Dave: Here are some notes: Web browser: Get latest Mozilla release from www.mozilla.org. It could be 1.5 or the 1.6 beta. Install java from java.sun.com Also install the rpm plugger or get latest from http://fredrik.hubbe.net/plugger.html About printing from Mozilla: To get a better printout from Mozilla you need to get the xprint printer server from . http://www.mozilla.org/projects/xprint/ Mozilla will try to contact xprint to print. If xprint is installed it will show you the list of installed printers, if not, it will just give you option to select the print command (e.g. lpr). Using xprint you can first select a print preview, then you can decrease or increase font size , then send it to the desired printer. It will save you some extra pages. For example, using xprint will not split the last line so half line appears in one page and half line appears on the next one. Xprint will avoid that. Xprint is used by another applications if installed. XMMS: Some Linux brands, like Red Hat are not including the MP3 plugin due to copyrights. But, you can get them from ftp.redhat.com. You can also get lot of plugins for XMMS, including ALSA or ARTSD plugins. For word processing, of course: Openoffice 1.1. You can now create PDF files fast! and open or create all kind of MS Office files. Jpilot will work with your Palm or Visor PDA. There is a lot of Palm pilot commands. You can use kshowmail as a email checker. You can get acrobat reader from Adobe. Linux has some other PDF readers. Be sure to get latest Alsa drivers. To chat with MSN friends: get AMSN or GAIM. You can also get Yahoo messenger or AOL AIM messenger. To have a Winmodem working: Pray a lot. They are plug and pray. To buy a digital camera: Fisrt look if it is supported by Linux. Digital Cameras are plug and play if suported by Linux. To edit ascii files: VI of course. To edit images: Gimp. Then, have all of them to try to get to level 25 in ksokoban. GZS Dave Phillips wrote: > tim hall wrote: > >> PS: Watching my nine-year old and various friends use my system, I'd >> say the Linux Desktop for casual users is here, given the availability >> of technical support. IMX it's the configuration that is difficult, >> not the installation & usage. >> >> > Hi Tim: > > A few days ago I wrote to the list and recounted a story about setting > up a Windows 2000 system for some > very non-computer-savvy friends of mine. Well, that saga knows no end: I > had to go to their house yesterday > and get it going for them again. It's true that they are *really* in the > dark about their machine, but it's got so > ridiculous that I've decided on a new plan. I'm going to set up a Linux > box for them and see how they do with it. > These people do very little else but use a Web browser (what they call > "the computer") so I want to see just how > hard or easy it would be for them to use a modern Linux system. It'll be > an interesting experiment, and if I have to deal > with the system at least it will be a real OS with real tools and the > real possibility of actually fixing it if it breaks. > Win2K is nice, but what a vacant system ! I can't believe people have > paid so much and received so little in return > for their money. > > Anyway, if this experiment works I'll report back to this group. The > folks using this box aren't music/sound people, > but I do plan on setting up XMMS, RealPlayer, and possibly xine or > Mplayer for on-line video feeds. Let me know if > you have any suggestions for making it as easy as possible for them to use. > > Best regards, > > Dave Phillips > > > -- This Message is sent from my Red Hat 9.0 Linux server Machine Registration number 205692 at http://counter.li.org/ .-. Gustavo Zamorano S. .-. | Registered Linux user number 320898 .-. | | at http://counter.li.org/
