Windows refugee questions...

[ac]

David B Teague wrote:
> Tommy Trussell wrote:
>> On 12/28/06, David B Teague <davidbteague at verizon.net> wrote:
>>   
>>> So  I install Ubuntu and specify DHCP instead of providing an IP number
>>> and the modem will provide the IP number?
>>>     
>>
>> Try booting from the desktop CD and it will probably do exactly what
>> you want with no additional configuration. I believe it tries DHCP
>> first and only asks for the other information if that fails.
>>
>> Unless you need a different network setup, you will not need to
>> specify anything different when you install.
>>
>> Are you saying you tried booting from the CD and your network didn't
>> work, or are you fretting about it before even trying it?
>>
>> Booting from the desktop CD should be completely benign to your
>> existing setup until you choose to do an installation.

> I thought I said that I booted the Live CD and the CD found the 
> network.  (But I tend to over edit and may have deleted that!) I was 
> able to do anything I wanted with the Live CD -- except to do email 
> using my  Verizon account.

Isn't Verizon a web mail, online email account? This suggests that you 
can access your email from any machine anywhere on the internet, using 
a web browser (such as firefox etc etc) - is this true?

If so then it is likely that the process for email will be via your 
browser of choice and its facilities. If say firefox works for you in 
windows, it will do the same in linux for example. Your mail at 
verizon will remain on their machines and will not be affected by your 
machine OS.

> I was fretting because in the distant past, when network access was via 
> NIC, setup always wanted an IP number.

The NIC will be automatically recognised by ubuntu (most distros in 
fact nowadays!) and during both live CD use and the default install 
process, DHCP will be used without any input from you at all. Just 
have the machine and network normally connected during install etc. If 
in the unusual case of dhcp not working I guess more manual 
configuration would be needed. So the NIC will be configured 
automatically with a local IP number via dhcp. BTW it is usual mostly 
for the router device to want to be 192.168.1.1 and the PC to be 
allocated another IP such as 192.168.1.5 say. This is not a firm 
standard but sort of a likely convention.

> I anticipated Ubuntu installation 
> being the same. I am very glad to hear that I can specify DHCP and the 
> installation should "just work."

Ubuntu is great (I use Kubuntu), although many linux distros have used 
this approach for some years now.
(Linux is software's best kept secret!)

> I will want to continue to use Windows for email until I get the Linux 
> installation well in hand

(see my comments above about web mail?) I wonder if I have fully 
understood you here. Do you also use POP3 mail collection from a 
provider also? Verizon?

> then I'll move email to the Linux side. I 
> will have more questions about moving email with Thunderbird at that time.

I mostly use only thunderbird  (TB) for email. In my escape phase 
towards linux I first used TB on windows (and later also on linux with 
the linux TB settings to not delete the mail at the server - read mail 
first on linux, then read and delete using the usual approach in windows).

When I finally stopped using windows I had to copy the files (simple 
copy) from windows to linux. I was shocked by the simplicity. 
Directories had to chosen of course and a couple of files needed 
special care for the directory, but it was simple.

hth
-- 
ac