RE: goddammit

["Michael Fothergill" <mikef20000@hotmail.com>]

Dear Sir,


> From: Incoming <s.clement@cashette.com>
> To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
> Subject: goddammit
> Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 22:16:44 -0800 (PST)
>
> I have been fighting with this damned Debian 3.1 - Sergeant Wolly or some 
> such - and I can't even print.

Hang on a second.  Are you a Linux user or a person migrating from Windows? 
You have to make a bit more effort with Linux....


I have also installed JRE, but I haven't found out how to connect it to 
Firefox.
> I can't downlosd from my digital camera.
>
> I can only play a few of the video formats out on the web.  There doesn't 
> seem to be any one that will play them all, or, failing that, convert to a 
> format that will play on what I have (Totem, RealPlayer which doesn't 
> really work).

Use VLC.  You need to install it in synaptic or with apt-get.  We can help.


> Every time I go looking for solutions I wind up going in circles and 
> drowning in a mass of half-baked how-to's and advice on how to run files 
> that no longer exist or led from one useless document to another as I RTFM. 
>  Well, boys and girls, so far any FM I have encountered is NFG or NWAPOCS 
> (Not Worth A Pinch...).

The solution is to read them as best you can and then post questions here.  
People will guide you to solve the problems.

I can't say that it's not entertaining, but I need a complete operating 
system and not some ill-fitting patches.

The operating system is complete, in fact it is more complete than e.g. 
Windows in many ways.....  You can get software that will let you run a 
dozen PC's in parallel in your own little supercomputing array with Sargeant 
Wolly but you can't do that with Windows as far as I know....

> Before anyone decides to engage in infantile gibberish, otherwise known as 
> rants or flames, don't waste my time.

I don't flame people.
> What I really want to know is why this is so difficult to put together and 
> how it can be done without me becoming a systems engineer.

The reason is that the OS is maintained by people who are volunteers.  The 
people are usually very technically literate and so they don't need as much 
RTFM stuff as the average Joe.  Also they are usually more interested in 
developing the OS than writing manuals and documentation.  There definitely 
are problems with making it easy to install and use Linux OSes see -

http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/world-domination/world-domination-201.html
.
The problems with your printer and camera can be fixed.  You need to learn 
how to configure the printer.  It's not too difficult.

If you posted a query on the site on how to securely network 300 PC's in a 
business or do parallel computing with a dozen PC's you would get more 
interest from people here than just configuring a printer..........

Whereas in Windows land that would likely frighten everyone away.....

Regards,

Michael Fothergill
Not that I'd mind, it's just that, currently, I just don't have the time.
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