COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[Pluggy]

I'm with Ian, live chat sessions are a huge improvement on endless menus on phones. As they take place in a browser window its no different to looking at OGFB in reality, just that the text on the screen changes faster. A minimal security issue in my book, especially if you're using Linux over windows.

If you want risky, be an avid 'click baiter' on Facebook using Windows or Android..

[Tizer]

Thanks Panbiker and Pluggy for your comments. I've used Live Chat before and like it - I agree about it being great to avoid long menus, lift music and also all those `cover my back statements'. It was the Co-Browse that I'd never used before. Having looked on the web it seems to be an Oracle application that allows remote sharing of a web screen but doesn't allow access to the hard disk.

[PanBiker]

The managed IT services that had been bought into in my last full time employment used remote access to sort "customers" out. The service desk was operated from Seattle.

[Stanley]

I have no problem with the live chat, it's the access that bothers me. That's how the scammers almost got me when Firefox saved my bacon at the last minute by warning me not to do what had been requested. Include me out.....

[Tizer]

But we're talking about contacting the company directly, Stanley, not receiving calls or emails where we don't know the caller or sender. I logged into my Direct Line account with my password, started a Live Chat session with them then set up a Co-Browse session. They can't do anything with my computer hard disk unless I gave them my Ubuntu password. We've got to have some level of trust in the service companies otherwise we'd have to do without the services.

[Stanley]

Yes, it's probably me being paranoid.
Message for Pluggy. For various reasons I am going to delay the FM4 so what I'd like you to do please is call round at your convenience and upgrade me to whatever you recommend. Thank you.

[Pluggy]

Tomorrow morning (Thursday 19th Jan) 10 O'clock would work for me Stanley. You'll no doubt see this in the wee hours of tomorrow. If I don't hear other wise I'll come round about 10.

[Stanley]

I'll expect you then Pluggy, if I'm not in, hang about for a minute or two, I shall be out for about five minutes giving Jack the chance to have a pee. Look forward to seeing you.....
Much later...... Pluggy has been and worked his usual magic. The FM3 likes Ubuntu 16 and we have it set up just how I like it. Everything is working fine and the only difference |I can see is that the screen is crisper and there are some welcome changes like a definite colour in the side bar indicator, before it was the same colour as the background and difficult to see. We took the opportunity of uploading the latest versions of my favourite programmes like Gimp and on the whole they are better but Gimp works differently and I shall have to do some tweaking as it beds in. It took me ages to upload 7 images from the camera but I will soon iron that out.
As I say the screen images are crisper, I opened a video that came in via Whatsapp yesterday that version 12 didn't like, version 16 had no problem. I think the programmes load a bit faster as well. Pluggy commented again how fast the FM3 is.... We are so lucky to have access to Pluggy and his skills. I don't doubt I could have done this myself but so much easier and quicker and less stress to let Plugs take the strain!
He opened the case and disconnected my data hard drive while he did the conversion to make certain there were no unexpected hitches. I told him to close it up again without me blowing it out but I've decided we may as well do the job properly so when I shut down I'll open it up again and have a bit of a dust round with the air hose.....

[Stanley]

You never make radical changes without there being an aftermath! Apart from grappling with the new version of Gimp.... I haven't quite tamed it yet but I can make it work, I have hit problems with the new version of Libre Writer 5. I can't make the spell check work and it isn't talking to the printer! I opened the case again and checked everything. As far as I can see all my USB sockets are act5ive, I checked them by seeing if an inserted pen drive reported properly, all OK. Then I looked at the printer and as far as I can see it is behaving normally. There is only one thing left, the integrity of the cable so I have ordered a new one and will leave that problem alone until I get it. All time wasting of course but I shall prevail! Oh, one other test was to attempt to print from Gimp in case it was a problem with Libre Writer but that failed as well so I reckon it's got to be communication between the computer and the printer, in other words, the cable. All par for the course and I shall survive.
Version 16 of Ubuntu is different but I think I have a handle on it. As far as I can see the upgrades are automatic but I shall wait and see......
Later..... I like straight edges. When I write an article I always keep a hard copy of the text and pic in a file and when it is published I file the copy with the original article. Due to the failure of my HP printer I couldn't do that for the last two so I have just transferred them to a pen drive and printed them off on the old IBM Aptiva upstairs, nobody ever got fired for buying IBM! One thing that struck me, I had to use ACDsee to print the pics and I haven't opened it for years. I still think it is the best image handling programme I have ever found. It worked perfectly as well and I am now a happy bunny. By the way, the printer is an ancient laser printer that Ringo gave me years ago. Like the IBM, it is bullet proof. It does what you want every time, slowly but surely! There is a lot to be said for some of the old kit!

[Big Kev]

You never make radical changes without there being an aftermath! Apart from grappling with the new version of Gimp.... I haven't quite tamed it yet but I can make it work, I have hit problems with the new version of Libre Writer 5. I can't make the spell check work and it isn't talking to the printer! I opened the case again and checked everything. As far as I can see all my USB sockets are act5ive, I checked them by seeing if an inserted pen drive reported properly, all OK. Then I looked at the printer and as far as I can see it is behaving normally. There is only one thing left, the integrity of the cable so I have ordered a new one and will leave that problem alone until I get it. All time wasting of course but I shall prevail! Oh, one other test was to attempt to print from Gimp in case it was a problem with Libre Writer but that failed as well so I reckon it's got to be communication between the computer and the printer, in other words, the cable. All par for the course and I shall survive.
Version 16 of Ubuntu is different but I think I have a handle on it. As far as I can see the upgrades are automatic but I shall wait and see......
Later..... I like straight edges. When I write an article I always keep a hard copy of the text and pic in a file and when it is published I file the copy with the original article. Due to the failure of my HP printer I couldn't do that for the last two so I have just transferred them to a pen drive and printed them off on the old IBM Aptiva upstairs, nobody ever got fired for buying IBM! One thing that struck me, I had to use ACDsee to print the pics and I haven't opened it for years. I still think it is the best image handling programme I have ever found. It worked perfectly as well and I am now a happy bunny. By the way, the printer is an ancient laser printer that Ringo gave me years ago. Like the IBM, it is bullet proof. It does what you want every time, slowly but surely! There is a lot to be said for some of the old kit!

Have you uninstalled and reinstalled the printer? A quick Google shows that others have had the same issue after an upgrade Ask Ubuntu

[Pluggy]

Big Kev has the answer, removing and reinstalling the printer is the way to go. Don't worry, its pretty trivial especially with a cabled printer. I have no insight on the spell checker not playing. Its not something I use much.

[Tizer]

[Stanley, I wrote this just as Pluggy posted but I'll post it anyway. Try what Kev and Pluggy suggest first.]

Stanley, keep in mind that you've upgraded from v.12 to v.16 in one go, that's a big jump and perhaps not surprising that a few things need tweaking. As well as the OS the other applications have undergone many upgrades and will look different. You and I, on Long-Term Support (LTS) versions of Ubuntu will have been using versions of the applications designed for v.12. The printer problem may be simply that you need a specific file installing for that printer. If you write the printer name and details into google together with the word Ubuntu you might get directed to a download of a printer file.

Spelling in LibreOffice...How do you normally access the spellchecker? If you open the Tools menu is Spelling and Grammar listed and working when you click it?

[Stanley]

Thanks for the input. The printer..... nothing I do has any effect and I have remembered that when Pluggy first installed it for me after following the instructions failed, he decided it was the HP driver that was at fault and swapped it to a generic driver and all was fine. I shall wait for the new cable to arrive and when it does I will get Pluggy to have a look. It could be the same fault, Ubuntu not liking the driver.
As for the spell check, I have checked and it is reporting that everything is OK and switched on but it still doesn't work. I shall ignore this and soldier on, this happened the first time I used Open Office and eventually I cracked it but I can't remember how!
I am getting to grips with GIMP 2.8 and will eventually tame it!
On the whole I like the change to 16..... the computer is faster, there are small improvements and the screen appearance is 'crisper'. I can't describe it any better than that.

[Tizer]

Thanks for being the guinea pig. We'll be upgrading to v.16 soon so I watch your progress with interest. I've never had the spellchecker failing to work in Open Office or Libre Office. It should open up by either clicking F7 or clicking Tools | Spelling and Grammar. Have a look under Tools | Language | For Selection and make sure `English (UK)' is ticked and not `None'.

Thinks...when you say you can't make the spellcheck work do you mean you're trying to start up the spellchecker on a completed document and running through to make corrections? Or do you mean it isn't red-lining mis-spellings as you write?

[Stanley]

Tried it, still no joy and when I try to use F7 it reports none as the language and won't change. I shall ignore it, too much time wasted! It will change eventually.....

[Tizer]

You need to set a language, which is easy to do and need only be done once.
First off, check your system language is set:
Click on the System Settings icon on the side of your screen (wrench & cogwheel).
Click on Language Support and it will open a window showing the settings.
It may also offer you languages if they haven't been installed.
My settings are as follows, in the graphic.



Then check that LibreOffice has the languages too:
Open LibreOffice with a blank document page.
Click Tools in the top menus bar.
Click Options (bottom in dropdown list).
You get the window shown in my graphic below.
That shows my settings.
You should be able to choose languages in the dropdown menus, then restart LibreOffice.
If they are empty then you need to download LibreOffice dictionaries. Best ask Pluggy about that.

[Stanley]

Tiz, I've tried all that and had no success. I am not going to waste any more time on it!

[Tizer]

I'll soon be updating to 16.04 so then we can see if I get the same problem.

This was on the radio but is now available as a BBC web article:
`How the barcode changed retailing and manufacturing' by Tim Harford LINK

[Tizer]

I downloaded the Ubuntu 16.04 file today and put it on a USB stick to function as a startup disk and as a `Live' disk to get a preview. I changed the boot priority in BIOS then went into it as a Live disk and had a play around. There doesn't seem to be anything very different in the look of it - which is good from my point of view. I tried the LibrOffice spellchecker and it worked OK but that doesn't mean it will when I install the software. We'll have to with and see what happens then! The only thing I noticed that I didn't like is that the scroll bars seem to have become even narrower than they were, presumably to suit small mobile gadgets but not helpful for those of us with older eyes. On the other hand, the scroll bar in Firefox is now in orange and very easy to see even though it's narrow. Why can't all the apps have bright scroll bars?

I was impressed by how easy it was to make the startup disk from Ubuntu. I opened the dash (the top left icon), typed in `startup', clicked and it opened ready. Searched and found the Ubuntu install file in the window. Put the USB stick in the computer and it showed up in the window. Clicked Make Startup Disk, waited a while and that was it. Lovely! I've made my data and system file backup and the next stage is the install. That will happen when I can devote enough time to it and I don't need the computer immediately, just in case there are any glitches. I happened to look back at some files today and saw that In January 2005 I was using Mandrake Linux. By 2006 I was using Ubuntu so now I've been an Ubuntu user for over 10 years. How things have moved on since then! Mandrake wasn't easy for someone with my meagre knowledge of computers.

[Stanley]

I don't think the spell check problem is anything to do with Ubuntu 16, it's more likely to be the new version of Open Office WP, Libre 5 which is different. I am gradually taming Gimp 2.8...... When I get my new cable for the printer I'll try it and if that doesn't cure it I shall get Pluggy in....... Any time now.....
Later.... Remember what I said about having patience and waiting to see if Libre 5 gave any clues? I was using it this morning and it misbehaved, it wouldn't automatically clear a piece of highlighted text when I clicked on another section so I closed it, reopened it and tried again. It had cured itself. I am suspecting the installation of Open Office I have is corrupted so when Pluggy comes I'll get him to zap it and reload. Its failure to respond to attempts to configure the language and spelling could be a sign of the same thing.

[Tizer]

It's easy to remove and then add LibreOffice Writer in the Ubunbtu Software Centre, the icon that looks like bubbles coming out of a briefcase (if it looks the same on 16.0 - hover your cursor over to check the name). Just put the word writer into the search box (top right) and then click remove. Leave it to do the job. When it finishes and the Remove has changed to Install click that and leave it to do its job.

[Stanley]

I'll leave it to Pluggy..... He is much better at these things than I am! Besides, he has a family to support!!
Later..... Pluggy came round and worked his magic. It turned out to be far more complicated than either of us suspected. He'll tall you what was wrong but mainly it was HP's eccentric views of what should be included in drivers and Open Office having some of the same faults. The bottom line is that after a lot of hard work we now have a printer that works and a Libre 5 writer that is doing all the things it should. I am well pleased and have got all my other programmes sorted out and back to how I want them to work but it wasn't easy and no way could I have done it......

[Pluggy]

Somewhat bizarrely, The spell checker works fine when you run it from live CD or memory stick, but doesn't when you've installed it. Basically because half the bits required to make it work aren't installed.

This page contains the clues you need : http://askubuntu.com/questions/682170/w ... k-spelling.

The printer not working I'd lay at HP's door rather than Canonical's , Hp have changed the way their drivers work, and half the bits required for that were missing.

It "installs" itself out of the box, accepts print jobs but it doesn't print them and gives no clues as to why it doesn't work. I've come to expect better from Linux, this is as bad as Microsoft back in the XP days. Download and install the latest version of hplip and jump the hoops to put the missing bits back.

I think I'll stay with 14.04 a bit longer......

[Stanley]

I don't mind being a guinea pig! By the way, another problem with Libre 5 is cured. When you open it now it defaults to the last preferred view option as it should instead of making you change it every time. V16 is fine, faster overall and a crisper image with better colours than V12. I'm glad I changed..... Thanks Pluggy for being so patient and solving the problems. No way I could have done it.....

[Tizer]

I've installed Ubuntu 16.04, but not without problems. Once installed I found, like Stanley, that the LibreOffice spellchecker didn't work but I followed Pluggy's web link and that got it sorted. Another missing and important item was the Ubuntu Software Centre which is the `manager' for getting extra applications beyond the basic ones already loaded. I found a page on the web with the solution which allowed me to install the Centre, but it should have been there from the beginning instead of me having to use the terminal to install it.

The big problem though was the actual install of Ubuntu v.16.04 but this may have been peculiar to my situation. I won't go into detail here because it's a bit long-winded - I've bored Pluggy by sending him full details! I tried to do it first from files on a USB stick and all seemed OK until I restarted and got the dreaded black screen. Several attempts failed and I then tried to do it from a DVD but got similar problems. Using a `live CD' to view the system it seemed that the OS was being installed OK to the hard disk but then I couldn't start it. I eventually deleted all the partitions on the HDD and did it again from the DVD. It gave me the same black screen and `Reboot and select proper boot device...' message. Then in the BIOS I found the HDD wasn't being listed in the boot menu so I added it in and then all was well. I think the USB stick might have caused some problem in the BIOS menu - at one point when I tried to boot from USB there were three USB icons!.