Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Ralph Zeller
On 12/17/02 02am, Joseph Carter wrote:
> You can use whatever editor you prefer for writing your mail.  I guess you
> already have a favorite?  I use vim, which works for me but is certainly
> not for the faint of heart.  Debian now uses nano as its default editor
> because of its onscreen commands which are very simple.
> 
> You then need a mail reader program.  The two most common choices are mutt
> and pine.  I found pine's license to be annoying and moved to mutt a few
> years ago.
> 
> 
> If you want to spell-check your mail, you'll need aspell or ispell.  I do
> not know how these integrate with mutt yet, but can figure it out.

Joseph,

I configured vim for shpell cheking with mutt by adding the following line
to my ~/.vimrc file:
:autocmd FileType mail :nmap  :w:!aspell -e -c %:e

This werks great everietime.

Ralph
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Dan Robinson


--
From: Joseph Carter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 2:20 AM

>> I doubt there'll be any problem. Where can we connect? Do you come
to clincs, or live in downtown or near a bus line. I can make other
arrangements if you don't. 

>I do; I am the one with the white hair and beard with my nose most
likely buried in a shiny laptop.  

I'll plan on me and my CPU, keyboard, money etc. being there
Thursday. Anything else special I should bring?

>=)  Unless I'm busy telling everyone how absolutely awesome The Two
Towers was, since I will be seeing it Wednesday at its second
showing.  =D

I'll be seeing it sometime soon. I'm also waiting impatiently for
Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, documentary about gun issues.

What this = stuff?

>I live a block from UO near Sacred Heart, so you don't get much more
bus line than that.

That's close enough that I'd walk instead.

>My number is 302-4295, I check messages often though I am seldom
here to receive them when they're left.

>> >More information is required really.  What exactly does he need? 
> More detail means better ability to do what is needed quickly,
> efficiently, and cheaply.  ;)
> 
>>  The basics, for a start. I don't know enough about what else is
> available.

>Well, to start with you need a way to get mail on your system from
EFN or wherever else.  The standard issue program for this is
fetchmail. Once set up, you never need to worry about it again unless
you change ISPs. The syntax of the config files is simple enough that
I can include a comment line explaining how to add a new ISP or edit
an old one.

I may make use of that soon.

I think I have the programs, just a matte of getting them working
together.

>Then you need to get mail from your system to your ISP.  There are a
number of programs for this, some simple and most not.  I have yet to
find the ideal mail server for a single workstation talking to an
ISP, but most of the full-featured ones can be made to do only that
much.  I use postfix which has served me well enough.

>You can use whatever editor you prefer for writing your mail.  I
guess you already have a favorite?  I use vim, which works for me but
is certainly not for the faint of heart.  Debian now uses nano as its
default editor because of its onscreen commands which are very
simple.

I think I've heard good things about it. I didn't care much for
emacs, but maybe someone can explain some things about it. Otherwise,
I haven't tried enough to know.

>You then need a mail reader program.  The two most common choices
are mutt and pine.  I found pine's license to be annoying and moved
to mutt a
few years ago.

We think alike.

>If you want to spell-check your mail, you'll need aspell or ispell. 

Dexter seems to think I need it. :) And I'm not disagreeing.

>If you want your mail to not all wind up in your main inbox, you
will want a procmail setup.  I can walk you through the mail filter
FAQ and help you get messages filtered.

>Also, if you have not discovered screen and minicom, the former I've
used quite extensively and the latter behaves an awful lot like Telix
for DOS did.

Sounds good, though I was hoping for something a bit more advanced
than Telix, eventually. I'd like sending new or updated files to my
web site (which badly needs some) to be as easy as sending email. I
could store files in local directory tree equivalent of my site, and
when I log on it would automatical send them to the proper place,
replacing as needed. Is that possible?

Then there's also my printer, which in Linux still prints in
"stairsteps". Someone gave me script for that, but I think I didn't
know what to do with it. 

Dan

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Linux Rocks ! <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Monday, December 16, 2002 9:08 PM
> 
> A menu system doesnt even imply a graphical interface. We used to
write menu 
> systems (all text based) to make it it easier for users to do what
they need 
> rather than having to remember all the names of the programs they
would type 
> at a command prompt. Many users get frustrated a a command prompt
and having 
> thier options displayed infront of them make thier use easier.

That's the right idea.
 
> Somehow, I think dan wants a lot of hand holding... It might be
better to show 
> him how to read manual pages, and get the info he needs, rather
than to just 
> teach him how to use a few programs.

When it's readable, I think I pick up info better that way.
 
> It sounds more like Dan *Wants* a text based system, He does infact
have 
> windows, but wants to stop using windows correct?

And anything that looks like it.
 
Dan
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Ben Huot <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Monday, December 16, 2002 3:51 AM
> 
> I can just email you the configuration files if someone with BSD 
> experience like Jacob Meuser who set it up or someone else will
tell me 
> which files are they are - they are all in the etc folder but there
are 
> too many to fit on a floppy. I can just trade him computers if he
wants 
> since mine is all set up and about the same era. On thing we would 
> necessarily have to change - the login and password for the ppp 
> connection. Also I am mentally disabled not physically so I can get

> there by bus if he lives somewhere in the city. When I mean several
days 
> that would be a couple hours each day - I could get it done in
maybe 4-6 
> hours in one day. I could also do it faster if someone gave me a
couple 
> of key bits of information.

Two experts on these "antique" systems is always better than one.

Trade computers with me? I'd have to copy most of my hard disk.
There's too much stuff I want to keep.

Dan
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Dexter Graphic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Cc: Dan Robinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Monday, December 16, 2002 1:37 PM
> 
> > I assume he'd be wise to use a menu system of some sort.  I can
help
> > there as well, though I have not actually used any program that
might be
> > useful except for pdmenu, which is likely not what he would want.
> 
> Why would he want/need a menu system? If he prefers text-based
interaction
> with his computer I would expect him to be able to issue console
commands.

Oops, not quite so. Depending on what you mean by menus, I think
optional ones, that can be disabled as one learns commands, are quite
useful. At the novice level, pushing Alt or Ctrl would give a menu,
with sub-menus to follow. Later, have main menus come on after a
hesitation, then not at all. Similarly with sub-menus. Rather like
CPM Wordstar from the seventies.
 
> We're talking about a completely functional mail system here with
all 
> of the above-mentioned programs configured and usable. Did you
figure
> in training and tech support? Do you think that he is going to be
able
> to do all the things you can without your walking him through it
and 
> explaining ever step of the way?

Hey, I can read also, and even ask questions. And sometimes I get
intelligible answers. :)
 
> I don't know how to be any more specific about this than I already
have: 
> Dan needs to get a text-based mail system working on his system. He
already 
> has Debian 3.0 installed and working fine. PPP and vwdial is
already setup
> and working. He needs fetchmail, sendmail, procmail, mutt, emacs,
and aspell
> configured so that he ends up with a fully functional GNU/Linux
mail system.

What I need is an email "package", with nice short "commands", but
maybe that will have to come later.

> You should be able to present Dan with a package price to get the
job done. 
> That way he won't have to worried about costs escalating out of
control. 
 
Joseph sounds like an "expert" on my system, and I don't think
there'll be any problem.

Dan
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Joseph Carter
*sigh*  I hate mailman.  =p

-- 
Joseph Carter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>  Now I'll take over the world
 
"What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"
"Same thing we do every night Steve, try to take over the world!"




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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-17 Thread Joseph Carter
On Mon, Dec 16, 2002 at 11:53:01PM -0800, Dan Robinson wrote:
> > Here are the facts:
> > 
> >> Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to
> relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, or
> pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for free (as
> in speech) software and would rather not continue using Windows 95
> and its lame Internet Mail program with no spell checking.
> 
> >With the exception of the spell-checking, this is old hat for me,
> all of it.  I can figure this much out though, relatively simply. 
> 
> >> It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a
> text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan actually has
> the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The problem which remains
> is figuring out how to configure and use it. (Dan's computer, by the
> way, is a desktop Pentium 133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card,
> a CD ROM that is not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's
> at least 2GB in capacity.)
> 
> >Indeed; I use one exclusively.
> 
> It sound like "you' the man". 

I have simple justification - I'm legally blind, text is easier to work
with than graphics, since terminal windows can be made more readable.  I
do work under a GUI (window maker) but I use primarily terminal windows
under it.  My mail setup is totally text-based and has been for longer
than I have used Linux certainly.


> >Setting it all up for him is something I am able to do, but it would
> take me a couple of hours at least to produce something which any
> idiot could use.  I assume he'd be wise to use a menu system of some
> sort.  I can help there as well, though I have not actually used any
> program that might be useful except for pdmenu, which is likely not
> what he would want.
> 
> >I would offer my time freely, but experience shows me that:
> 1. If I do what I would normally expect to be paid for freely, then
> nobody will expect to pay me for it.
> 2. My cost of living is higher than my income.
> 3. A small exchange of money for services tends to leave everyone
> feeling that nothing is owed to anyone.  I do not like to owe or feel
> like I owe anybody personally, and I do not like to feel as if I am
> owed somethinga.
> 
> I doubt there'll be any problem. Where can we connect? Do you come to
> clincs, or live in downtown or near a bus line. I can make other
> arrangements if you don't. 

I do; I am the one with the white hair and beard with my nose most likely
buried in a shiny laptop.  =)  Unless I'm busy telling everyone how
absolutely awesome The Two Towers was, since I will be seeing it Wednesday
at its second showing.  =D

I live a block from UO near Sacred Heart, so you don't get much more bus
line than that.

My number is 302-4295, I check messages often though I am seldom here to
receive them when they're left.


> >More information is required really.  What exactly does he need? 
> More detail means better ability to do what is needed quickly,
> efficiently, and cheaply.  ;)
> 
>  The basics, for a start. I don't know enough about what else is
> available.

Well, to start with you need a way to get mail on your system from EFN or
wherever else.  The standard issue program for this is fetchmail.  Once
set up, you never need to worry about it again unless you change ISPs.
The syntax of the config files is simple enough that I can include a
comment line explaining how to add a new ISP or edit an old one.

Then you need to get mail from your system to your ISP.  There are a
number of programs for this, some simple and most not.  I have yet to find
the ideal mail server for a single workstation talking to an ISP, but most
of the full-featured ones can be made to do only that much.  I use postfix
which has served me well enough.

You can use whatever editor you prefer for writing your mail.  I guess you
already have a favorite?  I use vim, which works for me but is certainly
not for the faint of heart.  Debian now uses nano as its default editor
because of its onscreen commands which are very simple.

You then need a mail reader program.  The two most common choices are mutt
and pine.  I found pine's license to be annoying and moved to mutt a few
years ago.


If you want to spell-check your mail, you'll need aspell or ispell.  I do
not know how these integrate with mutt yet, but can figure it out.

If you want your mail to not all wind up in your main inbox, you will want
a procmail setup.  I can walk you through the mail filter FAQ and help you
get messages filtered.

Also, if you have not discovered screen and minicom, the former I've used
quite extensively and the latter behaves an awful lot like Telix for DOS
did.

-- 
Joseph Carter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> You're entitled to my opinion
 
knghtbrd: there may be no spoon, but can you spot the vulnerability in
eye_render_shiny_object.c?
-- rcw




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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
From: Joseph Carter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: EUGLUG <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
Date: Monday, December 16, 2002 12:02 AM

On Sun, Dec 15, 2002 at 09:03:47AM -0800, Dexter Graphic wrote:
> Here are the facts:
> 
>> Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to
relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, or
pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for free (as
in speech) software and would rather not continue using Windows 95
and its lame Internet Mail program with no spell checking.

>With the exception of the spell-checking, this is old hat for me,
all of it.  I can figure this much out though, relatively simply. 

>> It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a
text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan actually has
the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The problem which remains
is figuring out how to configure and use it. (Dan's computer, by the
way, is a desktop Pentium 133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card,
a CD ROM that is not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's
at least 2GB in capacity.)

>Indeed; I use one exclusively.

It sound like "you' the man". 

>Setting it all up for him is something I am able to do, but it would
take me a couple of hours at least to produce something which any
idiot could use.  I assume he'd be wise to use a menu system of some
sort.  I can help there as well, though I have not actually used any
program that might be useful except for pdmenu, which is likely not
what he would want.

>I would offer my time freely, but experience shows me that:
1. If I do what I would normally expect to be paid for freely, then
nobody will expect to pay me for it.
2. My cost of living is higher than my income.
3. A small exchange of money for services tends to leave everyone
feeling that nothing is owed to anyone.  I do not like to owe or feel
like I owe anybody personally, and I do not like to feel as if I am
owed somethinga.

I doubt there'll be any problem. Where can we connect? Do you come to
clincs, or live in downtown or near a bus line. I can make other
arrangements if you don't. 

>More information is required really.  What exactly does he need? 
More detail means better ability to do what is needed quickly,
efficiently, and cheaply.  ;)

 The basics, for a start. I don't know enough about what else is
available.

Dan Robinson  541-465-4790  
350 Pearl St. #1105 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Eugene OR 97401   http://www.efn.org/~danrob/

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Beaker (aka Jeff W) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:46 PM
> 
> I'd like to apologize for the harsh tone of my earlier post. I'm
sure 
> Dan deserves a hand with with breaking the Windows habit as much as

> anybody. What can I say - all this rain is starting to get to me...

All is forgiven, especially considering the kayak. I don't have a
very thin skin. I hope no one else does either.

Dan
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Nerdboy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:14 PM
> 
> Part of dan's problem is that he's using a very old computer. 

"Very old" meaning five to seven years maybe? There must be a lot
around that old. I suspect one fifteen years old would be sufficient
for me, if it had a working OS I liked. It was only about three
years ago that I gave up my 386. How about systems for the "third
world", locally and elsewhere, those who don't believe in buying a
new car and a new computer every year, as well as those who can't
afford one?

> People with new computers can easily install linux, people with
older computers
have better luck using older software.

But I remember someone with Linux on an early equivalent of a palmtop
in about '95. What happened to such systems?

> Softare that was written around the time that his computer was new
would likely be easier, however he would be missing out on a lot of
the benefits of newwer software.

Hey, lead me to it. (WeIl, now I'll wait and see on that.) I haven't
found anyone who'd talk about such. Does it have alias (or some kind
of macro) capabilities? That's the most under-used feature I've seen,
or at least been able to recognize, on Linux.

Dan


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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Dexter Graphic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Sunday, December 15, 2002 7:48 PM
> 
> Since Dan is no longer subscribed to this list and I know him
pretty well as a friend, I think I can answer this question on his
behalf.

Aha! Fooled ya. I didn't use the right method to unsubscribe.
 
> He feels that it's way too complicated for him and that you'd have
to be a computer programmer to figure it out. He sees himself more as
a computer user than a computer tech. He's just like most people in
this respect. They have other things on their minds, like work they
want to do with the computer, but they are not interested in figuring
out how the computer works. It's the same with car troubles; most
people just take their car to an automotive mechanic when things
aren't working right and pay them for their expertise in figuring
these things out. It's actually more efficient than them spending the
months of study to be an even marginally competent mechanic.

You've got it right.
 
> Anyway, by posting my proposal I was hoping to help Dan determine
the minimum amount of money he would have to pay out to get his
problem solved. 

But it's also the time it's taken/may take.
 
> Like any hesitant customer, Dan just needs to be shown the benefits
of spending some money. He's already sold on Debian,

Not absolutely, at this point in time. But since it's most of the way
there...

Dan
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Ben Huot <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:34 AM
> 
> I'd be willing to do it for free as I am a disabled veteran and
cannot receive money. I don't know how long it would take me though I
am sure I could finish it in a few days. I don't have a car though.

Thanks, but I think I may have a better offer.

Dan
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Beaker (aka Jeff W) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Sunday, December 15, 2002 11:00 PM
> 
> why download the messages? I believe Dan has an EFN 
> account, right? He should be able to ssh into EFN and run Pine or
Mutt, 
> no? If yes, then all thats left is the PPP configuration. Even if
EFN 
> doesn't allow Pine/Mutt on their system, there are other
alternatives 
> like freeshell.org which do.

I've used to have a shell account at EFN, using DOS Telix, and used
Pine. But I just have one phone line. For that and other reasons, I'd
rather work offline, and it was a lot of bother if I wanted to save
anything on my own computer. Probably easier now.
 
In fact sometimes I'd like to have a web "browser" that worked
through email, and especially for a friend, who only has email. There
used to be an address where you could send a URL and get the text of
a web page. Does anyone know of such today?

Dan

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dan Robinson


--
> From: Dexter Graphic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: EUGLUG <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> Date: Sunday, December 15, 2002 9:03 AM
> 
> For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
> and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
> himself. For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
> to do this for him for free (as in beer). 

Come on, I paid "someone from EUGLUG" already, several times (not
much maybe by present standards, but a price he agreed on), for
setting up a system, preferably without, but also with a GUI, and
still no luck. 

And yes, I've put some time into it myself, as some of you may
remember, but computers aren't everything in my life, as perhaps with
some people. ("I could do great[er] things, if I wasn't so busy doing
little things.") I don't often find instructions I'm sure are written
in English. It often seems Linux people are more interested in trying
new things than in getting time-tested things working well. Many
command lines I see seem more like writing sub-routines instead of
"commands". I also find quite a few things that even the "experts"
can't figure out how to do. Why aren't many of these "compacted",
using aliases and such? (That's something I hope to work on if I ever
get Linux email going reasonably.) I still remember programs from CPM
and DOS that had some advantages. Why such problems in Linux?
 
Why no GUI? Most of the time they seem to me like great wasters of
time, disk space and processing power. They may be easier to learn
(if you have time to wade through the instructions for the
non-intuitive parts), but I think, slower to actually use, which is
what I prefer to do. My ideal is to never have to take my hands off
home keys, at least when writing, giving commands, and most other
things, except drawing and maybe diagramming. Of course to be
complete, that would also require my own design of keyboard.

I'll get back to ya.

Dan Robinson  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Eugene OR 97401   http://www.efn.org/~danrob/

"Look not at what is and ask 'why'. 
look at what could be and ask 'why not'."
  - RFK?


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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Linux Rocks !
On Monday 16 December 2002 01:37 pm, Dexter Graphic wrote:

: >
: > Setting it all up for him is something I am able to do, but it would take
: > me a couple of hours at least to produce something which any idiot could
: > use.
:
: This is a poor choice of words because Dan is not an idiot.

Perhaps he could have added "even", however I dont belive that Joe was 
implying that dan was an idiot, rather that he was say it would be 
extreemly easy to use. If we are going to be that critical, I would say 
that your sentance above would be better written if you had started it with 
"perhaps" which would imply that is your option, rather than a *fact*

:
: > I assume he'd be wise to use a menu system of some sort.  I can help
: > there as well, though I have not actually used any program that might be
: > useful except for pdmenu, which is likely not what he would want.
:
: Why would he want/need a menu system? If he prefers text-based interaction
: with his computer I would expect him to be able to issue console commands.

A menu system doesnt even imply a graphical interface. We used to write menu 
systems (all text based) to make it it easier for users to do what they need 
rather than having to remember all the names of the programs they would type 
at a command prompt. Many users get frustrated a a command prompt and having 
thier options displayed infront of them make thier use easier.
If your unfamiliar with a menu system, try EFN's Menu program (gotta have an 
EFN account...)

:
: > > So here is my proposal:
: > >
: > > If Dan pays me at a rate of $10 an hour, I will figure it
: > > out and get a text-based mail system working on his system.
: > > That includes setting up PPP, fetchmail, sendmail, procmail,
: > > mutt, emacs, and aspell. Since I know very little about any
: > > of these programs, I figure it will take me at least 25
: > > hours and possibly as many as 50 to get Dan's mail system
: > > working. This means it would cost Dan $250 to $500 to solve
: > > his problem.
: >
: > I can do the mail setup however he needs it in just a few hours at the
: > same rate.  ;)
:
: We're talking about a completely functional mail system here with all
: of the above-mentioned programs configured and usable. Did you figure
: in training and tech support? Do you think that he is going to be able
: to do all the things you can without your walking him through it and
: explaining ever step of the way?

Somehow, I think dan wants a lot of hand holding... It might be better to show 
him how to read manual pages, and get the info he needs, rather than to just 
teach him how to use a few programs.


:
: > I would offer my time freely, but experience shows me that:
: >
: > 1. If I do what I would normally expect to be paid for freely, then
: > nobody will expect to pay me for it.
: > 2. My cost of living is higher than my income.
: > 3. A small exchange of money for services tends to leave everyone feeling
: >that nothing is owed to anyone.  I do not like to owe or feel like I
: >owe anybody personally, and I do not like to feel as if I am owed
: >something.
:
: Good thinking; although, if you are as experienced at all this as you say
: you are then you should be charging more than the $10 I would have charged.
: In the areas where I am an expert, like designing MS Access databases for
: small businesses, I charge $48 per hour.
:
: > > If anyone else with more expertise than me is willing to do
: > > it for less, then please submit your own proposals.
: >
: > More information is required really.  What exactly does he need?  More
: > detail means better ability to do what is needed quickly, efficiently,
: > and cheaply.  ;)
:
: I don't know how to be any more specific about this than I already have:
: Dan needs to get a text-based mail system working on his system. He already
: has Debian 3.0 installed and working fine. PPP and vwdial is already setup
: and working. He needs fetchmail, sendmail, procmail, mutt, emacs, and
: aspell configured so that he ends up with a fully functional GNU/Linux mail
: system. _And_ he will need to be shown how to use it. Perhaps you can print
: out the proper documentation so he has something to refer to while he's
: learning. Of course you should also include some time for phone support
: when he runs into problems down the road.

It sounds more like Dan *Wants* a text based system, He does infact have 
windows, but wants to stop using windows correct?

:
: You should be able to present Dan with a package price to get the job done.
: That way he won't have to worried about costs escalating out of control.
:
: My experience is that whatever amount of time you think it will take double
: it.
:
: I am forwarding this correspondence to Dan so if you need any further
: clarification just talk to him directly. CC me if you want my input.
:
: Dexter
:
: > --
: > Joseph Carter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>   Don't feed the
: > sigs
: >
: > I did it just to pis

Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Jacob Meuser
On Mon, Dec 16, 2002 at 03:51:12AM -0800, Ben Huot wrote:
> I can just email you the configuration files if someone with BSD 
> experience like Jacob Meuser who set it up or someone else will tell me 
> which files are they are - they are all in the etc folder but there are 
> too many to fit on a floppy. I can just trade him computers if he wants 
> since mine is all set up and about the same era. On thing we would 
> necessarily have to change - the login and password for the ppp 
> connection. Also I am mentally disabled not physically so I can get 
> there by bus if he lives somewhere in the city. When I mean several days 
> that would be a couple hours each day - I could get it done in maybe 4-6 
> hours in one day. I could also do it faster if someone gave me a couple 
> of key bits of information.

ppp config:
/etc/ppp/ppp.conf

pf config:
/etc/pf.conf

mail config: (I don't know if I even changed this on your setup)
/usr/share/sendmail/cf/openbsd-localhost.mc -> /etc/mail/localhost.cf

local startup config:
/etc/rc.conf.local & /etc/rc.local

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system // actual more general.

2002-12-16 Thread Jacob Meuser
On Sun, Dec 15, 2002 at 08:45:02PM -0800, Horst wrote:
> Ben, thanks for doing this!
>  I thinks I know Dan, and he is a nice guy (maybe twice the age of most of
> us, in that respect a test case on how well 'we' we are doing in community
> support, helping folks with a limited budget, and an old PC with limited
> resources)
>  In more general terms, is there a 'distro', as .tgz, on CD, ... choice> that fits such people's needs --to some extend out of the
> box? (GUI being a NoNo on a P155)

I could put a single .tgz together for this.  Just 'pkg_add mutt'
to an OpenBSD base system.  Heck, I could even setup the mail and ppp for
EFN defaults.  As well as basic pf.

A single floppy, an ~20MB tarball.  10 minute install and setup.

But how many people really just want text based email and www?

And, of course, which *nix text editor is going to be "easy"
for converts?  I like mg (formerly known as 'micro GNU Emacs', until
RMS said, "That's not GNU software"), maybe nano would be easier?

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RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dexter Graphic
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> Joseph Carter
> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 00:03
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Cc: EUGLUG; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> 
> 
> On Sun, Dec 15, 2002 at 09:03:47AM -0800, Dexter Graphic wrote:
> > Here are the facts:
> > 
> > Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to 
> > relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, 
> > or pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for 
> > free (as in speech) software and would rather not continue
> > using Windows 95 and its lame Internet Mail program with no 
> > spell checking.
> 
> With the exception of the spell-checking, this is old hat for me, all of
> it.  I can figure this much out though, relatively simply.
> 
> 
> > It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a 
> > text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan 
> > actually has the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The 
> > problem which remains is figuring out how to configure and 
> > use it. (Dan's computer, by the way, is a desktop Pentium 
> > 133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card, a CD ROM that is 
> > not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's at least
> > 2GB in capacity.)
> 
> Indeed; I use one exclusively.
> 
> 
> > For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
> > and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
> > himself. For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
> > to do this for him for free (as in beer). 
> 
> Setting it all up for him is something I am able to do, but it would take
> me a couple of hours at least to produce something which any idiot could
> use.  

This is a poor choice of words because Dan is not an idiot.


> I assume he'd be wise to use a menu system of some sort.  I can help
> there as well, though I have not actually used any program that might be
> useful except for pdmenu, which is likely not what he would want.

Why would he want/need a menu system? If he prefers text-based interaction
with his computer I would expect him to be able to issue console commands.


> > So here is my proposal: 
> > 
> > If Dan pays me at a rate of $10 an hour, I will figure it 
> > out and get a text-based mail system working on his system. 
> > That includes setting up PPP, fetchmail, sendmail, procmail,
> > mutt, emacs, and aspell. Since I know very little about any 
> > of these programs, I figure it will take me at least 25 
> > hours and possibly as many as 50 to get Dan's mail system
> > working. This means it would cost Dan $250 to $500 to solve
> > his problem.
> 
> I can do the mail setup however he needs it in just a few hours at the
> same rate.  ;)

We're talking about a completely functional mail system here with all 
of the above-mentioned programs configured and usable. Did you figure
in training and tech support? Do you think that he is going to be able
to do all the things you can without your walking him through it and 
explaining ever step of the way?


> I would offer my time freely, but experience shows me that:
> 
> 1. If I do what I would normally expect to be paid for freely, then nobody
>will expect to pay me for it.
> 2. My cost of living is higher than my income.
> 3. A small exchange of money for services tends to leave everyone feeling
>that nothing is owed to anyone.  I do not like to owe or feel like I
>owe anybody personally, and I do not like to feel as if I am owed
>something.

Good thinking; although, if you are as experienced at all this as you say 
you are then you should be charging more than the $10 I would have charged.
In the areas where I am an expert, like designing MS Access databases for
small businesses, I charge $48 per hour.


> > If anyone else with more expertise than me is willing to do
> > it for less, then please submit your own proposals.
> 
> More information is required really.  What exactly does he need?  More
> detail means better ability to do what is needed quickly, efficiently, and
> cheaply.  ;)

I don't know how to be any more specific about this than I already have: 
Dan needs to get a text-based mail system working on his system. He already 
has Debian 3.0 installed and working fine. PPP and vwdial is already setup
and working. He needs fetchmail, sendmail, procmail, mutt, emacs, and aspell
configured so that he ends up with a fully functional GNU/Linux mail system.
_And_ he will need to be shown how to use it. Perhaps you can print out the
proper documentation so he has something to refer to while he's learning. Of 
cour

RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Dexter Graphic
> >> Part of dan's problem is that he's using a very old computer. People with new 
> >> computers can easily install linux, people with older computers have better 
> >> luck using older software.Softare that was written around the time that his 
> >> computer was new would likely be easier, however he would be missing out on a 
> >> lot of the benefits of newwer software.

This is not the case at all; Dan's computer is sufficiently "new" to run
all the necessary text-based programs. As I clearly indicated he does not
_want_ to run and GUI software, and Debian 3.0 is installed and working on 
his box just fine. What he wants/needs is to get a text-based mail program
working. 

> >Actually, Dan's hardware can run a fresh NetBSD/OpenBSD distro no sweat 
> >(heck - he could even run X with wm2 fairly well if he wants to). 

There is no reason to switch distros; Dan has already spent considerable 
time and resources getting Debian setup and learning how to use it.

> >One thing though: why download the messages? I believe Dan has an EFN 
> >account, right? He should be able to ssh into EFN and run Pine or Mutt, 
> >no? If yes, then all thats left is the PPP configuration. Even if EFN 
> >doesn't allow Pine/Mutt on their system, there are other alternatives 
> >like freeshell.org which do.
>
> EFN supports shell access, we have Pine and Mutt.
> He doesn't even need to do PPP to connect to EFN.

This has been suggested already, by Larry Price at one of our Emerald Park 
meetings over a year ago as a matter of fact, and Dan said that he wanted 
to download his mail and work off-line so that he could free up his phone
while he was reading and responding to messages. 

Dexter Graphic -- Always trying to present things as clearly as possible. 

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Roger

Around Sun,Dec 15 2002, at 11:00,  Beaker (aka Jeff W), wrote:
>> Part of dan's problem is that he's using a very old computer. People with new 
>> computers can easily install linux, people with older computers have better 
>> luck using older software.Softare that was written around the time that his 
>> computer was new would likely be easier, however he would be missing out on a 
>> lot of the benefits of newwer software.
>
>Actually, Dan's hardware can run a fresh NetBSD/OpenBSD distro no sweat 
>(heck - he could even run X with wm2 fairly well if he wants to). One 
>thing though: why download the messages? I believe Dan has an EFN 
>account, right? He should be able to ssh into EFN and run Pine or Mutt, 
>no? If yes, then all thats left is the PPP configuration. Even if EFN 
>doesn't allow Pine/Mutt on their system, there are other alternatives 
>like freeshell.org which do.

EFN supports shell access, we have Pine and Mutt.
He doesn't even need to do PPP to connect to EFN.

Roger
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Bob Crandell
Maybe fetchmail has a hiccup.

Linux Rocks ! ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote*:
>
>I havnt seen any dupicates? simular, but not duplicates...
>
>Jamie
>
>On Sunday 15 December 2002 11:14 pm, Bob Crandell wrote:
>: The rain is getting to the mail system too.  I'm getting lots of duplicate
>: email.
>:
>: Beaker (aka Jeff W) ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote*:
>: >> : > *Reality Check!*
>: >
>: >I'd like to apologize for the harsh tone of my earlier post. I'm sure
>: >Dan deserves a hand with with breaking the Windows habit as much as
>: >anybody. What can I say - all this rain is starting to get to me...
>: >
>: >-beaker
>: >
>: >___
>: >Eug-LUG mailing list
>: >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>: >http://mailman.efn.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/eug-lug
>
>
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Assured Computing
When you need to be sure.
Voice 541-689-9159
FAX   240-371-7237
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Ben Huot
I can just email you the configuration files if someone with BSD 
experience like Jacob Meuser who set it up or someone else will tell me 
which files are they are - they are all in the etc folder but there are 
too many to fit on a floppy. I can just trade him computers if he wants 
since mine is all set up and about the same era. On thing we would 
necessarily have to change - the login and password for the ppp 
connection. Also I am mentally disabled not physically so I can get 
there by bus if he lives somewhere in the city. When I mean several days 
that would be a couple hours each day - I could get it done in maybe 4-6 
hours in one day. I could also do it faster if someone gave me a couple 
of key bits of information.

Dexter Graphic wrote:
Ben

I will forward your offer to Dan. Maybe he'll let you take the computer
home for a few days while you figure it out. If I can get Dan to pay me
for my trouble, I'll even shuttle it back and forth; he does not have a 
car either.

Dex


From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
Ben Huot
Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:34
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system


I'd be willing to do it for free as I am a disabled veteran and cannot 
receive money. I don't know how long it would take me though I am sure I 
could finish it in a few days. I don't have a car though.

I have installed Mandrake before and I actually have a BSD system up and 
running text only configured for efn. I could probably copy settings 
from that. This would be a valuable learning experience for me.

Dexter Graphic wrote:

Since this topic keeps coming up as an unresolved issue on 
the list I will address it here explicitly and openly with 
the hope that we will be able to solve it once and for all.

Here are the facts:

Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to 
relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, 
or pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for 
free (as in speech) software and would rather not continue
using Windows 95 and its lame Internet Mail program with no 
spell checking.

It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a 
text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan 
actually has the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The 
problem which remains is figuring out how to configure and 
use it. (Dan's computer, by the way, is a desktop Pentium 
133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card, a CD ROM that is 
not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's at least
2GB in capacity.)

For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
himself. For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
to do this for him for free (as in beer). 

So here is my proposal: 

If Dan pays me at a rate of $10 an hour, I will figure it 
out and get a text-based mail system working on his system. 
That includes setting up PPP, fetchmail, sendmail, procmail,
mutt, emacs, and aspell. Since I know very little about any 
of these programs, I figure it will take me at least 25 
hours and possibly as many as 50 to get Dan's mail system
working. This means it would cost Dan $250 to $500 to solve
his problem.

If anyone else with more expertise than me is willing to do
it for less, then please submit your own proposals.

Dexter Graphic -- Always trying to present things clearly.

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 ^   ^
(*) (*)
 <=  \   /  =>
  o o
?
/// \
///  %
/// @
//////   ///
\\  | | |   //
 \\ U U U   //
  U U

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 ^   ^
(*) (*)
 <=  \   /  =>
  o o
?
/// \
///  %
/// @
//////   ///
\\  | | |   //
 \\ U U U   //
  U U

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Peasant-Scholar
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-16 Thread Joseph Carter
On Sun, Dec 15, 2002 at 09:03:47AM -0800, Dexter Graphic wrote:
> Here are the facts:
> 
> Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to 
> relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, 
> or pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for 
> free (as in speech) software and would rather not continue
> using Windows 95 and its lame Internet Mail program with no 
> spell checking.

With the exception of the spell-checking, this is old hat for me, all of
it.  I can figure this much out though, relatively simply.


> It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a 
> text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan 
> actually has the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The 
> problem which remains is figuring out how to configure and 
> use it. (Dan's computer, by the way, is a desktop Pentium 
> 133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card, a CD ROM that is 
> not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's at least
> 2GB in capacity.)

Indeed; I use one exclusively.


> For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
> and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
> himself. For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
> to do this for him for free (as in beer). 

Setting it all up for him is something I am able to do, but it would take
me a couple of hours at least to produce something which any idiot could
use.  I assume he'd be wise to use a menu system of some sort.  I can help
there as well, though I have not actually used any program that might be
useful except for pdmenu, which is likely not what he would want.


> So here is my proposal: 
> 
> If Dan pays me at a rate of $10 an hour, I will figure it 
> out and get a text-based mail system working on his system. 
> That includes setting up PPP, fetchmail, sendmail, procmail,
> mutt, emacs, and aspell. Since I know very little about any 
> of these programs, I figure it will take me at least 25 
> hours and possibly as many as 50 to get Dan's mail system
> working. This means it would cost Dan $250 to $500 to solve
> his problem.

I can do the mail setup however he needs it in just a few hours at the
same rate.  ;)

I would offer my time freely, but experience shows me that:

1. If I do what I would normally expect to be paid for freely, then nobody
   will expect to pay me for it.
2. My cost of living is higher than my income.
3. A small exchange of money for services tends to leave everyone feeling
   that nothing is owed to anyone.  I do not like to owe or feel like I
   owe anybody personally, and I do not like to feel as if I am owed
   somethinga.


> If anyone else with more expertise than me is willing to do
> it for less, then please submit your own proposals.

More information is required really.  What exactly does he need?  More
detail means better ability to do what is needed quickly, efficiently, and
cheaply.  ;)

-- 
Joseph Carter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>   Don't feed the sigs
 
I did it just to piss you off.  :-P
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msg12098/pgp0.pgp
Description: PGP signature


Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Linux Rocks !
I havnt seen any dupicates? simular, but not duplicates...

Jamie

On Sunday 15 December 2002 11:14 pm, Bob Crandell wrote:
: The rain is getting to the mail system too.  I'm getting lots of duplicate
: email.
:
: Beaker (aka Jeff W) ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote*:
: >> : > *Reality Check!*
: >
: >I'd like to apologize for the harsh tone of my earlier post. I'm sure
: >Dan deserves a hand with with breaking the Windows habit as much as
: >anybody. What can I say - all this rain is starting to get to me...
: >
: >-beaker
: >
: >___
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: >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
: >http://mailman.efn.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/eug-lug

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Bob Crandell
The rain is getting to the mail system too.  I'm getting lots of duplicate email.

Beaker (aka Jeff W) ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote*:
>
>> : > *Reality Check!*
>
>I'd like to apologize for the harsh tone of my earlier post. I'm sure
>Dan deserves a hand with with breaking the Windows habit as much as
>anybody. What can I say - all this rain is starting to get to me...
>
>-beaker
>
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When you need to be sure.
Voice 541-689-9159
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Beaker (aka Jeff W)
Part of dan's problem is that he's using a very old computer. People with new 
computers can easily install linux, people with older computers have better 
luck using older software.Softare that was written around the time that his 
computer was new would likely be easier, however he would be missing out on a 
lot of the benefits of newwer software.

Actually, Dan's hardware can run a fresh NetBSD/OpenBSD distro no sweat 
(heck - he could even run X with wm2 fairly well if he wants to). One 
thing though: why download the messages? I believe Dan has an EFN 
account, right? He should be able to ssh into EFN and run Pine or Mutt, 
no? If yes, then all thats left is the PPP configuration. Even if EFN 
doesn't allow Pine/Mutt on their system, there are other alternatives 
like freeshell.org which do.

-beaker

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Beaker (aka Jeff W)
: > *Reality Check!*


I'd like to apologize for the harsh tone of my earlier post. I'm sure 
Dan deserves a hand with with breaking the Windows habit as much as 
anybody. What can I say - all this rain is starting to get to me...

-beaker

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Linux Rocks !
Part of dan's problem is that he's using a very old computer. People with new 
computers can easily install linux, people with older computers have better 
luck using older software.Softare that was written around the time that his 
computer was new would likely be easier, however he would be missing out on a 
lot of the benefits of newwer software.

Jamie

On Sunday 15 December 2002 07:48 pm, Dexter Graphic wrote:
: > *Reality Check!*
: > Dan sounds like a bundle of contradictions and perhaps _should_ stick
: > with Windows. Why should anyone help someone for free if they aren't
: > willing to invest at least an equal amount of time themselves.
:
: Since Dan is no longer subscribed to this list and I know him pretty
: well as a friend, I think I can answer this question on his behalf.
:
: He feels that it's way too complicated for him and that you'd have to
: be a computer programmer to figure it out. He sees himself more as a
: computer user than a computer tech. He's just like most people in this
: respect. They have other things on their minds, like work they want to
: do with the computer, but they are not interested in figuring out how
: the computer works. It's the same with car troubles; most people just
: take their car to an automotive mechanic when things aren't working
: right and pay them for their expertise in figuring these things out.
: It's actually more efficient than them spending the months of study to
: be an even marginally competent mechanic.
:
: Anyway, by posting my proposal I was hoping to help Dan determine the
: minimum amount of money he would have to pay out to get his problem
: solved. Plus I was hoping it would give somebody here on the list a
: job opportunity, possibly me if no one beats my bid.
:
: Like any hesitant customer, Dan just needs to be shown the benefits of
: spending some money. He's already sold on Debian, isn't that a victory
: we can build on? And remember, every satisfied customer will give us
: more referrals.
:
: Dex
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Nerdboy
Part of dan's problem is that he's using a very old computer. People with new 
computers can easily install linux, people with older computers have better 
luck using older software.Softare that was written around the time that his 
computer was new would likely be easier, however he would be missing out on a 
lot of the benefits of newwer software.

Jamie

On Sunday 15 December 2002 07:48 pm, Dexter Graphic wrote:
: > *Reality Check!*
: > Dan sounds like a bundle of contradictions and perhaps _should_ stick
: > with Windows. Why should anyone help someone for free if they aren't
: > willing to invest at least an equal amount of time themselves.
:
: Since Dan is no longer subscribed to this list and I know him pretty
: well as a friend, I think I can answer this question on his behalf.
:
: He feels that it's way too complicated for him and that you'd have to
: be a computer programmer to figure it out. He sees himself more as a
: computer user than a computer tech. He's just like most people in this
: respect. They have other things on their minds, like work they want to
: do with the computer, but they are not interested in figuring out how
: the computer works. It's the same with car troubles; most people just
: take their car to an automotive mechanic when things aren't working
: right and pay them for their expertise in figuring these things out.
: It's actually more efficient than them spending the months of study to
: be an even marginally competent mechanic.
:
: Anyway, by posting my proposal I was hoping to help Dan determine the
: minimum amount of money he would have to pay out to get his problem
: solved. Plus I was hoping it would give somebody here on the list a
: job opportunity, possibly me if no one beats my bid.
:
: Like any hesitant customer, Dan just needs to be shown the benefits of
: spending some money. He's already sold on Debian, isn't that a victory
: we can build on? And remember, every satisfied customer will give us
: more referrals.
:
: Dex
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
: ___
: Eug-LUG mailing list
: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
: http://mailman.efn.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/eug-lug

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RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system // actual more general.

2002-12-15 Thread Horst
Ben, thanks for doing this!
 I thinks I know Dan, and he is a nice guy (maybe twice the age of most of
us, in that respect a test case on how well 'we' we are doing in community
support, helping folks with a limited budget, and an old PC with limited
resources)
 In more general terms, is there a 'distro', as .tgz, on CD, ... that fits such people's needs --to some extend out of the
box? (GUI being a NoNo on a P155)

 - Horst

On Sun, 15 Dec 2002, Dexter Graphic wrote:

> Ben
> 
> I will forward your offer to Dan. Maybe he'll let you take the computer
> home for a few days while you figure it out. If I can get Dan to pay me
> for my trouble, I'll even shuttle it back and forth; he does not have a 
> car either.
> 
> Dex
> 
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> > Ben Huot
> > Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:34
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> > 
> > 
> > I'd be willing to do it for free as I am a disabled veteran and cannot 
> > receive money. I don't know how long it would take me though I am sure I 
> > could finish it in a few days. I don't have a car though.
> > 
> > > Dexter Graphic -- Always trying to present things clearly.
> > > 

... since someone started cowArt:

   (__) (__) (__)
   (\/) ($$) (**)
/---\/   /---\/   /---\/
   / | 666 ||   / |=||   / | ||
  *  ||||  *  ||||  *  ||||
  Satanic cow   This cow is a Yuppie Cow in love


   (__) (__) (__)
   (OO) (@@) (xx)
/---\/   /---\/   /---\/
   / | ||   / | ||   / | ||
  *  ||||  *  ||||  *  ||||
  Cow who drank Jolt   Cow who ate  Cow who used Jolt to
wash
psychadelic mushrooms  down psychadelic
mushrooms



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RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Dexter Graphic
Ben

I will forward your offer to Dan. Maybe he'll let you take the computer
home for a few days while you figure it out. If I can get Dan to pay me
for my trouble, I'll even shuttle it back and forth; he does not have a 
car either.

Dex

> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> Ben Huot
> Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:34
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system
> 
> 
> I'd be willing to do it for free as I am a disabled veteran and cannot 
> receive money. I don't know how long it would take me though I am sure I 
> could finish it in a few days. I don't have a car though.
> 
> I have installed Mandrake before and I actually have a BSD system up and 
> running text only configured for efn. I could probably copy settings 
> from that. This would be a valuable learning experience for me.
> 
> Dexter Graphic wrote:
> > Since this topic keeps coming up as an unresolved issue on 
> > the list I will address it here explicitly and openly with 
> > the hope that we will be able to solve it once and for all.
> > 
> > Here are the facts:
> > 
> > Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to 
> > relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, 
> > or pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for 
> > free (as in speech) software and would rather not continue
> > using Windows 95 and its lame Internet Mail program with no 
> > spell checking.
> >  
> > It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a 
> > text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan 
> > actually has the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The 
> > problem which remains is figuring out how to configure and 
> > use it. (Dan's computer, by the way, is a desktop Pentium 
> > 133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card, a CD ROM that is 
> > not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's at least
> > 2GB in capacity.)
> > 
> > For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
> > and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
> > himself. For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
> > to do this for him for free (as in beer). 
> > 
> > So here is my proposal: 
> > 
> > If Dan pays me at a rate of $10 an hour, I will figure it 
> > out and get a text-based mail system working on his system. 
> > That includes setting up PPP, fetchmail, sendmail, procmail,
> > mutt, emacs, and aspell. Since I know very little about any 
> > of these programs, I figure it will take me at least 25 
> > hours and possibly as many as 50 to get Dan's mail system
> > working. This means it would cost Dan $250 to $500 to solve
> > his problem.
> > 
> > If anyone else with more expertise than me is willing to do
> > it for less, then please submit your own proposals.
> > 
> > Dexter Graphic -- Always trying to present things clearly.
> > 
> > ___
> > Eug-LUG mailing list
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> > 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> 
>   ^   ^
>  (*) (*)
>   <=  \   /  =>
>o o
>  ?
>  /// \
>  ///  %
>  /// @
>  //////   ///
>  \\  | | |   //
>   \\ U U U   //
>U U
> 
> Ben Huot
> Peasant-Scholar
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 
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RE: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Dexter Graphic
> *Reality Check!*
> Dan sounds like a bundle of contradictions and perhaps _should_ stick 
> with Windows. Why should anyone help someone for free if they aren't 
> willing to invest at least an equal amount of time themselves.

Since Dan is no longer subscribed to this list and I know him pretty
well as a friend, I think I can answer this question on his behalf.

He feels that it's way too complicated for him and that you'd have to
be a computer programmer to figure it out. He sees himself more as a 
computer user than a computer tech. He's just like most people in this
respect. They have other things on their minds, like work they want to
do with the computer, but they are not interested in figuring out how
the computer works. It's the same with car troubles; most people just
take their car to an automotive mechanic when things aren't working
right and pay them for their expertise in figuring these things out.
It's actually more efficient than them spending the months of study to
be an even marginally competent mechanic.

Anyway, by posting my proposal I was hoping to help Dan determine the
minimum amount of money he would have to pay out to get his problem 
solved. Plus I was hoping it would give somebody here on the list a 
job opportunity, possibly me if no one beats my bid. 

Like any hesitant customer, Dan just needs to be shown the benefits of 
spending some money. He's already sold on Debian, isn't that a victory
we can build on? And remember, every satisfied customer will give us 
more referrals.

Dex







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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Ben Huot
I'd be willing to do it for free as I am a disabled veteran and cannot 
receive money. I don't know how long it would take me though I am sure I 
could finish it in a few days. I don't have a car though.

I have installed Mandrake before and I actually have a BSD system up and 
running text only configured for efn. I could probably copy settings 
from that. This would be a valuable learning experience for me.

Dexter Graphic wrote:
Since this topic keeps coming up as an unresolved issue on 
the list I will address it here explicitly and openly with 
the hope that we will be able to solve it once and for all.

Here are the facts:

Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to 
relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, 
or pointers). He has a philosophical/political preference for 
free (as in speech) software and would rather not continue
using Windows 95 and its lame Internet Mail program with no 
spell checking.
 
It has been demonstrated at recent EUGLUG meetings that a 
text-based mail system is possible with GNU/Linux. Dan 
actually has the software on his computer (Debian 3.0). The 
problem which remains is figuring out how to configure and 
use it. (Dan's computer, by the way, is a desktop Pentium 
133, with 32MB of ram, a Matrox SVGA card, a CD ROM that is 
not bootable from the BIOS, and a hard disk that's at least
2GB in capacity.)

For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
himself. For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
to do this for him for free (as in beer). 

So here is my proposal: 

If Dan pays me at a rate of $10 an hour, I will figure it 
out and get a text-based mail system working on his system. 
That includes setting up PPP, fetchmail, sendmail, procmail,
mutt, emacs, and aspell. Since I know very little about any 
of these programs, I figure it will take me at least 25 
hours and possibly as many as 50 to get Dan's mail system
working. This means it would cost Dan $250 to $500 to solve
his problem.

If anyone else with more expertise than me is willing to do
it for less, then please submit your own proposals.

Dexter Graphic -- Always trying to present things clearly.

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 ^   ^
(*) (*)
 <=  \   /  =>
  o o
?
/// \
///  %
/// @
//////   ///
\\  | | |   //
 \\ U U U   //
  U U

Ben Huot
Peasant-Scholar
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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Re: [Eug-lug]Dan's text based computer system

2002-12-15 Thread Beaker (aka Jeff W)
Here are the facts:

Dan does not want to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to 
relate to his computer (that means no windows, icons, mice, 
or pointers).


He has a philosophical/political preference for 
free (as in speech) software and would rather not continue
using Windows 95 and its lame Internet Mail program with no 
spell checking.


Dan actually has the software on his computer (Debian 3.0).



For some reason Dan is unwilling to spend the necessary time 
and effort to read the instructions and figure it out for 
himself.


For some reason no on else from EUGLUG is willing 
to do this for him for free (as in beer).

*Reality Check!*
Dan sounds like a bundle of contidictions and perhaps _should_ stick 
with Windows. Why should anyone help someone for free if they aren't 
willing to invest at least an equal amount of time themselves.

-beaker

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