Linux

[Toens Bueker]

Edward Wigg wrote:

> If you have multiple public workstations with the same hardware 
> though, you only have to do the set up once and then you can 
> clone it easily enough.

There is a software-package called 'iX-Terminal' (because
one of the members of the german iX-magazine assembled
it). With that you get all you need for a nice X-terminal
including local floppy-drives and sound.

> Printing works nicely enough from Linux/Netscape, especially to a networked
> postscript printer with a suitable print server, but we, like many/most
> people are moving in the direction of charging for printing. Whether or not
> there is a simple way to integrate unix style printing into most vendacard
> printing systems is open to question.

Actually, I don't know how that works anyway :-) How do
you pay your copies? What happens if there are still jobs
in the queue from another user?

> Linux will mount DOS floppies, and though there are scripts that will allow
> non-privileged users to mount/dismount a floppy, I see no easy way to
> explain people used to DOS that you cannot just insert/remove a disk without
> mounting/dismounting it as well. Maybe there is some clever work around for
> this that I have not discovered [...]

Hmm. Have you heard of the 'mtools'? Just insert your
dos-formatted floppy and type 'mdir' or 'mcopy' or
'mformat' etc. No mounting or unmounting. 'mformat' is by
the way the fastest way to dos-format a floppy (ca. 2 sec.).

For operating files and floppies you would shurely have to
install and configure some kind of filemanager. E. g. xfm
which lets the user drag and drop for printing and copying.

By
T"ons