Re: SEUL: Is it too soon for me to comment?

[Paul Anderson <paul@geeky1.ebtech.net>]

On Mon, 5 Jan 1998, William T Wilson wrote:

>
> 1) We need more end-user applications.  This is the biggest stumbling
> block if you ask me.  Right now, there's Netscape, a couple of Java apps,
> Applixware, Quake, and Mathematica.  Most of the 'traditional' scientific
> apps that Unix users run don't exist, most of the 'traditional'
> productivity/management apps that Windows users run don't exist either.
> 
What about LyX?  Wordperfect?  Hasn't CorelDRAW been ported, too?  xcalc,
xload, date.....  Lynx?  Arena?(Blech) xtrek? Quake?  DOOM?

> 2) We need better fault tolerance.  Installations in particular.  Red Hat
> is as guilty here as anybody if not more.
>
Not any more, they're improving.  Ibid.
 
> There will be users who will just turn off the computer.
> They can't hose their data in the process.
> 
Same prob with Win95, it's called "disk caching".  I trust you remember
what it is...  Speeds things up more than you might realize.

> and the JDK can't be distributed because of licensing.
>
Maybe RedHat missed something, 'cause they've been distributing the JDK
with their distrib since 4.2.

> 
> 4) We need better dial-up networking.  If Linux wants to have any chance
> in the home market, or even in most of the business market, there has to
> be a click-and-play dial-up networking. 
>
It depends on whether the ISP supports PAP or not.
If they do, just do as such:
Creat /root/chat, with
"" ATZ OK ATDT8888888 CONNECT
(Replacing 8888888 with your ISPs number)
Then have an /etc/ppp/options like thus:
/dev/cua1
defaultroute
connect "chat -f /root/chat"
lock
115200
+ua /etc/ppp/pap-secrets

And put your username and password in /etc/ppp/pap-secrets.  Simple, no?
I admit, configuring ppp with earlier versions of pppd than 2.2.0f was
REALLY hairy...

> Ideally, a system that could take a windows' DUN-script and translate it
> would be ideal.  Not too hard, either.  Could probably be done in a day
> with perl. 
> 
Not really...  IIRC, Win uses PAP, right?  Grabbing the password and
username from a doubtless encrypted file with PERL?

>  And if you pick 'install everything' it breaks. 
>
Not in my experience, AAMOF a friend of mine(Linux newbie, but not a
newbie to computing) installed RH4.2, selected "Install Everything" and he
didn't have a single problem.

> Windows takes
> five minutes, less if you just pick 'typical'.  We need a similar setup.
> 
Ha ha, what kind of computer you talking about?  Win95 install takes AT
LEAST 15 minutes, with lots of baby sitting...  RedHat has recently come
up with an installer called "KickStart", shove the boot disk in A:, put
the CD in the drive, reboot and walk away, not even Win95 can boast that.

Okay, now for my one gripe:  XFree86.
Configuring XFree is DEFFINITELY NOT for the faint hearted.  It is the one
thing I can't help someone setup over the phone(I can even help them with
sendmail, and we're talking direct edits of sendmail.cf).  THE problem is
vertical and horizontal frequencies.  The XF86Config file comments
recommend grabbing the appropriate numbers from your monitor's manual.
First, I have yet to see a monitor manual that mentions this, and second,
who here STILL has the manual for their monitor?  You can figure it out,
with work, but it's REALLY annoying.  You could have the program try
different ranges, like:

Going to try vertical frequency range xx-xx next...
I screen will come up, if it looks scrambled answer 'no' to the question
after it goes away.  If the screen does not go away after three minutes,
press CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE.

TTYL!


                            ---
                        Paul Anderson
		   paul @ geeky1.ebtech.net
    Author of Star Spek(a tongue in cheek pun on Star trek)
e-mail: starspek-request@lowdown.com with subscribe as the subject
I hear it's hilarious.               Maintainer of the Tips-HOWTO.
          http://www.netcom.com/~tonyh3/speck.html
        "If you have a world, plan ahead, don't eat it!"