Re: Experiences and trouble with Knoppix --evaluationg converting from Windows to Linux

From: Daniel Udsen (dudsen_at_koen.dk)
Date: 07/14/03 

Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 20:59:19 +0200

jack turer wrote:
 
>
>
> Now the issues. Any ideas how to fix these?
>
> Bad:
>
> -The Desktop (KDE) is slow. I mean *really* slow, almost to be
> unusable. Various windows (like File explorer) take forever to
> open. Far slower than MS W2K on the same hardware. This may have
> been due to the fact it was running from a CD though (can anyone
> say?)

Yes that is the case CDroms are slow and the compressed filesystem
doen't help much but kde is slow on loading the first instance of
an aplication but when it's loaded it fast enugh.
 
> -Csh fails: opening a Csh Shell immediately crashed with some
> sort of exec error

csh? wry csh i migt be because it's not actually there anyway it's
not an generic problem since ive never heard of might be an
scratc in the CDROM
 
> -Xine: The Media player:
> -It is very slow to open (strange, as this is a fast PC)
> -It crashes immediately any time I try to play DIVX/XVID AVIs
> (just
> window closes after saying 'xine')

Lack of codexes and pehaps the CDROM's fault again.

> -MPGs were ok though, played nicely
> -it Cannot Play DVD's : 'xine Engine Error - input plugin
> failed to
> open mrl 'dvd:/'
> -also crashed when trying to play VOB's from the DVD file
> system
> directly
> -it couldn't eject DVDs or CDs (just they get stuck
> 'input_DVD:
> CDROMEJECT failed: device
> -other random crashes at various time when pushing buttons on
> xine -Generally this was bad, because one use for the machine
> is to be a
> media playing device
> -Xine looks sexy, but very flakey. No video formats (XVID,
> DIVX,
> AVI, VOB) worked except MPG.

Om my mandrake Xine perfomes perfect ehen codec's are installed.
 
> -Open Office
> -Takes forever, welcome seagulls screen opens, then crashed
> on open
> and windows disappeared. Couldn't evaluate...

havent even heard of that fault pehaps the CDROM again.

> -File Explorer, opening JPGs
> -Tried to open some JPGs, picture starts to appear in right
> side
> window, then file manager crashed and shut down. Couldn't
> see pictures.

Yes it's the CDROMS fault that's sipmly does not happens whithout
HW failure.

> -Windows Networking
> -No way (I could find) to browse the windows network (this
> will be a
> reality in most offices where Linux is introduced).. ie the
> SMB windows network, that exists in most offices that run MS
> Windows LANs via 'network neighborhood'.

Konquerer is fully capable of that task when configured and the
lise demon is runnig dit u check the Kcontrolcenter

> Overall impression:
> Good:
> KDE looks nice. Knoppix is a great idea to introduce Linux to MS
> Windows users.
>
> Bad:
> Lots of stuff doesn't work yet. Overall, Knoppix applications,
> though in a controlled environment, was very unstable. Oddly,
> the hard stuff (networking, DVD drive, CDRom, USB hard drive
> (except formatting), graphics card, sound) all worked correctly.

None of the faiures you are reporting are reproducable on any
system i have seen so thats just either bad luck or you being not
completely honest.
 
> We use the office machines for web browsing and media (AVI,
> audio, images..etc) and 'Office' word processing/spread***
> applications. None of this was successful though for the reasons
> above, which was a big disappointment. Are we stuck with MS-W2K
> I wonder..

It works
> Any thoughts on what I may have done wrong? As I said, all the
> hard stuff like the graphics/audio..etc all started correctly on
> the PC, so I dont think it was due to hardware that the programs
> kept crashing. Funny the kernel and KDE were very stable, but
> the apps werent stable at all. The CDROM is OK, passed MD5
> checking, so that wasn't the problem.

fysical damages to the disk or an bad CDROM drive migt acount for
all the errors.

> I would like to get the above to work (in Knoppix, it should
> really). If I can great, I will convert over a few machines,
> otherwise, probably I will need to stick to Windows 2K and check
> again in a couple years to see if things have progressed a bit
> further.
>
> Knoppix is a great idea BTW (once the applications work better).
>
>
> Thoughts/opinions?

bad karma might be the only explanation i have had an similar
experience with windows on an laptop things that could not fail
did fail time and time again.
Reburn the CD on an media that is't low buget crap and try on an
couple of macines before you make the decision. 

-- 
Daniel Udsen
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