[buug] Best XP emulator?

[Pewter Bot]

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> posted:

{{ Please note that this isn't just a Linux thing, but
impairs open-source driver development on _any_ OS.  The only reasons
you perceive it as a Linux problem... }}

Actually, I don't perceive this as a Linux prob, nor was it my intent
to imply that. Mostly, it's a "low income  Linux newbie" problem.  :b

You could make the case that I've been playing around w/Linux for
goddess knows how many years...even founded BUUG back in 2000...so why
the heck are you  still a newbie? But let's leave that for another
time, over coffee and bagel.

My point being this: most newbies would simply assume that any Windoze
printer listed as Linux compatible would assume that the resulting
printouts would be of equal quality. And it is true that there are
(thankfully) cheap printers that do a pretty decent job...but they
work best under Windoze.

So it is mostly the issue of manufacturer quality...and low-income
newbies like myself, are stuck with a limited selection of crummy
printers. It is very difficult to find any compatible printer that one
can witness first-hand, the print results via Linux, before purchase.

Having said this, it is of course easy to connect with any Linux
community these days, thanks to the democratizing of cyberspace, to do
one's homework in seeking out a decent printer. It may cost more, but
not that impossible to obtain, just by cutting a corner or two.

{{ By the way:  Friends don't let friends buy cruddy injets. }}

:)

{{ "Wow, that winmodem, if ground sufficiently finely, might make a
surprisingly strong espresso, which would be its best and highest
use." }}

:)) I actually did get a cheap USB modem that does dialup nicely in
LInux: the Actiontec. Total eBay cost including shipping: $34. But I
did my homework first.

As for inexpensive wifi...well, coffeehouses are my lifestyle anywayz,
so in a way, broadband has come to me (to paraphrase that old saw
about Muhamet and the mountain).

So there is much joy in achieving cyber proficiency on a small
income...that others pay big bucks to acquire. Necessity is the mother
of invention...and so are limited resources. But when it comes to
printers, ya gotta spend more, and do your homework.

{{ The modern equivalent is the highly proprietary low-end inkjet
that's sold for almost no money and probably at a loss, because they
know they'll make a fortune from you on expensive proprietary ink
cartridges. }}

Indeed! And those refurbished cartridges often leak or dry up before
you're even halfway through. Where's the savings? I don't have the
kind of income to afford such waste. I only have the time.  :b

{{ Some manufacturers, such as Lexmark, have even been known to put
circuitry in their cheap inkjets to ensure that you get only partial
usage out of offbrand cartridges }}

You know, I am not surprised at all. As for another brand, HP: someone
donated to me some years back, a very fine HP printer, probably
retailed around $450...and it crapped out about two years later.
Because the circuitry that controls the "yellow" died. Didn't know
that at first, just assumed I ran out of yellow dye, so ordered
another color cartridge. Nope, yellow still wouldn't flow. So online
searching finally revealed that that model has a known flaw in its
cartridge circuity, specifically on the yellow frequency (so to
speak).

Now, I ask you: was this simply an accident of cheap factory assembly,
or planned obsolescence? Well, I got  beautiful printouts for my decal
designs while it lasted.

{{ Anyway, if you ever _do_ buy another printer, you know which
listings you should check, preferably in advance of purchase rather
than after. }}

Yes, thanks, Rick! I am thrilled to finally have switched over
entirely to Linux...and would much rather deal with any bugs in the
*nux distros, than with those in my "former" OS, whose name shall not
be mentioned this time around. With Linux, it's more fun, the people
are smart and interesting, and it will keep my brain from fossilizing
as I enter my golden years.

I thought it was wonderful and hilarious that China rejected M$'s bid
for their official networks, and went with Linux.

-- 
Zeke Krahlin
A government is only as good as its operating system.