SuSE Linux 9.1

From: John Osborne (newsrp_at_mould.demon.co.uk)
Date: 11/24/04 

Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 21:41:26 +0000

I bought SuSE Linux 9.0 Pro and it seemed to work OK: I didn't register
for installation support because I didn't need it, but when Linux
Magazine issued a free 9.1, I used it to upgrade. Now, *something*
(kmail? the dialler?) is capriciously setting /dev/null to -r--r--r--.
What's more, there's a whole family of /dev/null.date *files*, which
seem to contain a job lot of unwanted output from assorted programs.
What in heaven's name is the point of that? In effect, they've become
log files (Thinks: must check if logrotate gets rid of the old versions
of them). Downloading the patches hasn't fixed the problem (yet?).
Anyone any idea what might be broken?

And what on Earth do SuSE do to cripple Xine the way they do ... so far,
I've failed to fix that, to - no DVD, crashes frequently ... hell, it
works brilliantly in Xandros Desktop, but damned if I can pick out what
the differences are in the two distributions. Anybody any suggestions -
I don't have the time to spend on peripheral (but irritating) matters
...

TIA, and *book* titles would be appreciated, but I don't get on well
with so-called "on-line" documentation (usually applies to the wrong
version anyway) and I can't afford the paper and ink-jet consumables it
takes to print my own books) 

-- 
Replace "nospam" by/with "mould" in e-mail address. 
John Osborne, fighting a rearguard action against the triumph of image over 
function from the beleaguered Castle Despair (home to Henry the hairy German 
shepherd)