-=> CHARLES ANGELICH wrote to WAYNE CHIRNSIDE <=-

 WC> Most if not all the apps install as subdirectories of
 WC> Windows like program0~1, ect. ad infinitum :-(

 CA> This is a potential collision of short filenames within the
 CA> registry too which is not a good thing. :-\

Not really, just used as an example, the file names
are unique.

 CA> I've read numbers as high as 900 meg.

Messed up I've been so busy, it's 750 Meg just for Windows directory
and near everything loaded into that, 1.1 GIG for everything now on the
drive which still leaves 5 Gig. to do what I please with.
I'm going to split the drive with FIPS version 2 for 32 bit and
allocate 3 - 4 Gig. for Linux partitions.
 
 CA> You definitely do _not_ want to just delete apps. My brother
 CA> did that without asking me first and disabled his computer. (BG)

I'm using the removal tool provided after being made aware of it.
Funny I _got_ Win 3.1 intuitively and rarely ever cracked
the manual, things are different now.

 CA> Even old W31 won't allow a simple deletion of Internet Explorer
 CA> v5.x without creating a disaster. :-\

You have to be careful to _remove_ the right stuff, directories\*.*
executables and such but not certain DLL's that may be used by other 
applications.

 CA> I'm thinking that when I move to W9x
 CA> or newer I will need to buy the full install CDs or live with
 CA> the garbage until such time that I can wipe the drive and
 CA> install from full CDs.

Even  with  most of the garbage still there it performs well
but the default desktop needs customizing beyond belief.

 WC> Gotta ask in Win9x echo what the file is to modify
 WC> bootgui=0 so it boots to DOS.

 CA> You have to change attributes on C:\MSDOS.SYS, edit, then
 CA> change them back again.

MSDOS.SYS? Wouldn't think you'd know this one for 9x?
I'll give it a shot.
BTW were you aware that "attrib," with the comma will
strip all attributes of a named file?
Actually you can using another switch strip 
all attributes from every file on the drive with
one command.

 CA> My brother's machine uses a proprietary dialer (DUN) for
 CA> PeoplePC. He cannot login to PPC without it and he can't shut
 CA> it down while online either (it pops advertisements up now and
 CA> then while you are online). I was very annoyed, he doesn't care.

I found a dialer in all that mess that works fine.
Now logging on at 50.6K.
Best speed on downloading a 33 meg file, Netscape 7.0
was 50.11KB/sec.
Read a report that advances in methodology promises to up DSL
speeds over _copper_ lines to 5X - 50X what is presently 
available, this is cool because this will support HDTV!!!
Fiber optic feeds will need to be sent to junctions
up to 4,000 feet from the copper to residence hookups
however. I think I'm within 4,000 feet of the Ph. Co
as things stand now.

 CA> That is one way. Using BasicLinux is also available.

Not transfered to this machine yet but the packages are on 
tape so it'll be  easy to install.
In the next 90 - 120 days I'll send off check to Internet Junction
paying a year in advance and cutting my ISP costs in half
and likely solving my SMTP problem in Linux.

 WC> One thing's for sure the latest and greatest Linux should
 WC> run on this machine and I'm looking forward to getting
 WC> Netscape installed so I can snag the Dillo browser, mail,
 WC> word processor, ect.

 CA> If you have StarOffice or OpenOffice in mind I think they both
 CA> require 128 meg of memory to use them. :-\

Big deal, the big hurdle was the machine itself, memory is cheap these 
days and I'm thinking about maxing this box out to 256 Meg. RAM.
I'll bet those other apps can be run with a swap file too.
Also I don't plan on using either of those apps but another
less resource hungry word processor whose name escapes me at the moment 
but IIRC can save files in MSWord format.
What I'm going to be doing in the next few weeks is checking out 
USB CD-ROM read-writers.

 CA> The latest and greatest is not one Linux but several depending
 CA> which person you talk to. Multiple 'distros' from multiple
 CA> sources that are not compatible with one another. Much like
 CA> Windows versions the installed size grows along with that to as
 CA> much as 900meg for everything. :-)

There's a German fellows release that employs Dillo graphical
browser and the above refered to word processor on a Redhad
small footprint, 350 Meg, installation.
3 plus Gig gives me plenty of room.
I'll likely install three distros, Redhat, Slackware and 
Mandrake then later make up my mind which best suits.
Probably actually install that small footprint Redhat with
all the important goodies first on the new machine as 
I should be able to, with patience and over a week's time download
the entire thing with the 56K modem.
 
 CA> One reason Steven Darnolds decided to use SlackWare v7.1 for
 CA> the new BasicLinux version 2 is that after v7.1 apps and
 CA> libraries began to bloat in size and execute slowler on lesser
 CA> hardware.

I've now 2 decent machines so no problem.
Likely though I'll try relocating that fast UART to
my working 486 board way down the road when I've the time
to play and try to install a sufficiently versitile
Linux on it and what will become it's 325 meg drive
when I replace the NEC's current one.

 CA> Keep in mind recent Linux, Windows, and others are being
 CA> written for 2ghz machines now with installed memory on video
 CA> cards that can be 32 meg just for the video. 
 
Not worried, 8 Meg on my video card will do for now and if
not I'll disable the onboard in CMOS and use up a slot.
I'll NEVER be running Win XP having seen that crud on 
my landladies computer.

 CA> Sizes of updates,
 CA> patch files, and applications that are 'free' are also
 CA> increasing in size because close to half the population seem to
 CA> have DSL connects and 80meg hard drives now and won't complain.

I've an ethernet card just waiting to be used for DSL when 
I get some other matters sorted out.
I'd kinda like to down the road run a server on the web
perhaps utilizing BL 1.8 or 7.1 on the old klunky 486 if I 
manage to get it up and running again.
Buy one of those boxes that intercepts call waiting and puts
a modem and dialup on hold while releasing the line for voice
and have the Pentium machine on DSL and leaving the server up 
on the 486 with 56K hardware modem.
Long range plans that may or may not occur.

 CA> Many apps are in the 30-60 meg range and would take from 2-4
 CA> hours to download on a dialup. 
 
NS 7.0, 33 Meg., at 50K DL came down in an an hour 50 minutes
approximately.
Software modem works great but takes an unacceptably long time to
initiate logon, some 30 seconds :-(
OTOH downloading MultiMail for 9X was a few seconds.

 CA> Not that it can't be done
 CA> unattended, it can, but you need an _uninterrupted_ 2-4 hours
 CA> of connection or the ability to 'resume' where you were
 CA> disconnected. Resume has to be available from your side and the
 CA> sender.

I fairly often ran into that and have on my older machine,
Netscape's dialer reports some really impressive false download speeds
until it catches on ;-)
Anyway that's another thing, Netscape does have a dialer for 9x
I can download but I'll have to look into the matter of it
accessing the soft modem driver.
Hopefully it'll be supported, Rockwell HCL something or other
software modem. Need to see if this modem is supported
in Linux and if there's a readme in the .tgz
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