Nvidia help pls ...
RodMcKay
First off, may I beg the group's indulgence. I just know that one or
more will be tempted to say, "how stupid are you ... ?", which is not
just a Linux geek-to-"stupid"-Linux-newbie problem, it happens
everywhere when someone isn't technically strong (yeah, I get this re
Window$, too). ---- I'm 47. I sat down at my first computer when I
was 25, back in DOS days. Going back, by the early- to mid-70s when I
was in junior high, I'd been a Star Trek fan since I was 6 and I'd
read most if not all of Asimov's, etc., books by then. No big shakes
for most of you, I'm sure. The thing is, though, that I'm not a guy.
I sure was interested in computers but I had trouble with relating to
the punch cards I saw the guys carrying around and talking excitedly
about. The cards perplexed me and I couldn't bridge that to what the
visual re computers was. Also, though we weren't discouraged from
entering the sciences, there wasn't any active encouragement to do so
either (unlike today). So, though I wish I could say otherwise, I'm
still very weak in things like hardware and technical issues re
computers. So you don't have to say it! I know it!! <g> Linux is
making me change that even more, which I'm very happy about, but
there are many nebulous areas still to chart! <g>.
---------------------------------------------------
So, even after reading a ton of stuff re the Ubuntu-Nvidia driver
issue, I'm stumped. I'd like to test out 3 distros, Ubuntu and 2
based on it, just to get a feel for it. I can't install at this point
for a number of reasons but I can look at different LiveCDs.
Challenge is the resolution in all of them due to lack of Nvidia
drivers. I can't see the screen properly, everything is way too big!
I'm driven out in 2 minutes or less because I can't even get to a lot
of the buttons on any given screen as some of the dialogue boxes
extend way beyond what my monitor can display!!! You don't get very
far if you can't even press the "GO" buttons <g>.
I ran Belarc and Everest, two Window$ diagnostic freewares, so have
some info on my Nvidia card. And there's this page here:
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-install-nvidia-drivers-in-ubuntu-feisty-or-later-versions.html
plus I found a page this morning (which I've since lost and can't find
again) that listed a ton of different Ubuntu Nvidia items to dl. But
I'm hoping that following the above install page is all I need.
Challenge is that I'd like to keep the files dl. The only way I seem
to be relating to repositories may not be the right way - they seem
similar to an Window$ phenomenon called web install -- not in
concept, but in action!! Web install is something I _always_ avoid in
Window$ like the plague since they install apps directly from the net
to your computer with DLLs and tons of other stuff going to various
places including the registry without your control. Now I know that
Linux can't be like that at all, but instead of scattered stuff all
over the place, with repository dl, do you end up with an executable
file of some sort or a grouping of files, or code? Or does it vary?
I don't know as I haven't had luck dl from repositories even using
code particular to what I'm using, i.e., Fedora code when in Fedora.
I since have been told that I have to use the repository that I have
access to already - which I have to figure out how to do. But I'd
like to know hopefully before going much further what to expect.
I don't want to have to dl the Nvidia drivers each time I switch
between Ubuntu-based LiveCDs (how awful is that! Don't want to use up
the bandwidth for either side this way AT ALL!!) and one friend just
doesn't have internet access because she can't afford it. It would be
nice to have the file on my hdd which I can then carry with me to
where I need to go and install.
Thanks. Much appreciated. I'm in rather shaky waters here. Cheers.
:oD
philo
> ---------------------------------------------------
> First off, may I beg the group's indulgence. I just know that one or
> more will be tempted to say, "how stupid are you ... ?", which is not
> just a Linux geek-to-"stupid"-Linux-newbie problem, it happens
> everywhere when someone isn't technically strong (yeah, I get this re
> Window$, too). ---- I'm 47.
You are just a kid...I'm 60
I sat down at my first computer when I
> was 25, back in DOS days. Going back, by the early- to mid-70s when I
> was in junior high, I'd been a Star Trek fan since I was 6 and I'd
> read most if not all of Asimov's, etc., books by then.
I grew up reading sci-fi...especially Asimov.
No matter how far-fetched it was...as a kid I saw no reason not to think
it could not be true some day.
Then...maybe 1963 or so he mentioned a *desk top* computer and the
sci-fi bubble burst. This time he went too far...there could *never* be
a desk-top computer...and I pretty much stopped reading sc-fi as I
realized it was nothing but pure fiction! LOL!
(BTW: I once sent him a letter and he wrote me back a brief note
signed "I. A." )
No big shakes
> for most of you, I'm sure. The thing is, though, that I'm not a guy.
Well...from what I've seen women seem to do pretty well with computers.
The GF I had back in the old days was a programmer who knew 1000 times
as much as me.
And moving up to the present day...my wife is the one who got me back
into computers ten years ago...as I had left the field entirely by 1982
(the year the whole world started moving toward computers)
> I sure was interested in computers but I had trouble with relating to
> the punch cards I saw the guys carrying around and talking excitedly
> about. The cards perplexed me and I couldn't bridge that to what the
> visual re computers was.
Punch cards how I hated them.
Even as late as 1979 I can recall using them!
Also, though we weren't discouraged from
> entering the sciences, there wasn't any active encouragement to do so
> either (unlike today). So, though I wish I could say otherwise, I'm
> still very weak in things like hardware and technical issues re
> computers. So you don't have to say it! I know it!! <g> Linux is
> making me change that even more, which I'm very happy about, but
> there are many nebulous areas still to chart! <g>.
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
>
> So, even after reading a ton of stuff re the Ubuntu-Nvidia driver
> issue, I'm stumped. I'd like to test out 3 distros, Ubuntu and 2
> based on it, just to get a feel for it. I can't install at this point
> for a number of reasons but I can look at different LiveCDs.
> Challenge is the resolution in all of them due to lack of Nvidia
> drivers. I can't see the screen properly, everything is way too big!
> I'm driven out in 2 minutes or less because I can't even get to a lot
> of the buttons on any given screen as some of the dialogue boxes
> extend way beyond what my monitor can display!!! You don't get very
> far if you can't even press the "GO" buttons <g>.
I found that even without the Nvidia drivers that my resolution
was fine. At least for me...all the Nvidia drivers added were some
custom settings.
Anyway a Live CD (IMHO) is only good for having a glimpse into what
Linux is. I suggest you do an actual install...perhaps pop another HD
into the machine. An alternative would be to use a virtual machine from
within Windows and install there
<snipped for brevity...the cat is wanting me to chase her around the
house for a while>
David W. Hodgins
> I'm driven out in 2 minutes or less because I can't even get to a lot
> of the buttons on any given screen as some of the dialogue boxes
> extend way beyond what my monitor can display!!! You don't get very
> far if you can't even press the "GO" buttons <g>.
With most dialogs you can move the dialog by holding down the alt key,
left clicking on any part of the dialog, and dragging it around. That
way to can get to the "GO" button.
> Challenge is that I'd like to keep the files dl. The only way I seem
> to be relating to repositories may not be the right way - they seem
> similar to an Window$ phenomenon called web install -- not in
> concept, but in action!! Web install is something I _always_ avoid in
> Window$ like the plague since they install apps directly from the net
> to your computer with DLLs and tons of other stuff going to various
> places including the registry without your control. Now I know that
I mostly use Mandrvia, which is a rpm based distro. To find out which
files are included in a package that's already installed, you can run
"rpm -q -l $packagename". For a package that hasn't been installed yet,
but is in one of the repositories, "urpmq -l $packagename".
> I don't want to have to dl the Nvidia drivers each time I switch
> between Ubuntu-based LiveCDs (how awful is that! Don't want to use up
To handle that case, you'd need to create a repository on your hard
drive, (copy the .rpm files to a directory, and create the .hdlist
index file), and then add that repository after booting the livecd.
With Mandriva creating the .hdlist file is done with the command
genhdlist2. Adding the repository is done with urpmi.addmedia.
I expect Ubuntu has similar commands. The adding of the repository,
and the installation of the Nvidia package could be put into a script
that you manually run after booting the livecd. You'd have to restart
the X server after installing the driver.
Regards, Dave Hodgins
--
Change nomail.afraid.org to ody.ca to reply by email.
(nomail.afraid.org has been set up specifically for
use in usenet. Feel free to use it yourself.)
RodMcKay
>RodMcKay wrote:
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> First off, may I beg the group's indulgence. I just know that one or
>> more will be tempted to say, "how stupid are you ... ?", which is not
>> just a Linux geek-to-"stupid"-Linux-newbie problem, it happens
>> everywhere when someone isn't technically strong (yeah, I get this re
>> Window$, too). ---- I'm 47.
>
>
>You are just a kid...I'm 60
<g> I sure don't feel like one some days. And I'm starting to feel,
unlike before, that keeping up with the younger ones at work is
getting a little bit difficult <g>. Doesn't help when they're the
young nubile things that look at you as if you're some kind of
dinosaur because you're an older lady and you actually work when you
go to work <lol>.
[snip]
>I grew up reading sci-fi...especially Asimov.
>No matter how far-fetched it was...as a kid I saw no reason not to think
>it could not be true some day.
>Then...maybe 1963 or so he mentioned a *desk top* computer and the
>sci-fi bubble burst. This time he went too far...there could *never* be
>a desk-top computer...and I pretty much stopped reading sc-fi as I
>realized it was nothing but pure fiction! LOL!
Get out!! Really?! Not for me. My love of sci-fi has never waned.
The only troubles are when there's no good series on TV. i.e.,
Stargate came along for me in 2003 when there was a vacuum in Star
Trek. Don't know how I managed during that time <vbg>. In case
anyone did know I'm a Stargate fan, my ng name ought to give it away!
<g>
>(BTW: I once sent him a letter and he wrote me back a brief note
>signed "I. A." )
Most kewl! I would keep that always! I have some signed stuff from
Star Trek conventions from the early 90s. Nothing comes to my home
town anymore, so we're kind of bummed out here lately re that.
I've met/seen most of the famous people in real life including the
grande dame, Major Barrett-Roddenberry herself in 1993. I'm glad I
met and spoke with her briefly while she kindly signed something for
me as she passed away fairly recently.
I went to my first con in 1990. It was a blast. Sure, it's all about
commercialism and money, but what the heck! It's fun, too.
> No big shakes
>> for most of you, I'm sure. The thing is, though, that I'm not a guy.
>
>Well...from what I've seen women seem to do pretty well with computers.
>The GF I had back in the old days was a programmer who knew 1000 times
>as much as me.
Yeah, I've done rather well. But it's hard to come up against geeks.
The put-downs are difficult, like we're missing some techno-geek gene
or something! But I persevere and manage still take the hits after
all these years <g>. I wouldn't be where I am today if I just didn't
keep going like the little engine that could <g>.
>And moving up to the present day...my wife is the one who got me back
>into computers ten years ago...as I had left the field entirely by 1982
>(the year the whole world started moving toward computers)
Good for her! And good for you. Though what I feel about computers
is very much love/hate, and I don't like the way the world is going
where it's all about technology and leaving some of the more important
things and values behind, but I don't know what I'd do without my
computer! I don't foresee a time being without it.
[snip]
>Punch cards how I hated them.
>Even as late as 1979 I can recall using them!
If DOS was bad with how you always had to know syntax right down to
every single dot and command, I can't even begin to imagine how hard
punch cards were! Whenever I think of them, I'm reminded of the Don
Knotts movie where he's a computer expert!! <g> He had to punch in a
ton of stuff just to get a very simple solution! Hilarious.
[snip]
>I found that even without the Nvidia drivers that my resolution
>was fine. At least for me...all the Nvidia drivers added were some
>custom settings.
Well, lucky you and I don't know how you did it but I can't fix the
resolution. I have two options and none make all the dialogue boxes
fit. I can't get very far in Ubuntu with either of the two options
available.
>Anyway a Live CD (IMHO) is only good for having a glimpse into what
>Linux is. I suggest you do an actual install...perhaps pop another HD
>into the machine. An alternative would be to use a virtual machine from
>within Windows and install there
Yeah, everybody says that and I thank everyone for the advice. It's
just that my circumstances don't permit it as yet. My hdd is full.
And when I mean it's full, it's full <g>. I can't afford a new
external drive yet, either. I want to transfer all my files to the
external drive, wipe everything off the hdd, raze the partitions,
reformat, and start completely afresh with Linux anyway. I don't want
a dual boot system. When I finally install Linux, that'll be pretty
much it for WinOS!! Virtualbox and Wine might be options once there,
granted, but _no_ Window$ OS will be installed on my system ever
again, if I have anything to say about it. I was past the point of
"fed up" by the time Windows 2000 came along. Adapting at work to all
the upgrading had become old long before then. Win7 and Office 2007
were the absolute final straw!!
><snipped for brevity...the cat is wanting me to chase her around the
>house for a while>
How did the play time with kitty-cat go? <g>
RodMcKay
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the help. I'll have to try that
control thingie. The windows are way too big. Though I'm no spring
chicken, my eyes are perfectly fine and it feels like having
binoculars on while viewing the screen, all the individual elements
are _huge_. Not only that but I have to scroll to different parts of
boxes that are usually waaaay smaller <g>! But I'd like to give
Ubuntu a try.
See, that's just what's going to make my day! I have to run a small
utility in Window$ to fix some of the default boxes that aren't
scalable. Linux has it built-in. And if it didn't, if I'm
understanding what Linux is all about, I bet I could eventually figure
out how to do that myself. (Yes? Even to this degree is Linux
customizable?)
Will see how it goes re the Nvidia driver issue <g>.
Darklight
I found it was the only live distro that use a nvidia driver straight
off the bat. it even uses it when running from the cd.
Aragorn
as Darklight wrote...
> if you want to try a distro which uses the nvidia driver try sabayon.
>
> I found it was the only live distro that use a nvidia driver straight
> off the bat. it even uses it when running from the cd.
PCLinuxOS does that too. ;-)
--
*Aragorn*
(registered GNU/Linux user #223157)
philo
> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:34:50 -0600, philo <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>> RodMcKay wrote:
<portions snuipped for brevity>
>>>
>> You are just a kid...I'm 60
>
> <g> I sure don't feel like one some days. And I'm starting to feel,
> unlike before, that keeping up with the younger ones at work is
> getting a little bit difficult <g>. Doesn't help when they're the
> young nubile things that look at you as if you're some kind of
> dinosaur because you're an older lady and you actually work when you
> go to work <lol>.
>
For the most part...
the guys I work with are about my daughter's age...
and they work more hours than I do...
but since I've got more experience...I usually get more done than they do.
> [snip]
>
>> I grew up reading sci-fi...especially Asimov.
>> No matter how far-fetched it was...as a kid I saw no reason not to think
>> it could not be true some day.
>> Then...maybe 1963 or so he mentioned a *desk top* computer and the
>> sci-fi bubble burst. This time he went too far...there could *never* be
>> a desk-top computer...and I pretty much stopped reading sc-fi as I
>> realized it was nothing but pure fiction! LOL!
>
> Get out!! Really?! Not for me. My love of sci-fi has never waned.
> The only troubles are when there's no good series on TV. i.e.,
> Stargate came along for me in 2003 when there was a vacuum in Star
> Trek. Don't know how I managed during that time <vbg>. In case
> anyone did know I'm a Stargate fan, my ng name ought to give it away!
> <g>
>
>> (BTW: I once sent him a letter and he wrote me back a brief note
>> signed "I. A." )
>
> Most kewl! I would keep that always! I have some signed stuff from
> Star Trek conventions from the early 90s. Nothing comes to my home
> town anymore, so we're kind of bummed out here lately re that.
>
> I've met/seen most of the famous people in real life including the
> grande dame, Major Barrett-Roddenberry herself in 1993. I'm glad I
> met and spoke with her briefly while she kindly signed something for
> me as she passed away fairly recently.
I've met a few famous people and once in a while get a reply when I send
someone an email.
I've found out that the bigger someone is...
the more likely it is I'll actually get a reply.
The worst ones are those who are semi-famous and think they are too big
to speak to the general public !
>
> I went to my first con in 1990. It was a blast. Sure, it's all about
> commercialism and money, but what the heck! It's fun, too.
No sci-fi conventions for me...
but I do occasionally enjoy a good movie.
also I enjoy a movie that is so God-awfully horrible that it's funny...
such as Plan 9 from Outer Space...
and the 1959 Cadillac hubcap flying saucers <G>
>
>> Punch cards how I hated them.
>> Even as late as 1979 I can recall using them!
>
> If DOS was bad with how you always had to know syntax right down to
> every single dot and command, I can't even begin to imagine how hard
> punch cards were! Whenever I think of them, I'm reminded of the Don
> Knotts movie where he's a computer expert!! <g> He had to punch in a
> ton of stuff just to get a very simple solution! Hilarious.
>
Back in those days...it took a full week to get one program done.
With the punch cards, if there was a single typo...
even a missing non-ambiguous parentheses...the entire program would be
spit back at you
Though I switched to Linux as my main OS close to a year ago...
occasionally I still need to run a Windows application natively.
All my machines have removable drive kits and I can change OS's at
will...and I have two machines in my office and a KVM switch
so can run Windows and XP simultaneously if i need to.
>
>> <snipped for brevity...the cat is wanting me to chase her around the
>> house for a while>
>
> How did the play time with kitty-cat go? <g>
>
I didn't get any scratches on me...
my wife thinks I'm worse than a 12 year old kid...and she's right!
TJ
> ---------------------------------------------------
> First off, may I beg the group's indulgence. I just know that one or
> more will be tempted to say, "how stupid are you ... ?", which is not
> just a Linux geek-to-"stupid"-Linux-newbie problem, it happens
> everywhere when someone isn't technically strong (yeah, I get this re
> Window$, too). ---- I'm 47. I sat down at my first computer when I
> was 25, back in DOS days. Going back, by the early- to mid-70s when I
> was in junior high, I'd been a Star Trek fan since I was 6 and I'd
> read most if not all of Asimov's, etc., books by then. No big shakes
> for most of you, I'm sure. The thing is, though, that I'm not a guy.
> I sure was interested in computers but I had trouble with relating to
> the punch cards I saw the guys carrying around and talking excitedly
> about. The cards perplexed me and I couldn't bridge that to what the
> visual re computers was. Also, though we weren't discouraged from
> entering the sciences, there wasn't any active encouragement to do so
> either (unlike today). So, though I wish I could say otherwise, I'm
> still very weak in things like hardware and technical issues re
> computers. So you don't have to say it! I know it!! <g> Linux is
> making me change that even more, which I'm very happy about, but
> there are many nebulous areas still to chart! <g>.
Linux users come from all walks of life, and are at various levels of
computer expertise when they start. No need to apologize. And shrug off
that gender bias of yours. Your computer has no idea what your gender
is, nor does it care. BTW, I don't care, either. I had assumed you were
a guy based on your posted pseudonym. I should have known better than to
make such assumptions. I was right about you're being a youngster,
though. I'm 60.
I suggest you give the following website a good, thorough going-over, if
you haven't already: https://help.ubuntu.com/ It's the official
documentation for Ubuntu, as well as a link to the community-based
documentation. Be sure to look at both. Linux is a community-supported
OS, and many times community-based docs are more informative than the
official ones. They should explain to you how the repositories are
supposed to work, as well as answer many other questions you may have.
There is a whole section in each that goes into dealing with video
cards. There are other sections that deal with switching from Windows.
Similar sites exist for other distributions. However, I can't emphasize
strongly enough that you need to settle on one distro and stick with
that until you understand what's going on. Trying to use more than one
at the same time will only confuse you to the point where you never get
straightened out again.
TJ
KOB
> Though I switched to Linux as my main OS close to a year ago...
> occasionally I still need to run a Windows application natively.
philo,
when did you drop OS/2? I thought I remembered you from the OS/2
newsgroup days.
philo
Ah
I never totally dropped it.
I have two working installations left...
one of them is ECS...it's on an AMD-550 and though it works...
is a bit on the slow side. I could not get ECS to install on my newer
hardware.
Also (due to removable drives) I have a working Warp3 installation on
that machine...but of course it's dial-up only and I've been on DSL for
a number of years now.
I like Warp 3 so much that I hated to give it up. There is a way to hack
it to get MPTS imported and running. It looked so complicated I never
tried it...but I really should have kept the instructions some where
RodMcKay
Thanks, that's great.
The funny thing is that only Ubuntu-based distros have, as well as
Knoppix). All th other ones have great resolution right
out-of-the-box.
I don't know how that can be if they don't actually have the nvidia
drivers, either. Perplexing. But I have nice, full resolution on
F11, so I can use it without eye strain. Never thought I'd get
eye-strain but I forced myself yesterday to work in Ubuntu for about
10 minutes and gave up in disgust! <g> Having too big a screen as
just as bad as too small a one, I found. <g>
RodMcKay
>RodMcKay wrote:
>> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:34:50 -0600, philo <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>> RodMcKay wrote:
[snip]
>For the most part...
>the guys I work with are about my daughter's age...
>and they work more hours than I do...
>but since I've got more experience...I usually get more done than they do.
This is true. And the trouble with generalizations is, that's exactly
what they are. For the first time in my life, I accepted a minimum
wage contract recently (before landing my current contract) and I
worked alongside a young 25-year old man who has a work ethic one
doesn't usually see in one so young.
What I meant about work pertains more to those of us in the lower
echelons, clerks and such. There you see really lazy people who do
the absolute minimum while they talk up a _great_ storm! <sigh> Well,
that seems to be the way the world is heading ...
So I was merely generalizing, of course. In upper management, long
hours are much more common, too, of course and always have been.
[snip]
>> I've met/seen most of the famous people in real life including the
>> grande dame, Major Barrett-Roddenberry herself in 1993. I'm glad I
>> met and spoke with her briefly while she kindly signed something for
>> me as she passed away fairly recently.
>
>I've met a few famous people and once in a while get a reply when I send
> someone an email.
>
>I've found out that the bigger someone is...
>the more likely it is I'll actually get a reply.
True and my only experience has been with regards to the conventions.
When we went to Pasadena in 1993 to what is called the yearly Grand
Slam convention, we also took in the sights. You can imagine, two
30-something Trekker gals from Canada going to Hollywood! I mean,
what a hoot. We're both from our nation's capital (like being from
Washington in the US), but we felt like country bumpkins down there!
<g>
We visited Paramount (of course!!) and it was so kewl. We were
touring the grounds when gorgeous Marina Sirtis who played Troi walked
by (within 5 feet of me!! God, hard not to be jealous of that lovely
woman! <g>) and she responded kindly to a question shouted at her by
one of the people in our tour group! And then when I rounded a
corner, a door opened up a couple feet in front of me and Ted Danson
walked out. Man, is he _ever_ such an approachable person! He had a
kind word for our group and wished us all well, which we, of course,
returned. Hard to think of what things are like now after 9/11. I'm
sure touring Paramount and other studios in such a way is probably not
possible. Sad!
>The worst ones are those who are semi-famous and think they are too big
>to speak to the general public !
Yes. Very true.
[snip]
>No sci-fi conventions for me...
>but I do occasionally enjoy a good movie.
Well, I'd heard of them for years but went to my first one at the age
of 28. I love them, to tell you the truth. It's just all good fun.
Good way to meet with people who like what you do. As you can
imagine, my friend and I were open to meeting a couple of nice fellas
in Pasadena, but it didn't happen. Ah well, too far apart anyway <g>.
>also I enjoy a movie that is so God-awfully horrible that it's funny...
>such as Plan 9 from Outer Space...
>and the 1959 Cadillac hubcap flying saucers <G>
I'm generally not into B movies, but my favourite is "The Day the
Earth Stood Still". Keanu's was good, but couldn't touch the
original!
And though I only saw it last year, believe it or not, the original
"War of the Worlds" was pretty good, too.
>>> Punch cards how I hated them.
>>> Even as late as 1979 I can recall using them!
>>
>> If DOS was bad with how you always had to know syntax right down to
>> every single dot and command, I can't even begin to imagine how hard
>> punch cards were! Whenever I think of them, I'm reminded of the Don
>> Knotts movie where he's a computer expert!! <g> He had to punch in a
>> ton of stuff just to get a very simple solution! Hilarious.
>>
>
>
>Back in those days...it took a full week to get one program done.
>With the punch cards, if there was a single typo...
>even a missing non-ambiguous parentheses...the entire program would be
>spit back at you
Yup. Thought so. Nope. Glad we're beyond those days <lol>.
[snip]
>>> Anyway a Live CD (IMHO) is only good for having a glimpse into what
>>> Linux is. I suggest you do an actual install...perhaps pop another HD
>>> into the machine. An alternative would be to use a virtual machine from
>>> within Windows and install there
Yes, I of course realize that. I've answered this advice elsewhere,
can't do this right now. As soon as I can afford one, I will be
getting an additional 500 gig external drive. The one I have now is
practically full so I can't transfer all the stuff off my 200 gig hdd
to it. So LiveCDs have been filling the gap. And they're doing the
job very well.
It's also been great since I have few worries while I've been on
LiveCD. I really experimented yesterday and knew that all the changes
I made would disappear once I got out. Though I didn't do anything
major, didn't have to be as cautious as when I'd first started on
Window$. I don't know my way well enough around Linux yet to get
myself out of any hot water I might get myself into! <lol>
Thanks for the advice. It's evident that that's the case, but another
reason is that within next week or two I'll be handing off disks to
family members so I need to know the ins and outs beforehand re the
CDs themselves, too, anyway.
>Though I switched to Linux as my main OS close to a year ago...
>occasionally I still need to run a Windows application natively.
>
>All my machines have removable drive kits and I can change OS's at
>will...and I have two machines in my office and a KVM switch
>so can run Windows and XP simultaneously if i need to.
I don't have space or money for a second box but I've been thinking
that for those apps that I absolutely can't live without, that I'll
see what this virtual box is all about. I've virtualized a few apps
in last six months so I'm familiar with the concept but that was
Win->Win. Will look into what's possible Win->Linux. Kewl stuff.
---
One really good thing that happened yesterday and something for
Window$ users to be aware of, my brother entrusted me with his
precious music collection to rip and transfer to his Sony Walkman.
Nothing worked in transferring with XP. I finally got it to recognize
the player but nothing else. Ended up doing the job with Linux with
_NO_ fuss, no muss!
Take _THAT_ M$!!!
>> How did the play time with kitty-cat go? <g>
>
>I didn't get any scratches on me...
>my wife thinks I'm worse than a 12 year old kid...and she's right!
That's great! Hey, life's too short!
I haven't had an animal companion since 2003 and miss that. Enjoy
your kitty-cat! <g>
philo
> On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:21:28 -0600, philo <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>> RodMcKay wrote:
>>> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:34:50 -0600, philo <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> RodMcKay wrote:
>
> So I was merely generalizing, of course. In upper management, long
> hours are much more common, too, of course and always have been.
>
One thing I can say about the guys I work with...
they are hard workers...just not all of them are terribly efficient.
>
> We visited Paramount (of course!!) and it was so kewl. We were
> touring the grounds when gorgeous Marina Sirtis who played Troi walked
> by (within 5 feet of me!! God, hard not to be jealous of that lovely
> woman! <g>) and she responded kindly to a question shouted at her by
> one of the people in our tour group! And then when I rounded a
> corner, a door opened up a couple feet in front of me and Ted Danson
> walked out. Man, is he _ever_ such an approachable person! He had a
> kind word for our group and wished us all well, which we, of course,
> returned. Hard to think of what things are like now after 9/11. I'm
> sure touring Paramount and other studios in such a way is probably not
> possible. Sad!
>
Lets see...If I recall correctly, I went to Universal Studios
and saw the fake shark that was used in the movie "Jaws"
Wow did I ever laugh as it was so obviously made out of rubber
and so obviously fake!
Of course a few years later I was at an aquarium and saw a real shark...
yep you guessed it...it looked fake and like it was made out of rubber!
>> The worst ones are those who are semi-famous and think they are too big
>> to speak to the general public !
>
> Yes. Very true.
>
> [snip]
>
>> No sci-fi conventions for me...
>> but I do occasionally enjoy a good movie.
>
> Well, I'd heard of them for years but went to my first one at the age
> of 28. I love them, to tell you the truth. It's just all good fun.
> Good way to meet with people who like what you do. As you can
> imagine, my friend and I were open to meeting a couple of nice fellas
> in Pasadena, but it didn't happen. Ah well, too far apart anyway <g>.
I've been to LA many times but the last time I was there was maybe 15
years ago. I have a friend who was a music promoter...who had a friend
who produced videos. In turn the friend had a friend who was non other
than Paul Rothchild
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Rothchild
We went up to his house. and did he ever have some amazing stories...
can't believe I was there. He told us the woodwork in his house was all
done by Harrison Ford...who earned his living that way before he made it
in the movies.
We went into Paul's den and there was not a chair for me...
so I just sat down on a box. Paul said to me:
"Don't bother getting up...but do you know what you are sitting one?"
(What)
"All the master tapes to the 'Doors' "
I think I moved to the floor at that point
>
<the rest is snipped because I can't beat that one>
> On worse than a 12 year old kid...and she's right!
>
> That's great! Hey, life's too short!
>
> I haven't had an animal companion since 2003 and miss that. Enjoy
> your kitty-cat! <g>
>
Good kitty cat...
I threw a bunch of paper balls at her this morning.
KOB
God help you if you ever post from Warp in the Linux groups. Do you have
ProNews/2? IMO, the best newsreader made. Thinking of firing up my OS/2
box and posting to the linux groups, just to make them read the headers
and get mad!!
philo
No I did not use ProNews.
What I do recall about Warp3 was the general appearance of the GUI
never seen anything so neat, clean, crisp and legible
such wonderfully clean fonts
This year when I finally switched over to Linux as my main OS...
I was finally able to have a GUI that was at least pretty close to my
old OS/2 installation.
Now days I could care less what people think when they look at my
headers...but back then I had something like 22 different removable
drives on that machine and I'd get a kick out of using a different OS
every day.
OS/2 always got a reaction...
and if I'd post using NT3.1 they must have thought I was some kind of a
major kook
yep...they were sure right if that's what they thought <G>.
Bud
> Similar sites exist for other distributions. However, I can't emphasize
> strongly enough that you need to settle on one distro and stick with
> that until you understand what's going on. Trying to use more than one
> at the same time will only confuse you to the point where you never get
> straightened out again.
>
> TJ
Totally agree. I had my beginning Linux as Red Hat version 4 where I got
a lot of help when I volunteered to edit some of their articles. Then
went to Slackware 7 where I really enjoyed the help and my first
compiling of a kernel. My expertise is limited about Linux, but it sure
beats windows junk. Yep, read newsgroups about Linux and take TJ's advice
and read up and jot a few notes down 'cause you'll never remember all the
tips you'll need to get it right the first time or the second.
You see me posting from Mandriva 1010 64 which is a new experience with
64 bit OS. 'Tis fun!
--
Bud
RodMcKay
>RodMcKay wrote:
>> On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:21:28 -0600, philo <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>> RodMcKay wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:34:50 -0600, philo <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> RodMcKay wrote:
>>
[snip]
>One thing I can say about the guys I work with...
>they are hard workers...just not all of them are terribly efficient.
<g> Well, there is that ...
[snip]
>Lets see...If I recall correctly, I went to Universal Studios
>and saw the fake shark that was used in the movie "Jaws"
>
>Wow did I ever laugh as it was so obviously made out of rubber
>and so obviously fake!
>
>Of course a few years later I was at an aquarium and saw a real shark...
>
>
>yep you guessed it...it looked fake and like it was made out of rubber!
<lol> Oh, boy, I didn't realize that. I, too, thought the shark was
fake because we did the Universal tour, too. Good to know, esp. if
you ever encounter a live shark in the water and, mistakenly at
first, think it's a fake ... :o)
[snip]
>I've been to LA many times but the last time I was there was maybe 15
>years ago. I have a friend who was a music promoter...who had a friend
>who produced videos. In turn the friend had a friend who was non other
>than Paul Rothchild
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Rothchild
>
>
>We went up to his house. and did he ever have some amazing stories...
>can't believe I was there. He told us the woodwork in his house was all
>done by Harrison Ford...who earned his living that way before he made it
>in the movies.
Wow, that must have been amazing. Yeah, he was a carpenter pre-Lucas
days! <g>
>We went into Paul's den and there was not a chair for me...
>so I just sat down on a box. Paul said to me:
>
>"Don't bother getting up...but do you know what you are sitting one?"
>
>
> (What)
>
>"All the master tapes to the 'Doors' "
>
>
>I think I moved to the floor at that point
<vbg> Moved, or slumped down to?? <g>
><the rest is snipped because I can't beat that one>
>> On worse than a 12 year old kid...and she's right!
>>
>> That's great! Hey, life's too short!
>>
>> I haven't had an animal companion since 2003 and miss that. Enjoy
>> your kitty-cat! <g>
>>
>
>
>Good kitty cat...
>
>I threw a bunch of paper balls at her this morning.
Oh, man, miss having that, but I work too long hours right now. Maybe
next year.
Take care! :oD
RodMcKay
Nah, not a problem for me. We all have different approaches - I don't
operate like most people in some way. I steep myself in knowledge (or
testing) till I find the best fit. If I just tested one thing or read
up from one viewpoint or a handful, I'd get nowhere fast. I tested
out about 15 distros or so and early on felt most comfortable with
Fedora 11 for whatever reason. It seemed the easiest one to configure
out-of-the-box, too, I guess. And I kept coming back to it, so it
seems the best for me at this point. To be truthful, I really don't
give a damn which distro I use (as long as it turns out to be secure,
of course, etc.), I just needed one that felt the least "alien" to me
at this point <g>.
Once I know the ins and outs of Fedora well enough, if it turns out
that there's something more secure, better, etc., then I will go with
that, by then having enough knowledge, of course, to make the
superficial changes that will allow for type of look and feel that I
standardize to. And that will also depend on whether or not I have to
stay with Window$. I don't foresee being able to work in a
computer-free job anytime soon but one day when I have my own
business, I will be able to work any old job on the side. Then I'll
have just Linux at home and that will free me up completely and I
won't care about keeping as similar a look as to what I have to use at
work - I'll then be left with only worrying about working in as
fast/efficient/logical manner with the least fuss and muss - always my
goals <g>.
philo
> [snip]
>
>> Lets see...If I recall correctly, I went to Universal Studios
>> and saw the fake shark that was used in the movie "Jaws"
>>
>> Wow did I ever laugh as it was so obviously made out of rubber
>> and so obviously fake!
>>
>> Of course a few years later I was at an aquarium and saw a real shark...
>>
>>
>> yep you guessed it...it looked fake and like it was made out of rubber!
>
> <lol> Oh, boy, I didn't realize that. I, too, thought the shark was
> fake because we did the Universal tour, too. Good to know, esp. if
> you ever encounter a live shark in the water and, mistakenly at
> first, think it's a fake ... :o)
>
When swimming in the ocean I assume all sharks are real!
Of course they did tell us that a lot of things...on film look better if
fake. Rocks in rock-slide scenes are made from painted foam rubber...
they said that real rocks look fake on film , Foam rubber rocks bounce a
lot more and look dramatic
> [snip]
>
>> I've been to LA many times but the last time I was there was maybe 15
>> years ago. I have a friend who was a music promoter...who had a friend
>> who produced videos. In turn the friend had a friend who was non other
>> than Paul Rothchild
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_A._Rothchild
>>
>>
>> We went up to his house. and did he ever have some amazing stories...
>> can't believe I was there. He told us the woodwork in his house was all
>> done by Harrison Ford...who earned his living that way before he made it
>> in the movies.
>
> Wow, that must have been amazing. Yeah, he was a carpenter pre-Lucas
> days! <g>
Yes...that was the closest touch to celebrity I'll ever see!
>
>> We went into Paul's den and there was not a chair for me...
>> so I just sat down on a box. Paul said to me:
>>
>> "Don't bother getting up...but do you know what you are sitting one?"
>>
>>
>> (What)
>>
>> "All the master tapes to the 'Doors' "
>>
>>
>> I think I moved to the floor at that point
>
> <vbg> Moved, or slumped down to?? <g>
I jumped up fast...
then sat on the floor next to them!
>
>> <the rest is snipped because I can't beat that one>
>>> On worse than a 12 year old kid...and she's right!
>>>
>>> That's great! Hey, life's too short!
>>>
>>> I haven't had an animal companion since 2003 and miss that. Enjoy
>>> your kitty-cat! <g>
>>>
>>
>> Good kitty cat...
>>
>> I threw a bunch of paper balls at her this morning.
>
> Oh, man, miss having that, but I work too long hours right now. Maybe
> next year.
>
> Take care! :oD
>
OK!!!!
gotta see what the cat is up to <G>
TJ
>
>
> Of course they did tell us that a lot of things...on film look better if
> fake. Rocks in rock-slide scenes are made from painted foam rubber...
> they said that real rocks look fake on film , Foam rubber rocks bounce a
> lot more and look dramatic
>
spent a lifetime hauling rocks off my fields and throwing them in piles,
but I've always been able to tell when they use the foam rubber rocks -
they bounce *too* much!
TJ
TJ
>
> Once I know the ins and outs of Fedora well enough, if it turns out
> that there's something more secure, better, etc., then I will go with
> that, by then having enough knowledge, of course, to make the
> superficial changes that will allow for type of look and feel that I
> standardize to.
All of the major distros are stable, as long as you stick to the
"official" releases. The releases still under development are something
else again. Stay away from those.
> And that will also depend on whether or not I have to
> stay with Window$. I don't foresee being able to work in a
> computer-free job anytime soon but one day when I have my own
> business, I will be able to work any old job on the side. Then I'll
> have just Linux at home and that will free me up completely and I
> won't care about keeping as similar a look as to what I have to use
> at work - I'll then be left with only worrying about working in as
> fast/efficient/logical manner with the least fuss and muss - always
> my goals <g>.
>
Obviously written by someone who has never been seriously self-employed.
If you run your own business, you'll want that computer. And depending
on the nature of that business, you may find that you'll need specialty
software that just isn't available under Linux.
Take my profession, for example. I'm a farmer. There are a number of
expensive specialty programs that do this and that for farmers, but to
my knowledge none of them work with Linux. I'm a small farmer, and I
don't really need any of those programs, nor can I justify the cost, so
I do without them. But were I bigger, things would be very different. I
would still use Linux for all of my Internet activity, because Windows
is just too vulnerable. But I would also have Windows, so I could run
those specialty programs. As it is I still have an active Windows 98SE
installation, but that's mostly because I'm too lazy to go through the
learning curve for the Linux equivalents of a couple of programs I use
once or twice a year.
I have two tractors, quite different from each other. When I have a job
to do, I use the tractor best-suited to that particular job. I do the
same with my computer OS.
TJ
philo
LOL
being Hollywood I'd expect fake rocks of course.
I do recall seeing rock slides in movies and wondering if they'd really
bounce than much...now I know that in real life...they would not.
That reminds me of something:
About 15 years ago I put in a rock garden behind my house...
An old farmer told me I could have a pile of rocks that was on his
land...and it took me several trips to get them all in my truck
and haul them away.
He told me that he gave them away once before to someone who put in a
rock garden...decided they did not want it...then hauled all the rocks
back. He told me that he did not want me to bring them back a few years
later.
It was back-breaking work and I *assured* him...there was no way in hell
I was ever going to touch those rocks once I got them in place.
But damn...what was I thinking...I could have just used those foam
rubber rocks. It would have saved my back...and they would have looked
so very good <G>
RodMcKay
<g> Hindsight is _always_ 20/20 ... ! :oD
RodMcKay
True, except the nature of my business isn't as specialized as yours.
As far as I can tell, so far nothing tells me that Linux won't do the
job with basic software. I've had more trouble with the creative side
of the business. For that I _may_ have to rely on a couple of Window$
apps, at least for now but envision that VirtualBox will help in the
beginning, at least until I find good Linux equivalents. But that's
the _now_ portion of things.
If someone like me is ready to make the switch, yes a power user but
not with much experience in any of the areas that would make one think
I'd be a likely Linux candidate, then I see others switching OSs, too
in the near or distant future ... those even less likely than me! And
with that will come more applications for Linux. Supply and demand
...
After all, there have been businesses and business owners for
millennia before the advent of the computer. I refuse to believe that
if worse comes to worst, that I won't be able to figure out a
non-Window$ alternative. I'm finding all but my multimedia needs
being taken care of, but that's just a question of taking even more
time to look. I haven't right now because of requirements and
deadlines - my brother leaves on his trip this Friday and I promised
him as a Xmas gift to take care of transferring movies to his new MP3
Player. He'll not only have enough for each trip there and back but
for while he's there since my brother-in-law will be able to transfer
anything my brother wants from the DVD I'll provide him with extras.
It only, most unfortunately, supports WMV9 video so I didn't want the
hassle with going to Linux and then fighting with Window$-based codecs
plus I found the software to do the job quickly in Window$ already.
Once there's more time after he's gone, I can commit to the switch as
_MY_ Christmas gift. I have had to reinstall Window$ THREE times in
the past week and a half because for whatever reason, audio synch goes
out first out of anything. I had tested several video conversion apps
during that time which must have messed up codecs. And simply
reinstalling codecs _never_ works in Window$. If there's a problem,
only a clean computer fixes that. Lord but esp. now that there's a
light at the end of the tunnel (Linux), can't hold back my loathing
for this crappy WinXP OS!
Anyway, if all goes well, I'll have a working dual-boot system soon,
once I finish my urgent and pressing tasks. And then from there, will
work on figuring out how to go Linux full out!
Cheers. :oD
unruh
And after several years outside, they would have looked suitably moss
covered and crumbly as the foam broke down.