BNETDocs Redux

[Barabajagal]

...You've obviously never used Linux. If you fuck anything up with your display system, you have to use the text-based version, which gives you access to Lynx for web browsing. People do still use it, whether you want to believe it or not. I've had everything on my hard drive at the mercy of a text based browser while I was trying to find a solution for a major issue I was having. Having to navigate through sites that had no consideration for a text browser was hell. You yourself support text based browsing with your text version of all the packets.

[Don Cullen]

...You've obviously never used Linux. If you fuck anything up with your display system, you have to use the text-based version, which gives you access to Lynx for web browsing. People do still use it, whether you want to believe it or not. I've had everything on my hard drive at the mercy of a text based browser while I was trying to find a solution for a major issue I was having. Having to navigate through sites that had no consideration for a text browser was hell. You yourself support text based browsing with your text version of all the packets.

Actually, I use Linux. Ubuntu, specifically. On my laptop, I have Windows XP and regularly SSH into my virtual private server which is running a linux distro called Centos 4.4. And I've screwed up my display before to that point. But I didn't resort to using Lynx. Instead, I elected to simply insert a LiveCD (Knoppix) into my cd drive. The LiveCD has firefox on it. I simply boot up using the LiveCD, search for a solution, once I find several, I then reboot back into Ubuntu and apply the solutions I find to it. If none of the solutions work, I switch back to Knoppix LiveCD, resume searching. Rinse and repeat. Much quicker and easier than having to navigate the web using Lynx.

But now I have a laptop running Windows XP, I usually just switch to the laptop, and use that for internet until I find a solution to fix my Ubuntu machine. Those days, every machine, even outdated ones, have a CD drive. Unless you're running an extremely ancient machine that actually only has a 5 1/4 " or 3.5 " floppy disk drive. Then I'd understand and completely sympathize. But even then, I'd still strongly recommend either installing a CD drive, or upgrading to a more up-to-date machine. To not do so otherwise would be irrational. LiveCDs are extremely useful, especially when the OS goes to hell and absolutely refuses or is a pain in the butt to cooperate with any attempts to repair/resurrect it.

Suggestion: make a LiveCD with all of the software you'd need to do repairs/troubleshooting with, and save it. It always comes in handy. I know it has for me. Many times.

Edit: Here's link to Knoppix LiveCD:

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

[Barabajagal]

I have knoppix. At the time, my kernel was also corrupt, and I was unable to use CDs at all. Also, have you considered users of text-browsers running on cellular phones?

[Don Cullen]

I have knoppix. At the time, my kernel was also corrupt, and I was unable to use CDs at all. Also, have you considered users of text-browsers running on cellular phones?

In that case, just go into BIOS and tell it to boot to CD first, not the hard drive. I've corrupted the kernel before (I'm a Linux newbie), and I'll be damned if I know what I did. In the end, I just went into BIOS, told it to boot to CD first, then I booted to my LiveCD, and did a clean reinstall since I had screwed up the OS to hell and had no idea what was wrong.

As for users surfing the net via cell phones; there's WAP. And that's for sites that'd like to cater to that niche. I asked the members using the vL forums what they thought about a mobile version of BNETDocs, many thought it was pointless and extravagant. To that end, I discarded the idea of coding a WAP version of BNETDocs Redux.

In fact, you yourself said and I quote:

Why the hell would you need a mobile BNetDocs? I don't think programming on a cell phone is likely, or efficient.

Here's the thread I'm referring to:

http://forum.valhallalegends.com/index.php?topic=16606.0

[Barabajagal]

It was much easier just to use a text browser than to reinstall an operating system....

[Don Cullen]

It was much easier just to use a text browser than to reinstall an operating system....

I wasn't saying reinstall it-- basically, LiveCD has it's own OS, so when you boot from the CD, you're literally booting from the CD, and running the OS *from* the CD. Nothing is installed or reinstalled or removed or modified. The hard drive isn't even touched. Although you could mount it via the LiveCD if you wanted. Which is what I pretty much did -- I booted from the LiveCD, then mounted the hard drive, then fixed the problem, then rebooted, this time into Ubuntu. Problem solved. Very nifty.

Hell, even if you manually disconnected the hard drive from a system, and the system had absolutely no hard drives, it'd boot into the LiveCD OS just fine. Ubuntu also has a LiveCD you can make use of if you prefer that OS:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD

[Barabajagal]

I know it does... but it's still a bit excessive when you can do it easier using lynx and a text-based text editor.

[Don Cullen]

I disagree. Re-read what you said:

...You've obviously never used Linux. If you fuck anything up with your display system, you have to use the text-based version, which gives you access to Lynx for web browsing. ... I've had everything on my hard drive at the mercy of a text based browser while I was trying to find a solution for a major issue I was having. Having to navigate through sites that had no consideration for a text browser was hell. You yourself support text based browsing with your text version of all the packets.

For me, it's quite easy.

1. Open CD drive, insert LiveCD.
2. Enter BIOS to set to boot from CD if your pc boots to HD first.
3. Reboot
4. Mount hard drive manually
5. Find solution via internet using Firefox, while additionally using gaim to keep chattin with friends, maybe even do additional stuff such as browse the news, check emails, etc, etc.
6. Once a solution is found, apply it.
7. Reboot.

Edit: Actually, it's only six steps for me (I don't need to do #2, since both of my pc's are set to boot from cd first, then from hard drive. Saves the trouble of having to go into BIOS later if the HD or the kernel gets royally screwed in the future).

It takes considerably less effort, and plus, I even enjoy myself since I'm able to easily chat with friends, browse the news, check my emails, surf the net WHILE searching for a solution. So to that end, when I'm done, I'm only slightly annoyed.

Slightly annoyed, compared with your:

was hell

I rest my case.

[Barabajagal]

No, navigating sites that don't support text-based systems was hell. Finding the solution on a text-friendly site (which most linux sites are) was easy as pie.

[Don Cullen]

No, navigating sites that don't support text-based systems was hell. Finding the solution on a text-friendly site (which most linux sites are) was easy as pie.

Let's see, you cite experiencing hell on sites that aren't text-friendly, while citing ease of use on text-friendly with your method. That's 50/50.

I cite ease of use of both types of sites. To top it off, while I'm searching for a solution, I can multitask via gaim, news, emails, etc. Even play games (Knoppix LiveCD distro has games on it) while I'm sittin there waiting for the RPMs to install, or for yum to finish bailing me out, or whatever time-intensive task there is at hand where there's nothing for me to do but wait.

So. On one hand for your case, there's a 50/50 ease ratio. On the other hand, there's a 100% ease ratio for my case. I think I'll opt to stick with my method. Less aggravation. You're always welcome to stick with your method. That's the spirit of Linux after all: to each user their own style of modus operandi.

[Barabajagal]

It wouldn't be so hard if things still supported text-based systems. -.-

[Don Cullen]

It wouldn't be so hard if things still supported text-based systems. -.-

Granted. But consider the following:

Science is organized common sense where many a beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact. (Thomas H Huxley)

Like a man who has worn eyeglasses so long that he forgets he has them on, we forget that the world looks to us the way it does because we have become used to seeing it that way through a particular set of lenses. (Kenich Ohmae)

Time and tide wait for no man. A pompous and self-satisfied proverb, and was true for a billion years; but in our day of electric wires and water-ballast we turn it around: Man waits not for time nor tide. (Mark Twain)

And my personal favorite:

Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress. (Thomas Edison)

Basically, what I'm saying is: I totally sympathize with you. But life goes on.

[Barabajagal]

Actually, I'm working on a mouse-friendly text-based Explorer replacement. I hate GUIs.

[brew]

I use Lynx
You should too

@Reality's Explorer replacement:
Would it be practical? Since Windows is almost completely GUI dependant, that's going to be a bit hard , but please go on. I'm a bit interested in how you would do the taskbar ...  I don't know about you, but cd and dir are good enough to be my text based explorer.

[Newby]

brew: You don't use lynx. Don't kid yourself. Stop trying to act cool.

None of you retards do, I wager. Stop trying to act cool. Do you know why people don't make websites that are friendly to CLI browsers like lynx and links? Because nobody uses them on a day-to-day basis. You don't make webpages for a minority. You make them for a majority. Don't think of the small fraction of a fraction of 1% of your visitors.

Stop crying me a fucking river like you're so fucking inconvenienced by a webpage not being "lynx-friendly" because you sound like a retard.

If you're truly using lynx and are too stupid to get X working, see the second quote in my signature. Take torque's advice.

Actually, I'm working on a mouse-friendly text-based Explorer replacement. I hate GUIs.

Why do you hate GUIs? What's so terrible about them? Are you just trying to go against the flow of what society wants? Do you have some logical reasoning for using a terminal/command-line versus a GUI (i.e. it saves memory, it's faster to respond, etc. something along those lines)? Or is it just a personal preference? If so, what do you use for AIM/MSN/etc?