[buug] Excellent Newbie Linux Site

[Zeke Krahlin]

Rick Moen wrote:
> 
> Quoting Zeke Krahlin (ezekielk at netzero.net):
> 
> > I also have the experience of Netscape causing the entire system
> > to freeze...which then forces me to do a cold reboot.
> 
> _If_ you've exhausted all the ways to get to a usable shell, then by a
> functional definition the system is frozen.  But, I have a feeling you
> weren't familiar with some.

Sounds logical to me, considering I'm a "Linux newbie". But
Netscape *is notorious for being a memory hog, and rather sloppy
in other aspects, such as javascript. My impression is that the
latest versions of Netscape have ignored any improvements for its
Linux users...for it behaves just as lousy in Linux, as it does
for me in Windoze. Including the latest version, which I'm now
using: 4.7

However, Netscape's behavior is markably improved, since I've
shut down it Java/Javascript features, per your suggestion. This
proves to be an inconvenience--albeit minor--when accessing
certain Internet services. (For one, I can't move any messages
from inbox to anywhere else, in Yahoo's e-mail service.) So far,
Netscape has not crashed at all, with java stuff turned
"off"...but only time will tell for sure.

> Ah.  Well, you see, a "DOS" (FAT) partition lacks anywhere to put
> ownership and permission information, so a default gets applied at
> the time of mounting.  You can specify/override the default rights mask
> and ownership as options to the mount command (or, therefore, in
> /etc/fstab).  The usual sort of cryptic details can be found in the
> "mount" manpage.  ;->

Since installing Mandrake 7.0 (which I did three days ago), I am
quite satisfied with the present arrangement: "paranoid" security
level. This is exactly what I was trying to do, playing with
"chmod"...before I realized there is also "chown" to deal with,
too. I didn't want any user, except root, to have even "read"
access to anywhere but the users' own directory. If, as user, I
really want to view or edit a data file on a DOS partition, I can
just call up the "super user" file manager in KDE--plug in the
root password, and I'm on my way.

My goal, before this year is out, is to switch to pure Linux (no
dual boot), and only run Windoze when needed, via network. Since
you explained so well the advantage of such an arrangement, I am
eager to reach that goal.


---
Ezekiel J. ("I couldn't hack my way 
out of a virtual paper bag") Krahlin 
---
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http://www.weak.org/buug/
---
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