Dear Vickram,
You have a great idea...! Well a year ago, I and my friend decided to sell proxy solutions to these small time cafe's and faced the following problems
1. The small cyber cafe's cannot afford to provide one stand-alone machine for the proxy set-up. Normally they set-up win/analog/free proxy on a machine and allow users to use it during peak hours.
2. A entire GNU\Linux cyber cafe setup has the most daunting task (others may disagree) of a browser which supports all sites just like IE....we may agree that IE is insecure...but most of the sites are optimised for IE..! Opera is the best but then its paid..!
3. Cyber cafe accounting software is also needed, the present ones are all windows based, there are a couple of projects on freshmeat but have'nt found success implementing them, maybe need to invest more man hours.
4. Messengers with similiar LOOK FEEL AND FUNCTIONALITY..!
5. VOIP dialer applications to run on the OS.
There are more such avenues where the LUG can play an immediate and active role.
1. I had got first hand reports of management students who received Laptops with Suse loaded feeling uncomfortable and loading WinXP in them. This hapenned at MET too..!
2. Educating pupils in schools and colleges too can ensure Linux Domination by 2007.
3. We had a Marketing exec who used RedHat 9.0 for a year as a desktop but couldnt convince himself and others for extending it, since Word docs were'nt the same when they viewed it in OOffice.
People like me have to be blamed....i have to follow the TALK LESS WORK MORE regimen immediately.
My new year resolution would be to act more in spreading awareness about GNU\Linux, we have to make life easier on GNU\Linux than on windows if we were to ever dream of a secure.
I have succesfully helped many of my friends who are IT managers in non-IT firms to atleast bring about a foot in the door for GNU\Linux and can use more contacts and reach to convince others too.
Although I'am not so sure of my work schedule next week , i would try my level best if we can have a user interaction and a wish list ready in the meet.
WISHING ALL LUG members A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.
bye rgds BIJU
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
Point noted - even third year IT/Comp Engg. students in my college, when presented with a Firefox/Explorer choice, go for Explorer. Our labs use a linux/mozilla combination to isolate the LAN from the net - because in linux, the students only know how to start the browser. Its the same in a cafe. Given a choice of firefox/gaim/thunderbird (even on a windows machine) the user will start explorer/yahoo messenger/outlook. As for the billing software, these same third year students create applications from scratch for events in tech and cultural fests - surely someone more experienced can do more in linux. For the new year, I'm going to finally *TRY* connecting linux to the net and reduce windows to a 5 GB partition. :-D -- Rohit
On Friday 31 December 2004 01:41 pm, you wrote:
Dear Vickram,
You have a great idea...! Well a year ago, I and my friend decided to sell proxy solutions to these small time cafe's and faced the following problems
- The small cyber cafe's cannot afford to provide one
stand-alone machine for the proxy set-up. Normally they set-up win/analog/free proxy on a machine and allow users to use it during peak hours.
can do this with linux also
- A entire GNU\Linux cyber cafe setup has the most
daunting task (others may disagree) of a browser which supports all sites just like IE....we may agree that IE is insecure...but most of the sites are optimised for IE..! Opera is the best but then its paid..!
firefox wont cut it? i thought opera for linux was free?
- Cyber cafe accounting software is also needed, the
present ones are all windows based, there are a couple of projects on freshmeat but have'nt found success implementing them, maybe need to invest more man hours.
this is a few hours work to create
- Messengers with similiar LOOK FEEL AND
FUNCTIONALITY..!
isnt there linux version of yahoo and msn?
i'm asking these questions because i am in the process of converting a cybercafe to linux and would like feedback
kg
Kenneth Gonsalves wrote:
On Friday 31 December 2004 01:41 pm, you wrote:
- A entire GNU\Linux cyber cafe setup has the most
daunting task (others may disagree) of a browser which supports all sites just like IE....we may agree that IE is insecure...but most of the sites are optimised for IE..! Opera is the best but then its paid..!
firefox wont cut it? i thought opera for linux was free?
Firefox is becoming more popular on both Windows & Linux platform. So browsing issue won't be problem
- Messengers with similiar LOOK FEEL AND
FUNCTIONALITY..!
isnt there linux version of yahoo and msn?
yeah why not you have AMSN a near replica of MSN messenger also you have ymessenger for Linux for yahoo but however it seems that further dev work on yahoo messenger for linux is on hold. That doesnt have necessary features like chat rooms and web cam. However you have Gaim and Kopete to fulfill your Chat Room needs but webcam feature is still a CVS matter on these applications. Newbies to Linux would find Gaim and Kopete a till hard to digest as an alternative to Yahoo Messenger for Windows which comes with real cool features (like IM Environments, Audibles and newly added LaunchCast Radio).
But I personally think that we Indian users apart from doing a great work in localization of Linux should also strive to build applications on Linux as an alternative to the applications that are widely used by users in Windows so that the people migrating from Windows to Linux won't have much difficulty in accepting it. It would be great to see more Indians contributing to the Open Source community.
Sometime Today, Rakesh assembled some asciibets to say:
necessary features like chat rooms and web cam. However you have Gaim and Kopete to fulfill your Chat Room needs but webcam feature is still a CVS matter on these applications. Newbies to Linux would find Gaim
ayttm has had webcam support for more than a year.
On Friday 31 December 2004 03:42 pm, you wrote:
Sometime Today, Rakesh assembled some asciibets to say:
necessary features like chat rooms and web cam. However you have Gaim and Kopete to fulfill your Chat Room needs but webcam feature is still a CVS matter on these applications. Newbies to Linux would find Gaim
ayttm has had webcam support for more than a year.
prophets are without honour in this country -:)
kg
On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 17:50:53 +0530 Kenneth Gonsalves lawgon@thenilgiris.com wrote:
On Friday 31 December 2004 03:42 pm, you wrote:
Sometime Today, Rakesh assembled some asciibets to say:
necessary features like chat rooms and web cam. However you have Gaim and Kopete to fulfill your Chat Room needs but webcam feature is still a CVS matter on these applications. Newbies to Linux would find Gaim
ayttm has had webcam support for more than a year.
prophets are without honour in this country -:)
actually that reminds me, lets make this the next target for localization. Philip, mail me the POT file :)
Regards, Karunakar
On Saturday 01 January 2005 05:58 am, you wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 17:50:53 +0530
Kenneth Gonsalves lawgon@thenilgiris.com wrote:
On Friday 31 December 2004 03:42 pm, you wrote:
Sometime Today, Rakesh assembled some asciibets to say:
necessary features like chat rooms and web cam. However you have Gaim and Kopete to fulfill your Chat Room needs but webcam feature is still a CVS matter on these applications. Newbies to Linux would find Gaim
ayttm has had webcam support for more than a year.
prophets are without honour in this country -:)
actually that reminds me, lets make this the next target for localization. Philip, mail me the POT file :)
and mail me the konkani avsap.po file -:)
regards kg
Sometime on Dec 31, Guntupalli Karunakar assembled some asciibets to say:
actually that reminds me, lets make this the next target for localization. Philip, mail me the POT file :)
It's in CVS: http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/ayttm/ayttm/po/ The project uses gtk 1.x though. Don't know how that will affect you, but give it a try anyway.
This should also be seen as a call to volunteers for porting ayttm to gtk2.
On Sat, 1 Jan 2005 13:11:55 +0530 (IST) Philip Tellis philip.tellis@gmx.net wrote:
Sometime on Dec 31, Guntupalli Karunakar assembled some asciibets to say:
actually that reminds me, lets make this the next target for localization. Philip, mail me the POT file :)
It's in CVS: http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/ayttm/ayttm/po/ The project uses gtk 1.x though. Don't know how that will affect you, but give it a try anyway.
This should also be seen as a call to volunteers for porting ayttm to gtk2.
there is ayttm-gtk2 in cvs.
build got stuck at
-c -o contact_scanner.o `test -f 'contact_scanner.c' || echo './'`contact_scanner.c; \ then mv -f ".deps/contact_scanner.Tpo" ".deps/contact_scanner.Po"; \ else rm -f ".deps/contact_scanner.Tpo"; exit 1; \ fi <stdout>:510:30: macro "contactwrap" passed 1 arguments, but takes just 0 make[3]: *** [contact_scanner.o] Error 1 make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/goofy/ayttm-gtk2/src'
Regards, Karunakar
Wish u all a very happy new year 2005
Wishes in Software Style..............
May the year 2005 give you -
Independence of Java Power of Linux Popularity of Windows Extensibility of J2EE Luxury of .Net Efficiency of C Ease of VB Robustness of Oracle Vision of UML Simplicity of HTML Style of Mac Dexterity of Photoshop Enormity of 3D Max Vastness of Internet Compactness of JPG Richness of BMP Coverage as Yahoo Reach of Google Prudence of Froogle Security of Norton & McAfee Intelligence of Unreal Realism of Max Payne Speed of NFS Fun of RoadRash Intelligence of Chessmaster Impression of Quake3 And the goodness of all software that comes for free
regards Crisppy f.
-
________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online Go to: http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matrimony
Around three years back I was using Linux as a router for one cyber cafe in Goa, I encountered different problems with Linux. I left Goa, and our company left the maintenance contract with the cyber cafe. Some body else walked into the maintenace contract & they simply installed Windows with DLinks Internet Sharer. The list of problems 1) Customer Support & maintenance is not possible until & unless there is someone skilled in Linux. 2) Though We used Linux as a router, other PCs were with windows only. 3) I got many problems while configuring it as I was also very much new in Linux at that time. I couldnt get help from anywhere in Goa.(I am talking about three years back). Many times I have to find help myself. Its like swimming in a sea without enoghh knowledge of swimming. 4) Though I installed wine and was using Yahoo Messenger & ICQ for chatting, I cant give it to any customer as they were not having enough knowledge of KDE. It means one PC is fully blocked only as a router, means loss of around Rs. 400 a day. 5) Many sites are specially designed to work with IE.
I dont think the situation is changed so much now a days also.
Manoj Ovhal Pune
On Fri, Dec 31, 2004 at 06:50:12PM +0530, Manoj Ovhal wrote:
- Though We used Linux as a router, other PCs were with windows only.
So?
- I got many problems while configuring it as I was also very much new in
Linux at that time. I couldnt get help from anywhere in Goa.(I am talking about three years back). Many times I have to find help myself. Its like swimming in a sea without enoghh knowledge of swimming.
That was 3 years ago. Try now.
- Though I installed wine and was using Yahoo Messenger & ICQ for chatting,
I cant give it to any customer as they were not having enough knowledge of KDE. It means one PC is fully blocked only as a router, means loss of around Rs. 400 a day.
Don't need knowledge of KDE, not for a cybercafe. Have Firefox icon on desktop, name it "Internet". Have gaim, ayttm, whatever icons, name them "Messenger for MSN" "Messenger for Yahoo" etc.
- Many sites are specially designed to work with IE.
That is the site's problem. Email them and bitch about it. The sites are broken.
I dont think the situation is changed so much now a days also.
Manoj Ovhal Pune
Sometime on Dec 31, Manoj Ovhal assembled some asciibets to say:
Around three years back I was using Linux as a router for one cyber cafe in Goa,
[snip]
- I got many problems while configuring it as I was also very much
new in Linux at that time. I couldnt get help from anywhere in Goa.(I
congratulations to you for trying, it makes a good start, but any service started must be followed up continuously to boost client confidence.
It is easier to get a client the first time, than to get him the second time after his first attempt has failed. In all situations, I suggest that no one use the terms "linux", "opensource", "Free software" or the like when selling a service.
If someone asks you for a solution that does XYZ, you provide him a solution to do XYZ. What technology you use for that is your business, he doesn't need to know.
If someone asks you to install ABC, then you tell him that you can do that, but you can also provide him a solution that does exactly what ABC does but at half the cost, and you install the Free equivalents of that.
Philip
On Friday 31 December 2004 03:18 pm, you wrote:
But I personally think that we Indian users apart from doing a great work in localization of Linux should also strive to build applications on Linux as an alternative to the applications that are widely used by users in Windows so that the people migrating from Windows to Linux won't have much difficulty in accepting it. It would be great to see more Indians contributing to the Open Source community.
aha - a volunteer to work on avsap at last
kg
On Fri, 2004-12-31 at 13:41, BIJU KRISHNAN wrote:
Dear Vickram,
You have a great idea...! Well a year ago, I and my friend decided to sell proxy solutions to these small time cafe's and faced the following problems
- The small cyber cafe's cannot afford to provide one
stand-alone machine for the proxy set-up. Normally they set-up win/analog/free proxy on a machine and allow users to use it during peak hours.
- A entire GNU\Linux cyber cafe setup has the most
daunting task (others may disagree) of a browser which supports all sites just like IE....we may agree that IE is insecure...but most of the sites are optimised for IE..! Opera is the best but then its paid..!
- Cyber cafe accounting software is also needed, the
present ones are all windows based, there are a couple of projects on freshmeat but have'nt found success implementing them, maybe need to invest more man hours.
- Messengers with similiar LOOK FEEL AND
FUNCTIONALITY..!
- VOIP dialer applications to run on the OS.
There are more such avenues where the LUG can play an immediate and active role.
- I had got first hand reports of management students
who received Laptops with Suse loaded feeling uncomfortable and loading WinXP in them. This hapenned at MET too..!
- Educating pupils in schools and colleges too can
ensure Linux Domination by 2007.
- We had a Marketing exec who used RedHat 9.0 for a
year as a desktop but couldnt convince himself and others for extending it, since Word docs were'nt the same when they viewed it in OOffice.
People like me have to be blamed....i have to follow the TALK LESS WORK MORE regimen immediately.
My new year resolution would be to act more in spreading awareness about GNU\Linux, we have to make life easier on GNU\Linux than on windows if we were to ever dream of a secure.
I have succesfully helped many of my friends who are IT managers in non-IT firms to atleast bring about a foot in the door for GNU\Linux and can use more contacts and reach to convince others too.
Although I'am not so sure of my work schedule next week , i would try my level best if we can have a user interaction and a wish list ready in the meet.
WISHING ALL LUG members A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.
bye rgds BIJU
If linux is to be made more popular and user friendly, it will have to reach out to the people and not vice versa. It was the simplicity and ease of use of Windows that made computers popular in India and Asia and most programmers including linux ones have their foundations in Windows. Before we learn about higher level languages and programming, we first learn to start and shut down windows and to hold a mouse. Then we find out about other OSs and begin to curse Windows. How many of you learnt their first use of computers without Windows or DOS ?
It is not too expensive for a cyber cafe owner to buy legal Windows for his comps. When he is already investing about 25K per system, less than 4K extra for a windows OS should not be a problem for him. Maybe a multiuser liscence might be cheaper. Rest everything is available (browser, messenger....) legally as freeware. Open Office is a beautifull replacement for MS Office and I have been using it for more than 4 years. It prints beautifully unlike its linux cousin. Some antivirus and firewalls too are available as freeware.
Linux does not have a unity of platform and this is a major setback, that makes its different distros doing different things for different hardware. In Windows there are normally 4 device driver files 95/98/Me, NT, 2000/XP and 2003. But for a linux system, each kernel version, with its different numeric values after each dot, per distro has its own drivers and this makes a huge collection to choose from and to write for the driver writer. What works for one distro may not work for another. Unless such issues are resolved, it will be difficult for well set users to migrate from Windows to Linux.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperus New Year.
Thanks and Regards,
Rony.
On Sat, Jan 01, 2005 at 09:44:50PM +0530, Rony Bill wrote:
out about other OSs and begin to curse Windows. How many of you learnt their first use of computers without Windows or DOS ?
Me, on a Spectrum.
antivirus and firewalls too are available as freeware.
For a cybercafe, the best firewall might be a hardware router or a semi-dedicated linux box.
its different numeric values after each dot, per distro has its own drivers and this makes a huge collection to choose from and to write for the driver writer. What works for one distro may not work for another. Unless such issues are resolved, it will be difficult for well set users to migrate from Windows to Linux.
Knoppix negates much of that. Pop in the CD and it will probably work.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperus New Year.
Thanks and Regards,
Rony.
-
BIJU KRISHNAN -
crisppy f -
Guntupalli Karunakar -
Kenneth Gonsalves -
Manoj Ovhal -
Philip Tellis -
Rakesh -
rohit bhute -
Rony Bill -
Satya