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Formatting floppy
by Bob Dove 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

Hi folks, From desktop (if you use it) look at your mounted disks, drop down menu will invite you to format floppy if one is in your floppy (A) drive. Only successful thing I've done in Linux so far! And by the way, thanks to those amongst you who offered advice on writing to NTFS formated (windoze) HDs, I'm afraid I'm not that far advanced in Linux knowledge to know what you are talking about. Old dogs n that! Cheers, BD. NB: This is from 'live' SuSe 9.3 using KDE?

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RE: [ALUG] New user
by Keith Watson 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

> From: Wayne Stallwood Sent: 06 July 2005 22:11 > > On Wed, 2005-07-06 at 10:43 +0100, Brett Parker wrote: > > > > Before Amstrad got their grubby paws on it, then :) God, I remember > > the days of autoexec.bat and config.sys, and am very glad > that I don't > > have to deal with that any more :) > > Actually I sort of miss those days. > > I remember hours of fun trying to balance loaded TSR's with > available (and pretty scarce) RAM. Oh and remember the > different areas of Ram Extended and Expanded wasn't it ? PC > Tools and early versions of Norton Utils ? > > Not forgetting having to use Debug to low level format Hard > Drives and manually parking heads before moving machines. > > OK you're right it wasn't that much fun was it :-) <nostalgia> Ahh!! </nostalgia> and let's not forget punched cards and..... paper tape. Oh! those were the days. Regards, Keith ____________ EGOTIST, n. - A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me. - Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary

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RE: [ALUG] Re: New user
by Keith Watson 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

> From: Chris Green Sent: 07 July 2005 09:38 > > On Thu, Jul 07, 2005 at 09:12:06AM +0100, Peter Hunter wrote: > > Yep, you're quite right Keith, we should stop living in the > past. But > > it is nice to talk about these things at times. > > > > Later on I worked on many of the early DEC machines, PDP-8, PDP-12 (my > speciality) and PDP-11. At that time all except the PDP-12 > (which was a bit of an oddity) had to be booted by manually > entering a simple paper tape loader in binary using the front > panel switches and then loading the rest of the startup > programs from paper tape. Ahh, we used to DREAM of being able to "boot using a simple paper tape loader in binary using the front panel switches and then loading the rest of the startup programs from paper tape" :o) Mind you as someone of similar vintage and background to Chris I can't do too much leg pulling. Do you remember the metallic 'paper' tape that was used for things like boot routines and compilers etc.? Used to be coloured on one side (red, green, blue) and silver or gold on the other. Made great Christmas decorations. Regards, Keith ____________ To know that you know, and to know that you don't know - that is the real wisdom. - Confucius

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New user
by Peter Hunter 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

Hi all, but Bret and Adam especially, I have been reading the post on this subject and am really worried now about joining IRC and asking for help. Like Peter I have also used PC/M, in fact I started with the very early Spectrums from Sir Clive. I have also talked people through (over amateur radio) editing Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files, sometimes over and over again. Like many other users I am new to LINUX, not new to computers. Therefore I EXPECT to make mistakes, how else can I learn? If I ask 'how do I edit this config file' I want you to tell me just that, not have me email it to you and you email the edited file back, how on earth can I learn anything from that? After all, if I wanted to put a plug on a new bit of coax I wouldn't send it to someone else to do for me! Maybe some would!! Please, please, please treat me as a new LINUX user and not as a complete dork. Regards Peter

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Taking risks with other peoples machines
by Peter Onion 06 Jul '05

06 Jul '05

I do hope that the wrecklessness with which people are treating other peoples machines on the IRC channel at the moment doesn't result in the loss of anyones important data. As far as I'm concerned getting a less than expert user to edit /etc/fstab via instructions on IRC is asking for trouble. Peter O

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RE: [ALUG] What I was worried about
by Keith Watson 06 Jul '05

06 Jul '05

> From: John Woodard Sent: 06 July 2005 12:19 > > > From: Ten Sent: 06 July 2005 11:28 > > > > At the risk of invoking Godwin, this is exactly how Hitler used to > > behave in IRC. > > > > > > Sorry, I had to say that, it's my condition... anyway.. > > May that put to death what is becoming a stale thread. > > Just for those who aren't quite so familiar with the > Nazi/Hitler/Godwin thing see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law > > Cheers, > BJ Ah, but doesn't Quirk's exception apply in this case? Regards, Keith ____________ 'I can see nobody on the road.' said Alice. - 'I only wish I had such eyes,' said the King - 'to be able to see Nobody! And at that distance too!' - Lewis Carroll

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FW: [ALUG] Software patents
by Ted.Harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk 06 Jul '05

06 Jul '05

I have received the following via ALUG and pass it on for the benefit of others. Not yet the best possible news, but an important landmark! Best wishes to all, Ted. -----FW: <E1Dq8Eu-0003TP-00(a)terry.blackcatnetworks.co.uk>----- Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 12:40:47 +0100 Sender: main-admin(a)lists.alug.org.uk From: Nick Daniels <nick(a)danielsn.freeserve.co.uk> To: main(a)lists.alug.org.uk Subject: [ALUG] Software patents Maybe only temporary but: EU Parliament bins software patent bill In brief The European Parliament has voted by a massive majority to reject the software patents directive, formally known as the Directive on the Patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions. The vote to scrap the bill was passed by a margin of 648 votes to 14, with 18 abstentions. The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) says the rejection is a logical response to the Commission and Council's refusal to take parliament's will into consideration. Anti-software patent campaigner Florian Muller argues that today's vote was prompted by events back in February, when the parliament's committee of legal affairs, JURI, voted for a restart of the legislative process. That vote was flatly ignored by the European Commission, which decided instead to move on to a second reading. "A nightmare is over," Muller says. "Next time around, let's honestly discuss the pros and cons of pure software patents, and then we can get a great directive that won't die a dishonourable death like this." According to Muller, MEPs are divided about what should happen next. The Conservative group has called for a news proposal from teh Commission, while the Greens would like the parliamentary vote to be interpretted as a final rejection of the bill. "Before any next step, we need a period of reflection, and a proper economic policy debate. It is not like we've accomplished everything here. Ideally, we want a good directive, but at this stage no directive was the best directive we could hope for," he told us.® http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/06/eu_bins_swpat/ Regards - Nick Daniels _______________________________________________ main(a)lists.alug.org.uk http://www.alug.org.uk/ http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main Unsubscribe? See message headers or the web site above! --------------End of forwarded message------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)nessie.mcc.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 06-Jul-05 Time: 13:43:16 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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Re: Floppy
by Peter Hunter 06 Jul '05

06 Jul '05

OKay everyone, thanks for the help and advice. It's all done now. That's one thing I will *never* forget. Peter

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Floppy
by Peter Hunter 06 Jul '05

06 Jul '05

I know this is a stupid question, but how do I format a floppy? I.m using Gnome in Suse 9.3 Prof. I've looked in all the system stuff and Yast etc., but can't find any way of doing this. I know it must be really simple, and I'm going to feel a right twit afterwards, but please. someone put me out of my missery. Peter

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Software patents
by Nick Daniels 06 Jul '05

06 Jul '05

Maybe only temporary but: EU Parliament bins software patent bill In brief The European Parliament has voted by a massive majority to reject the software patents directive, formally known as the Directive on the Patentability of Computer Implemented Inventions. The vote to scrap the bill was passed by a margin of 648 votes to 14, with 18 abstentions. The Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) says the rejection is a logical response to the Commission and Council's refusal to take parliament's will into consideration. Anti-software patent campaigner Florian Muller argues that today's vote was prompted by events back in February, when the parliament's committee of legal affairs, JURI, voted for a restart of the legislative process. That vote was flatly ignored by the European Commission, which decided instead to move on to a second reading. "A nightmare is over," Muller says. "Next time around, let's honestly discuss the pros and cons of pure software patents, and then we can get a great directive that won't die a dishonourable death like this." According to Muller, MEPs are divided about what should happen next. The Conservative group has called for a news proposal from teh Commission, while the Greens would like the parliamentary vote to be interpretted as a final rejection of the bill. "Before any next step, we need a period of reflection, and a proper economic policy debate. It is not like we've accomplished everything here. Ideally, we want a good directive, but at this stage no directive was the best directive we could hope for," he told us.® http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/06/eu_bins_swpat/ Regards - Nick Daniels

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