Author: hantslug Date: To: Hampshire LUG Discussion List Subject: Re: [Hampshire] Is a faulty download to blame for my problems?
On Sunday 18 November 2007 13:07, Alan Pope wrote: > Hi Lisi,
>
> On Sun, 2007-11-18 at 10:36 +0000, hantslug@??? wrote:
> > So the question inevitably arrises: software or hardware?
>
> Ok, I'm going to try to say this as tactfully as I possibly can, and
> hope you don't take offence to this. There is a third option that could
> be at fault. The operator of the computer.
Yes - of course there is. I'm sorry. It was my diagnostics that were at
fault, not my hubris. The problems that I mentioned that arise, I think,
from my hidden files I have always assumed _were_ my fault, but I wanted to
get the installation itself sorted out and then start trying to find out what
I did with those. But I didn't realise that I could have caused these other
problems because I am not aware of anything that I might have done that could
have caused it. I haven't had time yet to mess around with it!! :-( Yes, I
know. Famous last words.
> Could it be that you've done "something dumb" which has got you in this
> situation rather than it being a hardware or software "fault"?
Yes - definitely a fault; but as you say, it could be a human fault.
> I know I have done things (on various systems) in the past which were
> stupid and resulted in breakage. At the time I was happy to blame the
> software but later discovered it was my own ineptitude that caused the
> problem (even getting ridiculed by other employees at christmas parties
> for years afterwards - calls in my direction of "he formatted my hard
> disk!" across the dance floor were not unheard of).
>
> The reason I say this is not to point the finger but to alert you that
> whatever distro you choose, whatever version, if you're doing something
> fundamentally wrong then you're going to break it. Now the issue is _if_
> that's the case, how do you identify what it is.
Yes. Quite!! Let's put that list up to 3 as I should have done in the first
place: hardware, software, operator:- where does the fault lie and what do I
do about it?
I shall start by trying Hugo's suggestions, but I feel that nuking requires
rather more peace than I have at the moment, so shall probably wait until the
morning.
All other suggestions meanwhile very gratefully received. I'd much rather
solve this than desert to another Distro!
