Jonathan Ervine wrote:
On Saturday 26 January 2008 00:06:02 Billie Walsh wrote:
Jonathan Ervine wrote:
On Friday 25 January 2008 11:58:30 Billie Walsh wrote:
On 01/24/2008 Jonathan Ervine wrote:
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Unlike some people I DO NOT keep every e-mail that comes through every list I'm on. I read and delete. If it's something that I feel is important I will save it to another folder. If it's REALLY important I will print it. "Threading" would do no good because there is nothing to "thread". Nothing in my "Trash" folder is over three days old. It automatically deletes anything over that. If I don't need it in three days I don't need it at all. I also don't read every header line for line. In fact all I see in the header field is Subject, From, Date, To. My preference.
Fair enough - I didn't know (and couldn't have known) how your email client/threading preferences are set up. Likewise you couldn't know mine. Your email appeared in a thread in the list as an immediate reply to a Linux kernel developer. And I really don't want to get into a posting/threading discussion...
Fair enough.
<snip> </snip> OK - back to your original query: Atheros wireless. Repos enabled, add the madwifi.org repo (clicks in boxes). Software installed and hardware detected by YaST?
Perhaps I didn't explain enough. The Madwifi/Atheros drivers seem to work just fine. IMHO, it's the wireless network software [ ie. - Kwifimanager, knetworkmanager, etc. ] that seems to be at fault. Or at least missing some very basic feature. With Kwifi Manager I can see every wireless connection around me, but so far I have been unable to find a "Connect" button. [ Have to fall back on a Windows ap for an example here. ] In XP, on the same setup, I can scan for wireless connections, highlight one and click on "Connect". Under KDE on my home network I can set up the "priority" connection to start on boot, but the settings keep getting "lost" somewhere after a boot or two. I have to go into setup and reconfigure everything again. Once it's configured and connected it works like a dream. If I'm traveling I don't particularly want my home network setting to load on boot. I want to scan for connections, pick out the hotel wifi, click "Connect" and fill in the WEP/password and go. It would be nice if the connection stayed configured until I tell it differently. Does anyone know where the "Connect" button is? Should I do a "bug/feature request" with KDE?
TV cards - well, you said yourself, they're a poor alternative to television, but check with myth-tv for well supported cards prior to buying.
I took a couple hours looking into Myth-TV. I decided it was just plain more trouble than it was worth to get setup. When I can get it to work KDETV seems to work pretty good unless your looking for some very advanced feature. In Yast>TVCard the card is listed and if I mess around with it long enough it will work. BUT, it's easier to just hit the "ON" button on the remote for the TV set. AND, here again, I seem to have to go through the setup every little bit. IMHO, If you want TV buy a television. If you want Linux based video capture buy a Tivo. [ Yes, they are Linux based ] Hard to believe that such a marvelous video capture/playback system can run on Linux but the average distro is such a pain. [ I know, it's all custom hardware and software, but...................] But that's just my own opinion.
As a general question, do Linux users not check whether their prospective purchase works? Video - use the in-kernel drivers. (I'm not talking 3D video by the way)
We have about six different pcmcia wifi cards around here. I did my home work before I did the install. I picked the one that had the supported Atheros chips. I wasn't going to dual boot until I had at least a 50/50 chance of getting it working. Many times it's not about what we would like to buy but what we already have or can afford to buy. Most of my equipment is older, used, stuff. I've had my TV cards since about Win98, first edition. [ I did recently buy a new Hauppage USB HD TV dongle. Got a SUPER deal on it. Have had zero luck with it in Linux so far. ] The wifi cards mostly came from the flea market for pennies on the dollar. Some stuff I buy on closeout if the price is cheap enough. It's not that I'm particularly cheap, just not a lot of disposable income for toys, and I DO like my toys. [ Ham radio and computers are NOT cheap hobbies. *<[:oD ]
<snip> </snip> We do a little light tech support for a local ISP. I swear there are people out there that are just plain to stupid to even own a computer. About 90% are just barely able to turn one on and click the proper icon to start a program.
And these plain stupid people also have problems on Windows. The flip side to this wonderful, pop CD in and install the vendor drivers is all the other crap that they generally bundle with it that then gets installed also. As an example, I've seen a digital camera vendor install their own USB storage driver and some weird and wonderful photo management software. All very well, except when you plug in another USB storage device and it doesn't find the expected USB driver.
Agreed.
Besides which, if a user has made the decision to go to Linux, they're surely at a beyond average user level, and/or have access to knowledge or a friend who can help them with these issues. I'd hate to see a Linux forced on a user through no choice of their own. A system supplied by your employed I view differently, as it's essentially a tool for your job.
If OpenSuSE/Linux is ever going to be "mainstream" there are going to be a LOT of these stupid people around. What happens when one walks into Big Box and picks out a "cheap" laptop/desktop because it's what he can afford. It just so happens it has Linux installed at the factory. It will probably work just fine right out of the box because the manufacturer will have made sure it would. The sales person tells him not to worry, it's just like Windows. It's different, but workable with the little handbook to explain things. Now, he wants to install something different. A new piece of hardware lets say. The fun begins. Pretty soon he is telling everyone he sees what a lousy piece of crap that computer is and how terrible Linux is. Not the kind of advertisement the computer manufacturer wants or Linux needs. With Big Box now starting to sell cheaper Linux computers it could happen REAL soon. They sell a LOT of computers.
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I'm not complaining. Just stating fact.
Fair enough.
Jon
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