<div dir="ltr">George, tried that, didn't work. Other advice and a wiki lead me to believe that I put a space in where I shouldn't have... As time allows, around major DIY jobs an "Mission Control" in full cry, I'll try again *without* the space. See what I mean about holes and falling down them?<div>
David</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 10 September 2013 22:00, George DiceGeorge <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dicegeorge@hotmail.com" target="_blank">dicegeorge@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Calibri'">
<div>aha,</div>
<div>in windows you download an exe file and then click it to install,</div>
<div>in xubuntu i go to software center</div>
<div>choose libreoffice</div>
<div>and it downloads and installs in one process.</div>
<div>[g]</div>
<div> </div>
<div style="font-style:normal;font-size:small;display:inline;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Calibri';font-weight:normal">
<div style="FONT:10pt tahoma">
<div> </div>
<div style="BACKGROUND:#f5f5f5">
<div><b>From:</b> <a title="davidwalland@googlemail.com" href="mailto:davidwalland@googlemail.com" target="_blank">David Walland</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, 10 September, 2013 21:51</div><div class="im">
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="xubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com" href="mailto:xubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com" target="_blank">Xubuntu Support and User
Discussions</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> Re: [xubuntu-users] Is there a list for *ABSOLUTE*
beginners withXubuntu?</div></div></div></div>
<div> </div></div>
<div style="font-style:normal;font-size:small;display:inline;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Calibri';font-weight:normal">
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<div> </div><div><div class="h5">
<div>Dear Peter and the list,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>My big problem is that I don't have the vocabulary to ask my questions or
to express myself clearly to you all. Also you (the list) have a tendency
not to tell me how to sort out what is going on but rather to say "use another
machine".</div>
<div> </div>
<div>What I thought I had asked about revolves around the fact that I have
downloaded Office Libre onto the computer and am unable to get the machine to
load the program. If I had XP on the machine and half a day, I could do
this easily, if tediously. I searched the internet and tried the various
suggestions I could find and none of them worked. I *think* I have all the
programmes downloaded onto the computer, but I'm variously get told that the
system can't find them or I get error messages flashed up and gone so fast that
*I* can't read them. I haven't yet worked out how to copy the error
messages so I can pass them to people who'd understand them and could tell me
how to approach the problem. I want to learn - I can already probably do
all the things I *need* to do on this old laptop. I want (read for this
elephant's child "need") to understand, not simply use the thing by rote.
That means I have to do it, not have it done for me.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>For me this is a game with a serious side. I would hate to lose my
marbles and one way with high probability of success in preventing it is to keep
using them as much as possible. Anyway I've been learning all my life and
like doing so.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Have I given enough information to enable you to tell me how to progress to
finding why this won't load, or do you need more and if so what information do
you need and how do I access it?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'm really grateful for all of your concern and wanting to help. The
problem, as you have so rightly pointed out, is to establish two way
communication, preferably meaning the same thing to both ends. I'm mostly
self-taught with computing too, which doesn't help (You never know there's a
hole in your knowledge until you fall down it!)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'm working very hard to keep both my frustration with myself and my sense
of humour under control and am praying that I'm coming across as pleasant and
positive, not wingeing and miserable, nor apparently trying to score
points. I'm sure we must be able to sort things so we can progress
this. It's terribly embarrassing to feel so helpless in what I've always
considered myself rather good at. There's egg dripping off my
face...</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Best regards,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>David</div></div></div></div><div><div class="h5">
<div class="gmail_extra"><br><br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On 10 September 2013 20:54, Peter Flynn <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:peter@silmaril.ie" target="_blank">peter@silmaril.ie</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT:1ex;MARGIN:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;BORDER-LEFT:#ccc 1px solid">
<div>On 09/10/2013 09:17 AM, David Walland wrote:<br>> Only to the
extent of your reply giving me details of the UK UGs.<br>> No-one else
seems to quite understand how difficult it is to work out<br>> how to get
*in* when you're *out*. The latest oddments added to my<br>> question
appear to be written in "Outer Swahili" rather than even<br>> "Outer
Mongolian" and appear to have no relationship to beginners of<br>> whatever
level.<br><br></div>David, it would be massively useful to those of us who
write technical<br>documentation if you could point these out precisely, so
that we can<br>re-word them.<br><br>I *do* remember how hard it was to "get
in", but it was 30 years ago,<br>and the details have become blurred by
time.<br>
<div><br>> This list has apparently mostly forgotten they had to
learn the<br>> information that I need, to *start* on the learning
curve.<br><br></div>Absolutely that. But what I haven't been able to get from
what you have<br>said so far, is exactly *which* bits are causing the problem.
I do make<br>some assumptions: when I teach classes, I *do* require that
attendees<br>know how to use a keyboard and how to move and click a mouse, and
that<br>they know what an icon and a menu are, and that they understand the
idea<br>of a hierarchical file system (family-tree of directories
containing<br>files).<br><br>You already know that much, and obviously a lot
more, so it must be<br>something else we're saying that doesn't make
sense...but we don't know<br>what it is.<br><br>> [...] the much simpler
language of X/Ubuntu is going to be possible<br>
<div>> if I can learn the fundamental "grammar" and basic
structure.<br><br></div>Yes. But to do so I am guessing you need to learn some
vocabulary first,<br>otherwise there won't be any way to communicate the
basics. Our problem<br>is we don't know what bits are causing you
difficulties.<br><span><font color="#888888"><br>///Peter<br></font></span>
<div>
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