Re: Easy or not easy
- From: "Robert M. Riches Jr." <spamtrap42@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:43:56 GMT
I'm probably going to regret posting this, but ...
On 2006-04-11, notbob <notbob@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 2006-04-11, Why Tea <ytlim1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Rather than bashing each other on the head, I'd like to see users of
both OS'es share their experience - good, bad or ugly, in a cool and
calm way.
Those who are familiar with both OS's and don't have some ulterior
agenda usually use and acknowledge the advantages of each. No matter
how good Linux has become, M$ still remains the de facto standard for
many things and the only option for others (Dreamweaver, Autocad,
etc). To deny this is just silly.
I don't deny that life under a communist dictatorship or
other oppressive regime is "the only option" for many on
this planet.
For example, right now I've hit a brick wall with my Slack box,
dial-up modems being a much neglected item in the Linux camp. My
options are few. Either scour ebay or other used hardware sources for
the few rare compatible boards or spend absurd amounts of money
($100!) for new full featured linux compatible modems.
Being as this is a solutions group rather than an advocacy
group, here's an attempt at some solutions.
Regarding the software "modems" that really aren't modems at
all: Have the manufacturers supplied specifications so the
open source developers can write drivers without having to
reverse engineer the hardware? If not, the fault lies with
the hardware manufacturer, not the software developers.
<sarcasm-mode>
If so, hardware specs have been published, you should find a
developer and ask for a complete refund of everything you
paid for the non-existent driver.
</sarcasm-mode>
The US Robotics modem I bought five or six years ago has
worked reasonably well as a modem, and it can send faxes,
but it doesn't receive faxes. If you want a less expensive
hardware (real) modem, the GoodWill nearest my home often
has a few for about US$8 each. It wouldn't surprise me if
you could get a decent one on Ebay for a decent price.
I just went
through this recently with scanners as well, my w98 autocad box
getting custody of my new Epson scanner. Since I don't use the
scanner that much, it's no problem. But, my Slack box is my primary
desktop computer and the one that requires the modem. Looks like I'm
going to hafta spend some bucks, despite my tight budget.
My HP ScanJet 6300C has worked pretty well with two
different Linux machines, using both SCSI and USB interfaces
(not at the same time, of course). MandrX 10.0 and LE2005
had difficulties with the USB side, but MandrX 2006 seems to
do quite well with it. If your particular Epson scanner has
difficulties, there are probably several possible solutions.
Not to sound like a GoodWill sales droid, but the GoodWill
nearest my home has a very long shelf stacked about three
deep with scanners for about US$20 each, some of which may
be better than the one I'm using (less the SCSI interface).
--
Robert Riches
spamtrap42@xxxxxxxxxxx
(Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)
.
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