Yay - working internet connection!

[karen2205]

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 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?

Comments

[daweaver.livejournal.com]

(a) recommend a mail client

I use Pegasus Mail, and would recommend it. Other clients are available.

(b) recommend a news reader

I use Xnews, and would loosely recommend it, but more from inertia than anything else.

(d) recommend a web browser

Firefox is as good as any, especially now that you've missed Opera's one-day giveaway.

(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?

I've never found Norton to be particularly stable, and its firewall doesn't work at all well with the Windows one. AVG and the Symantec Personal firewall do me just about fine.

[pne.livejournal.com]

I use Pegasus Mail, and would recommend it.

I use Pegasus Mail as well, and have done so ever since first using it at work (since it worked very well in a Novell environment such as the one we had back then in 1997). I'm not sure whether it's for everyone, but I rather like it.

I'm a bit annoyed at the fact that it can't "do" UTF-8 (at least, not the version I have - 4.12a) but if you send and receive mail only in English this is likely not to matter much.

I also use Forte Agent (used to use Free Agent, then bought Agent a bit later) on the odd occasion when I still look into Usenet; it seems to work well enough for me. I haven't tried the new version yet, though; it's supposed to be similar on the outside but completely different under the hood.

Firefox is as good as any, especially now that you've missed Opera's one-day giveaway.

I still have Opera codes somewhere, though, if you want some.