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Yay - working internet connection!
I went to the shop to collect my computer after work yesterday and got them to test the modem, which produced exactly the same error for them as it did for me. I wasn't exactly pleased by this, but it at least made me feel that I was justified in saying 'this isn't working'. They replaced the modem for me and it works!
Went from there to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ewtikins's house where I got to play with screws and bolts and shelves and stuff. And she fed me very nice chilli:-) Saw mstevens for the first time in a while too.
Came home and played with my computer till 2am ish - it now has XiRCON and PuTTY installed.
Cutting for questions to get the geeks arguing:
(a) recommend a mail client
(b) recommend a news reader
(c) remind me how to set up the localhost thing on urchin to get a newsfeed
(d) recommend a web browser
(e) my machine has wireless capabilities. I've no idea how to go about using it. When it comes to wanting to download large files would it be worth my while to find a wireless access point and learn how to use it?
(f) recommend a version of linux - the last time I asked this question someone told me the answer was Debian but to ask again when I actually needed the information
(g) I need to get hold of MySQL - would I be better offering beer tokens in exchange for a CD or doing (e)?
(h) The machine runs XP Pro and has Norton anti-virus software already installed. Is this sufficient or should I get different anti-virus software?
Went from there to
ewtikins's house where I got to play with screws and bolts and shelves and stuff. And she fed me very nice chilli:-) Saw mstevens for the first time in a while too. Came home and played with my computer till 2am ish - it now has XiRCON and PuTTY installed.
Cutting for questions to get the geeks arguing:
(a) recommend a mail client
(b) recommend a news reader
(c) remind me how to set up the localhost thing on urchin to get a newsfeed
(d) recommend a web browser
(e) my machine has wireless capabilities. I've no idea how to go about using it. When it comes to wanting to download large files would it be worth my while to find a wireless access point and learn how to use it?
(f) recommend a version of linux - the last time I asked this question someone told me the answer was Debian but to ask again when I actually needed the information
(g) I need to get hold of MySQL - would I be better offering beer tokens in exchange for a CD or doing (e)?
(h) The machine runs XP Pro and has Norton anti-virus software already installed. Is this sufficient or should I get different anti-virus software?
no subject
b) I don't read news anymore.
c) Don't know.
d) Firefox.
e) I think it's fairly pointy-click on XP but I've not done it.
f) Ubuntu seems popular at the moment. I'm running Debian at work, which is more effort to setup but supposedly more stable. The Ubuntu installer is fairly easy.
You probably want to setup a dual-boot system with XP and Linux. I don't do this so don't know anything about setting it up.
g) It's probably small enough to download on dialup with only moderately large amounts of patience.
h) Make sure you've got the XP firewall turned on, and you're letting Norton update itself.