phunni

you can and you should - my point exactly. A server must still be firewalled - it's just that it won't be as tight as a desktop system or intranet

but what server services need to be run as root? You would still firewall of all ports on the server except the necessary ones - i.e. 80 Apache can be run as a normal user can' t it - so then, you simply come down to whether there are vulnerabilities in apache. If we are simply talking about a desktop then simply firewalling is probably enough IMHO. Someone who can break through that (and it's not as hard as it might sound) will really know what they're doing - it's not just the average hacker looking out for an opportunity. If they know what they are doing then there is very limited reason for them to attack you - there is more money to be made elsewhere...

If you take a look at this then you will have a pretty good guide. Remember that if you use the mandrake sources and config, then you won't have to change much except that which is required for your drivers - and you'll have a working kernel. Don;t forget that, as long as you keep your old kernel installed, this is pretty safe. You can create the worst, most non-bootable (if that's psossible) kernel and still boot back into your original one This means that it's safe to experiment - and you can learn a huge amount if you do! Don't be put off by some of the language in the config - it's not as bad as it looks

any ideas anyone?

Normally, for me, /dev/usb is empty. When I hit the sync button on my palm though /dev/usb/tts/0 and /dev/usb/tts/1 appear One of these will be what you need to link to - you'll have to experiment. For me it's /dev/usb/tts/1 Just in case you need it the command to create the link would be: ln -s /dev/usb/tts/1 /dev/pilot Disclaimer - this is running on a Gentoo system for me - but it should be the same or similar for mandrake. At the very leaast it should give you enough to figure out what you need...

I assume you tried running syslinux on it?

My laptop (unexpectedly) didn't have an infra-red port which I found very annoying as I think I'd get quite a lot of use out of it So I figured I'd go out and buy a USB irda adaptor. In Win XP I'm sure this'll pretty much just work - but what are the issues with getting it working in Linux? My laptop is currently running arch - but this is subject to change :D so a fairly distro independant answer would be really helpful Also, if I get it working, how easy is it to get jpilot syncing over infra-red? [moved from Hardware by spinynorman]

I'm also moving it to harware - where the other thread (sensibley enough) is already living...

Not really certain of the answer - but I might be able to point you in the right direction. I suspect that this is to do with some of the related libraries - like bonobo or something like. See if you can upgrade any of the deps...

featherlinux works - I got it booted last night :D Might not be a bad starting place...

no idea if this'll help you, but - try backing up your mail and any other config. Don't do this by copying the entire evolution directory - jsut copy those files and directories. Make sure they have the right permissions on them delete the evolution directory - and uninstall evolution Re-install and start it up. Close it and copy back the backed up files into the new evolution folder Maybe the compeletely fresh start will fix some problems - maybe it won't though! ;)

make sure that the USB modules are loaded and also that your kernel supports the visor functionality - either as a module or built in. If as a module, then load it. You'll then want to create a symlink (probably something like /dev/pilot) to whatever get's created in dev when you plug your device in

arno's firewall is brilliant - fairly easy to use and effective

To be honest I haven't loads of time with it - certainly not enough to make a speed comparison. Recently, a client wanted some training on the new features so I had to spend some time playing with it (on XP :( ) and I was really impressed with generics and the new for loop. Most of the work I do is fairly critical, so I'll probably wait till it's stable before really using it - although when it is stable I'll get it straight away!

Linux (like all unixes) is case sensitive. I'm not sure what the command actually is, but try different things with different cases. If you hit tab after entering a couple of characters then the command will be completed for you - if it's on the path...

As far as books go - I'd leave it a little bit until books come out for 1.5 - there are quite a few nice, but major changes. Actually, while I think about it, it might be worth asking if the course will cover any of the new stuff in 1.5 - it's not particualrly complicated (although getting your head around the polymorphic implications of generics is good fun*) *when you can understand this sentence, you have very little else to worry about

VB is NOT OO - although it does have objects in it. Java in itself is not complicated - but OO concepts can be difficult to get your head around if you're used to a procedural background. It's just a case of trying to get used to it which simply takes time. I say, go for it. If you have any questions feel free to ask me (my job is to teach Java) and I'l lsee what I can do - no guaruntees I can answer though!

Except give you that sense of inner satisfaction that comes from knowing you have the latest bleeding edge software... :P

Double confirmation here - all your settings and email and to dos etc... will all be backed up

Edit ~/.xinitrc and set it to exec <whatever you wm is>

perhaps not quite as slow as that ;)

Personally I'm not convinced of that, but I may be wrong - time will tell... ;-)

I basically agree - what I was trying to say was that hopefully WineX will become redundant in the future for exactly the reason you state. If it doesn't, however, then it can only ultimately be bad for linux gaming in the long run IMHO

FYI - if you use 2.6 and a module begining with snd then you use alsa... :D

freeloading on winex won't kill linux though... ;)