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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: HEAVEN: Ancient Geek - the computer thread
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
My router assigns temporary IP addresses to printers on the network, so I don't have a stable IP address I can hook into that way.
This you should be able to resolve if you want to, either on the router or the printer.
On the router
The DHCP server probably has a way of reserving an IP for a particular device. Different routers present this to you in different ways, but keywords to find the right place are "Static DHCP" or "Reservations". On routers that try to dumb-down to be more user-friendly you may see a list of attached devices and an option to 'always use the same IP address' etc.
On the printer
Chances are you can manually assign a static IP to the printer. Just give it one that's outside the DHCP pool used by the router (and that doesn't clash with anything else). Then write it down so you don't forget.
Personally I'd use reservations in DHCP, as then all your addressing is handled from one place and there's less to remember.
On the bigger issue, does
this link and the following comments help at all?
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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Zoey
Broken idealist
# 11152
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Zoey:
I've recently finished a Masters degree at a different uni. I have a uni email account which I access through a tab in Blackboard and which says Outlook Web Access at the top. This email account will get shut down in the near future and I'd like to do a bulk transfer of emails over to my yahoo account. [snip]
Help?
quote:
Originally posted by Alex Cockell:
What mail client do you have access to locally?
Sounds as though your best idea is to approach your IT department and ask them to export your mailbox to an independent MS Outlook .PST file, with no password applied. This can be imported to your choice of mail client...
Sadly, my technological ability is limited and I didn't really understand Alex Cockell's response to my previous post.
However, I did partly take Alex's advice in so far as I went along to the uni ITS helpdesk to ask them what to do. They gave me instructions about connecting Outlook 2007 to their Exchange Service. So, I now have Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 set up on my computer so that under 'All Mail Items' it has 'Personal Folders' and 'z.y.surname@uni.ac.uk'. Under 'z.y.surname@uni.ac.uk' are all the folders from my uni email account and these contain all the emails from my uni email account. Will these definitely stay there (in my Outlook 2007) once my uni email account dies / gets deleted / ceases to exist? (Simple answer for not-very-technological person appreciated ![[Smile]](smile.gif) .)
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Pay no mind, I'm doing fine, I'm breathing on my own.
Posts: 3095 | From: the penultimate stop? | Registered: Mar 2006
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Zoey:
So, I now have Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 set up on my computer so that under 'All Mail Items' it has 'Personal Folders' and 'z.y.surname@uni.ac.uk'. Under 'z.y.surname@uni.ac.uk' are all the folders from my uni email account and these contain all the emails from my uni email account. Will these definitely stay there (in my Outlook 2007) once my uni email account dies / gets deleted / ceases to exist? (Simple answer for not-very-technological person appreciated .)
Simple answer: up to a point!
What you currently have is a copy of stuff that's on the Exchange Server. That copy lives on your machine, and (as long as you left stuff on defaults) is available "Offline" (i.e. when the server's not around).
However these are stored in a format that's a pain for normal Outlook use, and when your Uni clears out your account, you may experience some pain.
So what you should do is, in Outlook, highlight your Uni account, then go to the File menu and choose Import/Export and Export that whole tree to a "Personal Folders File (.pst)" on your hard drive, which will mean you can then copy it, attach it to another Outlook etc. and you'll be covered.
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Snags:
On the bigger issue, does
this link and the following comments help at all?
Yes it works! Unfortunately once I reboot that computer it will change the IP address. I'll have to figure out how to follow Alex's instructions to permanentize the IP address. Right now it's downloading critical security updates blah blah blah. Reconfiguring the router is a bitch because it requires plugging in physically. Grumble. We may need a new router anyway; this one keeps freezing up.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
Belkin "Wireless G Plus". I also need to say I can't make all of the internal IP static, as we have lots of visitors who bring their lappies and there wouldn't be enough IP addresses to assign them each their own (they're never all here at the same time, thankfully).
[ 26. October 2010, 18:23: Message edited by: mousethief ]
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Alex Cockell
Ship’s penguin
# 7487
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Belkin "Wireless G Plus". I also need to say I can't make all of the internal IP static, as we have lots of visitors who bring their lappies and there wouldn't be enough IP addresses to assign them each their own (they're never all here at the same time, thankfully).
You don't need to. The printer or print server is the only one you need to assign a static address to.
Posts: 2146 | From: Reading, Berkshire UK | Registered: Jun 2004
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Belkin "Wireless G Plus".
Somewhere on it's bottom it'll have something like "F5D7231-4" or "F5D9230-4" which helps pin down exactly which model it is (useful for tracking down manuals online). Belkin are a PITA, because they give everything a friendly name, and then release about 20 different things under the same general tag.
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
I also need to say I can't make all of the internal IP static, as we have lots of visitors who bring their lappies and there wouldn't be enough IP addresses to assign them each their own (they're never all here at the same time, thankfully).
As Alex says, you don't need to. You leave all the DHCP stuff running, but tell the DHCP system to always give the same address to the printer (or, alternatively, you set the printer/print server's IP manually, so the DHCP server has nothing to do with it at all, but still handles everything else).
I've just downloaded the manual for one of the MIMO Wireless G units (two aeriels) and for one of the others (one aeriel), and it appears (as frigging usual with Belkin) that the built-in stuff is mildly crippled. However, both manuals indicate that you can define the DHCP lease time in the "Advanced" user interface, and that one option is "Forever". If you set this, then each device ought to always get the same IP, although it's a bit of a crappy way of doing it, as the implication is that it doesn't reserve the address for a particular device, it simply never expires the lease, which is subtly different.
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
But will that allow different visitors to use the same IP?
If Belkin is a PITA, what's a good brand? This one looks about to go TU. It keeps locking up and we have to power it down frequently.
The router is F5D7231-4.
Thanks for all your help, guys. I really appreciate it.
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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basso
Ship’s Crypt Keeper
# 4228
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Posted
MT, your router has 250+ addresses to give out. Even if you reserve one or two, there'll be plenty for your visitors.
I'd just give it a try and see how it works out.
Posts: 4358 | From: Bay Area, Calif | Registered: Mar 2003
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
MT, you should be fine. Basso's right in principle, but wrong in fact (ah, Belkin) - the Belkin artificially limits its maximum pool to 100 addresses.
However, unless you have a lot of friends using your Wi-Fi, you'll be fine. If you do, then the solution is to find out what the top/bottom of the Belkin's DHCP pool is (log in and look at the settings) and then manually assign an IP to the printer that's outside of that range.
As to alternatives ... get 5 techies in a room, you'll get 20 answers, at least half of them totally contradictory
Bear in mind that I don't know the US market/situation at all, but for what it's worth I tend to use a lot of Zyxel kit, and when that's not appropriate/available, Netgear is often an OK substitute (preferably from the ProSafe range). That's based on my experience over 10 years or so of providing support/consultancy to businesses in the UK, and seeing what fails and what doesn't, and what has a decent range of configuration. I know others who hate Zyxel with a passion, and recommend stuff that I outright refuse to sell (D-Link, ugh). In the sometimes great, someimtes shabby camp you have LinkSys. So ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
If you expand that out to every home user who's used a couple of things and will chip in, we could rapidly have a war that makes straight/gay, atheist/christian, happy-clappy/liturgical look like a group hug ![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
[Edited to end apostrophe abuse]
[ 27. October 2010, 11:17: Message edited by: Snags ]
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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Celtic Knotweed
Shipmate
# 13008
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Snags:
If you expand that out to every home user who's used a couple of things and will chip in, we could rapidly have a war that makes straight/gay, atheist/christian, happy-clappy/liturgical look like a group hug
You have just nearly been the cause of my keyboard having my drink spluttered onto it. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Having seen a few of that sort of discussion when various friends, some working in the area, some just well-informed home users, get talking, I think you may be understating the description a bit. I generally just sit back and enjoy the turmoil. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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My little sister is riding 100k round London at night to raise money for cancer research donations here if you feel so inclined.
Posts: 664 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Sep 2007
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Sparrow
Shipmate
# 2458
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Posted
I've decided it's time I upgraded to Windows 7. At present I have a desktop machine with XP and a laptop with Vista. If I buy one copy of W7 can I install it on both machines - or do I have to buy a copy for each machine?
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For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Posts: 3149 | From: Bottom right hand corner of the UK | Registered: Mar 2002
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
Fairly certain it is a copy per machine. It is the machine which is licensed, more than you.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Wesley J
Silly Shipmate
# 6075
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Posted
Before upgrading to Windows 7, and to be on the safe side, it might be a good idea to install and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, just in case.
And yes, they'll normally want you to get one licence per machine. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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Be it as it may: Wesley J will stay. --- Euthanasia, that sounds good. An alpine neutral neighbourhood. Then back to Britain, all dressed in wood. Things were gonna get worse. (John Cooper Clarke)
Posts: 7354 | From: The Isles of Silly | Registered: May 2004
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
They do however sell 3 license packs with one copy so you can run it on three machines. These cost about 20% more than a normal single license pack (I have just been checking on Amazon).
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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monkeylizard
Ship's scurvy
# 952
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Posted
They also sell OEM licenses which are far cheaper. They're for people building a PC or laptop for resale. Cheaper and zero difference between OEM and Retail copies except some language in the EULA.
[ 02. November 2010, 03:58: Message edited by: monkeylizard ]
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The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. ~ Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903)
Posts: 2201 | From: Music City, USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
Probably worth pointing out that if you're the kind of person who's going to take the EULA seriously then the differences of language might prove significant down the line.
If you're more of a pragmatist, "spirit of the law", "pfft, it's an unfair term", or "what the don't know won't hurt them" person, it's less of an issue
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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Sparrow
Shipmate
# 2458
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Wesley J:
Before upgrading to Windows 7, and to be on the safe side, it might be a good idea to install and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, just in case.
I did that last night, thanks, and it looks like it will be ok.
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For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Posts: 3149 | From: Bottom right hand corner of the UK | Registered: Mar 2002
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Does anyone here have experience of a VGA/DVI adapter for plugging in a PC to a monitor (DVI output on PC and VGA input on monitor?
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
In short, what do I lose by having an adapter? Is there any chance it won't work?
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by monkeylizard:
They also sell OEM licenses which are far cheaper. They're for people building a PC or laptop for resale. Cheaper and zero difference between OEM and Retail copies except some language in the EULA.
I believe one significant difference is the OEM versions are not portable.
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
In short, what do I lose by having an adapter? Is there any chance it won't work?
Broadly speaking, you don't lose anything, other than the benefit of a DVI - DVI connection.
You do have to be slightly careful to get an adapter that actually fits your DVI socket. The vast majority are universal, but there are different pin-outs for DVI depending on what sub-type it is, and some manufacturers sometimes only include the holes they need, which can be awkward if you're adapter is cabled for all eventualities (mostly cos it won't fit!).
I can't remember where you are geographically, but if within lazy posting possibility of the UK, I can probably dig one out and post it to you so you can play?
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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Alex Cockell
Ship’s penguin
# 7487
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Posted
Just wanted to share the Happy Geek Dance...
I am now all set up with a 3G router - so won't be out of touch during that critical period in my new flat...
Namely while Eclipse sort out broadband on the line down at my new flat.. I'll have this via 3 to tide me over.
![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
Posts: 2146 | From: Reading, Berkshire UK | Registered: Jun 2004
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Snags:
I can't remember where you are geographically, but if within lazy posting possibility of the UK, I can probably dig one out and post it to you so you can play?
Thanks. I've bought one and noticed on my way to the checkout that at least one person before me had bought the wrong one - the packet was carefully Sellotaped back together. However, I haven't actually had time to plug it in yet*. Further bulletins as events warrant.
(<blogpost type rant>*This was all part of a cunning plan to only buy a replacement CPU and for once not have my older unit lying around uselessly gathering dust. So I didn't buy a monitor or a keyboard. Given that, I'm a bit cheesed off that Dell didn't mention the new DVI standard to me - other hardware lying around here isn't that old and it's the first time I've seen that port. In any case I now realise this one-monitor-between-2-CPUs business is going to make the changeover more aggravating. Maybe you could post me a spare monitor? ![[Biased]](wink.gif) </blogpost type rant>)
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
pedant/geek rant>
CPU = Central Processing Unit
It is a microprocessor inside the box, not the box itself. The box and the parts inside, are properly a computer. </pedant/geek rant
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Apologies.
Here's another question.
Does anyone know a really effective way of turning off autocomplete on Google (the process whereby it predicts what you are trying to enter in the search box)?
On Google.co.uk this is an option in the "settings" panel (right at the bottom) and works as long as you are going via this portal, but this option does not appear to be present on other versions (such as google.com and google.fr).
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
It appears you cannot. Google says it is better that way.
BTW, I posted the rant from a minor bit of frustration. When asked to provide computer help, I often need to spend a bit of time deciphering exactly what is being discussed. So my apologies if I sounded in any way harsh.
No, Dad, the internet is not broken. Here is the problem *this* time...
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Smudgie
Ship's Barnacle
# 2716
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Posted
Remember the old TV ad "I can't, but I know a man who can"? Well, I'm hoping that I know a shipmate who can.
The Smudgelet's Facebook page has been hacked. I think we know who's done it - and who's managed to change his password so that he can't get in to rectify it - but we have no proof and he doesn't want to accuse this person (who is a friend) unless he can be a bit more sure. He does have an IP address for the person responsible, though.
Any suggestions? Is there any way of someone tracking the IP address? Any idea of how we retrieve his facebook account and protect it.. especially as the hacker is posting personal information on there which the Smudgelet really doesn't want on show and is also posting defamatory status updates.
![[Mad]](angryfire.gif)
I am going to post this on the questions thread as well and see if anyone can help a.s.a.p. The Smudgelet has enough on his plate at the moment without adding cyberbullying into the equasion.
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Miss you, Erin.
Posts: 14382 | From: Under the duvet | Registered: Apr 2002
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
There are several whois services (just google "whois"). This won't tell who the person is but may tell you who their internet provider is. Please be aware that sometimes providers sublet their ipaddresses or use a different ip name.
However I suggest you go to Facebook Help Centre and type in the appropriate question. You son becomes "my friend" but they have queries on resetting passwords etc.
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Pheonix
Twisted fire starter
# 2782
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Posted
If you go to www.maxmind.com you should be able to lookup some details from the IP address and at least get the ISP. Be aware though that the location will probably show the ISP's main office rather than the area the person is actually in.
Posts: 2384 | From: on the move. | Registered: May 2002
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Amanda B. Reckondwythe
Dressed for Church
# 5521
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Posted
Somewhat aside, but also somewhat germane.
As a retired IT professional, I was always astounded by how cavalier people are toward passwords -- even people in my profession. It is ridiculously easy to hack an unsecure password, especially with software available* to help. Yet it is surprisingly easy to set an ultra-secure, almost impossible to hack (but never, alas, absolutely impossible) password that is still meaningful and easy to remember.
_____________________
* At my old firm, we once had to ascertain users' passwords as part of a rollout we were doing. We employed a common hacking application, and out of about 700 users we had 95% of their passwords in about a half hour.
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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.
Posts: 10542 | From: The Great Southwest | Registered: Feb 2004
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Attentive readers will have noted that I have taken the plunge and bought a PC running Windows 7. Warning: if you do this you may well find that any slightly old versions of software you are running require costly upgrades!
I am working on a couple of niggles. One is an error message in Word 2010 on opening along the lines (translated from French, wish I'd installed Win 7 in English, impossibility of switching deserves a Hell thread) of
"AutoExec-06. Bad argument or call procedure Err. 5". After which it all seems to work ok.
Suggestions have included a system restore and reinstalling Office. I don't really want to do the former because I've just installed lots of pro software setting up and don't really want to start all over again. I'm not keen on the latter because the Office version is OEM installed, I don't have a CD and Dell are not being cooperative about supplying one.
Some Googling suggests this could be a macro-related issue and indeed one piece of my pro software interacts with Word (not that I need it to).
Can anybody out there tell me more about this error message and what it relates to, still better if there's a way of getting rid of it without resorting to drastic measures as outlined above?
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
For the record, it was a macro-related issue which has now been resolved
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Keeping up the monologue here.
I also have another (minor) problem, which is that the "windows exclamation sound" (the one which plays, for instance, which plays when there's a message inviting you to save changes or tabs) does not work with the message. I've noticed this in MS Office and also Firefox, so it doesn't seem to be software specific.
It's there in the control panel, and all the rest of my sound works fine, but I would like it back!
Any suggestions?
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
Does it actually play if you try to play it from Control Panel (as well as being visually present)?
Have you applied/tweaked one of the "themes" such that the particlar alert is turned off, or has been replaced with a sound that actually isn't there?
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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Eutychus
From the edge
# 3081
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Posted
Yes, it works if I play it on the control panel menu, which is set to the default sound theme. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
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Let's remember that we are to build the Kingdom of God, not drive people away - pastor Frank Pomeroy
Posts: 17944 | From: 528491 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Snags
Utterly socially unrealistic
# 15351
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Posted
Weird. I've seen the "all or nothing" thing, which is usually fairly easy to resolve. But not one-from-many. Only suggestion would be to explicitly apply an alternative sound, then set it back to the one you want. If that doesn't work, then it implies that the event is being triggered in some way, or that playing a sound has become dissociated from the event.
Quite how you fix that if the system is convinced it hasn't, I'm not sure!
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Vain witterings :-: Vain pretentions :-: The Dog's Blog(locks)
Posts: 1399 | From: just north of That London | Registered: Dec 2009
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
Okay, somebody needs to talk me out of scraping Ubuntu off my hard drive and installing Windows 7. I have been fighting with Ubuntu for the last 2 months and every day I find more reasons to hate it. Nautilus, especially, is giving me fits. If I want to open a file with some other program, it doesn't give me a list of programs, I have to figure out what the executable is called, then find it either in //bin or //user/bin. Augh! Many things I'm used to having shortcut keys for, no longer have shortcut keys (example: "replace all" in editor/WP programs that use Nautilus for their dialogues).
Is there something better than Nautilus I can substitute?
Augh!
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This is the last sig I'll ever write for you...
Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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Paul.
Shipmate
# 37
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Okay, somebody needs to talk me out of scraping Ubuntu off my hard drive and installing Windows 7. I have been fighting with Ubuntu for the last 2 months and every day I find more reasons to hate it.
Chances are if that's how you feel it's only going to get worse. Some people just don't get on with Linux.
quote:
Nautilus, especially, is giving me fits. If I want to open a file with some other program, it doesn't give me a list of programs, I have to figure out what the executable is called, then find it either in //bin or //user/bin. Augh!
Really? If I right-click on a program I get an "open with" option which has a list of applications I've used in the recent past. At the bottom there's an option "other application" which brings up a dialog which list the applications in the start menu. It does have a "use custom command" option for which you do need to know the underlying path to the program.
Now I use Linux Mint which is based on Ubuntu and this is the sort of thing that they add in to make it more useable by default. But it at least implies that it's possible to populate that list of "other applications". Unfortunately it's probably a bit more work than I'd suggest for someone who's already finding they hate it. I'm frankly a little surprised if Ubuntu haven't done it by default.
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Many things I'm used to having shortcut keys for, no longer have shortcut keys (example: "replace all" in editor/WP programs that use Nautilus for their dialogues).
I suspect you mean Gnome applications. Gnome is the desktop environment i.e. it's the "stuff" and ways of doing things that's supposed to give you a consistent experience. Doesn't always work.
Anyway it's not that these programs are using Nautilus (at least I'm not aware of any that are) it's that they and Nautilus use a common library of routines to do things like draw buttons, menus and file selection dialogues.
Anyway by "replace all" do you mean that you want to over-type all the text of e.g. the filename. If so, Ctrl-A will usually select all the text in whatever input box you're currently in then you can over type.
If you mean a search and replace all occurrences in the text you're editing, then that's Ctrl-H in gedit - which is the gnome editor. But that's not in the "nautilus" part (i.e. file operations) of that program so I'm not sure if you mean that. In OpenOffice it's Ctrl-F - inconsistent unfortunately but then OO is not part of Gnome per se.
Usually applications show the short-cut key next to the menu item if there is one.
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Is there something better than Nautilus I can substitute?
There are other file managers, but as stated above that isn't going to affect other applications such as gedit. I've not done a lot of experimenting with file managers because I usually just use them to move/copy files and open/open with.
If what you're really experiencing is a dislike of Gnome overall - and you wouldn't be alone even amongst Linux fans. The other big Linux desktop environment is KDE. It's possible to install a KDE desktop onto an existing Ubuntu computer but if I had the choice it's easier to start afresh with Kubuntu. Definitely what I'd do is download the liveCD and run it without installing to get a feel for whether you like it any better.
But changing desktop environment will almost feel like you've changed OS and if you did a re-install to get there then that's as much effort as installing Windows 7.
Posts: 3689 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2004
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
A large part of it is dialogue boxes in applications. In Windows these all have the same look-and-feel, and EVERY button has a keyboard shortcut. I don't have to take my hands of the effing keyboard and grab the mouse. I'm sure it's a pain in the ass for programmers to have to write to Windows specs, but it imposes a consistency that to the user is far more important to the user than I had realized until it was missing!
Navigating around in Nautilus has some nice points but also some drawbacks.
Maybe I'll try the Kubuntu disc.
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Posts: 63536 | From: Washington | Registered: Jul 2001
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lilBuddha
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# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by wilson:
Chances are if that's how you feel it's only going to get worse. Some people just don't get on with Linux.
AFAIK, there is not flavour as user friendly as the big two. Is why Linux is not a real threat to Microsoft or Apple outside of geekdom.
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But changing desktop environment will almost feel like you've changed OS and if you did a re-install to get there then that's as much effort as installing Windows 7.
FWIW, I am running Windows 7 with no issues. The install was smooth except for my having downloaded the wrong driver for my wireless card.
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Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Paul.
Shipmate
# 37
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Posted
OK, yes switch from keyboard to mouse (or vice-versa) annoys me too. A couple of tips:
Look for the underlined letters in the labels. E.g. if there's a button labelled "Do _S_ome Stuff" then Alt-S is the short-cut for that command.[*]
The other thing that's useful is using Tab to cycle through the available controls on a dialog. Doing this should highlight each in turn (sometimes the highlight is just drawing a line around it) and then you can hit enter or space to "click" the button or choose the option. If it's a text-box you can type in it. Sometimes e.g. for menus or in lists etc the arrow keys are relevant too. This can be time-consuming if the dialog is complicated but it should work. Shift-Tab goes backwards.
[*]Apparently there's no UBB code for underline!
Posts: 3689 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2004
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mousethief
Ship's Thieving Rodent
# 953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by wilson:
OK, yes switch from keyboard to mouse (or vice-versa) annoys me too. A couple of tips:
Look for the underlined letters in the labels. E.g. if there's a button labelled "Do _S_ome Stuff" then Alt-S is the short-cut for that command.[*]
Yeah, it's just that too many of them don't have underlined letters. I'm trying to think of a dialogue in Windows that had buttons without an underlined letter. I can't.
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Alisdair
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# 15837
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Posted
I must admit all my commonly used programs running under Gnome come with ample Alt+ shortcuts, e.g. LibreOffice, Scribus, Claws email, Exaile media player, GIMP, etc.
It is okay not to like Linux, and Windows 7 seems alright---I've just put it on my dtrs. laptop, along with Ubuntu 10.10. Horses for courses.
[ 28. November 2010, 18:50: Message edited by: Alisdair ]
Posts: 334 | From: Washed up in England | Registered: Aug 2010
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Jessie Phillips
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# 13048
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by wilson:
[qb]Chances are if that's how you feel it's only going to get worse. Some people just don't get on with Linux.
AFAIK, there is not flavour as user friendly as the big two. Is why Linux is not a real threat to Microsoft or Apple outside of geekdom.
Hmm. I for one am not convinced of that. For me, the fact that you can install the same operating system on multiple computers, without worrying about licensing costs or DRM kerfuffles, is Linux's major selling point. If you accidentally screw up the operating system on one of your computers, it's no big deal, just boot off a LiveCD, recover whatever data you can so that you can use it on your other computers which still have an intact operating system - and then reinstall. Easy.
Then again, I am a computing student. And I have assignment deadlines. I also need to test software on my computers, without worrying about what it might do to my computer if I get it wrong. For that reason, I absolutely cannot afford to rely on having only one functioning computer that might go wrong for reasons beyond my control. I need to have contingency plans against computer hardware and software failure; in practice that means maintaining multiple computers.
Sure, you might believe that your new high street computer with Windows preinstalled may be easy for you to use, and very reliable - but I don't see the point of getting one brand new computer when you can get two or more refurb computers or sets of self-build components from the discount computer fairs for the same price. And Linux is clearly the cheapest OS to install on those computers - so, no contest really.
But then again, I suppose I'm a geek. But it makes me wonder, where exactly do you draw the line between geek and non-geek? I can't believe it's simply a matter of what requirements people place on their computers - because, in my experience, the people who have only the one computer, and who have paid over the odds for it in the hope that this will make it more reliable and easier to use, are the ones who get most upset when things go wrong.
Posts: 2244 | From: Home counties, UK | Registered: Oct 2007
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