flashplugin

[PJ]

Polytropon wrote:
> On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:53:18 +0000, Tony McC <afmcc at btinternet.com> wrote:
>   
>> You seem to want everything to just work without
>> having to think about it, so perhaps Windows would be better for you?
>> [...]
>> But my
>> guess is that you really would be happier and more productive with a
>> Windows OS.  That isn't meant to be a "please go away and let us get on
>> with using FreeBSD", it is an honest reaction to the pain and confusion
>> you seem to cause yourself as you randomly try things in FreeBSD. 
>>     
>
> In "Windows", things don't work without thinking. The
> misbelief that is does is grounded in the fact that
> other people have to deal with problems, while the
> user praises "Windows" for its easyness of use.
>
> In PJ's case, maybe PC-BSD is a good choice. As far as
> I know, they offer a working "Flash" plugin that can
> be installed by their PBI system. I haven't tested
> this because PC-BSD with its KDE centric concept simply
> isn't my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean that it's
> not a good OS - hey, it's still FreeBSD. :-)
>
> Tony, I can understand that you might get the impression
> that PJ doesn't have a full understanding of the concepts
> and procedures needed to know in order to properly operate
> FreeBSD. This may be true. But he's constantly learning
> and understanding, and I think even with the troubles he
> likes to use FreeBSD (PJ, correct me if I'm wrong).
>
> When I came to FreeBSD (from a Linux and WEGA background,
> with lots of "strange" mainframe knowledge), I had similar
> trouble. I had many issues with C, too, before it became
> my primary programming language, but the fact that I can
> master FreeBSD now (at a sufficient level) is due to the
> fact that I had much good help, especially from this list,
> as well as much practice. Recognizing and resolving library
> requirements can surely be such a step into the right
> direction. It's not a state, it's a process.
>
> In the future, PJ will not only know that things work, but
> additionally understand *how* and *why* they work, and this
> will make him a master of FreeBSD, too.
>   
Thank you for your support, Polytropon :-)

You are quite right. And I do wish I could use only FreeBSD... the
problem is that there are some limitations on compatibility with the
"normal" user's MS systems... OpenOffice.org is not completely
compatible with MS nor are the Adobe products completely replaceable -
mainly because the commercial printers and other users are not equipped
or compatible with Unixes. And, of course, the difficulty with learning
curves and adaptability of the unix alternatives are also deterrents. :-(

I have been working with FreeBSD in limited ways since about 1997 (if I
recall right).
I don't know if I'll ever become a master, but I am learning more by
actually using it since I am a firm believer in direct use learning.
The only reason I use MS is because most "normal" users use word,
illustrator, photoshop. They are a huge pain because they have a lot of
bugs that have been around for a long time and have never been properly
addressed by MS or ms developers like Adobe. Just check the web and you
will see that there are an awful lot of crash problems on the MS office,
the Windows OSs as well as the Adobe stuff. I just reinstalled the CS4
programs on a fresh XP install and immediately I'm getting errors about
harware acceleration when the system is installed on the same computer
on a different disk and was not getting those errors on the other
installation. The only reason I reinstalled the CS4 was because I wanted
to have it working cleanly with a fresh installation of MS Office which
was impossible to install/reinstall/fix on the other disk. Now the MS
Office works fine, but CS4 does not... talk about problems.... So,
FreeBSD is not really any more complicated. The only time I really have
problems with FreeBSD is when so;mething stupid happens, like a physical
disc suicide (mbr sector gone) or if I did something accidentally like
shutting down. I then try to learn what to do to fix things (have never
lost any data - was able to recover it), how to clone, dump, restore.
These are processes that are not simple and are not something that I
have needed before.
What is great about FreeBSD is that it is quite simple to set up,
configure and use. Problems arise when one makes errors or there are
incompatibilities caused by some installation conflicts and that seems
to be the cause of most difficulties.
For instance, I have no problem installing FreeBSD, setting up and
configuring apache, php, samba, cups, or most programs I use. Sometimes
I see inquiries on the list and know what the problem is and would be
happy to help someone but I am not secure enough to butt in. Yet I see
that it is a simple solution... follow the instructions, read the
manual, check the web and the man pages and you're likely to find the
solutuion. The list here is very hehlpful, especially for lazy guys like me.
But to study the manual is beyond the capabilities of anyone ... sure,
you can read it and study it... but you will forget anything you have
read almost immediately if you are not applying what you are studying at
once... there may be some residual information captured by one's brain
but practical application is about the only way to really learn and
understand... especially with the help of those who have dared to tread
there before you...
and their help is really invaluable.
Also, from the suggestions and solutions I have received on the list, I
have learned many, many little tips and tricks that I would never have
picked up without extensive digging.
I really turn to the list when I have some problem about which I am not
totally clear or have difficulty resolving. But then, I must admit, I
don't really depend on the list as it is really very simple to fix the
problems I have by just installing a fresh system and then setting up
the programs and don't bother with fixing things just start all over...
not very informative but easy to fix (maybe a bit time consuming) . As I
have stated before, things like flashplugin have become a problem only
after I started doing some other things like cloning and dump/restores.
But I did set up flashplugin correctly on both 64bit and 32bit machines
and it worked just fine... until I changed things while cloning. The 64
machine still works fine... and I'm sure I'll get the 32bit going as
well; even if it means setting up a new system.
Oh, well...enought palaver... back to the grind...
and thanks for the help, again. ;-)