COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

[PanBiker]

Someone perhaps moved a bit too fast and broke something.

[Tizer]

`Windows 11 launches with redesigned start menu' LINK
`Windows 11 has some significant design changes, along with some alterations on how the system works under the hood. By default, the Start menu is centred on screen, along with icons in the taskbar. When clicked on, the Start button opens a menu of frequently used apps.'

Now I wonder where they got that idea? The BBC reporter says in some ways, it mimics the appearance of a smartphone app menu or launcher. But Ubuntu has been using that configuration for years - I click a symbol at bottom left of my screen and up come the frequently used apps (and more), plus a launcher for typing in other app names or tasks.

[Stanley]

And Ubuntu doesn't make decisions that clutter the screen, it just sits there to hand and waits for you to ask for something with one click.
I used to hate Windows telling me I had done something 'illegal', Ubuntu doesn't do that.

[Tripps]

My contract with Plusnet for broadband expires soon. They told me about it and gave me a number to ring and discuss options.

It didn't go well.

I decided to give up my phone 'call package' and was told that was fine - I would just go to PAYG for out going calls, and incoming calls would not be affected. I have unlimited calls on my mobile (also with Plusnet) so that's fine. So for nearly the same service, I've saved about £8 per month. Since I've been with them since 2009, he said I could have the free evening and wekend calls package for free. Finally he said he would have to alert me to the full terms and conditions, but since they were long he would send them in by email. "Fine" says I.

I received an email from a company called Lightico, that I've never heard of - headed 'Screen Share Session Request' . The name Plusnet was nowhere to be seen. Not a chance, thought this cautious silver surfer. I'm sharing nothing with anybody I've never heard of, and ceratinly I'm pressing no links in an email.

I told the agent this and he spent the next several minutes trying to persuade me otherwise. He failed. At the fifth time of hearing that I wished, and insisted on withdrawing from all changes he finally accepted defeat. I said I would check it out and get back to him. I repeatedly asked him to send the T&C's by a direct email from him, as a document. He did offer to read them to me, but by now trust had been lost, and I needed a break to think and re-group.

The Plusnet Forum does not reassure. They monitor this, so I'm surprised to see no comment from the Company. Plusnet Lightico


I've got two months yet before a decision is to be made, and the helpful agent said he has put a note on the file wth the deal they offered, and it still stands, so no harm done.

[Tizer]

I would probably have reacted the same way, Tripps. But I've been dealing with them in the past by using the chat line - I've just looked and it was available on their home page page using a little icon at bottom right of the screen: Plusnet Write your message first in your text editor to save time. Include your name and Plusnet name. Then click the chat line and paste it in and wait. I've always found this works well and at the end you can click to download a full copy of the chat. In the past they've also sent me the information automatically in an email. It's worth giving the chat line a try.

[Stanley]

Good luck with it David.... I hope the agents have Yorkshire accents...

[Tizer]

If they don't have Yorkshire accents at Plusnet something serious must have changed. They've always been proud of their local workforce and made it a selling point.

[Stanley]

British Gas agents don't have Yorkshire accents, more like Punjab....

[Tizer]

Plusnet email's server has crashed this morning which affects me and, I think, Tripps too. DownDetector

[MickBrett]

Today I had the fun of trying to get an old laptop (which I have inherited from my wife the other day) to talk to my ancient printer scanner.
No luck even though I still had, by some miracle, the original installation software on a disc.

I put Linux on a bootable USB stick and ran it as a live disc. Then I plugged in the printer and it worked first time.

So I guess I'll strip Windows off it and load Linux permanently.

[Stanley]

What a good idea, Tizer and I both run Ubuntu and are converts.

[Tizer]

Which Linux variant (`flavour', as they are called) are you using, Mick? There are many different types because anyone can take the base Linux and build their own version. As Stanley says, we're both using the standard Ubuntu which is the most popular one but there are also `smaller' siblings that are more suited to older devices with less memory. We're using Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Long Term Support). The LTS versions are stable and receive updates for 5 years. Our 18.04 LTS was released in April 2018 and we can safely stay on it to early 2023. There are now 20.04 LTS and 22.04 LTS but we're quite happy with what we have and are probably staying on it until we need to change. We were lucky in the past to have advice from Barlick computer man Stephen Taylforth (`Pluggy') who is very familiar with Ubuntu and uses it himself but unfortunately he's now `out of action' due to a long-term medical problem. However we usually find Ubuntu very stable. And of course one of the great attractions is that the OS is free and the software repository has many applications available and all free.

I don't know the extent of your computer and software experience and you may well know a lot more about it than I do! But feel free to ask Ubuntu questions!

[plaques]

For rather convoluted reason we decided to leave TalkTalk and move to a different provider. This now meant that we lost our TalkTalk email address that is unless we were prepared to pay £50 per year for the privilege. No problem raised a gmail address. Now the problem, modified the One Guy address no problem but then found that the auto log in wouldn't let me in. Panic call to Ian (Panbiker) who identified it as probably the Google Chrome syncing as the culprit. Switched sync off. and now back to normal as you can see. A big thanks to Ian. I would have gone into meltdown trying to find that. Isn't One Guy marvellous.

[Stanley]

Please send me an email Ken so I have the correct address. Can't do with losing touch with you!!

[MickBrett]

Which Linux variant (`flavour', as they are called) are you using, Mick?

Snipped for brevity

I'm using the latest version of Mint.
I have an older Mint version (possibly Cinnamon) on an ancient desktop computer I've had kicking around for yonks and it has served me well.
I'm going to ditch the old desktop and just use the laptop once it's up and running.

I have 2 other computers which are running Windows 10.

[PanBiker]

Internet is hit and miss on the Croft and has been for the last couple of days. From what I can glean this is an Open Reach infrastructure problem and should be sorted next week with a bit of luck. Reading and replying to posts can take a few minutes to fetch the posts and the same to reply. Router says there is nothing wrong.

[Big Kev]

Facebook is full of posts about internet issues. They're all the usual 'EE is useless', 'Sky is useless', 'TalkTalk is useless'. Unfortunately a lot of people can't grasp the concept of how the infrastructure works no matter how many times it's explained to them

[PanBiker]

Tinternet seems to be behaving itself now. I noticed when the news notifications on my phone actually worked when I clicked on the articles.

[Stanley]

I've not noticed a problem. I have noticed that we have more Open Reach vans than of late.

[Tripps]

I've just spent a frustrating half hour trying to get a new mystery object. Problem is the picture is of the type .webp which seems not to be recognised everywhere. The object is time critical so I have given up.

[Tizer]

I've saved .webp images from the web even though I'd never heard of them before. Just opened them in my photo editor and told it to convert them to .jpg which it did OK. On the other hand, you could simply take a screenshot of the original image.

[MickBrett]

I had a small (250GB's) ssd hard drive knocking around so I put it in the old laptop which I inherited from my wife.
Then I installed Linux Mint latest release.
Got the printer working first time but couldn't get the WiFi to work.
Tried a USB WiFi adapter but without any success. Neither did using a keyboard sequence to turn it on.

After a lot of messing around I found that the WiFi on/off switch, located on the front edge, was broken and jammed in the "off" position.
That meant I had to pull the darn thing apart and poke it into the "on" position using a small screwdriver.
But it's all done now and everything is working fine.

Now I have to think of something to do with it.
Maybe install Virtualbox and play around with a few different OS's. That should keep me out of trouble for a while.

Another possible is to hook it up to our telly but my wife is watching the tennis so that's a no-go area at the moment.
You see, I like sleeping in the big bed and our sofa isn't that comfortable...

[Stanley]

.webp has been frustrating me as well. I thought I'd tried Peter's route but perhaps not. I shall try again.
Ah Mick, one of the disadvantages of living with a partner.... I don't think I could do it now if I tried!

[Tripps]

I got round the problem by using the Microsoft Edge browser. That deals with it - but don't ask me to repeat the process.

I guess because the file type is from the Microsoft stable.

[Tizer]

It's a Google format.

Stanley, in Ubuntu Gthumb supports WebP images by default. Have you got your Gthumb working again? In my post above I said I converted the .webp to .jpg in gThumb using the Convert File Type tool but that's simply because I use JPG generally and wanted to be consistent. Otherwise you can leave the file as .webp as long as you access it via Gthumb.

[I've edited this from my original version]
The default Gnome image viewer in Ubuntu won't open .webp files, which means try clicking on the .webp file name in your file manager it won't work. There is a way to make gThumb the default application for opening .webp images in Ubuntu and it's very simple. In your file manager right-click on the .wbp file to get the context menu, select `Open with other application', click `View all applications', select Gthumb.