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Car Forum / Toyota / Toyota Cars / June 2007

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(OT:) A gold star day at my house!

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Hachiroku ハチロク - 23 Jun 2007 02:44 GMT
I hate it when software companies know what *I* want better then I do!

First, I did an 'upgrade' on my Windows 2000 "Garage Computer"
It loaded a 'new' video driver and on the reboot munged the screen
horribly. I reset the driver to one that works, and when it reboots it
says, "New Hardware Found" and promptly loads the bad driver again!

The Linux machine I use the rest of the time 'needed' an upgrade, too.
Linux is a tricky beast, some things load just fine off the bat, but 3D
hardware acceleration is not often one of them. It took me three days to
get hardware acceleration to work, and the last upgrade took care of that
in short order...

I had 5 hours to change my CV joint. I get all set up, since they said no
rain until after 6PM, get all the bolts undone, and it POURS! Then it
stops, dries up, so I go to try to get the ball joint off

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1e/73/70/0900823d801e7370/repai
rInfoPages.htm


(I don't know who this guy with the screwdriver is, but he must be related
to King King...)
...it's just starting to come loose and it starts pouring again...

It dries up again, and since I have practice tonight, I put it all back
together and say to heck with it, tomorrow is supposed to be better and
our gig got cancelled ($100 for four hours down the drain...) and I can
spend all day on it.

The singer had a tooth pulled so practice got cancelled...

Consolation...after a dozen attempts, I got hardware acceleration going
again on the Linux box, and it's even better than before!
Moe - 23 Jun 2007 22:03 GMT
> I hate it when software companies know what *I* want better then I do!
>
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> Consolation...after a dozen attempts, I got hardware acceleration going
> again on the Linux box, and it's even better than before!

  Anytime I work on something and it works after I work on it is a good
day.   What version of Linux are you using?   I tried Mandrake once a
couple of years ago and got it all going but they kept coming out with
newer versions and I wound up going back to Windows because I never got
the TV card to work with Linux.
Hachiroku ハチロク - 24 Jun 2007 03:51 GMT
>> Consolation...after a dozen attempts, I got hardware acceleration going
>> again on the Linux box, and it's even better than before!
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> newer versions and I wound up going back to Windows because I never got
> the TV card to work with Linux.

I've tried a lot of them, but settled on SuSE...it seems to have the
easiest time recognizing my hardware, no matter what I have installed.

I was going to try Debian, but after booting the 'Net install disk, it
couldn't see my DSL router (! How the hell do you install over the 'Net if
you can *SEE* the 'Net?!?!)

Mandrake was one of the easiest for a while, but it too fell by the
wayside after it got bought out.

Ubuntu is real easy, sees most hardware and works seemlessly.

But when I really need to have connectivity and compatibility, let's face
it, it's a Windows world...I have a box running XP and one running 2K.
witfal - 24 Jun 2007 04:21 GMT
> But when I really need to have connectivity and compatibility, let's face
> it, it's a Windows world...I have a box running XP and one running 2K.

I have two PC's, one a dual-boot Ubuntu/XP, and three Macs in the house.

All are networked and talk to each other just fine via CAT5e hardwired between
two floors.

A Windows world?  Take off your blinders, son.  I own a small
consulting company.
Mind you, I'm thankful for Microsloth, er, Microsoft.  If my customers
all ran Macs
rather than Windows boxes, I'd make no money at all.
Hachiroku ハチロク - 24 Jun 2007 04:31 GMT
>> But when I really need to have connectivity and compatibility, let's
>> face it, it's a Windows world...I have a box running XP and one running
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> ran Macs
> rather than Windows boxes, I'd make no money at all.

Well, that's how I *USED* to make a living, but that's being covered in
another thread...

Hmmmm...there are a few things I am having trouble with under Linux:

I can get MOST videos to work. Not all. Someone posted a "Hey Hachi" the
other day and I still haven't seen it, since I haven't booted to windoes
in a while.

SWF is a hit-or-miss. Depends on which distro I'm using and which browser.

Likewise for Adobe Flash. In one browser in one distro it works OK.
Adobe has not seen fit to provide the world with a 64-bit Linux version at
this time.

MOST everything else works. All my boxes see each other OK, and I can
print from one system to another. It's just dealing with Web designers
that know Windows and nothing else that are the big problem...
witfal - 24 Jun 2007 07:13 GMT
> Well, that's how I *USED* to make a living, but that's being covered in
> another thread...
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> print from one system to another. It's just dealing with Web designers
> that know Windows and nothing else that are the big problem...

Ubuntu or SUSE have the easiest and most complete driver set "out of the box",
though you're right about video drivers.  They suck unless you've got a card
made by someone with Linux drivers.

Suse did the best job with A-Flash.  I only installed Linux on one PC because
I needed a "UNIX" fix a couple of years ago.  If I get an urge to go to command
line stuff, now I just open Terminal in any of my Macs.
Hachiroku ハチロク - 24 Jun 2007 19:57 GMT
>> MOST everything else works. All my boxes see each other OK, and I can
>> print from one system to another. It's just dealing with Web designers
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> box", though you're right about video drivers.  They suck unless you've
> got a card made by someone with Linux drivers.

ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!! I have a Genuine ATi Radeon 9550, got the drivers
straight from ATi and *STILL* spent HOURS trying to get the hardware accel
turned on.

I still don't remember what I did...I just load a driver and massage the
xorg.conf file until it tells me I can turn on 3D Acceleration in SaX.

I never was able to get it going in Ubuntu 7.0/1...

There is also a "live" distro, Sayabon, IIRC that turned on acceleration
right from the start. It runs fine off the DVD, but when you install it
there is one big caveat: when you load new software, it's seemless, but
what it does is DL the Tarball, UnTARs it and then compiles and installs.
It's great because you get an app that you KNOW will run on your system,
but it sometimes takes a LONG time to DL and compile an app!

> Suse did the best job with A-Flash.  I only installed Linux on one PC
> because I needed a "UNIX" fix a couple of years ago.  If I get an urge to
> go to command line stuff, now I just open Terminal in any of my Macs.

IIRC the Mac OS/X is based on a combination of the NeXt OS and heavily
reliant on FreeBSD...
witfal - 24 Jun 2007 20:19 GMT
> ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!! I have a Genuine ATi Radeon 9550, got the drivers
> straight from ATi and *STILL* spent HOURS trying to get the hardware accel
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> I never was able to get it going in Ubuntu 7.0/1...

This is why Linux is not yet for the masses.  Hours on driver
installation usually doesn't
appeal to most people, for some strange reason.

> IIRC the Mac OS/X is based on a combination of the NeXt OS and heavily
> reliant on FreeBSD...

Very true.  Solid operating systems, the former Jobs brought with him
when he took over
as CEO again.  I forget his predecessor (very willingly), who was, in a
word, incompetent.
sharx35 - 25 Jun 2007 05:36 GMT
>> ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!! I have a Genuine ATi Radeon 9550, got the drivers
>> straight from ATi and *STILL* spent HOURS trying to get the hardware
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> usually doesn't
> appeal to most people, for some strange reason.

For the same reason that most car drivers no longer have to be amateur
mechanics to enjoy their Toyota's. Those that do their own work, obviously
enjoy the experience--sort of like a hobby while saving money, usually, at
the same time.

>> IIRC the Mac OS/X is based on a combination of the NeXt OS and heavily
>> reliant on FreeBSD...
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> as CEO again.  I forget his predecessor (very willingly), who was, in a
> word, incompetent.
witfal - 25 Jun 2007 05:52 GMT
>> This is why Linux is not yet for the masses.  Hours on driver installation
>> usually doesn't
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> enjoy the experience--sort of like a hobby while saving money, usually, at
> the same time.

Exactly.  I had an interesting job yesterday.  My other guy was busy,
so I went to
the customer premises which ended up being a church.

The pastor kludged together a network of two PC's and one iMac with dual-boot
OS X and WinXP.  The Mac couldn't see the wireless router via the built-in
Airport circuit.  The configuration was a small nightmare via a repeater to
boost the signal to breach the 100 feet between the Mac and the Linksys
router.  After an hour, I finally got both OSs talking to the router.  
He'd been
fussing with this since November.

WinXP on a Mac is a slightly eccentric animal.  The first I'd seen, but
it confirmed
that no MS software will ever see my Macs hard drive.
Hachiroku ハチロク - 25 Jun 2007 10:48 GMT
> WinXP on a Mac is a slightly eccentric animal.  The first I'd seen, but it
> confirmed
> that no MS software will ever see my Macs hard drive.

I resisted XP until I bought a camera that wouldn't transfer the videos
under Win2K. Needed XP in order to have full functionality.

XP is OK. I did like Win2K better, maybe even better than NT 4.0 (That's
saying a lot! 4.0 was a GREAT OS, but not if you were into games...)

I use Linux for most of my computing, and esp for the Internet. A couple
years ago at Christmas someone posted a link here that went to a page with
some k00k holding an AK-47 and wearing an elf hat. Huh? Big deal...

All the people with Windows that went there reported that their Anti-Virus
software went off like a Full-scale alarm, since the web page had a script
exploiting a Windows vulnerability...
witfal - 25 Jun 2007 15:14 GMT
>> WinXP on a Mac is a slightly eccentric animal.  The first I'd seen, but it
>> confirmed that no MS software will ever see my Macs hard drive.
>
> I resisted XP until I bought a camera that wouldn't transfer the videos
> under Win2K. Needed XP in order to have full functionality.

2K did have its hardware issues.

> I use Linux for most of my computing, and esp for the Internet.

My son uses it for net access and his online finances.  With patches,
his chances
of security breaches are far less than a WinBox.  Given the chance, he'll use
the Mac first every time.

> All the people with Windows that went there reported that their Anti-Virus
> software went off like a Full-scale alarm, since the web page had a script
> exploiting a Windows vulnerability...

And so it goes...again, and again, and again.
Hachiroku ハチロク - 25 Jun 2007 17:55 GMT
>> All the people with Windows that went there reported that their
>> Anti-Virus software went off like a Full-scale alarm, since the web page
>> had a script exploiting a Windows vulnerability...
>
> And so it goes...again, and again, and again.

LOL! Yeah!

But, Linux has it's share of "Critical Upgrades" also. I think that the
fact more people know Windows, and know it better leads to the exploited
hacks. Fourteen year old kids can figure out how to open a hole in Windows...

But, the fact is, almost everything in Linux is controlled by scripts, and
the entire OS is Open Source! Talk about a field ripe for the picking! And
yet, it remains more secure...

A reflection on Linux users, perhaps?  ;)
witfal - 25 Jun 2007 19:58 GMT
> But, Linux has it's share of "Critical Upgrades" also. I think that the
> fact more people know Windows, and know it better leads to the exploited
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> the entire OS is Open Source! Talk about a field ripe for the picking! And
> yet, it remains more secure...

All true yet, as you say, the exploits just aren't there.

> A reflection on Linux users, perhaps?  ;)

Rather a reflection of what most are willing to accept.  Microsoft is just
well-accepted mediocrity, with good marketing.

The chinks in the armor, however, are starting to be noticed by the general
computer using population.  Mac sales have gone up over 35% in just one
year.  Linux is being increasingly used for stability, and is making definite
improvements in user-friendliness.

Notice what platform is missing at NASA? :

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/04/20/cassini/index.php
Hachiroku ハチロク - 25 Jun 2007 10:43 GMT
>> This is why Linux is not yet for the masses.  Hours on driver
>> installation usually doesn't
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> enjoy the experience--sort of like a hobby while saving money, usually, at
> the same time.

LOL! I don't know about 'enjoy'. Saving the money is the big thing!

I have to admit, there is a certain amount of satisfaction, both when you
finish the job and wipe off the grease, and then again when it actually
*WORKS*!
Hachiroku ハチロク - 25 Jun 2007 10:41 GMT
>> ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!! I have a Genuine ATi Radeon 9550, got the drivers
>> straight from ATi and *STILL* spent HOURS trying to get the hardware
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> usually doesn't
> appeal to most people, for some strange reason.

A long time ago, when I bought my second computer (A Tandy NL3000
286@10MHz) it had a LOT of 'caveats'. I would spend hours getting hardware
to work. I had to modify the printer cables to work with the two printers
I had, that somehow worked just fine with the kludgey Amstrad I had before!

I said then, no *machine* is going to beat me, and I guess that still
holds!!!

>> IIRC the Mac OS/X is based on a combination of the NeXt OS and heavily
>> reliant on FreeBSD...
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> as CEO again.  I forget his predecessor (very willingly), who was, in a
> word, incompetent.
witfal - 25 Jun 2007 15:10 GMT
> I said then, no *machine* is going to beat me, and I guess that still
> holds!!!

Then you win.  When I solve a long-standing problem for someone, their usual
reaction is to drop their jaw open.  Most of them, really, have just given up
mentally.

Frustration is your enemy when it comes to solving computer woes.
Hachiroku ハチロク - 25 Jun 2007 20:25 GMT
>> I said then, no *machine* is going to beat me, and I guess that still
>> holds!!!
>
> Then you win.  When I solve a long-standing problem for someone, their
> usual reaction is to drop their jaw open.  Most of them, really, have just
> given up mentally.

My B-I-L used to bug the crap out of me! Windows would throw an error like
"Such-and-such.dll is missing or not found on path c:\yada\yada" and he'd
ask me how to fix it! OK, once or twice, but by the 20th time?!?!?!

> Frustration is your enemy when it comes to solving computer woes.

Or working on cars...
witfal - 25 Jun 2007 23:33 GMT
>> Then you win.  When I solve a long-standing problem for someone, their
>> usual reaction is to drop their jaw open.  Most of them, really, have just
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> "Such-and-such.dll is missing or not found on path c:\yada\yada" and he'd
> ask me how to fix it! OK, once or twice, but by the 20th time?!?!?!

One of the biggest weaknesses possessed by those never acquainted with any OS's
command line interface is not being able to grasp the idea of directory
structure.

If they can't, like your b-i-l, they're probably doomed as to being completely
computer literate.
 
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