It took me a long time but I finally have my first install running KDE and here is my first post from a non-Bill system. So far my feeling is that it was well worth the hours of googling to get here. KDE seems to be add to, rather than obscure, the interface with my machine. And add me to the virtual desktops fan club already. Now, being a mere user of applications with 'productivity' stuff to get done I will need to get Open Office but first I suppose I should upgrade this 2.2.20 idepci to Sarge. More trials ahead then but worth it for the sense of learning and gradual empowerment that I never got with win. I think OOo 1.4 is the latest version available as debs but will 2.0 go with Debian yet?
BTW1 on googling newsgroups- top posters are preferable when searching as you only get to see the initial lines of posts when viewing threads.
BTW2 my first computer at school was a NASCOM 2, it ran BASIC and Z80 assembler. Home machine an Atari 800, the first to have a seperate graphics processor enabling sprites (or 'player missile graphics').
A lot of my school/ uni pals who grew up with stuff like this and other early systems mentioned on this list recently are now developers of various kinds. Where is the next generation going to come from?
Rob