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Since its inception, TechProGuild has broken topic areas
down into tracks such as Windows Server, NetWare, Linux, and so forth to make
it easy to find information related to the problems you're facing. As you can
tell in the TechProGuild Resources box and in the subnav at the top of the
page, those track names have changed.
We've decided to add a track to cover application software
such as Microsoft Office and a management track to cover more strategic
problems subscribers may face. We also decided to consolidate the Netware,
Linux and Windows Server tracks into one large Server OS track. No, we're not
abandoning NetWare and Linux. It just made more sense to group those together.
We'll also include some Solaris and MacOS server content there as well. The
Client OS track will focus on client aspects of Linux and MacOS as well as
Windows.
Existing content will be mapped as follows:
Windows
Server, NetWare and Linux/Unix -> Server OS Windows
Client -> Client OS Infrastructure
-> Networking Troubleshooting
-> Hardware The
Applications track is new. The
Management track is new.
You?ll also notice we?ve made some changes in the
TechProGuild Resources box. The TPG Blog has returned - this time connected to my personal
profile on TechRepublic. The TPG Tour is also back on the home page for
people who are new to TechProGuild. Finally, the TechBooks link has moved to
the left resource list.
We?re hoping that the expanded and reorganized
coverage in TechProGuild will make it easier for you to find solutions for the
IT problems you face.
down into tracks such as Windows Server, NetWare, Linux, and so forth to make
it easy to find information related to the problems you're facing. As you can
tell in the TechProGuild Resources box and in the subnav at the top of the
page, those track names have changed.
We've decided to add a track to cover application software
such as Microsoft Office and a management track to cover more strategic
problems subscribers may face. We also decided to consolidate the Netware,
Linux and Windows Server tracks into one large Server OS track. No, we're not
abandoning NetWare and Linux. It just made more sense to group those together.
We'll also include some Solaris and MacOS server content there as well. The
Client OS track will focus on client aspects of Linux and MacOS as well as
Windows.
Existing content will be mapped as follows:
Windows
Server, NetWare and Linux/Unix -> Server OS Windows
Client -> Client OS Infrastructure
-> Networking Troubleshooting
-> Hardware The
Applications track is new. The
Management track is new.
You?ll also notice we?ve made some changes in the
TechProGuild Resources box. The TPG Blog has returned - this time connected to my personal
profile on TechRepublic. The TPG Tour is also back on the home page for
people who are new to TechProGuild. Finally, the TechBooks link has moved to
the left resource list.
We?re hoping that the expanded and reorganized
coverage in TechProGuild will make it easier for you to find solutions for the
IT problems you face.
Going to lunch today, I passed one of those trendy little furniture stores in the shopping center where the restaurant was. In the display window, they had a very nice, and I presume very expensive, computer desk ensemble. You've seen the type - a corner unit complete with printer stand, overhead drawers, rolling chair, under desk storage - The Works.
And what did they have sitting on the computer desk to illustrate the modernity and stylishness of the furniture? A TRS-80 Model 4 . For those of you under the age of 30, that was one of THE hottest computers on the market back around the first term of the Reagan Administration. But there it was. Integrated keyboard. Dual full height floppy drive - 5 1/4 inch, of course. 24x80 black and white video display. 128K of RAM.
It was actually kind of funny. Here they were trying to show off this elegant computer workstation set and they had sitting on it a computer that was probably older than some of the clerks in the store. The icing on the cake was the fact that they had a modern Hewlett-Packard Deskjet sitting on the printer stand next to it. Kind of like having a set of mag wheels on a horse drawn buggy.
Of course, I could be wrong. They say that everything old is new again. And I cant think of many platforms that are more resistant to spyware and viruses than a TRS-80. Maybe it's time for businesses to rethink Windows Server 2003 and take another look at TRSDOS.
And what did they have sitting on the computer desk to illustrate the modernity and stylishness of the furniture? A TRS-80 Model 4 . For those of you under the age of 30, that was one of THE hottest computers on the market back around the first term of the Reagan Administration. But there it was. Integrated keyboard. Dual full height floppy drive - 5 1/4 inch, of course. 24x80 black and white video display. 128K of RAM.
It was actually kind of funny. Here they were trying to show off this elegant computer workstation set and they had sitting on it a computer that was probably older than some of the clerks in the store. The icing on the cake was the fact that they had a modern Hewlett-Packard Deskjet sitting on the printer stand next to it. Kind of like having a set of mag wheels on a horse drawn buggy.
Of course, I could be wrong. They say that everything old is new again. And I cant think of many platforms that are more resistant to spyware and viruses than a TRS-80. Maybe it's time for businesses to rethink Windows Server 2003 and take another look at TRSDOS.
TRSDOS might be the best OS ever. It can be the most correct variant of
OS around. Have no comment on its programming capabilities though. This
is when secured UNIX-like OS OpenBSD is not yet in. TRSDOS' capability
has limitation to handling network services (couldn't find if TRS has
support to these) e.g. DNS, mail, web, file unlike OpenBSD. I cannot
say more about OpenBSD's security features. I've tested it. Lets go and
inform them of these new OS. Cheers!
OS around. Have no comment on its programming capabilities though. This
is when secured UNIX-like OS OpenBSD is not yet in. TRSDOS' capability
has limitation to handling network services (couldn't find if TRS has
support to these) e.g. DNS, mail, web, file unlike OpenBSD. I cannot
say more about OpenBSD's security features. I've tested it. Lets go and
inform them of these new OS. Cheers!
I had a friend run his auto repair accounting on his TRS-80 Model 4 until Windows 95 was released. I cut my teeth on a TRS-80, with a data cassette recorder and learned BASIC, in high school.? ? ?
It's been a long time since OS/2 has been in the news. This morning I noticed an article on News.com stating that IBM has finally decided to stop selling OS/2 . So yet again, when OS/2 makes the news it's yet another declaration of its death.
When I worked at the Jefferson County Police Department, I became a big
fan of OS/2 3.0. We had deployed it on our computer aided dispatching
workstations because it was the only multitasking operating system that
worked on desktops and could still run all of the applications we
needed to run without crashing every 15 minutes.
IBM billed OS/2 3.0 and 4.0 as being a "Better DOS than DOS and a
better Windows than Windows". It certainly beat the daylights
technically out of Windows 3.1 which was its initial main competitor.
Warp, the moniker for OS/2 4.0, was even better than Windows 95, and
arguably Windows 98. Microsoft kept making Windows better and by the
time Windows 2000
Professional shipped, OS/2's technical advantages were mostly
overshadowed.
The problem was IBM couldn't market OS/2 to save its life and never
could overcome Microsoft's license arrangements with hardware vendors.
As such, OS/2 whithered on the vine. IBM tried to save it several
times, but to no avail. And most of the time when you saw OS/2
mentioned in the news, it was in some reference to OS/2's Death being
imminent.
It's a shame. I still run Warp on a computer at home. It still works
really well. Like the TRS-80 I mentioned in the last blog post, it's
resistant to spyware and viruses. Sadly now, it looks like it's
equally obsolete.
When I worked at the Jefferson County Police Department, I became a big
fan of OS/2 3.0. We had deployed it on our computer aided dispatching
workstations because it was the only multitasking operating system that
worked on desktops and could still run all of the applications we
needed to run without crashing every 15 minutes.
IBM billed OS/2 3.0 and 4.0 as being a "Better DOS than DOS and a
better Windows than Windows". It certainly beat the daylights
technically out of Windows 3.1 which was its initial main competitor.
Warp, the moniker for OS/2 4.0, was even better than Windows 95, and
arguably Windows 98. Microsoft kept making Windows better and by the
time Windows 2000
Professional shipped, OS/2's technical advantages were mostly
overshadowed.
The problem was IBM couldn't market OS/2 to save its life and never
could overcome Microsoft's license arrangements with hardware vendors.
As such, OS/2 whithered on the vine. IBM tried to save it several
times, but to no avail. And most of the time when you saw OS/2
mentioned in the news, it was in some reference to OS/2's Death being
imminent.
It's a shame. I still run Warp on a computer at home. It still works
really well. Like the TRS-80 I mentioned in the last blog post, it's
resistant to spyware and viruses. Sadly now, it looks like it's
equally obsolete.
A moment of silence, please..... 
It's really sad...... OS/2 at the end was better than Windows 95/98 and
even 2000 ever was. OS/2 Lan Server was leagues ahead of NT server. It
was only when XP and Windows 2000 Server came out that, IMNSHO, MS
*started* to catch up..... While peopel still harp on the marketing
aspects of it, the war was lost in the pre-install battle. Reality is
that almost no one other than techies ever (and I mean *EVER*)
update/replace their OS. Once MS was able to intimidate OEMs into
exclusive contracts, it was over.... Losing access to the Windows
source code was really just shooting a corpse.....
Personally, I still have my Warp 4 CD's as a piece of nostalgia....
Hank Arnold
It's really sad...... OS/2 at the end was better than Windows 95/98 and
even 2000 ever was. OS/2 Lan Server was leagues ahead of NT server. It
was only when XP and Windows 2000 Server came out that, IMNSHO, MS
*started* to catch up..... While peopel still harp on the marketing
aspects of it, the war was lost in the pre-install battle. Reality is
that almost no one other than techies ever (and I mean *EVER*)
update/replace their OS. Once MS was able to intimidate OEMs into
exclusive contracts, it was over.... Losing access to the Windows
source code was really just shooting a corpse.....
Personally, I still have my Warp 4 CD's as a piece of nostalgia....
Hank Arnold
I used OS/2 at home for a long time before installing Windows9x in a multiboot setup, and briefly administered one OS/2 Warp Server at work. If it hadn't been for OS/2, I'd have taken forever to get used to right-clicking and context menus-- something IBM had going long before Windows or even my beloved Macs have. Interestingly enough, there are still large numbers of banks overseas I'm told that use OS/2 on their ATMs. It was the first OS to provide that high a degree of uptime on standard hardware. There was also one book from the OS/2 development staff that covered all of the design that went into the Workplace Shell. . . incredible how much thought they put into their GUI. I miss OS/2 occasionally, but I'm glad I have my Macs.
I've been a big fan of the Firefox brower. I've used it on Windows,
Linux, and OS/2 since back when it was called Firebird. Even at version
.6, it had features that Microsoft has yet to add to Internet Explorer.
I probably use Firefox more than IE on a daily basis if I stopped to
think about it. This post is actually being written in Firefox.
I must admit I'm starting to get a little bit irritated however. In the
past few months, Mozilla.org has been releasing update after update to
Firefox. Just this past week, Mozilla.org - in almost Microsoft
Tradition - had to release a fix that fixed a fix .
In and of itself, that's not a bad thing. It's great that they're
keeping up with security threats and fixing problems as soon as they're
encountered. And face it, no matter what you think about Open Source
software, anything that's designed by humans is going to have problems
- no matter how talented and philanthropic they may be by devoting to
their talents to such a project.
What's really irksome about the process is, there's no easy way to
update the browser when there's a fix. If you want to get the latest
update, no matter how small, you've got to download and reinstall the
entire browser. Oh sure, there's a little bit of help with the Update
feature, but even so, it's a complete reinstall.
For most IT Professionals on their own machines, that's not a big deal.
But what do you do when you have dozens or hundreds of workstations
that you need to keep updated? Pushing out an entire new browser
every week wastes time, bandwidth, and simply is not a solution.
Not to mention, reinstalling the entire browser can sometimes result in
conflicts with add-ons or bookmarks. In a corporate environment, IT
just doesn't have time to put out all of these additional fires.
Firefox 1.1 is due
sometime this month with 1.5 at some point in the future. Software
updates are supposed to be part of that release. Here's hoping it works
correctly when it finally ships. Of course, when the new version ships,
that also means doing a complete reinstall again .
Linux, and OS/2 since back when it was called Firebird. Even at version
.6, it had features that Microsoft has yet to add to Internet Explorer.
I probably use Firefox more than IE on a daily basis if I stopped to
think about it. This post is actually being written in Firefox.
I must admit I'm starting to get a little bit irritated however. In the
past few months, Mozilla.org has been releasing update after update to
Firefox. Just this past week, Mozilla.org - in almost Microsoft
Tradition - had to release a fix that fixed a fix .
In and of itself, that's not a bad thing. It's great that they're
keeping up with security threats and fixing problems as soon as they're
encountered. And face it, no matter what you think about Open Source
software, anything that's designed by humans is going to have problems
- no matter how talented and philanthropic they may be by devoting to
their talents to such a project.
What's really irksome about the process is, there's no easy way to
update the browser when there's a fix. If you want to get the latest
update, no matter how small, you've got to download and reinstall the
entire browser. Oh sure, there's a little bit of help with the Update
feature, but even so, it's a complete reinstall.
For most IT Professionals on their own machines, that's not a big deal.
But what do you do when you have dozens or hundreds of workstations
that you need to keep updated? Pushing out an entire new browser
every week wastes time, bandwidth, and simply is not a solution.
Not to mention, reinstalling the entire browser can sometimes result in
conflicts with add-ons or bookmarks. In a corporate environment, IT
just doesn't have time to put out all of these additional fires.
Firefox 1.1 is due
sometime this month with 1.5 at some point in the future. Software
updates are supposed to be part of that release. Here's hoping it works
correctly when it finally ships. Of course, when the new version ships,
that also means doing a complete reinstall again .
That's why I prefer Mozilla browser. It's not perfect. Update =
reinstall, just like Firefox. But there are fewer "updates" over a
given period of time.
I tried Firefox. I tried the first three production versions. I didn't
like them because they didn't have the same granularity in
configuration that I was accustomed to having in Mozilla.
I tried Opera 8. I even paid for a license. Imagine that! I found that
there were more problems with Opera than with Mozilla so I went back to
Mozilla. I'm currently using v1.7.8.
So for the moment it's Mozilla for me.
reinstall, just like Firefox. But there are fewer "updates" over a
given period of time.
I tried Firefox. I tried the first three production versions. I didn't
like them because they didn't have the same granularity in
configuration that I was accustomed to having in Mozilla.
I tried Opera 8. I even paid for a license. Imagine that! I found that
there were more problems with Opera than with Mozilla so I went back to
Mozilla. I'm currently using v1.7.8.
So for the moment it's Mozilla for me.
Well it does bump up the d/l count in firefox. but for all the minor
problems in firefox i have been nail in ie far far worse. ever hear of
CWS 180SEARCH??? amany 100,s more!!!!
problems in firefox i have been nail in ie far far worse. ever hear of
CWS 180SEARCH??? amany 100,s more!!!!
Ok. I can't help but pile on with my reaction to Longhorn's new name. Peter Spande and Rex Baldazo
already chimed in with their takes on the name, so I
thought I should as well - as I'm sure are millions of other people.
In a word - Ick.
What were they thinking? Two things popped into my mind. The first thing was the old Plymouth Colt Vista .
This was a little car that was part-car, part-minivan. It tried to be
everything to everyone. It got good mileage, but had no get up and go.
It could carry lots of stuff, but beyond a bunch of kids and some
groceries, it was too small for much else. In the end, it didn't really
do anything very well. Hmmm...
The second thing I thought of was the Visa Card. Micrsoft's old slogan
was "Where do you want to go today?". Visa International's is
"Everywhere you want to be." So combining the two - Windows
Vis(t)a - kind of completes the circle, doesn't it?
Anyway, I don't get it. I guess I'll wind up getting used to it.
Windows XP sounded kind of clunky too at first. Now everyone just calls
it XP. I'm sure that Windows Vista will wind up just being called
Vista. When the beta ships, it will be interesting to see if the view
is going to be good or not.
already chimed in with their takes on the name, so I
thought I should as well - as I'm sure are millions of other people.
In a word - Ick.
What were they thinking? Two things popped into my mind. The first thing was the old Plymouth Colt Vista .
This was a little car that was part-car, part-minivan. It tried to be
everything to everyone. It got good mileage, but had no get up and go.
It could carry lots of stuff, but beyond a bunch of kids and some
groceries, it was too small for much else. In the end, it didn't really
do anything very well. Hmmm...
The second thing I thought of was the Visa Card. Micrsoft's old slogan
was "Where do you want to go today?". Visa International's is
"Everywhere you want to be." So combining the two - Windows
Vis(t)a - kind of completes the circle, doesn't it?
Anyway, I don't get it. I guess I'll wind up getting used to it.
Windows XP sounded kind of clunky too at first. Now everyone just calls
it XP. I'm sure that Windows Vista will wind up just being called
Vista. When the beta ships, it will be interesting to see if the view
is going to be good or not.
Hmmm...the first thing I thought of was the manufacturing software Vista by Epicor.
http://www.epicor.com/www/products/manufacturing/vista/
http://www.epicor.com/www/products/manufacturing/vista/
"it did not do any thing very well...."
sound like a newer version of m.e!!!!
sound like a newer version of m.e!!!!
TechProGuild already offers unique technical articles, downloads found
nowhere else, and over 250 IT books that you can read and search
online. What's next? Articles and downloads work well for providing
solutions to technical problems, but there are sometimes other ways of
providing answers. To provide a richer experience, we've started
experimenting with different kinds of content types.
You'll find some of these new experiments on the new TechProGuild Media Center
page. On this page you'll find our new Screen By Screens, which show
you exactly what you'll encounter when doing things like configuring
DNS on Windows Server 2003. You'll also find the TPG Podcast. This
podcast, hosted by former TechProGuild Track Editor Michael Jackman,
features news and commentary about tech issues as well as solutions for
problems you face. Finally you'll also find links to online tech videos
from TechRepublic's sister sites, ZDNet and CNET.
The Media Center is part of the TechProGuild's ongoing effort to
provide unique and innovative IT solutions. Going forward, we'll keep
trying more things to make your TPG subscription even more valuable. If
you have any suggestions, feel free to drop us a line anytime.
nowhere else, and over 250 IT books that you can read and search
online. What's next? Articles and downloads work well for providing
solutions to technical problems, but there are sometimes other ways of
providing answers. To provide a richer experience, we've started
experimenting with different kinds of content types.
You'll find some of these new experiments on the new TechProGuild Media Center
page. On this page you'll find our new Screen By Screens, which show
you exactly what you'll encounter when doing things like configuring
DNS on Windows Server 2003. You'll also find the TPG Podcast. This
podcast, hosted by former TechProGuild Track Editor Michael Jackman,
features news and commentary about tech issues as well as solutions for
problems you face. Finally you'll also find links to online tech videos
from TechRepublic's sister sites, ZDNet and CNET.
The Media Center is part of the TechProGuild's ongoing effort to
provide unique and innovative IT solutions. Going forward, we'll keep
trying more things to make your TPG subscription even more valuable. If
you have any suggestions, feel free to drop us a line anytime.
Microsoft is placing a huge emphasis on security on Windows Vista. With
all of the problems that IT professionals have with spyware and
viruses, Microsoft knew that it had to do more to make the next version
of Windows secure.
Having just released the first beta for Vista, CNET News.com reports that there are already viruses
in existence that can affect Vista. Four days. I don't think that's a
record for a security problem to appear, but it sure didn't take too
long.
Microsoft points out that the vulnerability so far only theoretical and
only affects the Monad feature in Vista. Monad is the new command
shell that Microsoft is using to replace the creaky Command Prompt with
its echoes of DOS circa 1985. Along with the WinFS feature, Monad is a
Vista feature that Microsoft tossed over the side in an effort to get
Vista shipping on time.
Microsoft says Monad will probably appear by the time that Exchange 12
ships next year. Microsoft has also talked about creating a version of
Monad that will run on earlier versions of Windows, but it will be hard
to see how they'll get that to work.
In any case, there's plenty of time for them to plug the hole before
real viruses appear. Even so, it's clear that just because Microsoft
says that the next version of Windows is going to emphasize security,
it doesn't mean that hackers aren't going to try to poke holes in it.
all of the problems that IT professionals have with spyware and
viruses, Microsoft knew that it had to do more to make the next version
of Windows secure.
Having just released the first beta for Vista, CNET News.com reports that there are already viruses
in existence that can affect Vista. Four days. I don't think that's a
record for a security problem to appear, but it sure didn't take too
long.
Microsoft points out that the vulnerability so far only theoretical and
only affects the Monad feature in Vista. Monad is the new command
shell that Microsoft is using to replace the creaky Command Prompt with
its echoes of DOS circa 1985. Along with the WinFS feature, Monad is a
Vista feature that Microsoft tossed over the side in an effort to get
Vista shipping on time.
Microsoft says Monad will probably appear by the time that Exchange 12
ships next year. Microsoft has also talked about creating a version of
Monad that will run on earlier versions of Windows, but it will be hard
to see how they'll get that to work.
In any case, there's plenty of time for them to plug the hole before
real viruses appear. Even so, it's clear that just because Microsoft
says that the next version of Windows is going to emphasize security,
it doesn't mean that hackers aren't going to try to poke holes in it.
Ten years ago today, Microsoft shipped Windows 95. At the time I
remember it was greeted like a new Harry Potter book. People were lined
up for blocks at midnight to be the first ones to buy Microsoft's new
OS. Even the Rolling Stones got into the act as Bill bought the rights
to "Start Me Up" as part of Win95's promotional campaign.
Windows 95 basically signalled the beginning of the end for OS/2.
From a technical standpoint, OS/2 still blew away Windows 95 for
stabilty and the ability to multitask programs. IBM unfortunately
had no idea how to market it, and Microsoft gained the upper hand with
its relationships with hardware manufacturers who were already
licensing Windows 3.1. Even IBM's own PC Division wouldn't risk
unfavorable licensing terms with Microsoft by shipping OS/2 instead of
Windows 95.
As an OS, Windows 95 was half-baked. The OS really wasn't all that
until Microsoft shipped Windows 95b the following year. Windows
98 and Windows 98SE were the first really tolerable versions of Win9x.
Of course then Microsoft seemingly intentionally killed the buzz by
shipping Windows Me, which was a bloated pig of an OS that made
everyone beg and plead for the rapid release of Windows 2000.
What always amazes me is the way Microsoft markets its operating
systems. In essence it does so by trashing the existing OS and then
saying how the OS you really want is the next one.
Microsoft acknowledged and trashed the instability of Windows 3.1 when
it shipped Windows 95. Microsoft acknowledged and trashed the
instability of Windows 9x when it shipped Windows 2000. Windows 2000
suddenly became noxious when Windows XP/2003 shipped. And now
that Windows Vista is on the horizon, we suddenly hear about all of the
wonderful features coming in Windows Vista that will make us want to
flee from Windows XP. Instead of stability this time however, the
bugaboo is Security.
It's a lot like Ford saying "Boy... that Ford Pinto was a really crappy
car. What were we thinking? What you REALLY want is the Ford Escort."
And then people by the millions would trade in their Pintos for
Escorts, only to be told that they should be waiting for the new Focus.
Of course, Microsoft's in a touchy position. It doesn't want to talk
about Linux too much for fear that people will actually give it some
serious attention. It can't trash the Mac for fear of getting the
Justice Department's attention again. Therefore, about the only
marketing it can do is by doing a Mea Culpa about its current products.
Like it or not, Windows 95 changed the world. Every time you click
the Start button on your Windows workstation or its equivalent on MacOS
X or Linux, you have Windows 95 to thank. Happy Bday, Windows 95!
remember it was greeted like a new Harry Potter book. People were lined
up for blocks at midnight to be the first ones to buy Microsoft's new
OS. Even the Rolling Stones got into the act as Bill bought the rights
to "Start Me Up" as part of Win95's promotional campaign.
Windows 95 basically signalled the beginning of the end for OS/2.
From a technical standpoint, OS/2 still blew away Windows 95 for
stabilty and the ability to multitask programs. IBM unfortunately
had no idea how to market it, and Microsoft gained the upper hand with
its relationships with hardware manufacturers who were already
licensing Windows 3.1. Even IBM's own PC Division wouldn't risk
unfavorable licensing terms with Microsoft by shipping OS/2 instead of
Windows 95.
As an OS, Windows 95 was half-baked. The OS really wasn't all that
until Microsoft shipped Windows 95b the following year. Windows
98 and Windows 98SE were the first really tolerable versions of Win9x.
Of course then Microsoft seemingly intentionally killed the buzz by
shipping Windows Me, which was a bloated pig of an OS that made
everyone beg and plead for the rapid release of Windows 2000.
What always amazes me is the way Microsoft markets its operating
systems. In essence it does so by trashing the existing OS and then
saying how the OS you really want is the next one.
Microsoft acknowledged and trashed the instability of Windows 3.1 when
it shipped Windows 95. Microsoft acknowledged and trashed the
instability of Windows 9x when it shipped Windows 2000. Windows 2000
suddenly became noxious when Windows XP/2003 shipped. And now
that Windows Vista is on the horizon, we suddenly hear about all of the
wonderful features coming in Windows Vista that will make us want to
flee from Windows XP. Instead of stability this time however, the
bugaboo is Security.
It's a lot like Ford saying "Boy... that Ford Pinto was a really crappy
car. What were we thinking? What you REALLY want is the Ford Escort."
And then people by the millions would trade in their Pintos for
Escorts, only to be told that they should be waiting for the new Focus.
Of course, Microsoft's in a touchy position. It doesn't want to talk
about Linux too much for fear that people will actually give it some
serious attention. It can't trash the Mac for fear of getting the
Justice Department's attention again. Therefore, about the only
marketing it can do is by doing a Mea Culpa about its current products.
Like it or not, Windows 95 changed the world. Every time you click
the Start button on your Windows workstation or its equivalent on MacOS
X or Linux, you have Windows 95 to thank. Happy Bday, Windows 95!
Ever since my colleague Erik Eckel declared his semi-independence
from Windows by buying an iBook, I've been getting the itch to once
again start using something other than Windows. I'm not quite ready to
make the investment that jumping to Mac OS X would require, but I've
been toying with Linux off and on now for several years. So once again,
I decided to give it another shot.
This time, it's SuSe Professional 9.3 .
Why SuSe and not RedHat, Fedora, or some other flavor of Linux? Quite
simply, being a long time NetWare user, I've always been drawn to
Novell's version of Linux. I've installed, or rather fought with,
various versions of RedHat before, but we've never been able to get
along. Plus, SuSe Professional 9.3 comes with everything but the
kitchen sink. Enough applications come in the box that you almost don't
need to look elsewhere in order to get working as soon as the
installation is done.
Every installation I've done of SuSe has been fairly easy. Not as
mindnumbingly easy as a WIndows installation, but not too painful at
all. SuSe's YaST installer is a snap and KDE 3.4 is a great UI.
SuSe Professional 10.0 is shipping next month. I'm looking forward to that version to see just what changes Novell has in store.
So far I'm still not 100% sure that Linux is a complete replacement for
Windows on the desktop. XP is still good enough for most tasks.
Plus there's that learning curve when moving to Linux/Unix after
working with DOS/Windows for so long. Even so, after trying to escape
Microsoft's clutches by using OS/2 and NetWare, I'm willing to try it
again by giving Linux another shot.
from Windows by buying an iBook, I've been getting the itch to once
again start using something other than Windows. I'm not quite ready to
make the investment that jumping to Mac OS X would require, but I've
been toying with Linux off and on now for several years. So once again,
I decided to give it another shot.
This time, it's SuSe Professional 9.3 .
Why SuSe and not RedHat, Fedora, or some other flavor of Linux? Quite
simply, being a long time NetWare user, I've always been drawn to
Novell's version of Linux. I've installed, or rather fought with,
various versions of RedHat before, but we've never been able to get
along. Plus, SuSe Professional 9.3 comes with everything but the
kitchen sink. Enough applications come in the box that you almost don't
need to look elsewhere in order to get working as soon as the
installation is done.
Every installation I've done of SuSe has been fairly easy. Not as
mindnumbingly easy as a WIndows installation, but not too painful at
all. SuSe's YaST installer is a snap and KDE 3.4 is a great UI.
SuSe Professional 10.0 is shipping next month. I'm looking forward to that version to see just what changes Novell has in store.
So far I'm still not 100% sure that Linux is a complete replacement for
Windows on the desktop. XP is still good enough for most tasks.
Plus there's that learning curve when moving to Linux/Unix after
working with DOS/Windows for so long. Even so, after trying to escape
Microsoft's clutches by using OS/2 and NetWare, I'm willing to try it
again by giving Linux another shot.
John,
Like you, I also purchased the SUSE 9.3 desktop to see if it was ready for prime time yet. I am a long time Windows (only) user who had looked at RH 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, and 9.0 as well. I definitley do not believe it can be a general replacement for Windows right now, as you would need to ask users to give up some functionality. I also noted that SUSE seems to run slower on the same machine as compared to Windows 2000. Programs take 5-10 seconds to start consistently. Not sure what that is since one of Linux's claims is that it runs faster. The Linux desktop may not be bad in a 100% IT controlled environment where the user cannot do anything but run designated applications. As desirable as that may be, I'm not sure many companies can or will do that.
For SUSE (Linux) to be a viable desktop, I think MS would need to port Office over to it. No one should hold their breath waiting for that...
Like you, I also purchased the SUSE 9.3 desktop to see if it was ready for prime time yet. I am a long time Windows (only) user who had looked at RH 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, and 9.0 as well. I definitley do not believe it can be a general replacement for Windows right now, as you would need to ask users to give up some functionality. I also noted that SUSE seems to run slower on the same machine as compared to Windows 2000. Programs take 5-10 seconds to start consistently. Not sure what that is since one of Linux's claims is that it runs faster. The Linux desktop may not be bad in a 100% IT controlled environment where the user cannot do anything but run designated applications. As desirable as that may be, I'm not sure many companies can or will do that.
For SUSE (Linux) to be a viable desktop, I think MS would need to port Office over to it. No one should hold their breath waiting for that...
When the news of Bob Artner's passing was announced to us here at TechRepublic, we were all shocked. Bob was an ever present force at this company. He put his fingerprint on just about everything on the site. He affected both employees and TechRepublic members. I've known Bob for almost 9 years, originally working with him at The Cobb Group. We never worked closely really until I came to TechRepublic. Two years ago, at the company Christmas party, I was engaged in a game of chess with a co-worker, Jim Wells. Bob walked into the room we were playing in and announced "I got the Winner." Not wanting to face Bob, I promptly resigned the game, but Jim would have none of it. I eventually beat Jim and had to face Bob. I had never played Bob before. I didn't even know that he did play nor how well. They say you're never supposed to Beat The Boss, but Bob would see right through me throwing a game even if he didn't play well. So I was conflicted. We played. After a very tough game, I won. I shouldn't have worried about having to throw the game. He came quite near to beating me clean. We talked about the game for a few minutes and then rejoined the rest of our co-workers. Everyone wanted to know the outcome. I sheepishly smiled. Bob announced loudly with a big grin: "You all remember John Sheesley who used to work here, right?" From then, we played almost weekly. In the beginning it was back and forth. We'd split 50-50 on the games. Often times it came down to who made a mistake first. You could never make a mistake against Bob in a chess game. You would pay very quickly. Bob thought every move out carefully. You could see him build intricate attacks and strategies. I knew never to take a trade he offered, because he never traded unless he clearly came out ahead in the end. My game is usually very Tactical. His was almost always deeply Strategic. Bob was always magnanimous in victory and never scornful in defeat. Every game ended the same way. In victory or defeat, he sat back, crossed his arms, and had the satisfied smile of a connoisseur who had just finished a fine wine. He said simply, "That was fun. Thanks." We hadn't had the opportunity to play a couple of months. With vacations, busy summers, and company business, the matches just weren't happening. Earlier this week, I saw Bob talking to my co-worker Erik Eckel. I thought to myself: "I need to email Bob and get a game in this week." The next day, we got the news of his passing. In the end, what can I say? Bob was a great leader. Bob was a great friend. That was fun. Thanks.
Very well spoken, John.
I always meant to get around to challenging Bob at chess, but I figured I needed to elevate my game to the point where I could at least beat you first! And we know that's only happened in those games in which you give me a move back.
I quickly learned that, if I was going to challenge Bob, it was best to stick to subjective arguments. He could have easily taught logic and debate classes, and he would have taught them well.
I always meant to get around to challenging Bob at chess, but I figured I needed to elevate my game to the point where I could at least beat you first! And we know that's only happened in those games in which you give me a move back.
I quickly learned that, if I was going to challenge Bob, it was best to stick to subjective arguments. He could have easily taught logic and debate classes, and he would have taught them well.
First, a confession. It's been a LONG time since I've logged into TechRepublic! While going through some old docs, I came across a collection of Artner's Laws and I wondered if there was a published collection. So, I googled "artner", and came back to TechRepublic. The news of Bob's passing was a shock, not that I ever met him but I always enjoyed his point of view, hence my collection of some of his Laws. Looking back on some of his comments (e.g. Law of Star Performers"), I'd forgotten how honest and lacking in the usual BS Bob's observations were. Bob was the little kid standing on the street watching the Emperor parade by in the nude! His passing is everyone's loss.
Having long been a fan of IBM's ThinkPak line, I was a bit
concerned when IBM sold the line to Lenovo. Whenever changes
happen like that you become concerned about product quality,
consistency and things like that. Attending TechEd 2005 in
Orlando this year, I caught a glimpse of Lenovo's first major product
introduction during the keynote - the new Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC . That was the first indication that the ThinkPads were still going to be good.
I finally got one from Lenovo the other day for a 90 day trial and
review. Over the course of the next few months, you'll find more
articles and downloads in TechProGuild about Tablet PCs in general and
the Lenovo Tablet in particular. Having kicked it around over the
weekend, I thought this blog would be a great place to start.
The first thing I noticed was that the letters IBM are still stamped on
the cover. As part of the terms of the sale, Lenovo has the rights to
use IBM on the machine, but they don't have any further association
with Lenovo. It's a ThinkPad through and through.
The Lenovo is light - lighter than the ViewSonic, HP, or Toshiba Tablet
PCs that I've worked with before. The twist and layback screen isn't
anything new, but the picture is bright and clear. The keyboard has the
solid feel that exemplifies the Tablet PC line. My unit came with
two batteries, the standard battery that came with the unit, along with
Lenovo's extended 8.5 hour battery. Although I haven't timed it with a
stop watch, the standard battery seems to hold for a good 3 hours under
moderate use - easily beating my work-a-day HP notebook. I wasn't able
to run the bigger battery down, so chances are the 8.5 hour rating is
close to reality. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)
The pen hides nicely within the unit, popping into place in such a
manner as you won't easily lose it. It tracks very nicely, with little
delay in writing or drawing. The Lenovo has some built-in buttons along
the face of the screen for paging up and down, pressing [Esc] and
[Enter] along with a few others. They're all positioned well and feel
solid.
For security, there's a built-in fingerprint reader and embedded
security chip. I haven't played with those yet, but when I do, I'll put
some articles up that describe how they work.
So is it perfect? No. For one thing, it takes a long time to boot. Even
with a 1.5Ghz Centrino processor and 512 MB of RAM, I'm disappointed at
the amount of time it takes before you can actually use it from the
time you turn it on. Maybe I'm just too eager because it's such a cool
machine to play with, but still. Part of the problem, I believe,
stems from the numerous utilities that load during boot time, and I
haven't taken the time to see what's necessary and what's not, so I'm
not ready to hold that against the unit yet. Once I get it fine tuned,
I'll pass judgement on the actual and perceived speeds.
So far, the Lenovo Tablet looks like a great machine. Once I get used
to some of its quirks, I'm going to have a hard time putting it down.
If you were concerned about the ThinkPad brand after IBM sold it, don't
be. If this machine is any indication, Lenovo's going to make the
ThinkPad line even better. We'll see over the next few months if it the
cool factor wears off or not.
concerned when IBM sold the line to Lenovo. Whenever changes
happen like that you become concerned about product quality,
consistency and things like that. Attending TechEd 2005 in
Orlando this year, I caught a glimpse of Lenovo's first major product
introduction during the keynote - the new Lenovo ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC . That was the first indication that the ThinkPads were still going to be good.
I finally got one from Lenovo the other day for a 90 day trial and
review. Over the course of the next few months, you'll find more
articles and downloads in TechProGuild about Tablet PCs in general and
the Lenovo Tablet in particular. Having kicked it around over the
weekend, I thought this blog would be a great place to start.
The first thing I noticed was that the letters IBM are still stamped on
the cover. As part of the terms of the sale, Lenovo has the rights to
use IBM on the machine, but they don't have any further association
with Lenovo. It's a ThinkPad through and through.
The Lenovo is light - lighter than the ViewSonic, HP, or Toshiba Tablet
PCs that I've worked with before. The twist and layback screen isn't
anything new, but the picture is bright and clear. The keyboard has the
solid feel that exemplifies the Tablet PC line. My unit came with
two batteries, the standard battery that came with the unit, along with
Lenovo's extended 8.5 hour battery. Although I haven't timed it with a
stop watch, the standard battery seems to hold for a good 3 hours under
moderate use - easily beating my work-a-day HP notebook. I wasn't able
to run the bigger battery down, so chances are the 8.5 hour rating is
close to reality. (Your mileage may vary, of course.)
The pen hides nicely within the unit, popping into place in such a
manner as you won't easily lose it. It tracks very nicely, with little
delay in writing or drawing. The Lenovo has some built-in buttons along
the face of the screen for paging up and down, pressing [Esc] and
[Enter] along with a few others. They're all positioned well and feel
solid.
For security, there's a built-in fingerprint reader and embedded
security chip. I haven't played with those yet, but when I do, I'll put
some articles up that describe how they work.
So is it perfect? No. For one thing, it takes a long time to boot. Even
with a 1.5Ghz Centrino processor and 512 MB of RAM, I'm disappointed at
the amount of time it takes before you can actually use it from the
time you turn it on. Maybe I'm just too eager because it's such a cool
machine to play with, but still. Part of the problem, I believe,
stems from the numerous utilities that load during boot time, and I
haven't taken the time to see what's necessary and what's not, so I'm
not ready to hold that against the unit yet. Once I get it fine tuned,
I'll pass judgement on the actual and perceived speeds.
So far, the Lenovo Tablet looks like a great machine. Once I get used
to some of its quirks, I'm going to have a hard time putting it down.
If you were concerned about the ThinkPad brand after IBM sold it, don't
be. If this machine is any indication, Lenovo's going to make the
ThinkPad line even better. We'll see over the next few months if it the
cool factor wears off or not.
One Thing about using a Tablet Pc is that it requires you to get
used to writing again. This entry is being entirely written by hand. As
Such, it's taking about 10 x as long as it normally would. It's not
that the Tablet does that Bad a Job, It's Just that my writing
is.....well... nearly illegible for humans, let alone a machine. So,
I'm pretty darn impressed.
I've erased most of the big mistakes, but still left in some of the
minor Ones. Maybe it's a good thing. Computers helped make my typing
better, maybe they can help with my handwriting too.
used to writing again. This entry is being entirely written by hand. As
Such, it's taking about 10 x as long as it normally would. It's not
that the Tablet does that Bad a Job, It's Just that my writing
is.....well... nearly illegible for humans, let alone a machine. So,
I'm pretty darn impressed.
I've erased most of the big mistakes, but still left in some of the
minor Ones. Maybe it's a good thing. Computers helped make my typing
better, maybe they can help with my handwriting too.
It's been about 3 weeks now since I decided to dip my toe's back into the Linux waters .
Three weeks is a long time in the world of IT. Since then, I've gotten
my hands on a Lenovo Tablet PC which has taken most of my attention.
Also since then, Novell has released SuSe Professional 10.0 .
Looking at the feature set, I don't know if I'll install it just yet.
There looks to be some good stuff in it, but I'm still getting used to
Linux in general.
If there's one thing that has always annoyed me about Linux, it's the
fact that SuSe, RedHat, Fedora, Debian, and crew seem to release a new
version of Linux every 5 minutes, making it hard to keep up. Microsoft
may take a lot of heat for taking forever to release operating systems,
but in a business environment it at least gives you time to stabilize
systems, get them rolled out, and everyone trained on them.
After 10 releases has Novell finally gotten Linux perfect? Of course,
not. If 9.3's any indication so far however, it looks like SuSe
Professional 10.0 might be worth looking at too.
Three weeks is a long time in the world of IT. Since then, I've gotten
my hands on a Lenovo Tablet PC which has taken most of my attention.
Also since then, Novell has released SuSe Professional 10.0 .
Looking at the feature set, I don't know if I'll install it just yet.
There looks to be some good stuff in it, but I'm still getting used to
Linux in general.
If there's one thing that has always annoyed me about Linux, it's the
fact that SuSe, RedHat, Fedora, Debian, and crew seem to release a new
version of Linux every 5 minutes, making it hard to keep up. Microsoft
may take a lot of heat for taking forever to release operating systems,
but in a business environment it at least gives you time to stabilize
systems, get them rolled out, and everyone trained on them.
After 10 releases has Novell finally gotten Linux perfect? Of course,
not. If 9.3's any indication so far however, it looks like SuSe
Professional 10.0 might be worth looking at too.
One of the coolest features in TechProGuild is the Tech Books Library.
In it you'll find the full text of over 250 computer books. Those
aren't simple book chapters nor offers for books to buy. It's a fully
searchable online library.
We recently redesigned the Tech Books Library home page
to feature books better and to give you a better idea about what you'll
find in Tech Books. Some people have had problems reading the books
found in the collection.
TPG's Tech Books Library is powered by
Books 24x7 .
Books 24x7 uses a cookie on your machine to verify that you're a
registered and paid member of TechProGuild before you can access the
Tech Books Library. If this cookie isn't synchronized properly, you
can't access the books. It can get out of whack fairly easily, such as
if your TechRepublic cookie becomes erased, you log out, or you log
into TechProGuild on another PC.
If you're having a problem accessing TechBooks, click the
Last Book Visited link
on the TechBooks. This will reset the Tech Books cookie on your
workstation. If you've disabled cookies, you must enable them for
techrepublic.com.com and techbooks.techproguild.com. If you log off of
TechRepublic or use your TechProGuild account from another workstation,
you'll have to use that link to access TechBooks as well.
In it you'll find the full text of over 250 computer books. Those
aren't simple book chapters nor offers for books to buy. It's a fully
searchable online library.
We recently redesigned the Tech Books Library home page
to feature books better and to give you a better idea about what you'll
find in Tech Books. Some people have had problems reading the books
found in the collection.
TPG's Tech Books Library is powered by
Books 24x7 .
Books 24x7 uses a cookie on your machine to verify that you're a
registered and paid member of TechProGuild before you can access the
Tech Books Library. If this cookie isn't synchronized properly, you
can't access the books. It can get out of whack fairly easily, such as
if your TechRepublic cookie becomes erased, you log out, or you log
into TechProGuild on another PC.
If you're having a problem accessing TechBooks, click the
Last Book Visited link
on the TechBooks. This will reset the Tech Books cookie on your
workstation. If you've disabled cookies, you must enable them for
techrepublic.com.com and techbooks.techproguild.com. If you log off of
TechRepublic or use your TechProGuild account from another workstation,
you'll have to use that link to access TechBooks as well.
SuSe Professional 10.0
just arrived this afternoon and I've just started the installation. A
first things hit me when I first got the box was that on the front in
friendly green letters it says "Everything You Need To Get Started With
Linux." That's certainly a pretty hefty claim. But then I started
the installation....
It seems like Novell has put everything in the box except for an Open
Source Kitchen Sink. The 5 CD/1 DVD installation set contains goodies
like OpenOffice 2.0, FireFox, Beagle, Samba, Novell iFolder, GiMP,
Spam-Assassin, MySQL, Apache, Java 1.5, etc. etc. etc. The box claims
to include 1000 Open Source programs, but who knows, I havent counted
them. I chose to do a near-full install and when it's said and
done, it's going to be a whopping 6GB install.
That sounds like an awful lot, but once it's done, there's not much
else I can think of that I'll need to get some useful work done on the
machine. It also includes both GNOME and KDE, so Im sure if I needed
extra drive space, I could just make my mind up on one window manager
and be done with it.
The install is as clean as any other I've done with SuSe lately. So kudo's there as well.
It will be a while before I get everything installed and configured the
way I like it. We'll find out if SuSe does have everything and whether
it's a perfect 10.0 or not.
just arrived this afternoon and I've just started the installation. A
first things hit me when I first got the box was that on the front in
friendly green letters it says "Everything You Need To Get Started With
Linux." That's certainly a pretty hefty claim. But then I started
the installation....
It seems like Novell has put everything in the box except for an Open
Source Kitchen Sink. The 5 CD/1 DVD installation set contains goodies
like OpenOffice 2.0, FireFox, Beagle, Samba, Novell iFolder, GiMP,
Spam-Assassin, MySQL, Apache, Java 1.5, etc. etc. etc. The box claims
to include 1000 Open Source programs, but who knows, I havent counted
them. I chose to do a near-full install and when it's said and
done, it's going to be a whopping 6GB install.
That sounds like an awful lot, but once it's done, there's not much
else I can think of that I'll need to get some useful work done on the
machine. It also includes both GNOME and KDE, so Im sure if I needed
extra drive space, I could just make my mind up on one window manager
and be done with it.
The install is as clean as any other I've done with SuSe lately. So kudo's there as well.
It will be a while before I get everything installed and configured the
way I like it. We'll find out if SuSe does have everything and whether
it's a perfect 10.0 or not.
Hello I like to hear more so keep the blog going ! I installed 9.1 it fired right up.It seems tobe a good product let me knoe if youuse dial up or modem thats where I am not to smart about yet:( GBU and let us know how you like it thanks Otom
Yea, Im Doing SuSE 10.0 as well and most has been good so far.
One difference, my set of disks from Novel has 5 CDs/1 DVD going to check on that...
Package Management is really gotten better with little heavy setup.
One difference, my set of disks from Novel has 5 CDs/1 DVD going to check on that...
Package Management is really gotten better with little heavy setup.
I agree that Suse 10.0 is there best to date. Perhaps it is the
first time a release of their product has coincided with free time on
my part, but it is certainly the first time I have been this pleased
with the ability to get the system working with a limited amount of
hassle. As an admin for a 99.9% Windows server environment, it
has always been a challenge to make Linux my workstation of
choice. For the first time ever I am so close I can almost taste
it.
first time a release of their product has coincided with free time on
my part, but it is certainly the first time I have been this pleased
with the ability to get the system working with a limited amount of
hassle. As an admin for a 99.9% Windows server environment, it
has always been a challenge to make Linux my workstation of
choice. For the first time ever I am so close I can almost taste
it.
I have been using Linux as a desktop from around 6 years and I remember
those days where video drivers was the big problem. Now days, I think
the wireless territory is the problem. most of the Hardware companies
do not build drivers for Linux and they are expecting the Open comunity
to do it, of course they give money to maintain the developers
enthusiatic. china is forcing most of the manufacturers to build thinks
comparable with Linux, I like that. So, my best advice is to stick to
manufacturers that follow standards, such as IBM, and ohers; in the
software arena, Oracle, Sun, IBM, are some examples of companies that
build software for Linux, and I don't mind spending my money in them.
Standards such as SCSI, Ethernet, USB, etc., are some of the best to
follow. Fo instance, when buying a printer, check that it is Netwrok
comparable (ethernet), and that it has a driver suported by the
manufacturer (magicolor
2430DL is a good example). Some manufacturers are making money from
Linux (servers sales for example) but they fail to support their own
hardware (I don't want to say names), so watch out for those
opportunistics. So the best thing for us to do is to buy from the
manufacturers that uspport open standards and Linux specially.
I have a system running Xandros 3.01, Mandriva 2006, Suse 10, MS Server
2003, MS Windows Professional, and ubuntu once in while from the CD. I
have 3 large Hard drives and I can do about anything I want, except
games because I think it is a waste of my time. But, every distribution
is better on on thing than others, so it is a good idea to play with
all of them and find the one that will work for you. For instance, SUSE
is good for genearal office work, internet, and easy for managing
your machine with Yast. But, for a developer Redhat, or Java Desktop
from Sun (SUSE based) is better. Xandros is exellent for staying on top
of the upgrades, it does everything automatically. Mandrake is provably
the one that has the most drivers, but SUSE and Red Hat provably have
the newest hardware drives; for example SUSE installs beatiful on IBM
laptops, even the IBM special keys work. Xandros is the best choice for
Linux new comers, it was Corel Linux before, which was the only
distribution that I knew install by itself and make feel weird 5
years ago, because it was impossible for any distribution not to have
problems when installing. So, have fun with all of them and feel
confortable, but be prepared to learn some real computer
knowledge (IDE, SCSI, USB, and other interfaces).
One observation on SUSE 10, be carefull how you install your hard
drives, if you have two or more, the connector makes a difference and
BIOS play a role also; you have to know concepts like SLAVE/ MASTER
relationship, Cable Select (which does not work as it shoud due to a
problem with the flat cables). However, I just want to add that it took
me two days to install MS server in a computer, most of the drivers
were not in the discs; Linux normally takes me .5 hours and I can be
productive right away. I install linux in my friends computers because
I am tired of wasting my time fixing their Windows computers. So I
think you will be really happy with your system and specially when your
updates will be easy to do, and specially when you don't have to
reformat your hard drive for un upgrade or installation of a new
version. I am listening radio with Real Audio 10, ripping ogg audio
books, writing this message, cheking my email, looking at the local
weather, and my kids and wife are logged into the same computer (using
other keyboard, monitor and mice only) using whatever resources they
want without the need of one computer for every one of them thanks to
the power and openess of Linux; I saved 75% on hardware on this system.
Have a great and productive time with Linux
Alvaro
those days where video drivers was the big problem. Now days, I think
the wireless territory is the problem. most of the Hardware companies
do not build drivers for Linux and they are expecting the Open comunity
to do it, of course they give money to maintain the developers
enthusiatic. china is forcing most of the manufacturers to build thinks
comparable with Linux, I like that. So, my best advice is to stick to
manufacturers that follow standards, such as IBM, and ohers; in the
software arena, Oracle, Sun, IBM, are some examples of companies that
build software for Linux, and I don't mind spending my money in them.
Standards such as SCSI, Ethernet, USB, etc., are some of the best to
follow. Fo instance, when buying a printer, check that it is Netwrok
comparable (ethernet), and that it has a driver suported by the
manufacturer (magicolor
2430DL is a good example). Some manufacturers are making money from
Linux (servers sales for example) but they fail to support their own
hardware (I don't want to say names), so watch out for those
opportunistics. So the best thing for us to do is to buy from the
manufacturers that uspport open standards and Linux specially.
I have a system running Xandros 3.01, Mandriva 2006, Suse 10, MS Server
2003, MS Windows Professional, and ubuntu once in while from the CD. I
have 3 large Hard drives and I can do about anything I want, except
games because I think it is a waste of my time. But, every distribution
is better on on thing than others, so it is a good idea to play with
all of them and find the one that will work for you. For instance, SUSE
is good for genearal office work, internet, and easy for managing
your machine with Yast. But, for a developer Redhat, or Java Desktop
from Sun (SUSE based) is better. Xandros is exellent for staying on top
of the upgrades, it does everything automatically. Mandrake is provably
the one that has the most drivers, but SUSE and Red Hat provably have
the newest hardware drives; for example SUSE installs beatiful on IBM
laptops, even the IBM special keys work. Xandros is the best choice for
Linux new comers, it was Corel Linux before, which was the only
distribution that I knew install by itself and make feel weird 5
years ago, because it was impossible for any distribution not to have
problems when installing. So, have fun with all of them and feel
confortable, but be prepared to learn some real computer
knowledge (IDE, SCSI, USB, and other interfaces).
One observation on SUSE 10, be carefull how you install your hard
drives, if you have two or more, the connector makes a difference and
BIOS play a role also; you have to know concepts like SLAVE/ MASTER
relationship, Cable Select (which does not work as it shoud due to a
problem with the flat cables). However, I just want to add that it took
me two days to install MS server in a computer, most of the drivers
were not in the discs; Linux normally takes me .5 hours and I can be
productive right away. I install linux in my friends computers because
I am tired of wasting my time fixing their Windows computers. So I
think you will be really happy with your system and specially when your
updates will be easy to do, and specially when you don't have to
reformat your hard drive for un upgrade or installation of a new
version. I am listening radio with Real Audio 10, ripping ogg audio
books, writing this message, cheking my email, looking at the local
weather, and my kids and wife are logged into the same computer (using
other keyboard, monitor and mice only) using whatever resources they
want without the need of one computer for every one of them thanks to
the power and openess of Linux; I saved 75% on hardware on this system.
Have a great and productive time with Linux
Alvaro
Grrrrr... Y'know I'm not a dummy when it comes to working with
computers, but working with new technology sure does make you feel like
one sometimes. It can quickly make even an expert feel like a
typical run of the mill 'user'.
Case-in-point - Linux. On my test machine, I decided to swap out the
video card it was running. In WIndows that would be a simple enough
task. Take one out, put another in. You might have to fumble around in
VGA for a while until you got the right video driver, but that would be
it.
When I swapped out the video card in my SuSe 10 workstation, I was
greeted with a friendly text console login prompt. X saw the new card
and refused to start. As a Linux Newbie, I went to Google for an
answer about how to reconfigure it. After a bit of slogging about I
came up with the xf86config command.
xf86config makes anyone who came up learning DOS feel right at home. No
fancy GUI, just a simple user-hostile set of menu choices poorly worded
and properly confusing. Ok. It wasn't that bad, but still.
After about a dozen tries, I finally got the machine back up and
working. The problem wasn't getting the video card to work. The problem
was getting the stupid MOUSE to work. I have the machine connected to a
KVM switch, so any mouse choice I made either caused KDE to fail to
load properly, or when it did, the pointer would run around insanely
and refuse to respond properly.
Google this time was no help at all. Finally, I hit on the right combination. During xf86config, you had to select Auto for the mouse protocol and then /dev/input/mice for the port. Now the KVM, mouse, and new video card all work together properly.
I guess I can't really blame Linux for the problem. It's a case of
shooting myself in the foot. I should have learned the lession OS/2
taught me a long time ago - once you get a system up and running -
Don't Touch It!
computers, but working with new technology sure does make you feel like
one sometimes. It can quickly make even an expert feel like a
typical run of the mill 'user'.
Case-in-point - Linux. On my test machine, I decided to swap out the
video card it was running. In WIndows that would be a simple enough
task. Take one out, put another in. You might have to fumble around in
VGA for a while until you got the right video driver, but that would be
it.
When I swapped out the video card in my SuSe 10 workstation, I was
greeted with a friendly text console login prompt. X saw the new card
and refused to start. As a Linux Newbie, I went to Google for an
answer about how to reconfigure it. After a bit of slogging about I
came up with the xf86config command.
xf86config makes anyone who came up learning DOS feel right at home. No
fancy GUI, just a simple user-hostile set of menu choices poorly worded
and properly confusing. Ok. It wasn't that bad, but still.
After about a dozen tries, I finally got the machine back up and
working. The problem wasn't getting the video card to work. The problem
was getting the stupid MOUSE to work. I have the machine connected to a
KVM switch, so any mouse choice I made either caused KDE to fail to
load properly, or when it did, the pointer would run around insanely
and refuse to respond properly.
Google this time was no help at all. Finally, I hit on the right combination. During xf86config, you had to select Auto for the mouse protocol and then /dev/input/mice for the port. Now the KVM, mouse, and new video card all work together properly.
I guess I can't really blame Linux for the problem. It's a case of
shooting myself in the foot. I should have learned the lession OS/2
taught me a long time ago - once you get a system up and running -
Don't Touch It!
I don't know about SuSe, but many Linux distros autodetect new
hardware. In Red Hat and Fedora there is a nice little
auto-detector called Kudzu. Kudzu will automatically run on boot
(if set to) or you can manually run it at the command line. Not
only will it detect new hardware, but it will setup X automagically!
hardware. In Red Hat and Fedora there is a nice little
auto-detector called Kudzu. Kudzu will automatically run on boot
(if set to) or you can manually run it at the command line. Not
only will it detect new hardware, but it will setup X automagically!
I feel your pain. I am still so new to linux that when the same thing
happen to me I just reinstalled the OS. Everything worked fine and I
was less fustrated again. I am testing out Ubuntu and soon to be
Kubuntu as well. I have a copy of SuSe, but no test machine to install
it on.
happen to me I just reinstalled the OS. Everything worked fine and I
was less fustrated again. I am testing out Ubuntu and soon to be
Kubuntu as well. I have a copy of SuSe, but no test machine to install
it on.
Got the similar problem during my early years of using linux ... when I
still have redhat7 ... slackware and debian ... everything was a pain
to setup.
But now that we have newer versions of fedora, ubuntu, mandriva, etc
... it's never a problem for me anymore. At least during those first
few years I learned a good deal on troubleshooting a penguin box.
still have redhat7 ... slackware and debian ... everything was a pain
to setup.
But now that we have newer versions of fedora, ubuntu, mandriva, etc
... it's never a problem for me anymore. At least during those first
few years I learned a good deal on troubleshooting a penguin box.
I try not to mess with systems too much when they work; but let's face it. As frustrating as it is (and I am growing increasingly frustrated with my inexperience in solving linux problems) you learn more and become a better system administrator by changing things and seeing what works.
I guess this is just the sort of learning we did back around 95.. the transition from Dos7/Win3.11 to Windows95. For all the bad press it get's, anyone but an expert would surely have to admit that Microsoft brought computing to the great masses.
I remember loading device drivers for disks etc, under Unix at that time and still bear the mental scars. Drive letters and prompts that meant little; dissimilar devices having the same name bar 1 suffix, meant you'd no immediate idea which device you were supposed to be dealing with. CPM style command structure with inverted source/destination (from MS Dos), different slashes etc, and the best bit was when you created a file that already existed..... Destroyed without any warning. What fun???
I still couldn't be bothered trying Linux now, with the Unix experience I've suffered in the past. And this aspect of hardware detection just isn't practical to the masses. Personally I'm dissapointed that so many experts see these issues as 'minor' and can't see that they'd be absolute disasters to many users. I'm also disappointed that the Linux purists and developers appear not to have learnt from MS in this aspect... effectively wasting 10 years. I guess it's a case of priorities and absolute needs, and that is perhaps part of the Linux problem..... too dependent on experts,a nd not enough emphasis on actual end users! I know you'll all say it's more secure, doesn't get hit by virusses, etc but that's no answer at all. It's a blinkered kop-out.
The idea that you just reload the OS is just insane. We've all got data that we need, we back it up BUT there's always something you forget. I wouldn't bother with a disk image either as I've 240 GB split over three partitions.. 2 boots and a data. I mirror to an ethernet disk, and back up to DLT but I'm still not going to reload until it's REALLY, REALLY needed.
Most folk want something that works like the telly... switch it on and watch. We can do that with MS 95/98/2000/XP but are clearly some way off with Linux. Please don't tell me you can add this and that, and download xxx... That's masking the issue. One product, one source, plug'n'play! Until that happens Linux won't interest the common user.
I remember loading device drivers for disks etc, under Unix at that time and still bear the mental scars. Drive letters and prompts that meant little; dissimilar devices having the same name bar 1 suffix, meant you'd no immediate idea which device you were supposed to be dealing with. CPM style command structure with inverted source/destination (from MS Dos), different slashes etc, and the best bit was when you created a file that already existed..... Destroyed without any warning. What fun???
I still couldn't be bothered trying Linux now, with the Unix experience I've suffered in the past. And this aspect of hardware detection just isn't practical to the masses. Personally I'm dissapointed that so many experts see these issues as 'minor' and can't see that they'd be absolute disasters to many users. I'm also disappointed that the Linux purists and developers appear not to have learnt from MS in this aspect... effectively wasting 10 years. I guess it's a case of priorities and absolute needs, and that is perhaps part of the Linux problem..... too dependent on experts,a nd not enough emphasis on actual end users! I know you'll all say it's more secure, doesn't get hit by virusses, etc but that's no answer at all. It's a blinkered kop-out.
The idea that you just reload the OS is just insane. We've all got data that we need, we back it up BUT there's always something you forget. I wouldn't bother with a disk image either as I've 240 GB split over three partitions.. 2 boots and a data. I mirror to an ethernet disk, and back up to DLT but I'm still not going to reload until it's REALLY, REALLY needed.
Most folk want something that works like the telly... switch it on and watch. We can do that with MS 95/98/2000/XP but are clearly some way off with Linux. Please don't tell me you can add this and that, and download xxx... That's masking the issue. One product, one source, plug'n'play! Until that happens Linux won't interest the common user.
In my last entry ,
I mentioned how I was being frustrated with SuSe Linux's inability to
detect a changed video card and elegantly install the drivers for a new
one, forcing me to fight with xf86config instead. JMGARVIN
commented that RedHat and a few other Linux distributions could
autodetect new hardware using a tool called Kudzu.
So, I went back and looked again. SuSe Professional doesn't support
Kudzu, but it does include YaST, which does the same thing. When
I ran YaST on the workstation before I tried xf86config, it didn't
work. YaST refused to detect the new card, so I didn't think it was the
proper tool.
Trying the same routine on another workstation, YaST detected the video
card change with no problem. I didn't have to fight with xf86config at
all. It reconfigured KDE properly and everything worked
fine.
So, it just goes to show there IS more than one way to skin a cat... or in this case, reskin a penguin.
I mentioned how I was being frustrated with SuSe Linux's inability to
detect a changed video card and elegantly install the drivers for a new
one, forcing me to fight with xf86config instead. JMGARVIN
commented that RedHat and a few other Linux distributions could
autodetect new hardware using a tool called Kudzu.
So, I went back and looked again. SuSe Professional doesn't support
Kudzu, but it does include YaST, which does the same thing. When
I ran YaST on the workstation before I tried xf86config, it didn't
work. YaST refused to detect the new card, so I didn't think it was the
proper tool.
Trying the same routine on another workstation, YaST detected the video
card change with no problem. I didn't have to fight with xf86config at
all. It reconfigured KDE properly and everything worked
fine.
So, it just goes to show there IS more than one way to skin a cat... or in this case, reskin a penguin.
the nice thing with linux, you can download the sources and compile any tool to see if you like it.
even if it isn't supported by your distro.
Mandriva being the exception as they moved things around so much you need to rebuild the sources to get an app to work right
even if it isn't supported by your distro.
Mandriva being the exception as they moved things around so much you need to rebuild the sources to get an app to work right
Ok? so we?re in Month
2 now of the Lenovo Thinkpad X41 Tablet PC trial and I thought I?d get you up
to speed about how it?s going.
Personally, when they first came out, I thought of Tablet PCs as being
nothing but big gimmicks. I wasn?t convinced by what I read about them that
they were usable, let alone worth the extra money you?d spend for one over a
standard laptop. I can?t really say that any more.
With the reversible
lid, going between the pen and the keyboard is a snap. You don?t even
need to
rotate the on-screen image. As soon as you flip it around, the screen
goes
automatically from landscape to portrait and back again. The
handwriting
recognition is amazing. Sometimes, it even reads my writing when I
can?t. The portrait view on the Thinkpad makes
viewing Web pages , Word documents and everything a
lot easier.
I initially had some
speed problems with the unit. It?s still sluggish at times, but most of that I
attribute to the Norton Anti-virus that came with the unit. It seems like
Norton slows down every machine I?ve ever used, but it?s better than no virus
protection at all.
I use FireFox as my main Web browser, and was
surprised to discover that the Tablet Input Panel - the little
pop-up that appears to allow you to handwrite data rather
than type it in - didn't work properly.
Sometimes when you went to enter data into a field, it would pop-up,
other times it wouldn't. This wasnt't a problem with the
ThinkPad at all though. It's a known issue of Firefox in a Tablet
PC environment. Doing a little bit of digging, I
finally found a solution .
The Lenovo has now become
my standard portable. I had a trusty HP Omnibook, but that?s now gathering dust
? well until I have to return the ThinkPad that is. I?ll keep you up to date on
it.
2 now of the Lenovo Thinkpad X41 Tablet PC trial and I thought I?d get you up
to speed about how it?s going.
Personally, when they first came out, I thought of Tablet PCs as being
nothing but big gimmicks. I wasn?t convinced by what I read about them that
they were usable, let alone worth the extra money you?d spend for one over a
standard laptop. I can?t really say that any more.
With the reversible
lid, going between the pen and the keyboard is a snap. You don?t even
need to
rotate the on-screen image. As soon as you flip it around, the screen
goes
automatically from landscape to portrait and back again. The
handwriting
recognition is amazing. Sometimes, it even reads my writing when I
can?t. The portrait view on the Thinkpad makes
viewing Web pages , Word documents and everything a
lot easier.
I initially had some
speed problems with the unit. It?s still sluggish at times, but most of that I
attribute to the Norton Anti-virus that came with the unit. It seems like
Norton slows down every machine I?ve ever used, but it?s better than no virus
protection at all.
I use FireFox as my main Web browser, and was
surprised to discover that the Tablet Input Panel - the little
pop-up that appears to allow you to handwrite data rather
than type it in - didn't work properly.
Sometimes when you went to enter data into a field, it would pop-up,
other times it wouldn't. This wasnt't a problem with the
ThinkPad at all though. It's a known issue of Firefox in a Tablet
PC environment. Doing a little bit of digging, I
finally found a solution .
The Lenovo has now become
my standard portable. I had a trusty HP Omnibook, but that?s now gathering dust
? well until I have to return the ThinkPad that is. I?ll keep you up to date on
it.
I'm looking at Lenovos too. Is it not possible to buy these things with
the 8 cell battery? They come standard with a 4 cell battery and that
is not sufficient.
the 8 cell battery? They come standard with a 4 cell battery and that
is not sufficient.
At Lenovo's Tablet PC Website,
you can order Tablet PCs online. If you choose the Customize And Buy
option, I noticed at the bottom of the screen in the Power section, you
can select the longer life battery to come with it. It's currently
listed as an upgrade for $143.
you can order Tablet PCs online. If you choose the Customize And Buy
option, I noticed at the bottom of the screen in the Power section, you
can select the longer life battery to come with it. It's currently
listed as an upgrade for $143.
Ok ? let?s start of
by saying that I use Firefox every day. It?s my main Web browser when doing
almost everything that doesn?t absolutely require Internet Explorer. I?ve been using Firefox way back since
version 0.6 when it was still called Firebird. I?ve used it on Windows, OS/2 and
Linux. The problem is, the more I use Firefox, the more irritated I?ve become
with it.
First, there?s the
issue of updates. No software is perfect so patches are to be expected. And the
Firefox folks do a great job of making updates available when problems crop up.
Unfortunately, with Firefox that means that you have to reinstall the entire
browser, not just simply apply a patch to fix the problem. In a business
environment where you have to support dozens or hundreds of machines, I don?t
see how that makes it a viable alternative to IE.
Second, Firefox is
slow. No matter what OS or computer I?ve used Firefox on, it?s slow. I
wouldn?t
quite go so far as to call it a bloated pig, but it?s slow. Way slower
than IE. It?s slow to load.
It?s slow to display menus. It?s slow to load Web pages. It?s slow on
fast
machines. It?s even slower on slow machines. I have a very old Compaq
test
machine ? a Compaq Presario 5712. With
its blazing 450Mhz PII and 256Mb of RAM, Firefox can be painful. Most
of the
time, it?s easier to just load IE, get to the page you want, and be
gone. Sometimes Firefox takes so long to load, I've thought the mouse
click didn't take, so I click it again only to wind up with multiple
copies of Firefox running.
Third, Firefox is
buggy. I?m not a programmer and haven?t delved into the code, but you don?t
have to be a programmer to be able to identify buggy code. IE has its share of
problems as well, but Firefox is far from perfect. Case in point - there have
been several times where I?ll have a few tabs open and suddenly the entire computer
slows to a crawl. I?ll open up Task Manager, and find that Firefox has consumed
several hundred megabytes of memory and is nailing the CPU at 80 ? 90% usage.
It?s gotten to the point that when I?ve noticed the computer is running slow, I
know to go to Task Manager and just kill firefox.exe - everything will be
fine again. I could give other examples
of Firefox bugs ? like how it inexplicably closes all of the active Firefox
sessions (whether in tabs or separate windows) at once for no good reason, but I don't want to belabor the point.
Let?s face it ? just
because software is open-source doesn?t mean it?s perfect. At the same time,
just because software is created by Microsoft it doesn?t mean that it?s
inherently evil. Firefox still has plenty of lumps in it, and hopefully the next version helps to
iron some of them out. Even through all of that however, I still use Firefox
(except on that old Compaq) because it still beats the pants
off of IE most of the time.
by saying that I use Firefox every day. It?s my main Web browser when doing
almost everything that doesn?t absolutely require Internet Explorer. I?ve been using Firefox way back since
version 0.6 when it was still called Firebird. I?ve used it on Windows, OS/2 and
Linux. The problem is, the more I use Firefox, the more irritated I?ve become
with it.
First, there?s the
issue of updates. No software is perfect so patches are to be expected. And the
Firefox folks do a great job of making updates available when problems crop up.
Unfortunately, with Firefox that means that you have to reinstall the entire
browser, not just simply apply a patch to fix the problem. In a business
environment where you have to support dozens or hundreds of machines, I don?t
see how that makes it a viable alternative to IE.
Second, Firefox is
slow. No matter what OS or computer I?ve used Firefox on, it?s slow. I
wouldn?t
quite go so far as to call it a bloated pig, but it?s slow. Way slower
than IE. It?s slow to load.
It?s slow to display menus. It?s slow to load Web pages. It?s slow on
fast
machines. It?s even slower on slow machines. I have a very old Compaq
test
machine ? a Compaq Presario 5712. With
its blazing 450Mhz PII and 256Mb of RAM, Firefox can be painful. Most
of the
time, it?s easier to just load IE, get to the page you want, and be
gone. Sometimes Firefox takes so long to load, I've thought the mouse
click didn't take, so I click it again only to wind up with multiple
copies of Firefox running.
Third, Firefox is
buggy. I?m not a programmer and haven?t delved into the code, but you don?t
have to be a programmer to be able to identify buggy code. IE has its share of
problems as well, but Firefox is far from perfect. Case in point - there have
been several times where I?ll have a few tabs open and suddenly the entire computer
slows to a crawl. I?ll open up Task Manager, and find that Firefox has consumed
several hundred megabytes of memory and is nailing the CPU at 80 ? 90% usage.
It?s gotten to the point that when I?ve noticed the computer is running slow, I
know to go to Task Manager and just kill firefox.exe - everything will be
fine again. I could give other examples
of Firefox bugs ? like how it inexplicably closes all of the active Firefox
sessions (whether in tabs or separate windows) at once for no good reason, but I don't want to belabor the point.
Let?s face it ? just
because software is open-source doesn?t mean it?s perfect. At the same time,
just because software is created by Microsoft it doesn?t mean that it?s
inherently evil. Firefox still has plenty of lumps in it, and hopefully the next version helps to
iron some of them out. Even through all of that however, I still use Firefox
(except on that old Compaq) because it still beats the pants
off of IE most of the time.
Quote:
"Most of the time, it?s easier to just load IE , get to the page you want, and be gone."
I've installed Firefox several times only to have it unistalled a few hours later. Why? well you would think you are home free after installing it, not so fast, several plugins needs to be installed as well so you could more or less do all you do with IE and then you have to put up with the time it takes to load your pages.
It is a great browser but still needs more work before I switch full time to it.
"Most of the time, it?s easier to just load IE , get to the page you want, and be gone."
I've installed Firefox several times only to have it unistalled a few hours later. Why? well you would think you are home free after installing it, not so fast, several plugins needs to be installed as well so you could more or less do all you do with IE and then you have to put up with the time it takes to load your pages.
It is a great browser but still needs more work before I switch full time to it.
This is not an issue with Firefox 1.5 where you only have to download a small patch update and is installed when you restart Firefox.
The issue abbout plugins, if you recall when you first install windows, even IE requires that you install flash and other media file plugins. So really that's something one has to do only once. At least with Firefox, they make this as painless as possible.
I have been using Firefox since it was firebird.
The issue abbout plugins, if you recall when you first install windows, even IE requires that you install flash and other media file plugins. So really that's something one has to do only once. At least with Firefox, they make this as painless as possible.
I have been using Firefox since it was firebird.
I've been using Firefox since 1.0 and with the exception of a few financial sites when setting up an account I have had no need to use IE. Firefox has blocked more popups that have come up than IE has ever done. I'll be honest we don't install on mass so we don't hit the update problem. Yes it is a bit of a niggle every time an update is issued but I can live with that compared to several IE patches every week or 2. I've never had a machine run slow with Firefox on, so I guess I must be one of the lucky ones, but I have used a few of the tweaks to enhance the experience as it were. Everyone has their own thoughts and preferences which is what makes this world so interesting.
Probably not many would agree, but personally, Netscape 8.0 is the best browser I've found yet.
(Microsoft shudders when they see Netscape installed)
You can choose either the FireFox or IE engine on a per site basis...it's great.
You can also customize your security settings for each site.
A little slow, but I can live with it.
Have used Netscape from its infancy and never understood why it died out;
not many people seem to use it anymore.
Might want to check it out.
(Microsoft shudders when they see Netscape installed)
You can choose either the FireFox or IE engine on a per site basis...it's great.
You can also customize your security settings for each site.
A little slow, but I can live with it.
Have used Netscape from its infancy and never understood why it died out;
not many people seem to use it anymore.
Might want to check it out.
It's sad that we as a culture are so fixated on instant gratification that we
will use whatever product is fastest to provide us the afore mentioned
gratification. Someone once told me "All good things come to those
that wait", I find it ironic that they never touched a PC (but I guess old
rural farmers are set in their ways).
"...when it was still called Firebird"
I've been using it since it was call Phoenix (well before the Firebird naming
fiasco), so the following comments are based on lengthy personal experience.
"Unfortunately, with Firefox that means that you have to reinstall the
entire browser, not just simply apply a patch to fix the problem."
Although this method is annoying, it does assure that the entire browser is
refreshed. It does not change your configuration (from Documents and
Settings) so it's a minor inconvenience. If you are in a corporate
environment and your not deploying software with a centrally managed solution
you have bigger issues then running an install program and clicking OK a few
times. No... wait, the Microsoft method is so much better ( http://techrepublic.com.com/2100-1009_11-5929689.html?tag=nl.e103 )
"Second, Firefox is slow."
Granted it has gotten slower in the last two versions but comparing it to a
browser that pre-loads portions of it's code when your machine boots (even if
you don't use IE in that sitting) isn't a fair comparison. There are
trade offs here.. you want a browser that loads a few seconds slower and has a
better security posture or a really fast loading spyware magnet. I
promise you after browsing the Internet for a few hours with IE the magically acquired
spyware will slow it's loading to a crawl too.
"Third, Firefox is buggy."
Did it occur to you that code on the page or the workings of an add-on (like
Flash) might be to blame for this? There may be some issues with memory
leaks, but after installing Adblock, FlashBlock and NoScript I have very few
problems on the memory front and I don't experience the any of the speed issues
you give as examples. Perhaps you should try closing the last tab you
opened and not the entire browser next time the processor gets hammered.
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