🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <slrn88a57k.i5.rwatson@bluesharp.pwdltd.co.uk> rwatson@pwdltd.co.uk wrote...

> >I've tried SuSE, Caldera and RedHat on all three main systems we have
> >and all of them failed to recognise at least one component part of the
> >system (usually the printer) and none of them picked up the sound cards.
>
> Did you try telling it what stuff you had connected? Most distributions
> have a separate tool for installing printers and soundcards etc *after*
> installation.

Yes, although the only tool I can recall using was SuSE's YAST which
singally failed to set up the printer (an HP-III) and couldn't even
locate the SB-16 sound card.

> I admit that there are some hardware compatibility issues but most of
> those are caused by manufacturors who don't let anyone else know how their
> machine works (e.g. winprinters- should be called "loseprinters") or
> decide to remove the brain from a modem (winmodem/binmodem).

Winmodems are especially funny - you can install one and it 'finds'
itself on COM5. Delete the hardware resource, reboot and it 'finds'
itself on COM3. Or COM1. Or just about anywhere.

> >I didn't dwell on the problem since it was an intellectual exercise more
> >than anything else, but (much as I hate to admit this) I've yet to come
> >across any Win95 installation that I have made which *didn't* pick up on
> >all the hardware, far less concern the user with issues over 'mount
> >points' and 'inode density'.
>
> This is a rather strange point, if you don't mind my saying. One of the
> best features of linux is the filesystem.

Yes, and I'm not about to disagree with you here. The trouble is,
though, that matters such as the stability of the filesystem,
fragmentation, multiple users and high security matter not one whit to
someone who is mostly concerned with simply getting the word processor
running. Or whatever.

Case in point; only today I was looking for suitable Linux fax software.
I downloaded a couple of files and read through the installation
intructions. The better of the two said that to install it you had to

   * Edit the makefile and change the compile command and destination
     directories
   * Type "make" to compile the binaries
   * Edit the configuration information at the beginning of the script
   * Type "make install" to install the fax script, the binaries and
     the man pages.
   * Read the man page

Compare this against simply bunging an autoplaying disk into the CD and
letting the software do all the installing for you. Can you *really* say
that the average bloke isn't going to be put off by the Linux software's
installation instructions? I can guarantee that 99% of computer users
aren't even going to undertand what 'edit the makefile and change the
compile command and destination directories' is going to do, let alone
what it actually means.

In these terms, a 'better' system is the one that allows the most people
to get the most useful tasks done. Unfortunately, that is why a system
like Windows has already won the battle.

Mike Dickson, Black Cat Software Factory, Edinburgh, Scotland
fax 0131-665-1298 - Columnated Ruins Domino - Mellotron M400 #996