Linux-Misc Digest #736, Volume #21 Thu, 9 Sep 99 06:13:08 EDT
Contents:
Re: Connecting To Juno Using Linux (fred smith)
Re: Different types of linux (Andrew Carroll)
Re: find_solib error in RedHat 5.1 (Fung Wai Keung)
Re: DMA blues (Mark Bulmahn)
Linux Training in Austin, Texas ("Thomas Cameron")
Re: One must-have program for a newbie (Leonard Evens)
Re: i deleted /boot/boot.b ("Chris Liddell")
Re: Permissions Problem (Jon Skeet)
spice Cad and alternatives (Leo Cambilargiu)
Re: linux install (Leonard Evens)
Re: signal 11 (Ben De Rydt)
Re: Amiga, QNX, Linux and Revolution (Jon Skeet)
Re: Amiga, QNX, Linux and Revolution (Guy Macon)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: fred smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Connecting To Juno Using Linux
Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 17:49:27 GMT
Linux Hacker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
: Hi,
: Has anyone had ever setup his/her Linux machine to make a connection to
: Juno through modem and download the e-mail? What about making a PPP
: connection through Juno using a Linux machine?
The Juno docs tell you that you cannot use any client other than their
own because of their closed protocols. And if someone did reverse
engineer the protocols, Juno would probably send a lawyer around to
see him (IMHO).
Fred
--
---- Fred Smith -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------
I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.
============================== Philippians 4:13 ===============================
------------------------------
From: Andrew Carroll <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Different types of linux
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 09:47:09 +0000
Elaan,
I highly recommend SuSE Linux.
When I first started using Linux I ordered a set from cheapbytes which
had the 5 major Linux distributions in it, just so I could see which one
I preferred.
After a few weeks on installing and using each one I decided that SuSE
was the best.
When SuSE 6.0 was released I ordered the full version, and it is
incredible value for money.
I paid UK�25 for it. It had 4 CD's full of software, and the
installation manual is first class.
I would highly recommend you purchase SuSE 6.2, which is the latest
version. It now has 6CD's I believe, whereas with RedHat you would need
to purchase the Powertools add-on as well. RedHat is very overpriced
IMHO.
The manual alone is worth the price, as it is more helpful than many of
the Linux books you can buy, especially if you are new to Linux.
However, Caldera 2.3 is also very good apparently. It is extremely
easy to setup, and makes partitioning you Hard Drive very simple.
Regards
Andrew
Elaan Riycte wrote:
>
> I am looking to purchase, and use, linux for the first time, and so I am
> doing my research.
>
> I have read cnet's look at Caldera vs. Red Hat, but have found a very cheap
> version called SuSE, and it appears to be a better buy than Red Hat or
> Caldera.
>
> Can anyone tell me anything about SuSE, or Mandrake as compared to other
> versions? Any insights to versions of linux are welcome!
>
> I appreciate everybody's help!
>
> ------------------ Posted via CNET Linux Help ------------------
> http://www.searchlinux.com
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Fung Wai Keung)
Subject: Re: find_solib error in RedHat 5.1
Date: 9 Sep 1999 07:01:56 GMT
Hi,
The problem of ddd-3.1.6 is solved after I've deleted the search
path duplicated in $LD_LIBRARY_PATH and ld.so.conf and recompile the
program. However, the same problem remains with xemacs-21.1.6.
Fung Wai Keung ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
: Hi,
: I encountered the error "find_solib: Can't read pathname for load
: map: Input/output error" when I run xemacs-21.1.6 and ddd-3.1.6. I
: compile them under the same machine running RedHat 5.1
: How to solve the error?
: Thanks in advance.
: --
: Regards,
: Wai Keung, Fung
: Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering,
: The Chinese University of Hong Kong,
: Shatin, N.T.,
: Hong Kong.
: Tel: (852)26098056 Fax: (852)26036002
--
Regards,
Wai Keung, Fung
Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Shatin, N.T.,
Hong Kong.
Tel: (852)26098056 Fax: (852)26036002
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Mark Bulmahn)
Subject: Re: DMA blues
Date: 9 Sep 1999 08:57:08 GMT
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Tom Ford <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Slightly more emphasis on the misc than the linux...
>
> Just recently, Linux has been telling me the following a _lot_:
>
> hda: dma_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
> hda: dma_intr: error=0x84 { DriveStatusError BadCRC }
>
> I would be grateful if someone could describe the problem more
> verbosely and give any suggestions (aside from turn off DMA :)
>
Hi,
I had the same problem here. The solution was to _disable_
(Ultra-)DMA in the BIOS. Since then Ultra DMA in Linux
works fine. Don't ask me why but I think the BIOS'
initialization for Ultra DMA is broken.
If this doesn't work for you I would suggest to check
the cable length. Especially in big tower cases the
specification for UATA/33 or UATA/66 is exceeded.
Another frequent problem with this is overclocking:
PCI is often overclocked at 75 or 83,5 MHz on the
front side bus.
Hope this helps,
Mark.
------------------------------
From: "Thomas Cameron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Linux Training in Austin, Texas
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 06:13:31 GMT
Three-Sixteen Technical Services announces 5-day Linux administration
classes in Austin, Texas. Red Hat and other distributions will be covered.
Topics include Functions of the OS, Linux Filesystem, 40 Essential Linux
Commands & Concepts, Administrative Functions, Configuring Accounts, Network
Connectivity & Daemons, Security, Printing, Package Management, File Systems
Management, System Initialization & LILO, Customization and Configuration,
Installing Linux, Configuring X, Distribution Differences, Resources, and Q
& A. Classes run September 20-24, and September 27-October 1. The cost is
$1599 - there is a $100 discount for early registration. For further
information and to register, see http://training.three-sixteen.com, e-mail
[EMAIL PROTECTED], or call 512-380-0316.
------------------------------
From: Leonard Evens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.windows.x.kde,alt.uu.comp.os.linux.questions
Subject: Re: One must-have program for a newbie
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 02:26:02 -0500
Bob Hauck wrote:
>
> "dkmallick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> > Only problem is that Drive Image is a Windoze program (actually it runs in
> > DOS). Wish someday we will have a similar program in Linux (or is there one
> > already?).
>
> dump? tar? cpio? afio? You have lots of backup options without even
> getting into the commercial stuff.
>
> I use afio and Karel Kubat's "tob" script to back up to tape. If I lose
> a hard drive, I just install a new one, boot from floppy, restore from
> the tape (repeat as needed for differential backups), run lilo, reboot,
> done. Yes, I've actually had to do this a few times over the years and
> it works fine.
>
> If you have tons of space on your disk, or a spare disk, you could write
> the archive to a spare partition or disk instead of to tape. If you
> need to recover a lot, that would be pretty slick.
>
> Assuming /dev/hda1 is your primary partition and /dev/hdb2 is where the
> backup is (written using something like tar clzf /dev/hdb2 /), you
> would do something like this to restore...
>
> [boot from floppy]
> mount -n -t ext2 /mnt /dev/hda1
> cd /mnt
> tar xzpf /dev/hdb2
> lilo -r /mnt
> [reboot]
>
> --
> -| Bob Hauck
> -| Wasatch Communications Group
> -| http://www.wasatch.com/~bobh
What you say is most interesting. In order to tar back from the
tape, you have to load a ramdisk version of the system into
memory and be able to run tar from it and access the tape device.
I don't know how to do this with the boot/rescue floppy combination
produced by RH releases. (I have done what you describe several
times with Suns where one can boot a rescue system from a
CD which has remote restore capabilities.) So where does one
get one of your magic floppies?
I understand how to do it as you describe from another disk.
--
Leonard Evens [EMAIL PROTECTED] 847-491-5537
Dept. of Mathematics, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL 60208
------------------------------
From: "Chris Liddell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: uk.comp.os.linux
Subject: Re: i deleted /boot/boot.b
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 10:04:24 +0100
You can create a phony MBR image by running:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/boot/boot.b bs=512 count=1
The re-run lilo and you'll get an image of your actual MBR.
Hope this helps.
Chris Liddell
Jon Paxton wrote in message <7r5b4o$45h$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
>ok, you can stop laughing now.
>I was going through my /boot directory trying to remove anything I didn't
>think I'd actually need, and I accidentally deleted boot.b, this means I
now
>can't re-run lilo if i want to change my lilo setup at all. The installed
>MBR/Lilo still works fine, so is there a way I can dump my current MBR back
>into the boot.b file so i'm back to normal? If not, how else can I get this
>file back....?
>
>Thanks,
>Jon
>--
>to reply by e-mail remove
>the antispam from my address
>
>
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jon Skeet)
Subject: Re: Permissions Problem
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 10:08:38 +0100
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> [Posted and emailed]
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> > I have a linux server colocated at an ISP and they set it up without using
> > groups. Every user belongs to their own group.
> >
> > I've run in to a problem in that I need to have permissions on
> > files/directories set to writable for some CGI's, but I can't figure out
> > how to not let any user on the system write to them. So what I'm trying to
> > figure out is how to make directories viewable by nobody but not viewable by
> > any users/groups on the system. Since everyone is part of their own group,
> > they call on the same permissions as nobody. So if I make a directory on
> > the server rwx---rwx so that nobody can write to it, then any other user
> > on the server can write to it just as well. Is there a way to fix this?
>
> It's a better idea to make the CGI scripts run under the userid of the
> owner. I believe it's possible to make apache do this automatically, or
> you could do it just for the CGI scripts involved by making the scripts
> setuid owner.
Sorry to add another bit, but here goes: you could also create a
directory and chown it to nobody:nobody, then put sufficient permissions
that only "nobody" can read/write to it. Give each user a subdirectory
under it, and then you only have to worry about users writing CGI scripts
which guess locations of other people's files: if the scripts are running
under the same UID, there's not going to be a way (AFAICT) of separating
them out again. (That's why the idea above is probably better.)
--
Jon Skeet - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet/
------------------------------
From: Leo Cambilargiu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: spice Cad and alternatives
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 17:34:16 +1000
Hello all:
I am looking for a digital circuit simulator which provides an entry into
the logical world. I downloaded spicecad (doesn't work the way I want).
Spice3 (text based only) and I am still on a search for a decent bit of
software.
I would like something which provides a graphic manipulation scheme.
Allows the manipulation of logic gates, and supports subcircuits.
Is there anything I should look for, any sites to check, any leads to
follow. I am running RH5.0 with XWin at the moment (on a 586).
thanks
Leo Cambilargiu
------------------------------
From: Leonard Evens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: linux install
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 01:58:38 -0500
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> Please help:
>
> While trying to install readhat linux 5.1, I got the following error:
>
> VFS : cannot open root device 08:21
> Kernel Punic : VFS : unable to mount root fs on 08:21
>
> All I did was to run autoboot.bat from dosutil on the cd.
> I've got win98, fat32 on the same h.d., could that be the problem?
>
> Thanks in advance, Ronen Gottlieb.
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Does this mean that you were in Windows and you tried to run
that file on the CD? I don't know what that would do, but that
is not the way you are supposed to do the install. If you
want to boot from the CD, change your BIOS setup so it
will boot from the CD first, and reboot with the RH5.1 CD
in the drive. Then all should work normally.
Or, use the rawrite command on the CD under Windows to copy
the file boot.img in the images directory on the CD to a
floppy. Then you can boot from the floppy and insert the
CD when prompted.
But I would suggest getting either 5.2 or 6.0. 5.1 is a bit
out of date at this point. You can get disks quite inexpensively
from companies like Cheapbytes. But given what you tried,
you might try to get a complete package which includes documentation
and then study the documentation. I've seen the official
RH6.0 release on sale in computer stores for about $50.
--
Leonard Evens [EMAIL PROTECTED] 847-491-5537
Dept. of Mathematics, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL 60208
------------------------------
From: Ben De Rydt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.setup,be.comp.os.linux,alt.os.linux
Subject: Re: signal 11
Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 11:30:56 +0200
Ryan Richard wrote:
>
> I am trying to install Red Hat 6.0
>
> Every time I get to the screen where it asks me if I would like to
> create a boot disk, the install crashes. Regardless of if I choose yes
> or no, I get an "signal 11, the install exited abnormally error"
> message.
>
> I have taken this to two different machines. One is a rather new Dell
> P233 and the other a P166 clone. I have been told by Red Hat that this
> is a Hardware error. I am starting to be a little suspicious of that
> response. Is it possible that the media might be defective? Any one
> have ideas how I can proceed?
Signal 11 troubles: http://www.bitwizard.nl/sig11/
RedHat 6.0 install: on ftp:/updates.redhat.com/6.0/images you
can find updated boot-images.
Ben.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jon Skeet)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.qnx,comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: Amiga, QNX, Linux and Revolution
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 08:46:02 +0100
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > Touche. I think most people here know what someone means when someone
> > says "PC", however - and that *doesn't* mean "machine running Windows".
>
> Speaking of which, quite a few of the recent news articles regarding the
> goings on at Amiga have been refering to the Amiga computers made by
> Commodore as "PCs", interesting world. I always regarded any computer
> that could be reasonably used at home a PC (as in Personal Computer).
> This would include the Atari ST, Macs (old and new), the Amiga, the
> Acorn, etc.
Doesn't that make your original post even stranger then? You claim to be
doing something on an Amiga (which is by the above a PC) that can't be
done on a PC. Sounds like a contradiction to me.
> As for what people here _know_ that "PC" stands for, there has been an
> ongoing debate about that, too. At this point, having the letters "PC"
> stand for "IBM Personal Computer or compatible" is tantamount to O.J.
> Simpson's claim that the letters "O.J." could only be used to refer to
> him, not to Orange Juice (except that IBM registered "PC" before it
> became common useage, while "O.J." was registered after millions of
> Americans and hundreds of advertisments were using it to refer to Orange
> Juice).
It's not a case of knowing what it *actually* stands for - it's a case of
knowing what you were talking about and knowing what almost everyone
means when they say PC. You were clearly talking about IBM PC
compatibles, otherwise your post wouldn't make any sense (for reasons
given above). However, it wasn't clear that you realised that the
problems you outlined were ones inherent in Windows, not in the
architecture itself - that was my point.
--
Jon Skeet - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet/
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Guy Macon)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.qnx,comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: Amiga, QNX, Linux and Revolution
Date: 09 Sep 1999 02:28:51 PDT
In article <7r7iqf$cji$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Joe Cosby) wrote:
>
>** To reply in e-mail, remove "howsyz." from address **
>
>Guy Macon hunched over his computer, typing feverishly;
>thunder crashed, Guy Macon laughed madly, then wrote:
(speaking of human interface in general and cars in particular)
>> There is a a one to one relation between the interface and the
>> functions that the user needs to do (stop, go, steer), but there
>> is not a one to one relation between the interface and the internal
>> implementation details. Manual shifting is a good example of a one
>> to one relation between the interface and the internal implementation
>> details, and manual shifting makes it harder to learn how to drive.
>> An ideal car would be an automatic that a power user could switch
>> into manual shifting mode. An ideal car would also not give you
>> two seperate ways to shed speed with different interfaces (brakes
>> and engine braking). An ideal car would have the brake pedal control
>> the brakes and the compression braking (with a power user mode that
>> gives full control).
>>
>
>Here, I agree with you 100%. When I design an interface, I ask myself first, what is
>the
>user going to be trying to do when he accesses this interface? Second, what is the
>ideal absolute logical -minimum- input I am going to need from him to accomplish that?
>
>So for instance, we're manufacturing parts to fill a large order. The production
>supervisor might want to use the computer to find out how many parts have been made
>against the current order, so he knows how many more need to be made. So as I see
>it, that can be reduced to two interactions;
>
>1. I want to check production vs. need
>2. Select part to check
>
>So if I end up with more than two interactions, as I see it I've failed.
>
>That is not only how I design interfaces for others; frequently that's how I design
>them
>for myself.
I agree fully. And of course we both agree that there are other classes
of user besides that production supervisor who require different intefaces.
Two instantly come to mind: the service technician who has to go out and
figure out why your software stopped working after the serial cable got
cut by a forklift needs good error messages and maybe activity logs, and
the software developer (you) who needs to debug or enhance the software
needs a whole different human interface. And of course, as long as all
goes well, the production supervisor should not see details such as baud
rates or pointers.
>I'm not saying that people should be required to understand all the inner workings of
>a
>computer in order to operate one.
>
>I am saying that there are basic concepts in how computers work which are universal
>across platforms.
I agree. Just as a car user doesn't need to know about spark advance, that car
user *needs* to know about steering. (Even this can be made into knowledge that
the user doesn't need, but that changes the car into a locomotive). You hit a
key concept there: "universal across platforms". The idea of asking the supervisor
which part he want's to check is universal. Whether that question comes as a dialog
box, a pulldown menu item, a voice interaction, a touch screen, or a wand that
reads the barcode on a sample part are not universal. You don't need the wand,
and you don't need the screen/keyboard, but you do need some way for the supervisor
to tell the computer what part. That is indeed "universal across platforms" in a
way that filenames or directories are not.
>We are requiring people to interact with these machines, but we are not teaching them
>the basic concepts necessary to interact with them effectively. A hundred, maybe two
>hundred years ago most people learned little or no mathematics. They didn't need to.
>Now, it would be difficult to survive without at least enough math to manage a bank
>account, decide whether a purchase was practical, etc.
>
>Forty-fifty years ago, most people didn't drive autos, so driver's ed wasn't taught in
>school. Now most people drive, so it is.
>
>Ten-fifteen years ago, you didn't need to be computer literate to be employable, so
>basic computer literacy wasn't taught. And it still isn't.
>
>You're talking about changing what it means to be computer-literate. I'm talking
>about
>teaching basic, inevitable concepts of computer use.
>
>Maybe, as you say, hierarchical file structures should be abandoned in the interface
>in
>favor of something 'less technical'. Less of an outgrowth of the computer's internal
>structure.
>
>And, OK, maybe so. But first: what I'm saying is, right now, this is how computers
>work
>and -until- that changes, I think people who are going to depend on these machines
>should be taught core concepts for their own sake, just as they are taught core
>concepts
>of math and driving.
I sure agree with this. I am coming from the direction of how we, as engineers and
software developers should design our end. Of course users should learn "computer
literacy". Model T owners should learn spark advence. No disagreemeny here.
>Second, is it really realistic to say that hierarchical directory structure is a bad
>idea, or
>an idea to be 'gotten beyond'? Computers process large amounts of data very quickly.
>File cabinets can be replaced by desktop computers. Storage warehouses can be
>replaced by LAN servers. A general computer operator is either going to be handling
>large amounts of data, or is not going to be getting as much usefulness out of the
>computer as she can.
>
>So I think a hierarchical structure, or something analogous, is just a good logical
>choice
>for keeping 'papers' sorted.
>
>Is it really such a difficult concept? People learned to use filing cabinets and
>desks for a
>hundred years with no problem. The concepts aren't really all that different, so
>long as
>you work at it from 'the ground up'.
>
>Cooper provides a wonderful example. 'Jane' loses all her files because someone
>changes her default directory in Word.
>
>What I'm saying is, if Jane had been taught a basic core concept like directory
>structure
>she wouldn't have batted an eye.
Again, the concept that jane should learn the details of her present dancing-bearware
is something we both agree on. The question of designing operating systems (and thus
deciding which set of details she has to learn) is another question. Linux, QNX,
and Amiga make different decisions in these areas. Can a new Amiga do better?
>And from the interface design level, what could be done differently, so that Jane
>wouldn't 'have to worry about' structure? MS provide two good solutions. She might
>have clicked the 'File' menu, and checked her last four files from within Word. She
>might have clicked 'Start'->'Documents' from the patented Windows Upside-Down Menu
>(tm) and found her last doc that way.
>
>But I think the problem with these two solutions is immediately obvious. They -add-
>to
>the amount of knowledge necessary for Jane to handle her computer.
>
>So the next step seems to be to say "well, they should be her -primary- interface".
Maybe so, but these interfaces also have things they do poorly (like finding last
year's christmas card list). Other methods that come to mind are having a search
engine interface, of making HTML style hyperlinks really easy for Jane to create,
so that she makes a link rather than saving a file, and click the link rather than
retrieving a file. MS also provides a *much* better solution to the particular case
Cooper relates; the person who changed the default directory should have had his own
desktop settings. If Jane was using NT, she must have given him her password,
otherwise any default directory changes would apply only to him without changing
her settings. Your point still stands, though, because Jane can change her default
directory by accident. She *needs* to understand about directories and defaults -
until OS designers make systems where she doesn't. Even then, she will have to
learn what is (in your words), "universal across platforms".
>But as I see it, teaching hierarchical directory structure -once- in high school,
>where this
>is applicable across a wide variety of needs, just makes more sense.
Yes! I couldn't agree more. Lots of things (scientific method, math, critical
thinking) should be taught to as many as possible. Then we engineers should
design systems so that, wherever possible, such knowledge is not needed. The
person who stores the list of parts that go into assembilgn an airplane will
need to know hierarchical structures. The office worker who does the same
thing again and again should probably be presented with a flat structure of
some kind.
>And this also leads into my next point;
>
>Third: If we get away from interfaces which are based on a 'best representation' of
>the
>system's internal structure, then I think we end up with a lack of uniformity across
>applications, which is even worse for the user.
Here is where I disagree strongly. You have identified a real need,
but in my opinion associated the wrong solution with it. The right
solution is standards. Look at HTML; Hyperlinks are not representitive of
the underlying structure that is in the computer.
>> >Even something as basic as 'how is data stored' can go a very long
>> >way towards making a computer operator, however dullwitted, a much
>> >better operator. When I first ran a Wintel, I had been using an
>> >Amiga for years. It took me no time to find programs, run them,
>> >store files, retrieve files, etc. These things take some people
>> >months, and many people never really understand it. The basics
>> >are universal (plus or minus a GUI).
The fact that data is stored is indeed universal. How is implementation
dependent. Imagine a world where NOVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM) had turned
out to be much cheaper than rotating mechanical storage devices. In this
world, RAM would not be erased when the computer is turned off. We wouldn't
buy a 12GB hard disk when we filled or 1GB disk; wewould instead expand
our 1GB of RAM with another 11GB. "Storage" and "Memory" would not be
different concepts with different rules (files/directories vs. adresses,
volatile vs. non-volatile, fast vs, slow). "store files, retrieve files"
in not universal, but "store information, retrieve information" is. We
usually store documents by name, and we usually store them as one file
per document instead of one file per page, paragraph, or creation date.
Except when we don't. MS Outlook stores email(ASCII text files with
well defined headers) all in one huge file, and presents them as a list
that can be sorted by date recieved, sender, etc.
>> Why should you have to find programs? Why should you be aware of
>> the existance of a hard disk?
>
>I know a large number of people who have filled up their hard disk,
>and not understood why performance dogged (as Windoze juggled page files).
>
>To me it's like saying "why do you need a gas gauge? This car has
>a -really big- gas tank.
I don't think you got my point. Sorry for being unclear. I like the idea
that the user knows that they have a certain amount of storage space
(gas tank/hard disk) and a certain amount of stuff (gas/data) that goes
there. I don't think that the user has to know whether the storage
available/storage used guage refers to a gas tank or a storage battery,
a hard disk or RAM or a PPP connection to an array of tape drives.
It *is* important to understand what causes the gas tank to empty
(don't be such a leadfoot) or the disk to fill (stop downloading
so many JPEGs. Speed and reliabilit of the storage are important
to know (refilling a gas tank is quick. Refilling the battery on
an electric car isn't).
>> You REALLY need to read THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM. It's
>> amazon.com's best selling software development book. It even describes
>> what an apologist is, which fits you (and me, before I read the book!)
>> very well. Look into it. There is a better way to do things.
>>
>
>Despite all this which is disagreeing as far as the need for basic
>computer education, I don't want to seem like I'm flaming or
>something.
>
>Really, I've found this whole thread very interesting and the
>ideas you and Cooper are talking about very important and
>insightful.
My hope is that I can influence those who are working on the New
Amiga to do things better than the way we do things now.
With Linux, it's a slam dunk: "The inmates are running the asylum"
is hugely popular, so it's just a matter of time before we see
Linux Human Interfaces that reflect what's in the book. This is
only possible because Linux allows me to choose human interfaces
instead of forcing one on me and then forcing another changed
one on me next year, like Microsoft does.
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