Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan2 AT cyberspace.org>]

On Mon, 14 Apr 2003 ichi AT aggies.org wrote:

> sindi keesan wrote:
> > 
> > I have been unable to change any of the preferences so 
> > as to start with a blank page. 
> 
> In Netscape 3.04, you click on Options-> General Preferences
> -> Appearance-> Startup

I can get into preferences and make changes, but I cannot find any way to
save them.  (Edit, Preferences in Net 4).  I exit preferences with Esc and
nothing has changed.  How do you save your choices in Net 3?

> 
> > I did not know I could do other things while dialing.  
> 
> I've never used wvdial, but ppp-on certainly works that
> way.  Normally when I startx (which loads icewm and then
> netscape), I click on ppp-on as soon as icewm has loaded.
> Netscape takes another 20-30 seconds and is ready about
> the same as I get the ppp connection.

I was able to start dialing (VT2), switch to VT1, and load X and Netscape
while dialing.  Dialing does not seem to take up much cpu or RAM.  

> 
> > Please explain what you mean by running better.  
> 
> First, Netscape 3.04 was more stable with icewm.  I got 
> significantly fewer crashes.  Second, icewm gave me greater 
> control over the various sub-windows that Netscape throws up.

I have not had any crashes yet, probably because I gave up after it would
not display my mail, or my ISP home page.  What control over the windows
do you want?  I just made them all go away (with the mouse).  


> I can't speak for fvwm.  IMHO it is an inferior wm.
It has the advantage of already being there.  I am just experimenting.

> You can also kill netscape from VT3.  
> ---------------------
> kill `pidof netscape`
> ---------------------
Thanks.  


> Netscape 3.04 still provides security.  I used it on a secure 
> site just yesterday.  When a security certificate expires it
> automatically gets a new one from the site (you just have to
> click on some boxes).

Good to know.  I prefer 3 to 4.  The only advantage of 4 was improved
keyboard navigation (which the Linux version does not have, in fact it
has much worse keyboard navigation than Windows Netscape 3). Can you
access the file edit menus from the keyboard with 3?  
 
> > Why would you use Dillo instead of Lynx or Links 
> 
> Better layout.

> I know nothing about Realaudio.  I don't even have a
> sound card in this machine (which may explain why I
> happily stripped sound out of the BL2 kernel).

Realaudio is rumored to work with Links 2.0 (some version of it - for X?)
Anyone have any experience with it?  

> 
> > SuSE Linux is running 1 login, 5 mingettys, cron (they say 
> > to be sure never to delete this from rc.config), 
> 
> I wonder what they are using cron for?  It is normally used
> to run things automatically at a particular time (like doing
> a backup in the middle of the night).  If your machine on 
> all the time?

No it is not.  Cron is supposed to be updating something, I don't know
what.  If you think SuSE is bad, you should have seen Caldera.  
I bet I don't need a random number generator either (running all the
time).

> 
> > lpd (just in case we ever want to print)
> 
> I only execute lpd (from the command line) when I want
> to print.  And then kill it when I am finished:
> ----------------
> kill `pidof lpd`
> ----------------
Useful to know.  pidof - process ..  ?


> 
> > syslogd, klogd
> 
> Logging daemons.  I turn them on (from the command line)
> when I'm debugging something.
Are they creating log files that I could delete?
  
> 
> > kflushd, kpiod, kswapd.  Presumably the k's are not needed 
> > if you don't use KDE?  
> 
> On the contrary, I think the k stands for kernel.  They 
> are fundamental processes (even BasicLinux runs them).
Good thing I left them there.