[GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP PC;

[Steve Petrie, P.Eng.]

Hello Russell,

Thanks for your response.

My comments are inline below.

Steve

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Russell Reiter" <rreiter91 at gmail.com>
To: "GTALUG Talk" <talk at gtalug.org>; "D. Hugh Redelmeier" 
<hugh at mimosa.com>
Cc: "Steve Petrie, P.Eng." <apetrie at aspetrie.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: [GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP 
PC;


> On Jul 26, 2016 9:27 PM, "D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk" 
> <talk at gtalug.org>
> wrote:
>>
>> | From: "Steve Petrie, P.Eng. via talk" <talk at gtalug.org>
>>
>> | I don't really have a few weeks to spare. I need to get the Linux 
>> PC up
>> | and running, so I can get back to the rest of my life.
>>
> <snip>
>> Just to amplify what Len said:
>>
>> - external serial modems are very standard and well-supported
>
> I believe as a general rule of thumb any Hayes compatable modem will 
> work
> with Linux. I've not tested this tho.
>

I'll keep this in mind.

<snip>

>
> I tinkered with GSM tethering. I did an install with the phone 
> tethered and
> linux found the phones modem and created the proper serial nodes at 
> the
> time. On reboot, I had to fool around with usb modeswitching from 
> storage
> to modem using a udev rule.

My head is spinning.

Given that I'm still using dial-up on my current Windows XP system, no 
one will be surprised to learn that I carry no mobile and hope to make 
it all the way to my conference with the "Grim Reaper" and never, ever 
walk around with some oligarchic comms carrier knowing where I am.

>
>>
>> - avoid "WinModems".  Those require proprietary drivers.  Some have
>
> <snip the middle>
>
>>
>> If you don't have a broadband internet connection, all sorts of 
>> things
>> that I don't notice might become problems.  Like updates.
>
> I updated the unit I referred to above using the phones modem for 
> about a
> year. Even when I went over my Data plan (6gb high  speed the rest
> throttled to 30kbs) I had no problems. I could even watch YouTube as 
> long
> as I used low res and preloaded for a couple of minutes.
>

Interesting. And encouraging. Maybe I can hold out a while longer, and 
keep using dial-up with the new Linux PC, postponing the extra expense 
of DSL versus dial-up. I pay today $15 / mo. (+taxes) for dial-up 
access. My ISP (Start.ca) wants $40 / mo. (plus taxes) for 5 Mbs DSL 
service.

>>
>> ================
>>
>> Good luck and have fun.
>> ---
>> Talk Mailing List
>> talk at gtalug.org
>> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
>
> Russell
> Sent from mobile.
>