[vox] The Ease of Linux

[Bob Scofield]

Linux is getting so easy to use that people are going to have to switch to 
Windows in order to get respect as a geek.

As recently reported here, I just upgraded from Windows98 to Windows XP.  My 
HP 1320 wouldn't run on XP through the parallel port.  I had to hire someone 
who ended up getting the printer working with a USB cable.  

So I Googled to figure out how to get the printer working under Linux with a 
USB cable.  People were talking about all kinds of things over my head, such 
as recompiling the kernel.  So I just started poking around in CUPS, and 
noticed that there was a list of printers that CUPS could add.  Since the 
printer was hooked up on the USB cable, CUPS recognized it, and so all I had 
to do was click "Add Printer."  I didn't have to hire someone like I did to 
get it to work in Windows XP.  In the last two years printer issues have been 
easier for me in Linux than Windows.

My son is going to New Zealand in a few weeks and my sister told me about 
Skype, which she uses to talk to her daughter in Ecuador.  Skype has all 
kinds of downloads for various Linux versions.  They have both a deb file and 
a separate repository download for apt.  After downloading the deb file, I 
decided not to use it.  I used the repository download figuring that updates 
would be easier.

Google searches uncover a few problems with Skype for Linux users.  But I had 
no problems.  I was convinced that I would not get the headphones and 
microphone working in Linux.  But as usual, I was wrong.

The headphones and microphone (one unit) plug into the USB port.  The 
instructions that come with the unit say that Windows will add drivers.  I 
don't know anything about drivers, all I did was plug it into the USB port in 
LInux and it worked.  I can adjust the volume of the earphones and mike with 
the KDE sound mixer tool.

I tell you there's no respect in using Linux anymore.  And in 2004 I proved, 
by installing it myself, that there was no respect anymore in using Debian.  
Real geeks have to strut their stuff by showing that they can get things like 
HP printers to work in Windows.  Linux is for sissies.  And I love it more 
and more all the time.

Bob