Dear All,
having joined this list a few weeks ago I am at last getting around to saying 'hello'.
I'm Rob of Lakenham, part time teacher of development economics at UEA, full time dad, very part time computer tinkerer and so on.
I have gravitated towards Linux after a long period of growing disaffection with another well known OS. Until a few years back I always assumed that the more I used computers in my daily work, the more I would understand, gain control and open up creative possibilities. However, the latest version of the ubiquitous OS has confirmed the opposite tendancy. I really feel that I am being patronised and almost deliberately deskilled. I wanted a computer, not a glorified fruit machine.
So to Linux. If you haven't realised by now, I am one of the very few (?) non-techie people on the list but perhaps a laugh at my newbie naivete may be warming on a cold winter evening.
I only started with Linux in December 2004. Maybe in desperation for some visible nuts and bolts, I have ignored advice about difficulty and gone straight for Debian (3.0 r3). I've got a dual boot working with XP as I only have the one machine which I do a lot of UEA work on. The machine is a Thinkpad T22 from ebay. Possibly because of this I've got nowhere with X so far but I'll get there one day. At the moment my install reminds me of Multics at Bristol in the 1980s. I'm enjoying learning all about vi and Unix in general.
That's it. My appreciation to all who contribute to making this an interesting list, especially to the kind folk who run it all. Perhaps look forward to meeting some of you one day; do you really venture down to the Billy Bluelight sometimes?
Best wishes,
Rob
On Fri, Feb 18, 2005 at 11:26:19PM +0000, d922989 wrote:
Hi Rob,
Nice to meet you :)
So to Linux. If you haven't realised by now, I am one of the very few (?) non-techie people on the list but perhaps a laugh at my newbie naivete may be warming on a cold winter evening.
I wouldn't say that you are in a minority, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more than half the subscribers are non-techy, just maybe they aren't as vocal as the technical people :)
I only started with Linux in December 2004. Maybe in desperation for some visible nuts and bolts, I have ignored advice about difficulty and gone straight for Debian (3.0 r3). I've got a dual boot working with XP as I only
Good man, Debian is a sensible choice, one that many of us will approve of and be happy to help with anyway ;)
That's it. My appreciation to all who contribute to making this an interesting list, especially to the kind folk who run it all. Perhaps look forward to meeting some of you one day; do you really venture down to the Billy Bluelight sometimes?
The "City Gate" on Dereham road is where we meet, once a month on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 8pm onwards. It would be great to see you come along and meet up with us. Also given that you teach/lecture at the UEA you could always help us to organise a weekend meeting at the UEA if you wanted ;)
Thanks Adam
d922989 R.Grant@uea.ac.uk wrote:
list, especially to the kind folk who run it all. Perhaps look forward to meeting some of you one day; do you really venture down to the Billy Bluelight
It has been known for us to venture that way, Sid use to organise the meetings there, but we've not had one for months (basically since Sid had other commitments to take care of for a bit, I wonder how he's getting on now).
We do manage to meet quite often in the City Gate though, once a month on the second thursday of the month, infact. There's usually me and Noodles knocking about (kudos to Noodles for hosting the list at black cat for us).
Anyone is free to make a meeting date, just announce when and where and some of us will turn up, usually (given enough notice before hand, sometimes we even manage to get a rough count before the day!).
Anyways, welcome to the list, I hope we can be of use to you, or you to us, whichever happens first ;)
Cheers,
On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 23:26:19 +0000, d922989 R.Grant@uea.ac.uk wrote:
Dear All, having joined this list a few weeks ago I am at last getting around to saying 'hello'.
Hi!
I only started with Linux in December 2004. Maybe in desperation for some visible nuts and bolts, I have ignored advice about difficulty and gone straight for Debian (3.0 r3). I've got a dual boot working with XP as I only have the one machine which I do a lot of UEA work on. The machine is a Thinkpad T22 from ebay. Possibly because of this I've got nowhere with X so far but I'll get there one day.
X should work on the T22 - works fine on the T20 and R40e. Two tips: 1. Try a 'Live' CD - these are very good at auto-detecting everything, and you can make notes from the verbose output. 2. Move straight on to Debian 3.1 Testing (Sarge), because it is quite stable and the apps are all much more recent (Firefox 1.0!) Some would probably recommend another step even closer to the cutting edge by installing the latest Ubuntu.
Have fun! Tim.
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Tim Green timothy.j.green@gmail.com wrote:
X should work on the T22 - works fine on the T20 and R40e. Two tips:
- Try a 'Live' CD - these are very good at auto-detecting everything,
and you can make notes from the verbose output. 2. Move straight on to Debian 3.1 Testing (Sarge), because it is quite stable and the apps are all much more recent (Firefox 1.0!) Some would probably recommend another step even closer to the cutting edge by installing the latest Ubuntu.
Nooo! Not the Ubuntu! Personally I tend to run Debian Unstable (Sid) on workstations, much more fun than Ubuntu, which is only a subset of the packages from Debian. *wonders if there are any ubuntu'ers on the list*.
Cheers, - -- Brett Parker web: http://www.sommitrealweird.co.uk/ email: iDunno@sommitrealweird.co.uk
The message 421680B6@webmail1.uea.ac.uk from d922989 R.Grant@uea.ac.uk contains these words:
That's it. My appreciation to all who contribute to making this an interesting list, especially to the kind folk who run it all. Perhaps look forward to meeting some of you one day; do you really venture down to the Billy Bluelight sometimes?
Pleased to meet you, Rob.
I'm in much the same position as you, mainly through lack of the right shaped tuits. I've got Debian on a big PIII, thanks to the efforts of kind ALUGgers. While it *DOES* get an airing, it's mainly a groping in the dark from time to time.
And no I rarely visit the Billy Bluelight, spreading my custom parsimoniously between the Kings Arms (opposite) and the Black Cat.
However, I have nothing against the Billy Bluelight...
Anthony Anson tony.anson@zetnet.co.uk wrote:
And no I rarely visit the Billy Bluelight, spreading my custom parsimoniously between the Kings Arms (opposite) and the Black Cat.
Where be the Black Cat?
Cheers,
The message 20050219112446.GC4488@pitr from Brett Parker iDunno@sommitrealweird.co.uk contains these words:
Anthony Anson tony.anson@zetnet.co.uk wrote:
And no I rarely visit the Billy Bluelight, spreading my custom parsimoniously between the Kings Arms (opposite) and the Black Cat.
Where be the Black Cat?
*WOT!* *WOT?* You don't know the Black Cat?
A? Did I say *BLACK* cat?
<shame>
Sorry, don't know what got into me - I mean, of course, the *FAT* cat.
Consider it as a senior moment...
Anthony Anson tony.anson@zetnet.co.uk wrote:
The message 20050219112446.GC4488@pitr from Brett Parker iDunno@sommitrealweird.co.uk contains these words:
Anthony Anson tony.anson@zetnet.co.uk wrote:
And no I rarely visit the Billy Bluelight, spreading my custom parsimoniously between the Kings Arms (opposite) and the Black Cat.
Where be the Black Cat?
*WOT!* *WOT?* You don't know the Black Cat?
A? Did I say *BLACK* cat?
<shame>
Sorry, don't know what got into me - I mean, of course, the *FAT* cat.
Consider it as a senior moment...
Ahh, now I might be in the Fat Cat on various occassions, generally when I can be arsed to walk all that way and Mr Noodles isn't Ill (it has to have the capitol I to keep him happy ;). The Fat Cat is a rocking pub, and of course, I expect us to make an effort to get there in the summer for good beer ;)
Failing rain, hangovers, Illness, death, or just pure lazyness, I usually make it to the Fat Cat of a Thursday night (except the second thursday of the month, of course, that's spent crying about the lack of beer in the City Gate... Which reminds me...)...
On an entirely unrelated note... Those who do come to the second Thursday meetings, or are planning on coming to find us rabble in the City Gate... What does everyone think of moving across the road to the (slightly) more expensive (as in it's back to normal, not cheap chain) prices, but much better selection (and in my opinion atmosphere), of the rather wonderful pub that is the Reindeer? I know this has come up before, but that was a while ago and we're a fickle bunch (plus, at that time I wasn't bothered as the City Gate had a decent ale selection on). Regular pints in the Reindeer include such things as Black Dog, and Elgoods Cambridge, and Greyhound (it is an Elgoods pub after all ;), but they also have 5 guest beers, and the usual bout of Lagers and soft drinks.
Right, erm, that was a longer reply that I was aiming for ;)
Cheers,
The message 20050219212017.GA4595@pitr from Brett Parker iDunno@sommitrealweird.co.uk contains these words:
On an entirely unrelated note... Those who do come to the second Thursday meetings, or are planning on coming to find us rabble in the City Gate... What does everyone think of moving across the road to the (slightly) more expensive (as in it's back to normal, not cheap chain) prices, but much better selection (and in my opinion atmosphere), of the rather wonderful pub that is the Reindeer? I know this has come up before, but that was a while ago and we're a fickle bunch (plus, at that time I wasn't bothered as the City Gate had a decent ale selection on). Regular pints in the Reindeer include such things as Black Dog, and Elgoods Cambridge, and Greyhound (it is an Elgoods pub after all ;), but they also have 5 guest beers, and the usual bout of Lagers and soft drinks.
Ah. You've won me over. Even if I'm only there in spirit, I'll be in the Reindeer supping Black Dog.
Unfortunately, lack of income rules out a car, and the last bus home leaves *MUCH* too early.
Right, erm, that was a longer reply that I was aiming for ;)
Right, erm, but well worth while...
On 19-Feb-05 Anthony Anson wrote:
Ah. You've won me over. Even if I'm only there in spirit, I'll be in the Reindeer supping Black Dog.
Unfortunately, lack of income rules out a car, and the last bus home leaves *MUCH* too early.
Where's "home", then? Ted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 19-Feb-05 Time: 23:52:38 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
The message XFMail.050219235238.Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk from (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk contains these words:
On 19-Feb-05 Anthony Anson wrote:
Ah. You've won me over. Even if I'm only there in spirit, I'll be in the Reindeer supping Black Dog.
Unfortunately, lack of income rules out a car, and the last bus home leaves *MUCH* too early.
Where's "home", then?
Bunwell.
For those who don't know the terrain, Bunwell nestles beneath the majestic massif of Mt. Bunwell.
Close by is the Tas Gorge, whose colonnaded confines constrict the mysterious inky depths of the River Tas as the waters tumble from placid and unfathomable pools into raging torrents of tumbling eddies and treacherous whirlpools on their irresistible journey to the Great North Sea.
Here, Sharon plies her ancient craft, and the Terrible Troll of Tacolneston, titled thus for its alliterative allure, dines daily on unwary travellers who cross the water by the Forncett Ford.
Otherwise, it's Normal for Norfolk.
On 20-Feb-05 Anthony Anson wrote:
The message XFMail.050219235238.Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk from (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk contains these words:
On 19-Feb-05 Anthony Anson wrote:
Ah. You've won me over. Even if I'm only there in spirit, I'll be in the Reindeer supping Black Dog.
Unfortunately, lack of income rules out a car, and the last bus home leaves *MUCH* too early.
Where's "home", then?
Bunwell.
Sort of on my way home then (assuming I make it to the meeting): back onto the A11, Thetford, Brandon, Hockwold, Feltwell, across Methwold Fen, hop over the river at Brandon Bank ...
Keep in touch.
For those who don't know the terrain, Bunwell nestles beneath the majestic massif of Mt. Bunwell.
Close by is the Tas Gorge, whose colonnaded confines constrict the mysterious inky depths of the River Tas as the waters tumble from placid and unfathomable pools into raging torrents of tumbling eddies and treacherous whirlpools on their irresistible journey to the Great North Sea.
Here, Sharon plies her ancient craft, and the Terrible Troll of Tacolneston, titled thus for its alliterative allure, dines daily on unwary travellers who cross the water by the Forncett Ford.
Looks like Mt Bunwell rises to about 6,200cm, as opposed to the 100 or so round here. Dunno how long I can take the oxygen deficit.
Otherwise, it's Normal for Norfolk.
I've heard of that being on people's case notes ...
Ted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 20-Feb-05 Time: 18:38:02 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
The message XFMail.050220183802.Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk from (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk contains these words:
Bunwell.
Sort of on my way home then (assuming I make it to the meeting): back onto the A11, Thetford, Brandon, Hockwold, Feltwell, across Methwold Fen, hop over the river at Brandon Bank ...
Keep in touch.
Right, thanks.
If things improve I'll be able to offer similar to Luggers - but just now, the prospect's bleak.
Rob of Lakenham wrote:
having joined this list a few weeks ago I am at last getting around to saying 'hello'.
Hello to Rob, whose intro I enjoyed. Maybe it's time for a weekend meeting in Norwich? There's no-one booking the Billy Bluelight right now, so if anyone's an irregular there... or UEA is fine, but isn't the car park mangled yet?
Debian is possible to do - there's lots of help, documentation and advice around, some of which even works - but you might like to have a LiveCD around so you can compare it with your main system. If you need, I can post you a current one.
As mentioned before you might like to go with Ubuntu, and if you havent got a great stonking broadband connection you can pick up a free install cd along with a free live cd from Ottarkars in Norwich, just ask at the upstairs counter.
Welcome to the list, and im another non techie, im a bookmaker! Whats everyone else do to earn their crust?
-
adam＠thebowery.co.uk -
Anthony Anson -
Brett Parker -
d922989 -
MJ Ray -
Ricky Bruce -
Ted.Harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk -
Tim Green