallpaper interface. Same thing for the mouse cursor theme setup. Nobody else has that, you are stuck with a default cursor, probably too small, and hard to see on laptops. No so with mine.
Also have a front end for XMMS, so internet radio connections can be made in seconds. Click on a station (only the best are preconfigured), and the music starts playing right now.
The system is protected by a preconfigured Guarddog Firewall, (can be changed) so the user does not have to do anything but surf the web, send and receive E-Mail, and do FTP, with the firewall in place as the system boots.
I have the
I sure have tried to put a lot of things in this livecd linux, to give Windows users something they could use as an alternative OS, especially if Windows gets where it won't boot.
I can't imagine anybody wanting to do "online banking" with Windows. I have Opera set up to completely delete the entire home directory files when it exits, and I crash-proofed Opera, also. I prefer Opera when I work on web pages, and like for it to stay up and running while I get things done. Here's a sample. Opera and SciTE make it easy to create/maintain pages like that. Wonder how they do that in Windows?
At least you have to give us linux folks credit for trying to provide an alternative OS, anyway.
I did try the "Easter" beta edition of Kanotix, which uses a 2.6 kernel, and it ran very slow on a Pentium 4 HT with a gig-o-ram. Something is wrong there, do not know what.
Glad I am sticking with the 2.4 kernel.
Typical equipment I use is 200 MMX with 256, AMD K6-2 400 mhz with 128, Pentium II with 512 cache. Also will run very well on the Pentium 4 HT, but that is no suprise.
Maybe it was always here. No beginning, no end. Lots of changes, however.
Good grief! My "To confirm you're not a script, please type the word in this image" word is "geology".
The Walmart near me has gone from having one boxed HP in a corner shelf (with no one there that knows anything about it) to having a fair selection of laptop computers (in bulletproof see-through displays). Undoubtedly all Windows preinstalls, no way they would have anything with Linux preinstalled in a retail outlet here.
As far as the DIY counter goes, I would guess that they would station geeks there to do it for you, similar to what CompUSA does. Probably need a nice sign behind the counter to give the walk-in customer some idea of what to ask for. Sounds to me like each customer, if they buy, would take at least 30 minutes to process, and then the machine could be picked up "the next day" at a certain time. Might have a back room with less-presentable geeks, but with talents, putting the boxes together, and getting them working.
Really does not sound anything like what Walmart does best, that is, put the stuff out there, and let the customer self-checkout, and exit the store, no sales clerks needed. Just stockers. And of course, lots of anti-shoplifting staff stationed in the ceiling.
The other idea would be to handle this like the satellite storefronts at the front of the building, like the Banks, Baby Photographers, Pharmacists, etc. that work more like mall stores, rather than like the main Walmart store area. So, they just put the "computer store" under the same roof, but it really is not "walmart" any more than the Bank or Eye Doctor there is.
Walmart would still offer boxed desktops and laptops in traditional walmart shelf areas, in the Electronics area.
Sure, the "computer store" would do linux installs, but with the Windows OEM setup, those would not be any cheaper.
Microsoft does discourage that, or so I hear. Since Vista is many months away, XP is what everyone will want/get, and dual booting an option, maybe.
With a livecd linux, they would get "dual booting" instantly, and a super-secure linux system at that.
So Dvorak missed a point or two.
Having a new UI for Office is not (in itself) a reason for another sign MS is dead in the water. I agree that re-training would only involve those who were trained on the earlier version, not on new trainees.
It's important to throw all the "eight signs" out on the table, because of the hit the stock (MS) has taken this week with the new spending directions "mostly designed to head off the likes of Google" as WSJ puts it (May 3, 2006, Marketplace, B1 column 1.
WSJ goes on to say,
Shares have been stagnant for 3 1/2 years, and the shareholders thought that bringing out Vista and a new Office would reward them for their patience.
So, there are "shareholders", and they expect a return.
Office runs on Windows, not linux, so the underlying problem of Windows being insecure when on the Internet is behind it all. Solving those security problems may be what is delaying Vista, not just designing some more eye-candy.
Will the shareholders start to move away from Microsoft?
Good thing that the problems are being discussed openly here, for Microsoft needs to get something to market, and have a product to sell. Not just promises.
Lets see...
The bill does, however, include a provision to authorize the FCC to outlaw digital receivers that record broadcasts.
"Digital Receiver Recorders". That could fit a VCR, some of it, if just the clock, is "Digital". Then, in combo with the TV, is a "Receiver Recorder".
So, I guess that would mean that Soap Operas cannot be time-shifted to a time when the lady of the house is home from work, and can relax and view "Days of Our Lives", broadcast earlier in the day, and recorded.
Not so, you say? "Soap Operas" first came on the Radio, not TV. The device in question in the "Bill" is a Digital Radio Receiver with recording capabilities? They need to be really specific here, and give model numbers, etc. so we know just what is going to be illegal.
Here we have another law that would be hard to catch people breaking. (Wait while I do some figuring...) (350 million people times...Uh... This is going to be hard... divided by two equals 125 million soap opera fans...)
Sounds to me like this bill will get laughed off the Senate floor, while more important legislation, such as "Plan X for Gasoline Prices" gets front row center in the Congress.
The graphics card is powered via the slot on the motherboard.
I have had burn-outs of the motherboard power connector(s) due to too many cards. Takes hours to fix, one solution I have in place is dual power supplies, takes the load off the motherboard power connectors. Extra hard drives, cdrom drive can be powered by the extra power supply. I just turn on the main power supply first, then the second one, which is fixed with it's own toggle switch and power-on light. That way, the bios knows what to do. Next mod is a big externally powered fan, aimed at the memory bank, keeps it cooler. Comes on with the power strip(s), of which I use two, Monitor on one, PC on another.
I hesitate to use a big graphics card for fear that the power draw would do this setup in. Using a 32 MB card now, the monitor, a Gateway 2000 EV900 wouldn't look any better with a 64 or 128 MB card, or so I am telling myself.
I get my shoes wet anyway. My car leaks when it rains. Would ride my bike, but there is no decent shoulder on the road there, and so it's dangerous. Parallel bike paths are almost non-existant here, would be a good idea who's time has come considering the high cost of gasoline and other maintenance/required costs of a vehicle.
Hmmm...
Where is Werhner Von Braun when you need him?
I note this part from the link on Von Braun:
After the Apollo space program, von Braun felt that his vision for future spaceflight was different than NASAs, and he retired in June 1972.
I like going to Walmart, mainly the grocery store. They got the best groceries around. I started working at age 11 in a grocery store, so I know what I'm talking about. That was a long time ago.
Walmart has good prices too, fair and as low as can be expected.
I like the self-checkout setup. Once you get the hang of it, you can pay for your stuff and get going.
Almost the next day after Katrina, Walmart was open for business, with dedicated, hard-working people. A lot of homes were without power, mine was, trees fell on the power lines.
Cooking done outside over an open fire. Able to get some stuff from Walmart to help with that.
One thing for sure, here's a comparison between Microsoft and Walmart:
Walmart always has something you need. They sell it, you buy it.
Microsoft may or may not have Vista ready to sell. Too bad they don't.
Here's what Bloomberg.com reports today:
The stock tumbled 11 percent, erasing $31.6 billion in market value. At least five analysts, including Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker, cut their ratings after the forecast, issued yesterday with the Redmond, Washington-based company's third-quarter earnings.
Walmart, on the other hand, has lots of everything to sell. If you don't find anything you need on one aisle, there are plenty more.
Let's see now, I want some new shoes... some socks... go see if they have any more of those cheap chinese cdrom drives... a nice pumpkin pie...
Just run a knoppix livecd linux.
I run mine on an XP box all the time, and can enter the XP filesystem. Probably not with Vista, but I would like to give it a try.
Check my knoppix remaster's screenshots, below:
A desktop, you say?
Take a look at some of my screenshots, in the signature below:
This linux does not need to be installed!
Runs from the cd, and mine boots up about as fast as XP, even on this dual-200 MMX box!
I use it every day, and my favorite feature is using Opera 8.54 with 12 built-in RSS news feeds, that load up with stories in seconds, nearly 200 of them, ready to review. New stories arrive often, with that many feeds active.
The Getting Started Guide is here. The blog is here.
Enjoy!
Have to have a web browser in an OS today.
Should MS just include Firefox and drop IE? Didn't Bill Gates say IE is "part of" Windows, and it cannot be "removed".
No work on IE, then no money spent on coding, no loss.
Windows may not survive as it is today without something like IE.
Microsoft is stuck with having to provide a web browser, be it IE in it's present form, or something else.
Can't really be Firefox, it is not "part of the OS" as Bill Gates puts it.
Tough to call, since hackers are out to get IE, and Windows also.
I do notice that a lot of XP users just run AOL, however, and let it go at that. AOL for broadband keeps them entertained and emailed so nothing else is needed.
That might explain why some of the problems my users have had with XP did not exactly match the documentation Microsoft provided about the patch. The lockups were big-time, and the screen was smeared in some areas. They did report that Powerpoint was being used. Then I was called to witness a locked-up screen as AOL was being used. To determine if the hardware was going bad, I rebooted using my livecd linux, a knoppix 3.4 remaster, known to work perfectly on the Dell P4 HT before. Everything looked good, no problems. I booted XP up the next day, and stayed away from Powerpoint, as I don't use it, and strangely, XP seemed fine. Do have a HP 750 PCS printer, however, to I did meet the criteria for having a "HP Printer" in the Microsoft report. Didn't turn it on, but the drivers are there. Don't know if the specific HP driver they were talking about (MS) was present on the box. I suppose the reworked patch will be applied by the update system, I'll take another look at the machine on XP soon.
Could someone direct me to the Short Circuit thread here?
Stephanie!
Also need a link to the Robot Johnny Five thread also.
You must be using Windows, with no virtual desktops!
I have 4 in IceWM in my knoppix remaster, so if you were using that, you could somehow get the "spy software" to focus on a desktop where you are doing some work, while you actually use another desktop to do something more interesting.
This sounds like a case where lots of software is made for Windows, "boss spyware", and none for linux! Good thing.
Could also be the real reason bosses like Windows.
Can't have the employees using Linux, where they could actually modify the applications, etc. to their needs.
I think it's worse than that.
Do you suppose bosses see "computers" as a "necessary evil" in the workplace? Undoubtedly then, they would not want "Linux" to be used at all, gives all the control over to the employees.
That's an interesting review.
Those of us who do not have access to Vista, or for that matter, a machine with a 64-bit processor appreciate the list of items, especially the part where Vista is slower.
There was a time when they got $2400 for a 486, and it ran Windows 3.1, fairly fast on 8 MB of RAM.
I run my Knoppix remaster on the same machine as XP, and find they both run about the same, speed-wise. Perhaps Knoppix is faster, I suppose, and it certainly is not slower than XP by any means.
So, I am wondering about Vista, and why it would be so slow.
Thanks for the look inside your Vista experiences, makes me wonder if MS is going to get this product out soon enough for everyone.
You know they cannot have Vista running so slowly, people with Dial Up, and cheap 128 MB XP boxes complain about that now, and surely don't want a slow box when they do decide to buy a new one.
The rating stickers that Vista boxes will carry should prevent manufacturers putting together "cheap 128 MB XP" boxes and selling them "down to a price", to get grandmothers on fixed incomes to put them on lay-a-way at Walmart.
I hear that 512 MB of RAM is needed for Vista, I run XP now with a gig-o-ram.
Linux likes that too.
What a wonderful opportunity to be in an area where lots of Microsoft employees are posting their thoughts...
Now, about those patches last Tuesday. My Daughter is reporting that Powerpoint on her Windows XP machine locked up, and the next day, AOL locked up also. I went to take a look when AOL locked up, and the display in some areas was full of what I can only describe as "vertical smears", lines, where the images were no longer viewable.
The Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse were locked up, and we had no choice but to "turn the computer off" and start over.
Today, I booted up the box, a P-4 HT with a gig-o-ram, and as long as I did "computer maintenance", i.e. ran Norton SystemWorks, (everything there, took a couple of hours), did "defrag" and Windows update, Spybot Search and Destroy, everything was fine.
I was using my "user account" and did not boot up Powerpoint or AOL. (Didn't want to push things)
When no one was looking, I did (don't tell anyone) boot up Opera, and discovered that I needed to update to Version 8.54, which I did, and then looked at a couple of web pages... Just trying to get some use out of XP today, rather than dedicate the entire session to "maintenance".
I did Norton SystemWorks "LiveUpdate" three times, and twice I got some updates, the third time it was OK.
I do have a HP printer, and read that the patches could affect machines with HP printers, etc. I didn't turn it on.
Did look at the Microsoft "edit the registry" site, on how to "do it yourself" Chickened out on that.
Now, if I go out and buy a new computer, hook it up to broadband, won't it just update all the patches once again, and possibly have the same problems?
Some discussion around here about "nope, different chipsets" Maybe the patches only foul up on some boxes, not all.
Now I am waiting for the next "Patch Tuesday", hoping to get some new automatic updates, which I have told Windows XP to do at 9:00PM every Tuesday, and then all will be well again.
Additional thoughts around here are that tech-support people must be busy with PowerPoint customers, and retail stores are selling new computers to replace those that "lock up". Seems like I have heard that one before somewhere...
USAToday.com had a feature on this treat yesterday on their front page, complete with a picture of one.
I didn't click on it, rather have jellybeans.
That way, nothing is installed, and the user can see if linux will meet their needs for web surfing, e-mail, photo editing, music.
I did a demo for a Windows XP user a short while ago, and got a good laugh when the fonts on the web pages looked much better using Opera in my livecd linux than when using Opera in XP.
Same hardware, monitor, just a different OS.
Almost impossible to do a demo for someone with a full install, taking a while, requiring a partition, dual booting, etc.
With a livecd linux, you are up and running in a few minutes. When mine boots up, I don't have it ask the user any questions, it just goes to the desktop, and it's ready to go.
Microsoft makes sure it's OS works on the boxes that it is placed on.
With a Knoppix remaster such as mine, or Kanotix, there is a certain luck factor that the all the hardware will work reasonably well. Kanotix is a good one to demo, as it runs well on newer boxes. Mine will do well on those, and older hardware also, as I am still using a 2.4 kernel.
I run it all the time on Windows 98 boxes, 128 MB ram, and find that it makes a good replacement OS. It can be copied to the hard drive and run from that, if the drive has some room, and is fairly fast. That makes it a little more responsive than if it's run from the CDROM drive.
With Microsoft giving up on updates, support for 98 soon, this makes a good, inexpensive way to get more use out of older hardware. Very secure, that's the main selling point.
The Flock web browser has a setup where you can share bookmarks. I don't use that feature, but I do use Flock, it is based on Firefox. I have it in my livecd linux, see signature, below for screenshots of Flock in action.