Good
Bye, to my Old Flame PCLinux-KDE
Please
bear with me for the unkind words.
PCLinux
was my old flame.
I
entered into Linux Live with a CD, I found in a stall selling pirated
copies of multimedia including Microsoft Windows 98, with PCLinux xfce
desktop.
I
have been using Redhat, Mandriva, Fedora and with lot of pain Debian
(that experience with Debian come good even now, namely expert or
text based installation, with adequate warning) and Live CD was a new
and welcome experience.
Why
take the trouble to install.
Test it first.
Try
Live, and then use it if it suits and agrees with your taste.
That
is what I do NOW, since I need to test my old hardware, which are
working well except the excessive consumption of electricity.
I
have dismantled 7 of the 10 old computers and only two irreparable
due to Power Outage (which is common in Sri-Lanka and UPS batteries
do not last long and are of poor quality).
Now
I use only three computers, one for my wife (32 bits) and two for me
(one 32 bits and one 64 bits rarely used.)
I
am bit like Textstar of PCLinux, who took a long hard look at 64 bit
before retiring from active work.
?
Why Change?
I
hate KDE (there is KaOS a lighter version which I have not tried
regularly to give you any recommendation) due its bulk and excessive resource
hunger and use.
That
is why I use Peppermint, the best currently available light weight,
Ubuntu derivative, cloud enhanced, Google based distribution.
As
I said I have already gone back to the versatile Debian Linux and I
am currently working on it with a SkolLinux theme behind my LibreOffice 3
application (it is currently on 4.3.3).
Debian
is stable (there is also testing unstable version) and won't change
to new versions by default (Texstar Wisdom) and use stable
applications and probably have removed utilities with fringe benefits by
conviction.
Now I
come to PCLINUX without Texstar Wisdom.
It
loads all the latest WiFi blue tooth, USB SATA ultra ports without
testing the current but MY OLD hardware (deamons).
It
is coming from America and like an average American thinks a global
citizen has;
- Everybody has an email.
- Everybody has a private jet.
- Every body has a private holiday villa (Americans never use their holiday wisely, always it becomes a working holiday).
- No wonder they are the sickest and global leaders of proprietary drug use (in addition to hashish, OTC) for mundane medical issues, like cholesterol.
- The average income of a citizen is 5 million dollars a year.Let me explain, the Sri-Lankan context.a. Old guy above 55 (regularly go to temple to browse the Internet FREE, often to browse porn on Nana Sala) now well into retirement never wants to pay for any service.His pension is not enough for 10 days.b. Does not have an email but uses his son's email.c. Never return a call from his mobile and often at 10 am in the morning it is switched off.d. Mobile is exclusively for Private and Selfish (survival instinct) Work.e. Never send a greeting card to a friend to say he or she already exists on this planet.Only browse and never answer or say OK or return kind regards or Cheers (he/she is unhappy and wants others to be the same).
f.
His existence is for a better life NEXT birth but judiciously
postpone his retirement (in other words become veritable pest like
our politicians) from this planet gracefully.
Never
want to bite the dust except his/her enemies.
Thee
are many others issues like, over 40% children are under nourished and leave
school at about (too competitive for an average child) 13 to 14
years.
They
are easy prey to drug lords (who are Ministers of the ruling class)
and become three wheeler drivers peddling drugs, often to young
students in the universities.
I
think with election campaign in full swing and floods in many parts
of the country, few lines on, those issues are relevant.
1.
Coming back to PCLiux KDE, only 10% in this country uses Internet.
2.
Most of the MPs have a laptop but does not know how to use it but
sell it on the black market.
3.
We use pirated copies of operating system even in the universities.
4.
Only 32 (thirty two) in the entire country of 24 million, uses Linux as a
regular desktop according to Distrowatch Counter Statistics for the
last five years (of achieving the miracle IT Status.)
5.
Many uses old computers discarded from USA/UK/Canada, poorly
refurbished.
6.
Old the software copies are pirated or used by foreign residents (duplicate
the foreign users identity, authentication here).
7.
They want the cheapest but the most modern utilities (coming from
the background of FREE TEXTBOOKS) without any cost.
They
do not respect copyright law or use Open Software as an alternative.
8.
They pawn parents' gold and jewellery for a smart phone or a second
hand laptop.
9.
Most of the visitors to my Linux 100 are foreigners including, USA,
Russia and Ukraine.
Very few Sri-Lankans vist my site but they are for my
political satire (not Linux).
Often editors of the national papers
who run short of ideas for editorials.
10.
Editors of the national papers are stooges of the ruling elite and
write only items that pleases the rulers, never for Yatath Vasia
(the subjects).
11.
On that scenario PCLinux has failed me.
My
RAM is 1 GiB and many has less on a refurbished computer (mine too
but well maintained due to use of Linux) often discarded from USA
(just like in some African countries).
My Hardware
is old.
PCLinux KDE;
It
boots up very slowly.
It
freezes without any warning (both mouse and keyboard).
It
looks for non-existent WiFi.
It
looks for non-existent Sata USB (I connect it only when I need it).
It
does not configure the Ethernet and Internet is disabled.
So
I will continue not use it with my previous experience of burning
irreplaceable graphic card.
It
has a pleasing theme with nonfunctional desktop probably due to
excessive use of RAM and resources.
Worse of all, after one our of patient waiting to FREE the RAM, I could not restart.
For my luck, while waiting for it to recover and release the RAM, I picked my mail to see Linux Magazine, February issue had arrived.
Hang PCLinux, I have to read it before even my cup of coffee.
It is my current flame, anyway!
Lot of nice articles and an issue I had been pondering while (Flash of ADOBE in its final lap with HTML 5 in USE) installing Debian, Flash or gnash?
While, I was reading the Magazine and sipping the coffee, electricity went off and my agony of restarting it off from the PCLinux KDE was solved by our exorbitant BUT poor Electricity Board.
I sometime think it is a better alternative to wait for the electricity to FAIL, than to PRESS the off button of my OLD computer.
Doing that will effect the BIOS, Graphic Card and sometimes the RAM with irreparable damage.
So
Good Bye to my Old Flame (no flame wars intended) PCLinux but a
Happy New, (2015) Year, all the same.
I
must tell you, I won't download and test or use LXDE or KDE mini (there is
hardly any utilities to use).
