I don't know exactly what you mean by FTP and SSH, but if you're ssh'ing into a remote machine you can forward X11 and actually load the program off the remote machine in X. If you're just wanting to do it by command line, mpg123 is a great player (what XMMS uses by default) that can handle just about anything out there including internet streams. Also, MPlayer (and probably xine) can output to a framebuffer and are very usable from the command line without X. Then theres Links which can use the framebuffer (or svgalib) and give you a fully graphical web browser from the command line (though lack of cookie support limits its usefulness). Naim is a nice little command line AIM client with an IRC-like interface.

If you're industrious enough, most anything can be done from the command line in Linux which makes it great for older machines. My old Cyrix 333 (cyrix. heh.) can't handle a fully pimped out KDE install, but it certainly can handle Links and Mplayer on the command line. I'd probably be using it for a firewall right now, but I was given a nifty little Linksys which is so rediculously easy to set up its not worth the trouble of messing with a dedicated machine.

Thanks for the welcome back, xzxzzx. I was over here looking for the new Winamp to see if I could get it going with Wine and remembered these forums. ;) Good to see the same people making the same good posts.

FTP to send the files over and then SSH to control mpg321, ogg123, or mp3blaster (an ncurses-based player for MP3 and Ogg Vorbis files which combines a browser, player, and volume control).

I already use VNC for remote X access but I'm looking for something like mpg321 (open-source alternative to mpg123) and ogg123 which can play DivX/XViD AVI files and MPEG files.

It may work with mpg123 although I think I tried it but I know that mpg321 gives distorted audio as it tries to output both the audio and the video frames of an MPEG file through the speakers.

I'll have to try links. I usually prefer Mozilla Firebird for X browsing or Lynx for console/ssh controlled browsing.

My Linux box is a 450Mhz Pentium 3 (64MB RAM) and I haven't tried KDE 3 but KDE 2.x works fine on my Debian install. I just see no fun in using the console or X. I might as well play them on my 2Ghz WinXP box if I'm not going to use SSH and access it remotely.

Thanks for the MPlayer tip. I'll have to try it.

the first fun option is to go to "services" and disable "themes". that gets rid of most bells and whistles in one fell swoop.

but i like bells and whistles....

I suppose it depends if you consider the look of a window "bells and whistles". I'm more intrested in things like sliding task bar items, fading in menus, etc, which are all accessable through "WindowsKey" + "Pause/Break", under "Advanced" - that's what I'm talking about.

The reason that most machines are windows and that most programs run on windows is that Bill Gates is a VERY agressive buisnesman. He made deals with all those computer companies and they sold their computers with windows. There wasn't much else in the way of operating systems so everyone had windows. Since everyone had windows, companies made windows software so people coud use the programs.

I hate arrogant 12 year olds thinking they actually know something. YOU DON'T! You are a 12 year old. You have just gotten out of ELEMENTARY school. You are a dumbass.

cirvin: Calm down. No one actually believes that Thomas is a real person.

Hell, since we resurrected the dead thread might as well pue the truth here...

More people run Windows because of three reasons

1) MS had a virtual monopoly for many years and anything that came out was bought up by them eliminating the competitors

2) Linux is still building to what it will be one day so there are alot of programs you cant yet run on Linux that you can on a Windows computer

3) Most people are just too stupid to ever figure out how to make Linux operate whereas a complete idiot can operate Windows.

But I gotta admit someone had to look back an entire year just to find a thread to bitch about Windows. They could have just used the 'Fucking XP SP2 thread'.

Most people want to be productive with their computer instead of constantly wrestle and fight with it to do simple things. Windows IS A GOOD OS!!!!!! USABILITY IS A REALLY GOOD THING!!!

Exactly. I tried using Linux once and it gave me a month's worth of headaches before I said fuck it and went back to good ole Winders.

That's about the only pitfall - Linux isn't very user friendly yet. But even without Linux there are many great programs of open source nature or free that are as good if not better than anything MS releases. Open Office vs MS Office. Winamp vs WMP. Firefox vs IE. Zone Alarm vs Windows Firewall.

The problem is most people don't look any further than the programs included on their computer and if they already have a browser, e-mail program, half a firewall and such they just use what they have.

That'll probably never change. It's a question of if you enjoy messing with it or if it's just a tool. I, for instance, could care less about my car. I use it to get places so I don't mess with it. It's my personal garbage pit, the most tinker is to make sure it limps along just enough to drive. I'd imagion that's how most people feel about computers.

In my experiance, MS Office is significantly better than Open Office. WMP is undeniably shit. I don't know about Zone Alarm vs. Windows Firewall, but I'd imagine that Zone Alarm is much nicer.

Can I get a grammar check, up in here?!

[edit]Misunderstood. Nevermind.[/edit]

Oo_o doesn't have a grammar check, MS Office does. I'm agreeing with you.

Why are you such a grumpy bastard?

Your grammar was ambiguous, and MS Office's grammar check is horrid. I can't see that as a particularly good reason why MS Office is better, it only helps in the most obvious of grammatical mistakes, even with every grammar check turned on.

[edit]Though, I suppose, for the average idiot, it's quite useful. We are considering the average idiot, after all...[/edit]

In my experience, the Windows firewall (post-SP2) has about the same actual usefulness as ZoneAlarm, but is easier to use and more transparent to the system. There is better firewalls, though.

That's freaking hilarious!

thank you, really it is pretty fucking funny. its old too but its still great


http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons...y/uf004274.gif http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons...n/uf003114.gif http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons...n/uf003129.gif
http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons...r/uf000570.gif

Attention Microsoft Supporters, MS is bending you over again:

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=gp%2flifean9

Now anyone who has kept up with Microsoft knows two things are widely known:

Microsoft products are some of the most hacked and breached pieces of software out there. Granted others have problems but I think many can agree MS products are targets more than others.

Microsoft had also said - repeatedly - that they will support their products for ten years.

Now read the page above. When I hit the first page leading to it here is what it read:

Security Hotfix Support for Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional with no service packs installed will be provided through September 30, 2004.

Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) will be supported in accordance with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy until September 17, 2006.

Now knowing there MIGHT be Longhorn by then - that's a might knowing MS, XP is the most widely used OS out there in home PC's. If you are like most and your XP OS craps out you have to re-install from the original CD, then run Windows Update and reboot several times before your PC is up to date and again secure to MS standards.

At this point MS can, according to their new terms, cease allowing you to update your copy of XP as of September 2004. By September of 2006 MS will not, as to their terms, have to supply you with any more patches or updates to anyone not running SP2.

What the hell happened to the ten years support. From what I read they have already begun cutting support way earlier than the ten year time frame. How can you be running SP2 if for any reason you have to reinstall from the original installation CD.

Keep supporting these a-holes. They can't even keep their word from month to month anymore.

Go ahead, bend over. Bill Gates has something to thank you for being their client and it's not a free copy of Longhorn. Hell, it's not even long.

The policy on service packs has been well-known for years. And quite frankly, if you can't be fucked updating your system, you don't deserve their support.

Um. I gauruntee you that you'll be able to install SP2 on a virgin XP install, even in 2006. Secondly, Microsoft will, for free, send you a CD with SP2 on it. If you're going to attack Microsoft, do it sensibly - not supporting non-updated versions of XP when they will mail you a CD with the update for free is really not an issue.

Who really wants to run a 10 year old computer system anyway? I can understand keeping support for DOS since a lot of businesses still use DOS but you can get DOS apps to run on 2000 and on with the more functionality. They supported 95 for like 7 some years.

Seriously who needs technical support for Windows 3.1?

Also seriously who has techinical support for RedHat 4.0?

If you're talking about 10 year old systems that would be Red Hat 2.0 (or Mac System 7.5).

http://img44.exs.cx/img44/5937/untitled16uz.png

seven services running, themes are on.

So the bells and whistles are on, what's your point?

Also, by my count that's eight services.

style XP isn't a windows service, and it was only started because I had the program open.

It's a service. It's running. My point stands. Cheers for clarification, though.

I always turn off themes. Don't need my computer to look all purdy, just need it to work.

Oh, hey, here is the fifth security advisory this week:

http://secunia.com/advisories/12889/

Solution:
Use another product (their words, not mine)

Whoa, best advice I've seen in a long time.

Zones suck. I have the same security settings (customized based off of the highest) for all the zones if I ever have to open up IE.

That's what happens when you rely on a browser made a gazillion years ago, and only ever patched for security updates. Its code is probably a mess.

No kidding...it's changed version numbers three times without any major changes - just bug fixes and one or two minor features.

Yeah, I dislike the fact that people judge Windows with IE, though - Windows itself has improved considerably. I know this is MS's own fault to some degree, but I like to keep the marketing (who are undeniably evil) and development parts of MS seperate in my mind :)

If you're using StyleXP to run non-MS themes, you don't need it. You need this to patch uxtheme.dll and then all the themes will show up in the Display control panel window.

I'm still impressed that you've got it down to 7 though. I still have about 20 running even though I tried to cut it down.

I'm pretty certain that all of the major services I have running are necessary for one thing or another I do on my system, but I'll admit I use it for ridiculous things, and like to have my options open for that sort of thing. I cut it right down once and didn't get a significant performance increase, anyways.

Yeah, I still keep things that I very occasionally use, like the IR, but a lot are completely unnecessary.

I have 45 services running and don't notice any performance hit.

Maybe he doesn't like the services because he's a libertarian.

Funniest thing I've read in a while.