Yep. Linux, seeing as how it’s basically unix under the hood, is a complicated, nasty beast when everything doesn’t work just right.
If you want to learn how to look under the hood, it’s a heck of a fun thing, stable, and a delight to use. Especially for getting work done. (Like movies. Lots of films made with FilmGimp these days… probably anything by Lucas or Disney, for starters) Also, it’s a great server operating system. You know, serving files, web pages, what have you.
If you don’t want to look under the hood… probably not the best thing in the world to use. Yet. Working on it.
Lynn: Actually, yeah, you can definately play the Zorks in Linux. I think Fallout works, too. But that’s not really all that relevant.
Gorilla: “Yep, if it doesn’t work, it’s ignored, it’s frustrating, it’s got a steeper than heck learning curve.” That’s about how it goes, about the size of the issue. Statement of agreement. Not pitworthy.
Note: Your Alcatel. Is it connected via USB or through the network card? If it’s routed through the network card, it should just plain work. USB is trickier… generally, not a great idea, either, even in XP.
Here’s a page about the differences between software and hardware based modems.
Basically, you can imagine a modem as made of two parts - one part translates 1s and 0s into audio signals (and vice versa); the other part implements the AT command set, compression and encryption protocols, and is responsible for deciding which 1s and 0s get sent.
The cheapest modems implement both parts in software, and the modem hardware itself is little more than a sound card connected to a phone jack. This creates the biggest drain on your CPU and is the hardest to use from another operating system. The most portable modems implement both parts in hardware; they can work with any OS and don’t use up CPU cycles. Some “controllerless” modems implement the first part in hardware and the second part in software.
If you see a modem for $10, you can be 99% sure that one or both parts is implemented in software, even if it’s PCI or USB.
Linmodems.org has information about using winmodems from Linux.
Not just my text adventures. I have Return to Zork, Zork: Nemesis (which I don’t recommend) and Zork: Grand Inquisitor (which I DO recommend). NOBODY will separate me from my Zorks!
Well, I might let you have Zork: Nemesis if you asked real nice…
Kind of off the subject, but…
I was justwatching this documentary about the whole Linux thing as I really do not know a great deal about it. According to the film, they sort of closed up in 2001 due to Bill Gates setting the dogs on them, and they didn’t have the dough to do anything about it. It really seemed as thought the guy (Stallman?) who conceived of the thing was trying to do good for the masses, and I sort of felt bad for him, although such altruistic goals always make me suspicious. What was the deal with it? How did they get back on track after Gates shut them down, and is it really a free system?
Black…, The name of the docu was “Revolution OS”. It wasn’t the best production I have ever seen, as it was at times vague and hard to follow. The way one was aware of how Microsoft responded to the fact that, once Linux went public and it’s stocks traded up for the first time at a higher ratio than any other stock up until that time, was they just showed a bit of writing on the screen at what was practically the final scene of the film, to show that Micro launched a program that screwed it up so badly that the stocks then plummeted. This was really all that was said about it , and then boom. End of film. So I don’t know . Maybe I’d better look at that book.
Linux doesn’t have stocks, it’s not a corporation. Linux is developed by thousands of people worldwide, some being paid by various companies to work on it, some working in their own free time.
Perhaps they were talking about Red Hat or another company that sells Linux distributions and tech support. The distribution is a package containing the Linux kernel (the very core of the OS, which is free), a bunch of other software that users expect their operating system to have (usually also free), and some customized software to help with installation and maintenance (often not free).
This does not prove that Linux and Unix are only good for servers. It proves that Linux was not right for you.
I use Linux on the desktop, on my laptops and make a living working with Unix on servers. I’m thrilled with Mandrake Linux. With the exception of comprehensive hardware support (which is not Mandrake’s fault, it’s a matter of hardware vendors not needing to put forth the effort), I believe Mandrake is superior to Windows.
Not kidding.
And Not a Well Woman, Microsoft hasn’t come close to killing Linux. They have spread some FUD and played up perceived strengths of Windows versus weaknesses of Linux, but this is what almost all companies do when faced with competition.
Also, Stallman is more appropriately identified with GNU and Free Software. Stallman, depending on your point of view, is a visionary or a kook. He believes, amongst several other things, that software should be free. GNU aims to put out free alternatives to proprietary or cost based software. (gcc - GNU c compiler, GNOME - GNU window manager, etc…). More information can be found at www.gnu.org
Linus Torvalds started the whole Linux thing (Linux is a play on his name). GNU software runs on Linux (and Solaris and Windows and AIX and HP-UX and FreeBSD). In fact, GNU software provides much of the functionality for the Linux user’s experience. (Try getting by without gcc). But this is because it is free software governed by the general public license (GPL) and free. Did I mention free? Being free, it is possible for the Linux, BSD and other communities to create software, build on other’s experience and distribute their efforts without running into legal or financial trouble.
Mr2001, leenmi, I think you have a point. I didn’t know the diff between Linux and Linux kernel OS, which is more what the film was talking about. Have you seen it? I would be interested in your opinion. Stallman struck me as a real character. How did he intend to recieve any sort of compensation for his product, or didn’t he care? If he didn’t, I am curious as to what type of lifestyle he has that he could waive such an opportunity. Weird guy, but knowing some MIT grads as I do, I’m not surprised.
Haven’t seen the film. GNU’s free software philosophy can be found here. Stallman isn’t opposed to making money or commercial software. He’s opposed to closed-source and proprietary standards standing in the way.
Red Hat and other distributions are examples of commercial uses of free software. Red Hat bundles together an operating system that includes the kernel, configuration tools and useful apps. They wrap it up in a pretty package and give it away. They even give away their source code so you can see exactly how they did it or maybe find a better way of doing things.
And when you have a problem, you can fix it yourself or pay them for support.
They’ll also sell you a boxed copy of what they give away for free. It sounds silly when put bluntly, but sometimes, it’s worth it.
GorillaMan, if it’s an Alcatel modem connected via USB (is it the SpeedTouch, that looks kind of like a fat, green manta ray?), Mandrake 9.1 and 9.2 (and I think the newest SuSe and RedHat distros) has the drivers for this modem included. I have Mandrake 9.1 installed at home, and it connects my Alcatel SpeedTouch USB modem at boot up automatically, and it works just fine.
You can also download the driver, etc. as an rpm from here.
When Linux can run all the latest PC games, maybe I’ll give it a shot. However, since one of my big hobbies is beta testing the games of the future, it doesn’t really sound like Linux is for me.
Intrtiguing…I’ll give it a go, once I’ve got a new hard drive (amazing how quickly 40GB fills up ). Although Mandrake’s hardware database doesn’t list it as supported…
You’re right. I checked also, and the Alcatel SpeedTouch USB modem is only listed as “known hardware”, which means that it has been reported as compatible by someone in the community of users and developers. That’s strange, because I know that the drivers are included in the full distribution of Mandrake 9.1 (three .iso images). Here is a .pdf with a picture of my modem and some more specs on it. If you have the same Alcatel modem, Mandrake 9.1 or 9.2 should work for you. They also have the additional advantage of being pretty easy to install and configure, without once having to use a command line. That can be pretty handy for someone just starting to use Linux.
Thanks …it’s not the same modem, but I’m guessing (hoping) it’s similar, or even just a redesigned case - lol it’s silver and looks less silly :p. Mandrake here I come…and I might end up taking back a lot of what I said ^
Thanks for stopping by. And I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say good for you. Your mother must be proud.
Got anything else off topic that you want to brag about?
Linux can run the latest PC games. Nothing stopping it except the vendors haven’t ported the software. So, your statement should be when software makers start making versions of the latest PC games for Linux, maybe you’ll give it a shot.
Sweet of you. So glad that you might, someday, consider Linux.
). Although Mandrake’s hardware database doesn’t list it as supported…
…it’s not the same modem, but I’m guessing (hoping) it’s similar, or even just a redesigned case - lol it’s silver and looks less silly :p. Mandrake here I come…and I might end up taking back a lot of what I said ^ 