OT: Windows is too expensive

Baron Munchausen · #1 May 23rd, 2007, 04:39 PM

Ugh! I can't stand anything smaller than 1024X768 anymore. No, what I am missing is 1280X960. They have 1280X1024 (not the long standard aspect ratio of nearly all computer monitors) but not 1280X960??? Weird.

The external modem is on a serial port. It's a plain old USR Sportster. And unless it is ON when XP boots so it can detect it, I don't have the ability to use it.

Also, one other nit I noticed. Why isn't there a 'most recently used documents' feature on the XP start menu? Was that too good an idea to carry over?

Captain Kwok · #2 May 23rd, 2007, 05:13 PM

Under Start Menu properties click on customize and you can choose which items you want in the start list, such as recent documents etc. I also switch to classic view because I like the traditional windows UI a bit more than the XP one.

Renegade 13 · #3 May 23rd, 2007, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Captain Kwok said:
I also switch to classic view because I like the traditional windows UI a bit more than the XP one.

I highly recommend switching to classic view as well; the default XP UI is way too flashy and colorful, with not nearly enough function to back it up.

Fyron · #4 May 23rd, 2007, 05:50 PM

Baron Munchausen said:
"No, what I am missing is 1280X960. They have 1280X1024 (not the long standard aspect ratio of nearly all computer monitors) but not 1280X960??? Weird."

That would be a driver issue. XP has no qualms about displaying 1280x960 if the drivers say it is supported. But if the drivers don't tell it that they can support a resolution, XP will hide it. Try going under the Advanced display properties and clicking on List All Modes. Does it list 1280x960 modes? If not, hunt down a resolution tweaking tool and force it.

Baron Munchausen · #5 May 23rd, 2007, 11:53 PM

Ah... I keep forgetting that every single component or peripheral might need a manufacturer supplied driver. This despite the several thousand drivers included in Windows XP. Install driver for my monitor, then remove and re-install video card driver. Now it is properly recognized and I have zillions of video modes available again. Phew... What a pain in the arse it is to setup a computer.

Baron Munchausen · #6 June 7th, 2007, 03:55 PM

OK, with all the difficulties of setting up a new OS I am afraid to do the XP computer first.

So I am planning to install Linux on a secondary system I have to learn how it goes. Questions:

1) If you want to run WINE is it required to have at least one partition with a Windows compatible file system on the machine or does WINE 'mask' the actual file system from Windows programs that you run?

2) This is an old system -- k6-2 -- what programs are 'lighter' on the CPU and would run better. XFce is supposed to be a light and fast windowing environment, for example. Does it lack a lot of functionality?

Fyron · #7 June 8th, 2007, 12:35 AM

Xfce lacks no functionality per se; what it lacks is resource-heavy apps and widgets shoehorned into KDE/Gnome. Another lightweight option is IceWM, which resembles Windows 95's look.

parabolize · #8 June 8th, 2007, 02:57 AM

1. Not only does WINE not need a windows partition I wouldn't recommend using one. Make sure WINE runs the applications you want though.

2. Yeah, Xfce4 will work fine. IceWM is a OK if old window manager but isn't a full desktop environment.

Baron Munchausen · #9 June 8th, 2007, 11:50 AM

What a day... it took a good five hours for SUSE 10.2 to install on the spare box. I sure hope that's because it's an older system (socket 7 MB with a K6-2) and doesn't indicate how long it will take on my main system. And even when I got it installed I had to putter around to figure out why it couldn't recognize the modem (forgot to disable the integrated com ports when putting the card in the machine) and then had to install kinternet manually because it wasn't installed initially.

In other news, there is apparently a bug in this kernel that prevents dialup from working. Connects fine, but then when I start to download something it always disconnects. I've Googled the log messages, and it seems there is a kernel bug that makes it barf on PPP compression. I need to figure out how to disable 'deflate' compression in the ppp daemon. Until I can figure out how and where to set the 'nodeflate' command for the ppp daemon, the box can't connect and get the updated kernel.

P.S. "APT" is not present in the SUSE 10.2 install. Guess I'll have to get it from the repository when I figure out the connection bug.