From: mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 05:19:43 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca To: Orlando Andico cc: Paul W Brannan , djgpp AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: this is way off-topic! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Organization: Total disorganization. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Wed, 29 Jan 1997, Orlando Andico wrote: > > > generator), a text based console control panel, common configurations > > > > YES! Another thing I've been saying for a while! You don't need graphics > > to have ease of use! > > > > > for setting up the MODEM, NULL modem, sound card, email, a dynamic PPP > > > link (an EASY setup like in Windblows), and other things like a > > > default sendmail.cf file that is set up for the most common end user > > > configuration (perhaps also with a control panel entry), I can think > > the problem with that is that most people don't have much idea what their > soundcard's IRQ, DMA, etc is. and, even though you can compile soundcard > as a loadable module, the module sits at a particular IRQ/DMA/port > configuration, and you can't have a module for every combination.. If someone wants to use their soundcard in Linux, that will require recompiling their own kernel period. If they don't know their soundcard settings, then they CANT get soundcard support. If they don't know how to find out what DMA/IRQ, etc their soundcard is on, then they REALLY shouldn't be using Linux to begin with. Almost 99% of all games in DOS require you selecting the DMA/IRQ settings, so I don't see how the soundcard is a problem. A *GOOD* mixer for both X and the console should come standard with Linux, and also a command line based one. This should be a part of the control panel. > > Don't forget printer configuration and filesystem configuration. And it > > would be nice to have an "automount" feature on removeable file systems > > (or does Linux alread have that?). > > there IS an automount feature for removable media (i.e. zip drives, > cdrom's, floppies) this works nicely except for floppies, because the > mount daemon (similar to vold on Solaris) polls the drive, thus wearing it > out faster. the Solaris 2.x vold man page tells a lot about this kind of > wear-out-the-drive behavior. Why can't someone make floppies work in Linux AS they do in DOS? The same goes for CDROM's and ZIP's. I don't WANT my floppies/CD's part of the write caching mechanism in Linux. Read caching is ok, but the write cache should be optional. That way if you eject a disk, the changeline is fired and Linux nullifies the read cache. > > > of MANY other programs that would be cool to have also. Anyone have > > > any ideas on this? I think it would be much better than persuing a > > > NEW GUI in DOS. > > I do too, but I don't see the Linux thing happening. There are too many > > idiots out there who think "I'm cool, cause I know how to use vi." Who > > cares? I could spend my time doing other things. Like having fun. > > I'm starting to write my own set of desktop applets using XForms because > the current level of goodies for Linux/X are either overkill or too hard > to configure (imagine wading around in /usr/lib/X11). Stuff like a nice > taskbar (although FVWM95 has that), a start panel like the SGI toolchest, > etc. Actually my aim is to make my Linux box look and feel similar to the > SGI I use in school. Great! Hope you make the programs available for free! :o) > > > Also, if such a project is begun for Linux, I feel that ALL programs > > > that are part of the project MUST be written in C period with the > > > possible exception of some small bash scripts. I say this because I > > > think that TCL/TK programs and other shell languages are SLOW!!!!! for > > > this kind of thing. > > > > Or C++. > > Everyone should try out XForms, it uses only Xlib, it's pretty cute, and > it even comes with an interface designer that spits out code wrappers for > you. Who knows, it might not be too tough to port to DJGPP/Xlibemu. There > is already an OS/2 XFree86 port. I've got XForms, haven't tried it yet, not exactly sure what it is, but if it spits out C, then it is surely a contender. Mike A. Harris | http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris Computer Consultant | My webpage has moved and my address has changed. My dynamic address: http://blackwidow.saultc.on.ca/~mharris/ip-address.html mailto:mharris AT blackwidow DOT saultc DOT on DOT ca DJGPP: Current version 2.01