Linux-Hardware Digest #407, Volume #12 Sun, 5 Mar 00 15:13:10 EST
Contents:
Re: Maxtor 40G IDE w/o BIOS support (Keith Rohrer)
Re: Kernel update??? (Hal Burgiss)
Re: ?? Ethernet card help.... :o ("Goofy")
Re: Advice on PartitionMagic on all-Linux system? (Steve Jacobs)
Re: 3COM SuperStack II 3300 ("Billy Ko")
Re: redhat FS (iso9660?) vs. os/2's HPFS (J Bland)
Re: Modems & Linux (h0l0gRaM)
CD-Writer (IDE) install ??? ("Die Fietzos")
Re: OnStream DI30 Tape Drive (Sami Shaaban)
Caldera 2.3 CD-Writer install ??? ("Die Fietzos")
Re: controllerless modem ("Delbert G. Freeman")
Re: Modem Blaster External? (Stephen Voss)
Re: Modem Blaster External? (Stephen Voss)
Re: 3com Impact External ISDN Modem (Yehoshua Shoshan)
Re: Barcode-like fonts w/ATI Rage Fury/SVGA X-server ("David St.Clair")
Inspiron 5000 XF86Config for 14" screen (bradford smith)
Re: Linux sucks (John Jordan)
Re: redhat FS (iso9660?) vs. os/2's HPFS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Keith Rohrer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Re: Maxtor 40G IDE w/o BIOS support
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 06:37:20 -0600
Paul Halliday wrote:
>
> On Thu, 17 Feb 2000 21:52:44 -0600, Keith Rohrer
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> : Does anyone know how to configure such a drive for its full capacity under
> : Linux without BIOS support? I have to install the capacity limiting jumper
> : or the machine will not boot, even with autodetction turned off or a
> : specific geometry and mode chosen.
>
> Are you running any other OS's on the same drive? If so, I don't have
> a solution (other than new motherboard or a hopeful BIOs upgrade).
> If Linux is the only OS then you can use the full 40Gb provided you
> are booting off another drive (alternatively a Linux boot floppy disk
> should do it).
The only problem with installing the capacity limiting jumper in that case
would be how to get fdisk to deal with the extra cylinders (beyond 65535).
Maybe your double-the-heads approach might work, at least to get the LBA
numbers right... Then you could just use the space beyond 32G for Linux.
> To be able to use the full 40Gb under Linux;
> 1. Reposition the jumper on the Maxtor drive so the full drive
> capacity is accessible.
>
> 2. _Remove_ the hard drive entry form the CMOS settings (i.e. Go in to
>
> the BIOS and tell it that there is no drive installed on the IDE
> channel). This should allow the machine to boot without problems.
For machines with Award BIOS which did support the drive, this was
unnecessary; for machines with Award BIOS which did *not* support the
drive, this was insufficient to prevent a hang. Apparently the ATAPI probe
(you can't say "no hard disk, no CD-ROM either" in the BIOS setup...) still
got confused by my Maxtor. (The motherboards I tried were a Gigabyte 586S
and an Asus SP97V, which both failed, and the ASUS P5A which it worked fine
with, but that's my Losedows box. It was the P5A I used to suggest
geometry, then installed it on the 586S with the capacity limiting jumper,
an overriden geometry in the boot parameters, and a 2.2.14 kernel.)
> 3. When in Linux (installation disk or off another hard drive), run
> fdisk and type in 'x' (followed by RETURN) to enter expert mode.
> Then half the number of cylinders and double the number of heads
> (type 'c', hit RETURN and enter 39703 and RETURN, then type 'h',
> hit RETURN and enter 32).
> 4. You can now partition as much of the 40Gb as you want (just type
> 'r' and hit return to enter the normal, non-expert menu mode).
This might work even with the capacity limiting jumper. You'd still have
to feed Linux the geometry override, though.
> Note that the original drive geometry is actually 79406 cylinders, 16
> heads and 63 sectors (as reported by Maxblast - at least for the
> 7200RPM version I have).
I used one of the geometries my P5A suggested:
Disk /dev/hdc: 255 heads, 63 sectors, 4892 cylinders
but that should work as well.
> Linux (or maybe just fdisk) seems to have a
> 16-bit limit on the number of cylinders, so you can't enter more than
> 65,536, but the above instructions will let you use it without problem
> - working much like the EIDE solution used to solve the old 500Mb IDE
> limit. I've been able to partition it and save a few Gig of data to
> the last 38-40Gb of the hard drive without any problems, so it appears
> to be working. You can mount the partitions after a reboot without
> having to tell it anything about the new geometry (it gets it from the
> partition table).
As per the Large Disk HOWTO, the old Linux code that takes whatever
geometry lies are out there and computes a "real" geometry had a 16-bit
cylinder number as an intermediate value. fdisk will probably cap you at
65535 cylinders if the value in the partition table is only 16 bits wide.
Upgrade your kernel to 2.2.14 to get around this. (If you're the type to
use a development-series kernel, you've already upgraded to
2.3.recent-enough anyway...)
> Personally I have problems because I want to run Win95 on it too (I
> need the space for all those computer games ;), so I'll probably buy
> one of those 1GHz overclocked Athlons for �200UKP and a new board (my
> current board is a TMC TI5VGF, 2Mb cache, 8 months old yet even the
> BIOS on that isn't capable of more than 32Gb and just locks up. :-(
I think a 10G would still do fine for a year or two, so long as you
uninstall the games you haven't played in a year or so, or just re-install
Windows so often that it's not a problem. :-)
> Paul.
Keith
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Hal Burgiss)
Subject: Re: Kernel update???
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 18:27:16 GMT
On Sun, 05 Mar 2000 17:48:16 GMT, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>On Sun, 05 Mar 2000 05:29:24 GMT, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Hal Burgiss)
>wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 05 Mar 2000 03:56:07 GMT, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>Hello
>>>Not sure if this is a hardware issue or not. I am running RH6.0
>>>2.2.5-15 and am trying to update the kernel to 2.2.5-22 using the
>>>rpm. Goes thru the unpacking but then I get an error message that
>>>says: Cannot allocate space for database. Is this a harddrive
>>>problem? Since I'm a newbie I have no idea. My system is a Pentium
>>>166 with Linux running as a stand alone OS. I have a 4.3G harddrive.
>>>I have looked on the partitions and there seems to be enough room to
>>>install. I have 3G open on /usr so I d/l to that directory. Is this
>>>wrong? TIA for any response.
>>
>>What are your other partitions? RPM is probably creating some tmp
>>files elsewhere. What does 'df' show?
>>
>>PS -- Make sure to use the '-i' option when upgrading kernels.
>Thanks for your response. My other partitions are listed below. When
>I setup the partitions I was a total newbie and wasn't sure what I was
>doing. I checked with fdisk p, and noticed I have an extended
>partition on /dev/hda2. This is a dos partition instead of Linux isn't
>it? Since I only have Linux installed on this drive should I make
>ext2fs this partition? This is a 4.3G harddrive.
>
>/dev/hda1 / 424 Free
>/dev/hda2 extended
>/dev/hda5 /home 435 Free
>/dev/hda6 /var 0 Free
>/dev/hda7 swap
>/dev/hda8 /usr 3707 Free
Extended partition has nothing to do with DOS per se. All your
partitions except hda1 are logical ones residing in the extended
partition. Do NOT touch that partition!
>Also, with /var 0 Free, is there any way to free up some space?
>Noticed I have a ton of stuff in /tmp, can I safely remove everything?
>This is really a stupid question, but since I'm a newbie, what is 'df'?
>: ) Also I did use the -i with the RPM when I was upgrading the
>Kernel. TIA
Are you leaving your computer on 24/7? I would suggest doing this at
least occasionally until you know your way around. The reason is that
there is a lot disk maintenance that goes on overnight. Typically, files
in /tmp that have not been accessed for a while are automatically
removed. This is nice. Also, log files are rotated so they do not get
too large. These are mostly in /var/log/. This is probably where your
disk space went. 'man df' will help you. You can remove anything in /tmp
you don't need, just be careful. Some running programs (like X and xfs)
keep their tmp files there, and they are important. BTW, RPM does use
/var for tmp files IIRC.
--
Hal B
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
------------------------------
From: "Goofy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: ?? Ethernet card help.... :o
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 18:32:17 GMT
I have the same problem and don't iknow how to fix it either but if I go
into the control panel and activate that card under the network options it
works fine but have to do that everytime I reboot.... tried saving the
configuration and it didn't help.... I have both kde and gnome running but
it doesn't make a difference.. It happens during the startup... Confused???
Goofy.
Fairway Fatty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> Im running RH6.1 and at initial install it seemed all hardware loaded in
> cluding my Nic card without probs. I couldnt seem to get my linux
> partition to recognize my home network or my network printer so i
> started messin with the network settings in Gnome interface.......any
> way now when i reboot during the load ethernet0 always "fails" where it
> used to load fine although icouldnt get it thru to anybody....... where
> and what is the command to reconfig network adapter where can i find
> some good help info on cofigging my home lan with linux. this machine
> is multipartitoned with NT, 98 and Linux and i access the lan/printer
> with NT or 98 no problem. Another question i'll drop in here - im a
> rookie (doh!)..... and im running X windows with Gnome.........I
> d'loaded KDE....... if i install KDE can i still run Gnome...... and is
> there any difference?
> Thanks, FF
>
------------------------------
From: Steve Jacobs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Advice on PartitionMagic on all-Linux system?
Date: 05 Mar 2000 11:39:45 -0700
Robert Sand <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Steve,
>
> The PM product only runs in windows 95/98/NT. It's nice if you have a system
> with both Win and Linux but in your case you'll need to have a disk with win on
> it in order to do the partitioning/resizing work that PM will let you do.
That isn't quite true. From a Win 95/98/NT machine, you can also make
a bootable floppy with non-GUI versions of PM. All the same functionality,
but the interface isn't quite as nice.
------------------------------
Crossposted-To:
comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,comp.os.os2.networking.misc,comp.os.os2.networking.server
From: "Billy Ko" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: "Billy Ko" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: 3COM SuperStack II 3300
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 18:53:40 GMT
On Sun, 5 Mar 2000 05:31:42 -0800, Sara wrote:
:>I have a 3Com Superstack II 3300 used for my colocation at my ISP. When I
:>hook all the cables the status lights signal a-ok except the line provided
:>by my ISP (which I think is called the uplink). I've heard that this line
:>is a crossover cable, but not sure. How do I go about making this
:>connection work?
:>
:>
:>
:>
You should have a port labeled with an "x" (like 12x or 24x). This is your
crossover port. There is a corresponding button on the front panel that will
show you what position the button should be in for crossover or normal
configuration. Put the ISP cable there, and experiment with the button. If
niether button position works, something's wrong with the connection, itself.
Bill
Team OS/2
=====
OS/2 - If you want "productivity" to be more than a few
four-letter words.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (J Bland)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.redhat
Subject: Re: redhat FS (iso9660?) vs. os/2's HPFS
Date: 5 Mar 2000 19:00:28 GMT
>
>Since switching from os/2 to linux (redhat 6.1), I've had little to complain
>about with once exception: the way the filesystem reacts to an unaticipated
>halt.
>
>On os/2, even with very unreliable hardware, I never ever lost a byte of data
>in 6 years of use. It was a welcome change after windoze' piss poor FAT file
>system where anytime there was a crash, there were crosslinked files.
>
>My computer has a bad AGP video board that sometimes doesn't initialize
>properly. Killing the power during the boot process has twice caused file
>system errors that the automatic fsck has been unable to correct. Perhaps it
>was just being panicy. The lost+found directory hasn't had anything of
>importance -- last time it was just some netscape crud.
While setting things up and sorting out problems etc I've often had to reset
a machine uncleanly, and while the long wait for an fsck is annoying I have
never lost any data. As you say above, it's usually netscape files that are
in its cache that cause any problems. Linux syncs its discs quite often so
it's unlikely you'll lose anything important anyway.
I'm not saying you can't lose data from an ext2 fs but I've yet to see it
happen here. As always, back up important stuff, because it might only be a
1/1000 chance (pure guess) of losing your data but it's bloody annoying if
it does happen.
JB
------------------------------
From: h0l0gRaM <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Modems & Linux
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 19:05:55 GMT
>
> Could someone recomend a modem that will work with linux, and be fairly
> easy to set up as I am new to this.
>
Well ,almost all modems work in linux ,but don't buy those WinModems
,modems which are �designed for windows....� ,they are software controlled
and linux doesn't see those at all.
Some internal PNP modems are quite hard to get work ,external modems are
just serial ports and they work fine.
------------------------------
From: "Die Fietzos" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: CD-Writer (IDE) install ???
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 20:05:26 +0100
DESCRIPTION:
Ricoh 7040A (IDE) secon master CD-Rom (IDE) primary slave
I want to install my CD-writer(IDE)
I compile the Kernel with SCSI-Support
I think i am very near ,
cdrecords -scanbus makes : scsibus 0 0TEAC CD532E rem...
1 Ricoh CDRw...
But i can`t mount the scd0/scd1:
The error message appears : mount wrong fs type,bad option
bad superblock on /dev/scd0 or too many mounted file systems
Pease help me !!!
Ralf (Germany)
------------------------------
From: Sami Shaaban <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: OnStream DI30 Tape Drive
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 19:09:06 GMT
Just in case this helps with any diagnosis, I zeroed in on the driver's
error message that gets spit out when Amanda's making it's tape dump:
ide-tape: ht0: I/O error, pc = 2b, key = 2, asc = 4, ascq = 1
ide-tape: ht0: expected to find marker at addr 131
> Is this with the certified Linux driver available from
> http://www.onstream.com/support/linux/index.html
> ???
Yes, I patched the kernel with the driver updates, and the drive seems
to work with most applications other than Amanda.
> Have you tried emailing them.
I sent in a support request and am awaiting a respose.
Paul Bristow wrote:
>
> Is this with the certified Linux driver available from
> http://www.onstream.com/support/linux/index.html
> ???
>
> Have you tried emailing them. I've been using a SCSI drive for over a
> year now
> and their support has been excellent.
>
> Disclaimer: I do not work for Onstream...
>
> Sami Shaaban wrote:
> >
> > I recently purchased an OnStream DI30 tape drive and tried using it with
> > Amanda on a Linux system (with the 2.2.14 kernel compiled with the patch
> > needed to make this drive work). The drive works fine if tar is writing
> > to it, but to does not seem to work with dd. After getting restore
> > errors with Amanda's amrestore and amrecover commands, I tried reading
> > with dd, which didn't work, then I tried writing to a new tape with the
> > following simple dd command:
> >
> > dd -of=/dev/nht0 -if=./somefile -bs=32k
> >
> > with the following output:
> >
> > dd: /dev/nht0: invalid argument
> > 0+1 records in
> > 0+0 records out
> >
> > My guess is that the DI30 driver just isn't ready for prime time and
> > that I should just return this drive for one that is supported. If
> > anyone has any experience with this, I would love to know before mailing
> > this drive back. Otherwise, hopefully my message will serve as a
> > warning for those considering purchase of this drive for use with Linux.
>
> --
>
> Paul
>
> Web: http://paulbristow.net
> Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> ICQ: #11965223
------------------------------
From: "Die Fietzos" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Caldera 2.3 CD-Writer install ???
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 20:11:30 +0100
DESCRIPTION:
Ricoh 7040A (IDE) secon master CD-Rom (IDE) primary slave
I want to install my CD-writer(IDE)
I compile the Kernel with SCSI-Support
I think i am very near ,
cdrecords -scanbus makes : scsibus 0 0TEAC CD532E rem...
1 Ricoh CDRw...
But i can`t mount the scd0/scd1:
The error message appears : mount wrong fs type,bad option
bad superblock on /dev/scd0 or too many mounted file systems
Pease help me !!!
Ralf (Germany)
------------------------------
From: "Delbert G. Freeman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: controllerless modem
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 13:32:03 -0600
Like so many, I had to replace my modem. Went to Multiwave
and bought a 3Com 5687-03, which is an ISA modem for $80.00.
--
Deb - OSMA
If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every
now and then to make sure it's still there.
------------------------------
From: Stephen Voss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: Re: Modem Blaster External?
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 14:29:24 -0500
"John E. Maynus" wrote:
> I was wondering if Creative Labs External Modem Blaster would work under Lin
> ux?
> It's DE5620 off www.modemblaster.com I was told it was a USB modem and was t
> old it should work under Linux but was also told by someone they heard USB m
> odems didn't work under Linux. I read on off www.linuxnewbie.org that they d
> id but was a bit harder to get to work.
> I don't want to waste $90.00 or a USB external modem when I can buy a non-US
> B external for $100.00 at a different place.
> Would it be wise to get the USB one for $90.00?
Hold on.
The 5620 is NOT a USB modem unless it says specifically USB.
The normal External Modem blaster attaches to your serial bus not USB
I have the 5620-3 and its a normal serial bus modem and
it works great with redhat 6.1
------------------------------
From: Stephen Voss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: Re: Modem Blaster External?
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 14:32:13 -0500
Stephen Voss wrote:
> "John E. Maynus" wrote:
>
> > I was wondering if Creative Labs External Modem Blaster would work under Lin
> > ux?
> > It's DE5620 off www.modemblaster.com I was told it was a USB modem
The 5670 is the USB model, the 5620 is a serial bus model.
The customer support person may be confused on the issue.
------------------------------
From: Yehoshua Shoshan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: 3com Impact External ISDN Modem
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 20:40:34 -0600
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Hi Chris,
You can try to use kppp with the same setup as for reguler modem.
However change the ATZ string with ATB31.
You can do similar thing with wvdial.
Yehoshua
Chris Thornburg wrote:
>
> I have an external 3com Impact ISDN modem and 2 channels to play with.
> Anyone have any luck in setting this modem up to work? What I need
> basically is a starting point for research. I would definatly like to
> use this so I can use my Linux machine (2.2.14) as the router instead of
> what my room mates want to use because its easy, win2000. Its an
> external modem and it says it emulates AT commands, but a couple places
> i read you install it like a nic card. Ohh yeah, the other thing I want
> it to do is use both channels, but drop the line when a call comes in. I
> know windows has software from this but 3com hasn't released any
> software as far as i can see for it. I'm not sure wether thats a feature
> of the modem or the phone company yet; but i think more than likely the
> modem. If you could help me out and give a few suggestions on where I
> should look, the help would be greatly appreciated. Btw; I have a dialup
> analog gateway at home right now so I'm familar with masq already.
>
> -Thanks,
> Chris
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------------------------------
From: "David St.Clair" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Barcode-like fonts w/ATI Rage Fury/SVGA X-server
Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2000 10:53:09 -0500
There is a patch for this server that fixes the font problem. I have it
pre-compiled binary, but it was done with Redhat. I am not sure that will work
in Debian. You might have to re-compile it yourself and apply the patch if you
can. Otherwise, try to find someone who has it compiled for debian.
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~distclai/rage128-howto.html
David St.Clair
-OYOY- wrote:
> I get barcode-like fonts when I run the SVGA server from XFree86 3.3.6
>
> When I run SUSEs XF86_Rage128 server for XFree86 3.3.5 the fonts are OK. As
> I understand this server is included in XF86_SVGA from 3.3.6, but it
> doesn't work for me. Have anyone used this server with a Rage Fury card?
>
> I'm running Debian Potato, and there have been reports of garbeled fonts
> with the Debian package of XF86_SVGA for other cards as well.
>
> Any inputs on this one please? I'm not to sure that mixing versions of
> XFree86 is a good idea, even though it seems to work ok with the 3.3.5
> version of XF86_Rage128.
>
> Regards, -OYOY-
>
> --
> Posted via CNET Help.com
> http://www.help.com/
------------------------------
From: bradford smith <"bradford "@[undergroundfilm].com>
Subject: Inspiron 5000 XF86Config for 14" screen
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 19:52:10 GMT
Hi,
Anyone have a working XF86Config for the Inspiron with the 14" screen? I
am using the X server that comes with the RedHat 6.1 distro, and I have
put the VGA=2 line into lilo.conf; I can't get a valid configuration.
Thanks in advance for any help,
/bradford
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (John Jordan)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.portable,linux.redhat.install
Subject: Re: Linux sucks
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 19:10:04 GMT
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Orest M. A. Zarowsky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> dijo a todos por la
internet:
>3) What does suck is the assumption made by many Linux "experts" and advanced
>users that the documentation that comes with Linux is superb and more than
>adequate. It is not. Lots of stuff out there, but what kills it is the
>assumption underlying ALL of the documentation that the person using it is
>already familiar with the OS. This may have been true in the "good old days",
>but it ain't so anymore.
Exactly so. Failure to define terminology, assuming the reader knows
the meaning of the term, is a common sin, e.g., "place the address of
the gateway here." What if the user has never heard of a gateway? Or
if the user has heard of one, has no idea where to get the address to
put in the blank? Or what will happen if you leave it blank -- why it
is important, what its function is? Authors of the Linux documentation
that I have read so far assume too much knowledge on the part of the
reader.
This is bad writing, but it is human nature. Part of the reason for it
is because it takes several times as much verbiage to explain
something fully. It's faster to cut it down to the bare bones. We're
all a bit lazy, but it's deadly if you're writing for clarity.
The first thing a professional writer does is identify the audience
and write to the level of the audience. I sense that authors of Linux
documentation are superb technicians, but have never had to develop
good writing skills. That's fine -- none of us can be good at
everything. But it means that the Linux Documentation Project needs to
have someone who is a professional writer edit their materials for
readability. You can bet Microsoft does this for their manuals. Tech
support calls cost them big bucks. They would never let the proggers
write any more than the rough draft of the technical documentation.
Not only is Microsoft documentation written for clarity, but it is
also professionally laid out. There are ample screen shots showing
what it is supposed to look like, for example. For clear
presentations, the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words
is still true.
Troubleshooting is another aspect of the problem. What if the user
puts the address in the gateway, but it still doesn't work? What else
might be wrong? Good troubleshooting manuals are designed to take the
user step by step, like a flowchart -- "1) Be sure the device is
plugged in, 2) ..." -- that sort of thing. Corporations do this for
their products in order to cut down on tech support calls. They
wouldn't bother if it wasn't successful in meeting that goal.
>4) I have yet to find a reasonable set of documentation about Linux that makes
>it relatively easy to migrate from the world of Microsoft to the world of
>Linux. I am reasonably knowledgeable about computers and I am having a hell of
>a time trying to learn Linux. Assuming that the Linux community is serious in
>their desire to expand the use and role of Linux, documentation that dispenses
>with the attitude that the user is already an expert needs to be developed. I
>don't have the time to take several months to figure out how to do basic file
>management (as one example) on my own. Ease of use and reasonable introductory
>level documentation are necessary if Linux is to become anything more than a
>niche market player. Having something like this available would significantly
>reduce the number of "Linux sucks" posts and improve the chances of Linux
>reducing the size of market share controlled by Microsoft.
And this will become more and more important as Linux invades the
desktop. When it was mostly just a server OS it was used primarily by
system administrators, usually with degrees or at least advanced
knowledge of computers. These people already knew what a gateway was,
so the term didn't need to be defined in the documention. But for
Windows users, considerably more help is going to be necessary.
It's especially critical right now. Linux is taking off. More and more
Windows users are trying it out. Every one who walks off in disgust is
going to badmouth it to his or her friends. We don't need negative
publicity -- God knows Microsoft's marketing machine already provides
us with enough.
NOTICE: The e-mail address is deliberately incorrect.
Delete "xnospam" from the username.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ()
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.redhat
Subject: Re: redhat FS (iso9660?) vs. os/2's HPFS
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 20:00:40 GMT
On 5 Mar 2000 19:00:28 GMT, J Bland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>While setting things up and sorting out problems etc I've often had to reset
>a machine uncleanly, and while the long wait for an fsck is annoying I have
>never lost any data. As you say above, it's usually netscape files that are
>in its cache that cause any problems. Linux syncs its discs quite often so
>it's unlikely you'll lose anything important anyway.
>
>I'm not saying you can't lose data from an ext2 fs but I've yet to see it
>happen here. As always, back up important stuff, because it might only be a
>1/1000 chance (pure guess) of losing your data but it's bloody annoying if
>it does happen.
I've had it happen twice and it is *scarey* having a machine that won't boot
anymore. The worst part is having to read the man pages for fsck and play with
it when there's a threat of losing everythin.
So far I haven't lost any data to the best of my knowledge, but I don't like
the way it behaves like a microsoft POS file system, prompting me a half dozen
times without giving a meaningfull filename. OS/2's HPFS in contrast was rock
solid reliable. IMNSHO, Score: windoze <V>FAT: 0, linux 6, os/2's hpfs 10. I
still can't believe microsoft uses something so primative.
------------------------------
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