Bombing of Dresden (was Plea for help: The detriment of using Microsoft products)

[David P. Greenberg]

--Well, now I know how Francis Gary Powers felt. I knew I'd get a flamin' but
boy howdy...
Now that I've effectively pissed everybody off; Hi, my name is Dave Greenberg.
You  realise of course that it's all in good fun, and an attempt at
learning something. I gather from reading the posts on this list that most of
you guys are pretty much computer heavyweights. I'm not. Although I'm a bit of a
guru to my immediate circle of friends, I'm still the guy who (after countless
tries) could not install Star Office, has appoplectic seisures at the thought of
configuring Pine and has never been within 100 yards of a server.  I don't
program in Pearl, write C++ code or have a Beowulf Hive (!?!). I do however
feel that I may be a valid contributor in that I have an insight into the
struggle of the "common" user. For example, yes, Linux is "free". After I
purchased my sixth distro before I could get one to work, I surely spent as
much as I had on my copy of Win95. Yes there's thousands of free software
titles. I'd say at least 60 percent of the apps I use in Windows were also
free. There's tons of free "Win-ware" out there. Some of it is quite good. I've
got CAD programs, calendars, word processors, you name it. All free. Most of
the freeware I get for my Linux box, I can't install or if it does install, it
won't work. How do you get the "Clone" feature to work in GIMP? The one in
PhotoDeluxe (freeware) works great. Furthermore, let us not forget that there
are also companies out there who do not give away their Linux products either.
Corel WP8 has two versions. You can down load a crippled and timed demo which
they say you can register and recieve a key, but I've never been able to get
that pipe dream to come true. I paid 80 bucks American for my copy. Word was
about $39.00.
I also paid over a hundred for the super duper deluxe Corel distro, and ended
up keeping the rubber penguin. Not only did the distro blow, but (after
reinstalling my Mandrake6 which it killed) I couldn't even use the extra
give-mes that came with it, 'cause they're not compatible. I can run DOS progies
in Win95, and (with a little effort) win95 progies in Win3.1, but apearantly I
can't run Debian programs in Mandrake. Now, I will freely admit, that these
issues are my own and due to a lack of knowledge, but  I feel you all should
be made aware of them as the "voice of Linux in New England" . I have, I feel,
come a long way with my Linux work and am learning more every day. I did, after
all get started with this so I could learn a little something about Unix. It's
been three years now, and I haven't given up yet. I _do_ have a working distro 
and am slowly learning a little BASH, and am able to install most programs and
do most common tasks. I propose the following. My business, Bitco Electronics
builds custom pro audio sound systems. Some of the most "in your face" systems
in New England were built all or in part by me. Clients include Museum of
Science and I built the headphone system in use at MIT music library. Since
we're all in the land of the bean and the cod, I propose a barter. You help me
with my Linux box, and I'll help you shake your floors and rattle your windows
(no pun intended).

 David P. Greenberg
Bitco Electronics
"In Service to the Recording Industry"

**Think too much, you loose your edge.
       Edge is everything-Hawk**
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