[nylug-talk] need to refer client for Red Hat help / OLPH project

Wed Apr 2 00:01:43 EDT 2008

Hi all,

It seems like you folks are far more advanced Linuxians than I am, and dealing with larger conglomerations of computers.  I'm a freelance computer tech, who supports Windows, Macintosh, some Linux, and (blast from the past), Atari.  I do a lot of work with Puppy Linux on older computers.  More on that later.

I have two items I'd like some feedback on.  First, I've got a brand-new client, who has a dual-booting (very old) computer with Windows 98 and some version of Red Hat on it.  Best guess on the RH is some version between 7 and 9.  If anyone can tell me how to find a version number in RH, that would help - I looked, and it wasn't obvious.  

Here's the kicker - the computer was set up by a whiz-kid grad student who is no longer available to support him.

Plus, the whiz-kid did some programming, and customization of the RH install.  The EU has no clue what.  And of course the w-k didn't bother to document anything - that would have been too adult and responsible...  Sadly, the install CDs, documentation on commercial programs installed, and anything else you need is buried under (tall) piles of paper - not an easy, or organized work environment...

I was able to fix several of this guy's issues - replaced his broken CD drive with a nice DL DVD burner, diagnosed his dead speakers (blown amp), and started working on his dead scanner - 'twas unplugged at the AC - lights up now but no scan yet.

But he's having browser issues in RH, and I'm not familiar with RH at all.  I looked at the Firefox rpms, but not knowing his RH version I wasn't sure which were the right ones.  And an Opera rpm I downloaded wouldn't unpack.

I'd like to hook this EU up with someone who knows RH better than I do, so he can get his more esoteric problems dealt with.  I don't want any $$$ for the hookup - I'm just trying to connect an older Linux user with the right person to help him.  I charge $30/hr for time and the EU was OK with that - I'm sure he'd pay more if needed - but he's not rich, and not in good health either.  

If there's anyone in this LUG who has the time/chops to help this guy - or even help me to help him, your contact info would be much appreciated!  As a tech, I feel an ethical responsibility to get a fix here.  If you come to me with a problem, I own it until it's resolved - one way or another.  

----------------------

The second item is a project I started with a guy I know who sells used computers.  He said to me that if I could get a free Linux distro to run on old laptops, AND work with a wireless PCMCIA card, I'd have the Holy Grail, and people would buy them like hotcakes.  That seemed like a do-able thing, and after running through a bunch of distros, I found one that seems to be pretty universally installable on older laptops.

The winner is Puppy Linux 2.15CE (Community Edition) - it's got a nice assortment of programs and more for d/l.
Available at: http://www.puppylinux.org/user/downloads.php?cat_id=1 

There are a few neat things about Puppy for non-corporate use - or with some tweaks, maybe even a Biz Puppy.
It's VERY fast - the fastest distro I've ever worked with.  It's also small, a typical install is under 100 MB, although you can fatten it up easily.  Even better, it's not only a 'live CD' distro, it has what I've never seen in any other distro - a so called 'multi-session' feature, where you can do work and save it BACK to the CD you booted from.  Assuming, of course, that your 'puter has a CD burner installed.  The ideal distro for Internet cafes - put your own personal hard drive in your pocket and walk out...

Last, but not least, Puppy will run entirely in RAM if you have 256 MB installed - and that makes for some rippin' speed!
The only downside for corporate use is that Puppy user default is 'root' with all the power and danger that implies.  But a locked down version for workstations could be tasty.

We (my computer reseller colleague and I) put some ads up on Craigslist and got no bites.  So I started a project on Fundable - http://www.fundable.com/ - it's a website where you can set up a project and ask for donations.  This can be for personal stuff or civic/charity/biz projects.

I call my project "One Laptop Per Human aka Born Again Computers'.  I'm deliberately spinning off the OLPC - One Laptop Per Child project.  But in my case, I don't want to build new computers, I want to take old laptops, put Linux on them, set them up for wireless, and sell them dirt cheap.  Heck, it keeps 'em out of landfill, and gives poor people a chance to own a computer, and get on the Web.  Until I find something better, I'll Puppy-ize them.

You can see my group at:  
http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-03-31.9591205345?email=jhecht@ix.netcom.com

You're welcome to visit, and if you feel the project is worthwhile, to donate any amount you can afford - it would be deeply appreciated!

To whet your appetite, here's the pitch from the site:

You may have heard of the OLPC - One Laptop Per Child Project. http://laptop.org/ They're building great, kidproof computers from scratch, with an innovative Linux operating system. They're awesome - but they sell for $200. I'm a pro computer tech who's also a eco-head/hardcore Green. I want to re-cycle old laptops as wireless Web browsers - and I've found a way to do it! Better a (working) laptop in your lap, than in landfill because it can't run the latest Window$ bloatcode... 

So I want to start the One Laptop Per Human Project. It will provide functional wireless laptops to people at prices they can really afford in this Bush-ravaged economy. $60-$70 for a working wireless laptop! 

These computers are literally 'Born Again' - all traces of Windows have been erased, and a (much faster) Linux operating system has been loaded and tested. They work - or they don't go out the door! 

Even better, my recycled old laptops actually run FASTER than most new Windows Vista laptops - at least those that cost less than $1,200! 

I've spent over three years testing among the 300+ different versions of Linux, and have found a free version that installs on every old laptop I've tried it on. It's called Puppy Linux 2.15CE (Community Edition). It's a brilliant version of Linux that runs blindingly fast and comes with a ton of free programs, including a MS Word compatible document writer, and an Excel compatible spreadsheet - among dozens more. All free, all legal, and very fast! You can learn more about Puppy at www.puppylinux.com. 

With the addition of a $15 wireless card, I can make almost any old laptop into a dog-gone good Web browser with a lot of useful, easy to work with programs thrown in as a bonus. I'll give the (very modest) specs that are needed at the end. 

I'm working with a computer reseller who has access to a lot of old computers. But we're both pretty low on funds. I want the $600 to buy old computers, install Puppy Linux, and set them up with wireless cards. Then we'll sell them at blowout prices, $60-$70 per computer! Next, we'll flip the money over, and buy another group of old computers. We'll keep doing this, over and over until we have hundreds, thousands, of working computers and people begin to see that Linux isn't hard to use - it's easy, it's fun, and it's WAY faster than Vista! Less bugs, too... 
For those of you who doubt my ability to do this, I offer the 'Puppy Challenge'. Bring me your (working) laptop that meets the (minimal) specs below. If I can make it walk and talk, using Puppy, contribute $50 to the fund. If I can't make it work, you owe me nothing! 

To do this conversion, your computer must have the following (very low) specs: 
*Must be a Windows computer 
*Must have at least a 233 MHz CPU (processor) 
*Must have at least 64 MB of RAM (memory) 
*Must have at least a 4 GB hard drive (tiny!) 
*Must have a working CD player 
*Must have a working PCMCIA slot for the wireless card (laptops) 
*If a desktop, must have an open PCI slot for a network card 

More info about me is at my website: www.zenarrow.com 

Call if interested? 

Thanks, 

John Hechtman 
www.zenarrow.com 
"Computer help in NYC" 
service 212-459-4323