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ICEPACK LINUX

(Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unaffiliated)

Programs I Like

By Shel Daltrey
rev. 6/12/02


Here are linux programs/features I like.  Experience tells me, your mileage will vary.  I can't say that other programs don't do it better or just as well.
  1. KDE Desktop.  Icepack support says it's "not as fast" as some of the others, but I like it's features.  I imagine 3.0 will be/is even better, but I haven't tried it yet.

  2. Konqueror.  This comes with KDE Desktop and it is a great file manager/browser all in one.  It takes some getting used to, since the GUI is not specifically "netscape/MSIE."  There may be pages it won't view well, but it works for me.  The icepack install is missing some portions of openssl and requires an update in order to log into at least some secure websites.  I like the integration, drag and drop ftp, ability to allow java, javascript, cookies and images on a site by site basis.  It is mozilla/netscape based, and it seems like the netscape plugins will work.  I also like the fact that you can browse "no images" and then if you hit a page that requires images to navigate, hit the "image" button and display all the images on that page.

  3. Mozilla.  I was never a Netscape booster for two reasons.  The first was that it always crashed in Windows, so I gave up on it.  The second was that when Netscape went public, it would have to have been the most successful company of all time to justify the first-day stock price.  Starting with a government financed browser, suddenly they were making a mint.  But I like the new Mozilla model -- Netscape "open-sourced" the code and you can read all about it on the Mozilla website.

    How many browsers does a person need, anyway?  Well, one feature I need Mozilla for is the WSIWYG html composer.  I may not be the best html designer on the block, but for the features I want on my webpages, it works pretty good and it was nice to say "goodbye FrontPage."  Since I use Kmail, I don't need the Mozilla e-mail and newsgroups, but if you like everything in a "suite," these are available.

    Icepack comes with five or six browsers automatically installed, who needs them?  There is "Dillo," which is bare bones and supposed to be really fast, but I don't have any issues with browser speed.  There is Lynx, which I think is a text-based browser for the graphically impaired and another one that is related I think.  Then there is Mozilla, Netscape, Knoqueror and Opera.  Well, Opera has imbedded advertising, Netscape is superfluous (unless there are some web pages out there that won't accommodate Mozilla) and so on.  Uninstall some browsers and save some disk space.

  4. Kmail.  Kmail is fast, has a nice gui, supports multi-identities and multi-accounts.  Serves all of my needs and interfaces with the KDE addressbook.  'nuf said and I really have to say "thank you" to Pegasus for all those wonderful years ...

  5. Dosemu.  Anyone else still run DOS programs?  I just keep moving them from computer to computer, it's too much trouble to rewrite the stuff, works fine in DOS and does what I want.

  6. more later.

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