I tried Knoppix last Saturday on the laptop. All I can say is that its PERFECT. It detected every single piece of hardware correctly upon boot. I've never seen that with ANY other linux distribution until now. I care not how other people's experiences went with RH/Slackware/Suse/whatever. What I experienced last Saturday was pure Linux Nirvana. Now, why can't other Linux distributions do that? It shouldn't matter if the distribution is a live CD or an actual installation, an OS should detect all hardware atttached upon boot. Granted, doing that probably requires a solid set of drivers and drivers that may or may not be needed on a given system. Most poeple don't want drivers in their distribution that they may not actually need but in order for the initial bootup (after installation) to properly detect all hardware attached to that system, this is required, IMO. From there, the hardcore can always 'trim the fat' away from the fresh install.

I also got my first taste of Frozen Bubble after perusing Knoppix. I'd heard about it awhile back but just thought it was some internet fad. Let me tell you that its highly addictive. It has the same basic game principle as Tetris but adds a bit of spice. There's a penguin on the bottom of the screen with a frozen bubble laucher. Above the launcher, there are prearranged bubbles of various colors. You launch bubbles at the bubbles above, taking into consideration the color of the bubble you're launching. You can even see what color the next bubble will be before launching a bubble, giving you the chance to figure out where you want to launch it a step before you actually do. You attempt to align the colors horizontally, diagonally, or vertically. Once three colors in a row are aligned, they fall, taking down any bubbles linked under them, regardless of color. You can sometimes bring down the whole level in one shot, if you place your bubble in a precise location. I have this game installed on my FreeBSD box and its not quite as 'clean' as the version on the Knoppix CD. The aiming mechanism on the game that's installed on the FreeBSD box is misaligned a bit...most likely a bug. I should attempt to get another version but this version came with the installation and I don't actually feel like hunting down a FreeBSD'd Frozen Bubble on the internet and attempting a build that may well not work (I hate compiling in Linux/FreeBSD...you're NOT gauranteed that the game will work, especially after a long compilation).

Anyways, I'm considering buying a barebones system just so I can move all my Linux/Unix OSs onto it so I can free up my current box so I can game more (in Windows XP). I don't game in Linux and won't even attempt to try. Setting up games in Windows is MUCH easier and quicker. I care not what most Linux/Unix zealots say, spending over an hour (maybe more, maybe a bit less, I know not) setting up something that should be quick and result in a bit of fun is not what I call intuitive. I barely have time to game anymore and usually want instant or quick access to a select few games. Speaking of said 'select few games', that's another reason I game in Windows. Windows supports a HUGE array of games, games that I'm sure will NOT work in Linux. Sure, there are ways to play Windows games in Linux....WineX, Wine, maybe VMWARE. I'm almost positive you'll spend a bit of time setting all that up, just to play a game in Linux that's non-native to Linux/Unix, then you have to deal with the speed of the game itself, since its running in a non-native environment. I'm sure FS2002 will not play at the same speed in WineX as it would in Windows XP. I usually play flight sims and or team-oriented shooters. Those games are usually CPU and memory hogs and may well tax the native OS. I can't imagine running them in Winex. I'll take gaming in Windows any day over Unix or its derivatives. Until someone develops a quick and easy install in Unix that will not cause conflicts...until someome ports or develops games that are similar to the games I play in Windows XP, I'll never make the jump to gaming in Unix. I don't care how evil you or your friend thinks MS is or that one has to pay $50 for a good flight sim. Nothing in life is free and not everyone shares the same views as their peers. I may hate MS's tactics but as far as MS and Unix are concerned, MS is by far a better product when it comes to the ease of installing and playing games...game selection is a huge factor also. I don't follow the Linux philosophy blindly like others do, as you've probably already resolved. Linux has a place in my life, Unix does also, and so does Windows. I'm a versatile person but my time is limited. This is how I choose to do things...and its always nice to have choice with OSs, isn't it? :o)

Well, I've got a bit of work to do. Gonna catch me another hacker. :o)

Later all.