Baslinux mailing list

[baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org]

On Wed, Jun 27, 2007 at 02:20:40AM +0000, baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
> Someone asked for our help installing some operating system to a laptop 
<snip>
> works with a 2.2 kernel?  What is a Remote Desktop client?  Is he trying 
> to use the laptop as a wireless remote terminal to a desktop or maybe just 
> to share a broadband connection?  

Without inquiring further it's hard to say what he's asking for. Remote 
Desktop is a terminology I most often associate 
with Windows and the ability of more recent versions of Windows to allow 
other machines to log in and use the desktop 
remotely. Certain versions of Win2K can do this and XP Pro has it built in. A 
Linux client has been developed for this, 
but it's alot newer than BL: I first started hearing about it about 3 years 
ago. Unless you were to compile something 
and do alot of troubleshooting, I wouldn't expect that client to work on BL. 
If he would be satisfied with something 
like VNC, I'd say chances of getting a version of that running under BL are 
much better--though it would probably still 
involve some work. My experiences with VNC have been a bit disappointing: it 
can be useful in a pinch, but I'd hate to 
have to rely on it on a regular basis.

On a separate note concerning wireless (mentioned in your post). Having done 
some more research recently on wireless 
networking, I'm beginning to think that older wireless cards, though they can 
be made to work under BL, really should 
be avoided--or at least should be used only in certain circumstances. It is 
just too easy to eavesdrop on wireless 
networks that don't have the latest encryption schemes implemented (WPA, 
WPA2), and older wireless cards, by 
definition, cannot handle that sort of encryption. I would hesitate to send 
any username/password information using 
such a connection, and would definitely _never_ do any sort of financial 
transactions using one (credit card purchases, 
banking).

James