So what's going on here ... ?

PAN, the ' Forte Agent Clone', is not as good as Agent on the same hardware IMHO (and I've used both quite a bit).

Like, on more than one Linux machine I've installed / configured / opened PAN and it's hung for ages, to the point where I've attempted to open it several times, only to give up and eventually see several instances of PAN open ages after.

Now, even if the setting was 'get new messages for subscribed newsgroups on open', there wouldn't be more than two or three groups and so not that many message (headers).

Agent, even on this single core Mac Mini running XP is nearly instant under any / all circumstances?

Plus I don't think I could configure PAN to emulate my preference where it marks any new threads, or threads with new messages or new messages in an already open thread, since the last check, in (say) red (not to say it;s not possible with a rule / configuration).

However, it's probably the most useable Usenet client I've found for Linux ... my needs / experience so far but I think I now prefer Thunderbird on Linux for it's predictability, even though it's not as nice / familiar.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m
Loading thread data ...

Clawsmail all does that nicely and automatically, but with blue instead of red. That might even be configurable.

I find Thunderbird fine for mail, and Clawsmail for newsreading. others may have different preferences, of course, but those do me just fine.

Reply to
Davey

Thanks, I've heard of Clawsmail but can't remember if I've actually installed / tried it. I'll give it a go the next time I'm round Mums on the Linux laptop I keep there to play on while the Mrs and Mum are playing Rummikub. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

{Cough}

As I sit here in my sandals stroking my beard and wondering if the rain will stop in time for me to go out for a ride on my bike, I should respectfully point out that I am using Pan. Under Windows.

I am quite fond of Linux but not blindly in love so perhaps I don't quite qualify.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

En el artículo , David escribió:

Pan is an Agent clone, and Free Agent is still available for download.

Oh, I think you're rather more sensible than our resident tedious OS advocacy troll. You use Linux for those jobs that it does well, and Windows for those jobs that it does well.

In other words, you're one of those sensible people that uses the correct tool for the job you want to do, doesn't try and use a hammer to install a screw, then whinge like a bitch online when the result is inevitably suboptimal.

Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

Speaking of which :-)

Thanks for the email with the smiley, Arfa.

Cheers

Dave R

[Yes, the email address is real.]
Reply to
David

I think this a classic scenario and getting worse as fewer and fewer people know what actually goes on under the bonnet of most cars?

The same applies with PC repairs where they imagine everything just take a couple of mouse clicks, including recovering a couple of GB of data from a corrupted drive.

A mate who has run his own garage for over 35 years now (mostly on his own) now takes plenty of pictures as he works on a new to him customers car and then shows them what he's done on his PC (if they are interested etc). Before and after pictures of air / pollen filters are the most attention catching as it's very obvious to anyone what the differences are (even if a dirty filter was sill functioning as such), similar with new brake disks and pads / shoes etc.

Broken / worn out things (wheel bearings, bushes, road springs) are another 'easy' thing to also show in the flesh, even once the car is back together as a broken thing is often pretty obvious.

In most cases, most people are then more happy to hand over their cash as they then have an understanding (or better understanding if they actually had one before) of what effort / time might have been involved, even if they don't actually understand what all the bits do.

Even I was interested to see my old clutch plate (4 man job and why I didn't do it myself) or the old disks and pads as they then might explain various noises etc.

I guess this sort of level of service wouldn't be easy to offer for a garage much bigger than a 'one man band' (nor might they care etc)?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Often done in rural Italy where things get repaired rather than replaced. I once drove 1,000miles from Calais to Umbria despite the battery warning light. Once there the local auto electrician fixed the alternator with a couple of new bits (caps?) and showed the old part. All for ?30.

Reply to
DJC
[...]

A neighbour, whose computers I used to look after, asked me to look at a machine that had slowed down. She told me 'it's probably just a couple of files that have got messed up'!

The bloody thing had so many infections and malware that I ended up recovering her data and then doing a re-install. Needless to say she had no disks or software keys. It took a couple of days.

I tried to explain how much work it had been, but her attitude was that it was a good job I liked playing with computers.

I don't do anything for her now...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Most likely bit to fail on an alternator is the regulator. Not difficult to change on the bench (with most alternators) and costs about 30 quid. But not something your local spares place will stock - but they probably will have an exchange alternator for rather more.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

In Michigan, and quite possibly other US States as well, a garage is obliged to return replaced parts to the customer, with the exception of very large items; but they must still be available for inspection when the car is picked up.

Reply to
Davey

As an aside but along similar lines I think I understand that in some countries they tend to replace insurance claim parts with similar age second hand parts? The logic being that it's cheaper than new and why should someone get a new bit on an old car, as long as it's as good (in general) as the damaged bit? It's supposed to keep insurances costs down?

Brushes? Diodes?

I think that used to be commonplace in the smaller garages but I've never seen it in the bigger / main dealer types.

Nice. We experienced such a place when stranded in South Wales once ... they dealt with us there and then, knew what they were doing* and were very reasonably priced. * The actual problem was just a blocked fuel filter in the petrol tank (2000E) so cost more in labour than parts. Wasn't there a saying that went along the lines of: 'Sixpence for doing it, 19s and 6d for knowing how to do it'? ;-)

The thing is, if you add up all your incomings and they aren't less than your outgoings then it's probably not worth doing it. So, if you (or your family) bought / had the premises and the tools years ago then you don't need to charge much to 'make a living'.

Renting a modern building and buying new tools and training staff on all the new kit costs money so I guess they can't so easily afford the luxury of such 'value' service?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

What I love about that scenario is how they can't do it themselves and yet have a very good idea of how little it will take to fix. The other one is 'don't take too much time over it' ... like you have the choice (if you are going for a repair) or wouldn't choose the more efficient solution in any case? ;-)

And that's what I was saying above. Because I do such things for friends and family I often first give the machines a once over to see if it's something trivial. I can generally do that in between doing other stuff.

Again, pretty typical 'I didn't know what they were (the reinstall media) so I threw them away' ... ;-(

Whoosh eh. ;-(

And that's a shame (for her obviously) because she probably won't get as thorough a job done anywhere else and at whatever it might cost her in a few beers or whatever.

Like you I am learning to be harder with these people but still often separate the PC from the person and still want to do my best for the PC, in spite of it's thoughtless owner (once at least). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m
[...]

Ford did that in the UK as a gimmick years ago.

A work colleague showed me the four plugs the dealer had given him after his V6 Capri was serviced...

Oh, and they were the wrong thread.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

My local PC shop does the same (again, within reason) and whilst most people don't want most bits (PSU's, RAM etc) they do suggest they take away any hard drives that were failing rather than actually being dead on the grounds they may still be referenced in a future emergency (like a crude archive / backup).

If a hard drive had been upgraded they will offer to put the old drive in an external USB caddy in case 1) something had not been copied over or 2) it could still be used as an additional drive / backup etc.

I think that some dead car parts that could be repaired and aren't an exchange item (alternator, FI pump, ECU's, instruments etc) there could be some money to be recovered (if you CBA and for the S&G's etc).

Old car batteries have reasonable value again and some good bits could be recovered from otherwise dead modules (LED's or motors etc).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

It used to be common in the UK too.

I usually do any repairs I'm capable of myself. But well remember driving to work one day when the alternator failed. But it got me to work on the battery alone. The return journey was going to be when it was dark, so contacted the RAC. They couldn't supply and fit a new alternator, so would only take the car to the nearest approved garage. Who fitted a new alternator and battery at vast cost. I expected to get the old parts back

- especially the battery which was just fine and not old. Nor was it run flat. But no. It was now their property.

So not only was I charged top dollar for labour to change these bits, but also top dollar for the new parts. (The battery cost twice what I could have got an identical one for). And *very* unlikely it had failed at the same time as the alternator.

Is it any wonder I don't trust the motor trade. ;-)

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I'm not proud to say that this was one of the reasons I went over to using Macs. I could now say, with some truth, that I now longer used Windows and had forgotten most of what I had remembered and was out of date.

I still use Windows but only as a platform for certain software. Ironically, it very rarely goes wrong (Windows XP and 10).

Reply to
RJH

I'd asked BMW twice to do this - they forgot both times. I've started using a local independent and last time (cam belt change) they did it with grace.

Reply to
RJH
[...]

That's the odd thing about me fixing Windows machines for others (apart from my neighbour!) - I barely use it!

I migrated 95% of what I do to Linux over a couple of years; it's only things like updating my sat-nav that I still keep a Windows box alive. I'm really surprised how say W7 seems, even on a core i5 box.

I have a Mac Mini that I tried in order to drop MS altogether, but I didn't get on with it. I'm an inveterate tinkerer, and that's not the Apple way. Nice machines, and perfect for people who only want computers to work, not want to work on their computers!

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

I guess the same could be said for loads of things you don't use that others break or need configuring etc?

My problem was that there were too many examples of that sort of thing ('Windows only' hardware / software) to make to thought of any move (and I actually built a PC with that in mind) an uphill struggle.

So that was 'slow' I'm guessing. ;-) I think I remember OSX feeling 'snappier' on this single core Mac Mini than XP but I think the last time I booted into OSX must be measured in years. Thanks to it being available I was able to glean at least a reasonable familiarity with OSX though (again, something that has helped me help others).

You could have run Windows on it and potentially also Linux (never tried). At least it would be a very small, low power and near silent box. ;-)

I used to be, (of my own machines) but not so much these days. However, I do like the flexibility of a generic (ideally) self built machine and why most of my PC's and servers are.

Nice and 'expensive' machines, if you don't use all of the features or appreciate the 'design' thing.

Quite, like my Dad, who really only used his iMac as a word processor and email client.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

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