Re: Buying new computer - what operating systems will work with Xywrite

["Patricia M. Godfrey" priscamg@xxxxxxxx]

peregrine@xxxxxxxx wrote:
> I've just succeeded today in launching both XyWrite IV and XyWrite III+
> on Ubuntu Linux, running within DOSBOX on a Dell Optiplex GX1 (Pentium
> 3, 640MB RAM).


Glory, Hallelujah! Bless you, Jeff. Way to go!

> The operating system is a purely default install of Ubuntu 7.0 from a CD
> image downloaded from http://www.ubuntu.com
> ... I then updated that installation using the "alternate" CD update to
> version 7.04 (I updated this way because the default installation did
> not recognize either my onboard network interface or sound card). This
> may not be the ideal, as it's the "bleeding edge" stable version of
> Ubuntu rather than the "long term service" version 6.06, but I imagine
> there's little difference as far as XyWrite is concerned (Ubuntu 6.06
> also failed to recognize my NIC, which is why I tried 7.0).
I do keep hearing about various Linux distros having trouble
recognizing NICs. Seems odd, since surely *nix is much more
a NOS that any piece of Redmond Rubbish.


> ... and after installing a few other things that DOSBOX depends on for
> its functionality. Most of these will not actually be needed for
> XyWrite, but DOSBOX looks for them because it is designed mainly to run
> old DOS-based games. XyWrite does indeed work, though!


Please do advise us what those "few other things" are. Linux
docs are not, I have found, very good about telling you what
else you might need.
> One way or another, I'll have to remap the keyboard file
> for XyWrite or for DOSBOX. DOSBOX has its own hotkeys that conflict with
> some of Xy's. Ctrl-F9, for example, instantly shuts down DOSBOX (and
> XyWrite, or anything else running within DOSBOX). So that's got to
> change, or I can't switch into Xy's "expanded" mode.


Remapping the Xy keyboard is probably easier. Everyone does
it, to varying degrees. And was Ctrl-F9 perhaps a typo?
Because Ctrl-F8 is the out-of-the-box key for Expanded mode.
> I have had better luck with Ubuntu Linux
> installations on other (newer) computers, which were instantly
> configured correctly for internet access, so this is unlikely to be an
> issue for most of you if you ever decide to try it. But if it IS a
> problem, I have saved all the files I needed for installation and will
> keep them in a ZIP file I can share.
Hmm, I wonder if *nix assumes an always on connection? I
have not been able to set up my dial-up account on Xandros,
mostly because my "Linux-friendly" ISP's instructions want
me to use programs and utilities that don't exist in
Xandros, or else (using the GUI) to enter data in infoboxes
that Xandros's wizard doesn't provide. I have Suse, but it's
on a DVD, and with squirrels in the attic and whatever, I
haven't had a chance to get a DVD drive yet.



> I will try to find time soon to write out some simple instructions for
> how to do all this, and maybe we can post the zipped file and the
> instructions on the XyWwweb site, xywrite.com and elsewhere?

Yes! Please!
--
Patricia M. Godfrey
priscamg@xxxxxxxx