h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This one looks fun-its an ols one -one of the originals(aparently-i havnt had a go: Yet!)

http://beginner.getcontinuum.com/

the main problem i have with downloading stuff is that i use linux so i have run it under wine and emulator and so far ive not tried it

Oic - hey if you google " Ooite "- you might find that fun-definately works with Linux, and is fully open source-so you can write add on missions for the game ( they call em extension packs i think-OXP's)-its all under a GNU license so its free - and lots of people develop and take part - i think.

I am no expert-can only manage MS windows-i will have a go with Linux one day( i got two different distros sitting here on cd's).

in that case i'll look at that one!

which two distro's have you got?

if you like games like that try the X series of games. Not online games but hideously addictive and they take a lot of time to play.

Unfortunately jsut as i got the most powerful ship in the game i deleted my save games! that was on X2

An old version of Red Hat ( which is the one i want to start with , ciz i have the book and i read its very stable)-and an old version of Ubuntu-any good?

If i knew more about comuters then i would like to try a BSD operating systen too-they are similar so i gather?

i have never used Red Hat, i have used Ubuntu - very good and easy to use, but you will need to download some stuff to play music etc but that is very easy to use.
Mint is based on Ubuntu but is even easier to use and comes with the codecs (the stuff that plays the music). you will need to download a cd that takes about 40 mins on my connection.

The command line doesn't need to be used really, i just use it because i like messing around!

You can install linux and windows on the same computer, but the live cd is a good way to see if you like linux.

Firewall etc you will nee, one of the major advantage of linux is that there are very few viruses for it and they do very little damage.

Yea i like the sound of it -but as i am a novice to computrs really(totally0- i need to learn something properly instaed of just surfing. Yea i will get to grips with the command line one day- i have an old laptop( 386) which i got so i can learn MSdos native without mucking about with my system( i know its easy when you know how but i dont want to be meddling with my pc just yet ).

belive it or not though i will be learning cp/m and that will probably be my main learning tool over MSDOS .

looks cool, sort of thing i would like to learn. shall speak more later, bye

Is that Oolite the game ( also Google Elite-if you like the look of that ).

Yea i like being able to switch on switch off-no waiting around for your work to load and no freezing up etc-and all in a few k not meg. I will conquer the bash shell after i have learn a bit of the old stuff.

just the way of doing text based things and the power of changing stuff to customize a computer is very cool.

why learning cp/m lofty? I remember using that (and +) many years ago!

I have to start somewhere and i chose to do some revision of what i should have learnt when i was at school ( i did do computer studies as a subject-but must have skivved off most of it because i know nothing!)-so i am gonna do the usual-(80's thing) Basic language , ( also going to learn logo ) and a little bit of assembler ( Z80 ) and the little box i bought to do it on is a small cp/m machine-and lucky for me too because it introduced me to CP/m -its the first op/sys for the micro and i hope will be simpler to learn- and fun also.

thats my plan-i think that should be a good revision/intro.


I have read about Dr gary Kildall and the CP/M story - it is a facinating story ( that is without the later Microsoft/IBM chapter+ ), also Basic as a language is fairly simple but is still quite a useful tool, it seems to cover alot of ground in its own way-and can be used by anyone on every type of machine going ( still valid as a strting point today-although i dont see people using it much to teach children in shools in the UK , but i am probably wrong-but i do see it being used in every conceivable application in industry-so it seems very worthwhile still. Another facinating story is the Logo story seymour Papert- and i have a special intrest in this because i am trying to get my brain to work in a more ordered way it seems a great self learning tool not just for children. Last but not least Z80 assembler ( well i will be learning 8080 ) seems to be not easy but, maybe a good standard - something near to X86 but less complex ( especially 8080 ) : oh yes and i want to type.
It is facinating - i have only limited time though- but i know what i want-and the 8 bit world: just seems a friendly world/environment to learn what i want.

Pioneering days are always quite interesting in any field i think-i just wish i was awake at the time !

Sorry about that got a bit carried away there i think!

Don't worry about it, Icky probably knows what you mean... I will just pretend to be techie

Jeez, i hope so , yea me i'm hardcore Techie Lil; look-watch:

Delfware and spatulate utensil of apropriate size, ( plus optional saucer ), !" scalpal!?" Oops! Wrong procedure! Abort !Abort! bring water to exactly boiling point -in a speed optimized, heating device-heat teapot (or cup:my prefered method)prepare cup with teabag por ovr bioling water (bring back to a rolling boil before adding straight into pot (or cup)-let teabag infuse for 10 secondsand discard-add refined sugar cane and cows milk if required: inbibe!

I almost understood that!

Well that should have been a cappiwotsit : No?

Well actions speak louder than words ___________________Madam!?

Thank you, sweetheart

My pleasure.