Microsoft has confirmed reports that it is equipped to train Best Buy employees in the fine art of trashing Linux -- or rather, the "important differences between Linux computers and Windows computers." Less than a week ago news broke that the software giant was "indoctrinating" Best Buy workers in preparation for the launch of its much-anticipated Windows 7 operating system.
My printer, scanner, camera, MP3 player all work fine in Linux- in fact, the printer worked “out of the box” in Ubuntu, but doesn’t work in Windows because I haven’t installed the driver. ;D
Windows programs don’t work in Linux, it’s true- so no Half Life.
MSN is available, but no video (yet). Other video chat networks are available, but I have to admit, no video chat in MSN is a show stopper for many people.
The following operator(s) are known to replace Huawei's software with their own:
* Vodafone puts on its E220 (Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem) its Windows Vodafone Mobile Connect Lite software, which is a lighter version of Vodafone Mobile Connect. In Windows it uses the excutable VodafoneUSBPP.exe. This device is also supported in Linux, using Vodafone Mobile Connect Card driver for Linux, which can be downloaded from Vodafone Betavine.</blockquote>
Hey FF, what an awesome reply. There is a lot of good stuff to follow there so great start point for me. Up until now I had only customer services at V to rely on, and the performance record of VMC itself is notoriously patchy in this country (feeback on friends network). Had pretty much ruled out possibility of anything outside default setup.
The lead to a Linux driver shows Linux to have built support into its systems (includes workarounds) for the Huawei E220 modem access device that I use, and that the card (SIM card housed in modem) is supported by the Vodafone Mobile Connect Card Driver for Linux. On paper, it appears likely that VMC lite is fully compatible with Linux, ongoing development being headed at Betavine Forge
The Betavine project falls in with of a raft of mobile telephony technologies and protocols that are served by the 3G and potential 4G, combining GSM and CDMA (which my country used be on prior to Telecom, the proprietry network, unbundling its service loops) and more advanced mobile telecomunications technologies. Other than my HSPDA connect to internet, I dont make use of the telephony services although I could if I wanted to take up a phone contract with Vodafone. I pay for use of my SIM card as if it were a telephony contract but my bill accounts for the volume of my internet use (say, 3GB or 6GB, whatever volume I use that month). I do have 3G sms for txt/email connect. The USB connection means the modem can be used on any computer. Connection is wireless and is fast (7.2Mbps) but hooking to browser only at speed of 1 Megabit per second if I am lucky (other local wireless users contracted with different ISPs have similar speed limitations - I think we share a bandwidth problem). Although I am told there is capacity for much faster wireless access, the local providers are not doing much to improve things for general users, and as more people take up the wireless service the bottlenecks will only continue to worsen. For a while, I picked up and piggybacked on Bluetooth what I think was an Apple network putting out 54Mbps and my laptop was running at a much faster internet speed, even though my connect to that network was through a very weak signal. For most of these reasons, I thought that a Linux connect to internet would improve the speed of my browser connect, enabling me to get a much better usage from my 7.2mbps wireless speed. Although I use Windows always on desktop, I dont use the programs much on the internet. So I thought a Linux system with connect to internet, and with option provided to click into Windows environment. I wouldn’t want to undergo any performance changes in that environment either, because that’s what I’m most used to.
I can possibly do all this using my existing modem. However, but it is highly likely that my modem is installed with Huawei firmware enabling Windows or Mac software to be held in memory but not Linux - in so much as I would need to make adaptations to the firmware and run a compatible mobile connect card if I wanted to run with Linux. From what Vodafone technical services tells me this is not the go at the moment, and somewhat beyond their means to deliver on.
But still something to work on. I have another twelve months to run on the Vodafone contract so I’ve bookmarked the Betavine link and perhaps I can experiment a bit later on. Looks like I’m stuck with 1Mbps for a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betavine