Quittintime: Yo!!! Calvin!

I am typing this right now from Kubuntu, 9.10.

Which was an Ubuntu install, with the Kubuntu stuff installed over that, because I wondered what the difference would be.

I have the new Kubuntu 10.04 installed on the other hard drive.

Forget that dual boot stuff, I just change the controller cable from one to the other, hard drive, (With the machine turned off, of course.), to change from one to the other.

So far, I am more impressed with the 'features' in 10.04 than I am with 9.10 But am happier with 9.10

I am having plenty of trouble with both. Things like the fact that my monitor turns off after 5 minutes of inactivity, regardless of the fact that I have all of the power saving features turned off, and I have screensaver turned off, etc. IOW: Everything that, in windows, would be turning my monitor is off... Is itself turned off in Kubuntu 9.10 and 10.04. Yet it continues to turn off.

I have posted about it at the forums, and gotten zero replies. I have posted about other problems as well, and have never gotten a reply, (except to the very most simple of problems.), that actually addressed the issue.

Most answers fall along the lines of "change to this other OS", "upgrade that program, so you can find out what other program to use, to find out what other program you can use to find out what the problem might possibly be"... (All involving hundreds of megabytes of downloads)

Or "you can't get there from here. It's not supported", (When others are doing it as a matter of course...)

Or, "Input this chicken scratch gobbledeygook to find another few lines of chicken scratch gobbledeygook, which will tell you what other chicken scratch gobbledeygook you will have to input, to either fix the problem, or tell you to input even MORE chicken scratch gobbledeygook, or tell you why you can't do it". Nevermind they don't tell you WHERE or how to put in the chicken scratches, or even WHY. If I understood where and most importantly, WHY... I might be able to figure it out for myself, later on, when I have other problems.

So, so far I have had to figure out the soultions mostly on my own. And some things I simply haven't figured out yet.

I am slowly learning, and some day will understand all the wheres and whys of the chicken scratch stuff. (If I don't give up and go back to XP.)

Of the two, 9.10 is more stable. But it is having enough troubles that I am feeling like I can't really rely on it not to kakk and lose all my stuff again.

10.04 loses my address book, etc, in "claws" email, every time the computer is shut down... Start it back up, and I have to start all over again from scratch with the email program. Give it all the email server information, re-fill the address book, re-find all the emails, from this drive... Etc.

I have lost a LOT of emails. People no doubt think I have been ignoring them. I lost emails when xp kakked. Twice. (Because the computer kakked it.) (Which is what convinced me to finally try Ubuntu.)

Thunderbird is much more stable in the Ubuntus. But I don't like the way it 'calls home' regardless of what settings you make in the program.**

I'll head to the library to download the 10.04 final, when they say it is finally stable.

Today I will be backing up an ancient sony viao laptop, then wiping it and trying linux mint on it.

If that turns out bad, I'll wipe it again, install Ubuntu, (without the Kde. LOL) 9.10 on it and call it a day.

Still can't make copies of DVDs. Even though I own the dvds. (Just want backup copies in case they get scratched too badly, or dropped and broken, etc.)

**Something that I have noticed. A fundamental difference between linux people, and windows people.

If windows people know that a program, (Thunderbird, for instance), is 'calling home', (Even if only for updates. I want to be the one who decides on an update, NOT the program !) they get all up in arms. It's malware, adware, spyware, etc...

But linux people.. Ho-hum. It's par for the course.

EVERYTHING on the linux system seems to call home. Constantly. Even if, like I did with Thunderbird... You have all the update stuff turned OFF.

Even if I weren't miffed that things are deciding FOR me, what gets updated/changed, and what doesn't... It's using up a LOT of my capped bandwidth.

There is a central "wallet" that captures and collects ANY information that you put on your computer, or that just passes through. Passwords, personal information, etc... And seems to freely share that info not only with any other program on the computer, but with anyone outside your computer that requests it.

IRC chat, And a bunch of other VERY insecure internet connections... Are all installed, turned on, and connected, by default.

Like I said, a world of difference between linux people and windows people.

Windows people are aware of 'malware'. Whether they actually DO anything about it, or not.

Linux people claim they are immune. But the reality is more a matter of, they are either unaware of what is going on 'behind their backs', (Not just the calling home, bit.), or they simply do not care.

This post is already too long, I'll continue in the next one.

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The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. ~Samuel Johnson