Baslinux mailing list

[Lee Forrest <lforrestster AT gmail.com>]

On Tue, Dec 19, 2006 at 01:48:44AM +0000, sindi keesan wrote:
> >On Mon, Dec 18, 2006 at 05:23:39PM +0000, sindi keesan wrote:
> >>On Mon, 18 Dec 2006, Lee Forrest wrote:
> >
> >I've fixed the top posting. But I won't do it often. And I've
> >already blocked one person on this list from my mailboxes
> >for doing it chronically.
> >
> >It _stinks_.
> 
> Please explain what top posting is.

That's when someone responds by posting their reply on top
of the untrimmed mail they are responding to. Like you did
in the post I was responding to. It does not facilitate
clear communication. (understatement).

> >>He is coming by in three days to work on it with us. I asked
> >>him what software is on it now. If it has XP, is there some
> >>easy way to add BL3? I used qemu in BL to run DOS (badly) -
> >>would I use qemu to run BL in XP?
> >>
> >>If it has ME I can run loop linux. If it has 2000 we have the
> >>CD so I can risk shrinking it, but how do I shrink an NTFS file
> >>system?
> >
> >I first ran linux by reinstalling XP and leaving enough space
> >for linux to run on, and booting from a floppy. (Could be
> >a CD, of course.) You could also use an app like partition
> >magic to shrink the windows partition, but I hear they are
> >risky.
> 
> He bought the computer used and is unlikely to have received an XP CD with 
> it.  If he wants to keep XP, I am not going to shrink it, and I don't 
> think our DOS PQMAGIC could shrink XP anyway.  Nor can we assume he has a 
> working CD-ROM drive (our best laptop does not).
> 
> >If your friend doesn't have enough commitment to do that he
> >should just run one of the live CDs, like slax or knoppix.
> 
> He knows nothing about linux, just asked if I could get his daughter doing 
> email and I suggested linux.  It boots a lot faster, even from floppy 
> disk, and I don't want to learn enough XP to help him with it. I should 
> look up qemu in the archives.

He should just use OE or Outlook on the windows box or IE to access
a webmail account. No way is going to keep the child from seeing
porn unless he disables all image-displaying capabilities. Or
screens all of their mail. Which would be the best solution.

> We could make him a copy of an old DSL (Damn Small Linux) version but I 
> find it more confusing and you can't customize it.  We want something 
> simple and single-purpose.

He must have a CDROM if it has XP. Put BL on a CD and remove all
image-displaying capabilities and set the BIOS to boot from the
CD first. BL does email, does it not?

> >BL would not be for him. This is definitely a hacker's distro.
> 
> I am not a hacker.

Yes you are.

>  This is the only linux I have run for more than half an hour.
> Everything I know about linux I have learned here. There are
> quite a few other beginners.

Modesty is a virtue.

Lee