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+---[ Issue 12
|                                              8th August 99 ]----+
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                                                     The Linux Bits
===================================================================
http://www.thebits.co.uk

------[ CONTENTS

• OP-ED PIECE
• GOTTA HAVE IT LINK OF THE WEEK
• INCREDIBLY STUPID STORY LINK OF THE WEEK
• GOOD STUFF TO READ
  • Linux Gazette
  • "Monty Python Speaks!"
• WRAP-UP
• CREDITS

Ok, just to let everyone know right up front that this week's newsletter is going to be "skimpy" to say the least. I'm actively trying to get a system of my own and looks like I've found one that will fill my needs for now, and also fit my budget. I'm trying to pull together the time to get out there to pick it up (as well as find a monitor), and find someone with a car to give me a ride to pick up the system, the monitor, and get it and me home. So time is "tight" this week to say the least... oh yeah, somewhere in the middle I have to work a 40-hour week... sigh.

I also want to let the people know, that were so kind as to send in feedback last week, that I did get your emails - and forwarded them along to Laurence as well - and normally I'd have answered them individually and right away, but as I said, time has been just kicking my butt this week. So I'll try and answer (sort of) the concerns you raised since I believe them to be quite legitimate and of interest to most of us that are new to Linux. Thank you for taking the time to send along your comments, they are much appreciated. And that's how Linux gets improved - with feedback from people.

I will not, unfortunately, have time to do that for this week. I do promise however to do a bit of investigation and see what I can find out about the issue of the "missing libraries" with the KDE install. I just hate to post up incomplete answers and what I know for sure, is that Linux is undergoing a transition between two "standard libraries", and that this has caused problems in the past. I do not however, remember what the libraries in question are, just that they exist. And that's not really much of an answer is it? Tune in next week and I'll try my best to have some clarification on this issue, for all concerned.

Yeah, guess what though? Has nothing whatsoever to do with Linux. However since I am fairly certain that a large percentage of you are still running Win9x on your systems (dual-boot maybe?) you probably also have (and use) a copy of IE from Microsoft. Some of you probably use NT Server. Go to this site, and check out the article titled "It's a Bug's Life". You'll find links to patches from Microsoft for both NT and W9x. The most troubling "bug" reported was one in IE 4 and 5 that would allow someone on a website to read the contents of your hard drive. This is "not a good thing" to say the least! Do yourself a favor - get the patch! Oh, the site is the Puget Sound Computer User site. It's a monthly (free!) newspaper that comes out in Seattle. Lots of interesting stuff in there. You might want to bookmark this... smile.

(Update from Editor: Click "Past Editions", then "August" ('99). "A Bug's Life" is second link from bottom.)

PC-TEL announces new LinModem
The announcement of the industry's first Linux-compatible software modem

What part of "hardware" do these fools not understand? I don't care if you call it a "Winmodem" or a "Linmodem" the fact remains that you are getting a "raw deal" at best when you purchase (knowingly or unknowingly) a piece of "lobotimized" hardware - be it modem, printer, or whatever - that will only work with one Operating System. I don't care what that OS might be... and you just know I'll be coming back to this next week when I have some time to do it the justice it deserves...

The Linux Gazette almost always has some "good stuff" to take a look at. I don't have time to really sift through it for you this time around but if you go to the link you can get yourself on the mailing list and it just sends around an announcement to your inbox once a month (or thereabouts anyway) to let you know when the new issue has been posted online. They also have "back issues" online and there's just so much good stuff to look at... lots of tips, how to do this, that, and the other thing. You really should bookmark this one!

I've only had time to take a very brief look at this one but it looks interesting. And not a technical tip in the whole thing... smile.

Well, that's it for another week my fine featured Penguin lovers. What did you think? Good? Bad? Let me know what you thought and make any suggestions on topics you'd like to see covered here. As I said last week, this is your newsletter as much as mine... smile.

Once again, I apologize for the brevity of this week's newsletter but I'll make up for it - and probably "then some" - next week, once I have my own system configured properly. Also, I'll be posting up a report on my first week as a "real" Linux user... big smile.