Re: Microsoft is being sued by the State again this time about lying Vista Ready on every XP computer that can't run it.

Had any luck with Linux on your CFV computers, Michael?

Ubuntu is pretty darned friendly...

I downloaded it a year ago, but I didn't have a reliable CD burner until recently. It ended up being a marginal Bestec power supply, used by Emachines and other OEMs. I finally broke down and bought 2 GB of ram for this computer, and it wouldn't boot or run right from the extra current load. I rarely see one that marginal. I ahd to buy a new power supply, and can finally burn disks.

I've tried to give away the last computer with Mandiva you donated but so far they try it, then ask for windows based computers. In one way I can understand them being afraid of something they don't understand, but for what they say they want to do, I doubt they would know the difference.

I did loan that computer with Mandiva to a friend who owns a non profit thrift store for a couple weeks. He returned it after we got the parts to fix his computer, and now he's trying every version of Linux he can find. :)

He is the drop off point in the downtown area for my project and has helped it quite a bit, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to loan it out when he was in need.

BTW, a guy in Cleveland that owns a small tool manufacturing business asked if I had a place with a loading dock. He builds computers on the side, and said he has been throwing away 1+ GHz XP computers. He wants to make a donation, but only to a commercial shipping address. He said it would take a month or so, then he would ship a 'load' of computers. It sounds like he is going to put them on a pallet, like he ships his products. The guy who owns the thrift store said they could be shipped to his wife's business, where they have a fork lift.

I have a Gateway 'profile 3' desktop computer (With a built in LCD display) that only has USB, network and RJ-11 ports. the USB driver has crashed, and there is no way to repair the software without a keyboard or mouse so I am going to try installing Ubuntu on it. The ports work during bootup, but as soon as windows loads, they quit. I was thinking about using it on my network, in a small tool shed by my driveway, where I want to do incoming inspection on the donations. There is no sense dragging unrepairable computers into the shop, and I'll have a place for people to pick up their computers without letting someone I don't know into my home.

How are you and yours these days?

And you want us to believe that you are hot shit with computers?

Bwuahahahahahah! You're busted!

It doesn't like my desktop system. I've been working way too much overtime to play with it much, but Linux of all stripes has a problem with the Matrox display adapter. Ubuntu is the worst, so far.

There is a difference between being skilled and being poor.

Sorry chump, but even a top end DVD writer drive is only $50 or LESS.

$50 = food for two weeks if you are careful.

I used SUSE on a system with a Matrox with no problem.

If you don't like dual-monitors on a card designed for dual- monitors.

Not even on a baloney and pasta diet, it isn't.

Dimbulb, if you ate baloney, you'd be a cannibal.

Yet another 100% retarded attempt at humor.

You failed.

Hi Michael,

Yeah, some of those cheap power supplies are a little TOO "cost minimized."

Ubuntu's coming out with a new "long term support" release version in April (8.04); I expect it's worth checking out.

Those machines had gone through enough upgrades I didn't really have any clue what OSes legally belonged to them any more. The Microsoft OEM license agreements where you're not officially allowed to transfer the license to another machine definitely don't help here.

That's great news!

Pretty good... no real complaints. :-) Worst thing that's happened to us recently is that our favorite rooster (a black Jersey giant) died inexplicably... someone the rest of the chickens look much smaller with him gone. :-)

Was your area affected by the power outages following the shutdown of the Turkey Point nuclear plant?

---Joel

Wow, i goofed that post up. try:

There is skill level and there is lifestyle choice. They are independent variables. I respect Michael's choices.

I am reasonably skilled, i choose a less artificial lifestyle. I am buying my own home, at only 3X my annual income at the time of initial transaction. Instead of the local normal of about 10X annual income.

It is getting harder to make it stretch that far these days, even for one careful person.

I usually had a computer in the shop if I "HAD" to burn a CD-ROM, so it didn't matter till I added more RAM and it wouldn't boot up.

Not a real problem. I keep it set up so people can try Linux. As soon As i can finish some repairs to a 12' * 12' building, I will be able to plug it into the house network, and they can try it online.

At least ten power failures that day. I lost count after that.

My dad had surgery Tuesday, and they removed two cancerous growths from his colon. They said they got everything, but I heard that same line 20+ years ago when my mom had the same surgery, but they were wrong.

Both baloney and pasta are more expensive choices, try beans and rice possibly supplemented with planter box veggies.

You will lose any "advanced" capabilities, but if you (perhaps brutally) force VESA standard modes almost any video display adapter card will work.

I have not had any serious problems with dual monitors in several Linux distros with a handful of cards for some time now. Haven't used Matrox for over a decade now.