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> So stick to a distro and make it work. That's an option, it's ubuntu I like from what I've seen. I'll get the server edition and try getting a desktop running over the top as you suggested the other day. > I've not used anything other than Debian since 1995... I compile my own > kernels to make hardware work and I'm not afraid of installing other > software when neccessary. All distros give you a choice of window managers, > just you need to know how to select it at install time (or run-time), so you > never have to take the package maintainers versions if you don't want to. I've been using xp for years now, and apart from it's increasing flakiness and susceptibility to viruses, and of course that it's distributed by a megalomaniac corporate entity with the moral fibre of a cuckoo, I know how to make it work. Generally by plugging things in and turning it on, occasionally sticking a driver disk into a drive. > This is Linuxs strengths - you have the choice - if you can be bothered to > make it... Lifes too short to chase distros, so pick one and stick to it and > learn how to customise it. Fairy nuff. > It's also Linux's downfall - We'll never get "Linux on the Desktop" unless > it's supported by the manufacturers and they produce their own version of > Debian/Centos/RH, etc. So it's up to us to make it work without giving in. Hmm, sticky topic. Case in point: I just gave Fedora a shot. Live CD works fine, installed and the mouse doesn't work. Rebooted to the live CD, mouse works fine, went back to install, now it doesn't. Doesn't exactly instill confidence does it? Still things get better all the time and Linux goes from strength to strength. Perhaps it's the little touches like not having to arse around to get a bog standard usb mouse working that will make the difference rather than the next killer filesystem though. As for me, I'll get there as I am determined to do so in the end, but it's a steep learning curve sometimes so I'm glad of the group here Apologies to all if I've asked too much too often though, I was just trying to sneak Linux into the house without too much hassle as mentioned in the other thread. > Wi-Fi did work under Mandrivel, so rather than just blow a new CD rom with a > new distro, why not take the time to work out why it's not working now? Because it stopped working for absolutely no reason - as in there was no perceivable cause for the effect. As a linux noob, I just don't know where to start. Wifi might have stopped working because Mandriva doesn't like my dress sense or taste in suet based desserts for all I know. It's certainly nothing to do with effort or putting time in. I've managed this week to write 2000 words for a biology essay, complete a maths assessment, revise for a psychology test (tomorrow) as well as go out and get thirty surveys complete and collate the results (in open office!) to prove a hypothesis, as well as try seven different distros and keep everyone happy at home with all the rest of life's little obligations (not forgetting attending college!). I'm not lazy. It took me two evenings of searching around with no results and lots of terminal typing to get the wifi dongle lights to blink under mandriva. Took a totally fresh install to actually get it working, as the install by default automatically breaks wifi by not installing any of the stuff that makes it work if it can't detect wifi hardware it knows. As I said at the start though, I'm going to take your advice, and head back to ubuntu and work out what to do next. It's my favorite of what I've seen so far. Again - apologies if I've been leaning on the group too much, I'll take it on from here now I know it isn't going to be a quick trick. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html