Hope and Change Inside My Computer - Part II

Prologue:  I can't tell you exactly when I made the decision but somewhere between playing with LibreOffice and the webcam software, I found myself dropping and dragging important files from my Windows world onto a portable hard drive.


It was about 6 PM that evening, roughly 9 weeks ago, I double-clicked the "Install Linux Mint" icon.



I will not bore you with the installation experience except to say that I hesitated for a while as I pondered "partitioning".  Since I was going to use the entire 120 gig hard drive anyway, the instructions were straightforward and understandable.

However, since I was seeing the graphical representation of my hard drive, I wanted to see what my options were.  It took me a short time to really understand the bars at the top of the partitioning program as they related to the partition on which I was focused.  Later, when I experimented with other Linux distros, I learned how to build partitions on which to install them.

For reference to anyone developing partitioning software for installs.  Try to find a way to let people know they have multiple partitions installed.  The drop down menu I saw only showed my primary partition of sda something-or-other and I didn't realize it was a drop down menu.  It was only a month later when experimenting with new distros that I discovered clicking the arrow showed me all my partitions, where as before I had only one.  It's just an idea for what it is worth.

 Honestly, I can see where this would intimidate the uninitiated.  I am the youngest of four kids and all of my older siblings are brothers.  I learned a long time ago, never let them see you sweat.


Speaking of worry, thanks to those who create Mint and other distros for reminding me that I am proceeding without a swap partition.  That halted me long enough to scratch out a note for research later.  I ended up doing the install, then when finished, finding out what a swap partition was.  I found the partitioning tool and resized my partition to include it.  During the install, there was nothing telling me how important it really is.

 Since my initial exposure to Linux, I've seen a few different representations of the partitioning process, different tools and different ways to represent the space that is or will be partitions.  In my opinion, PCLinuxOS and Mandriva have about the easiest partitioning tools for the new user, but given most any of them, a bit of caution and careful reading should get even the most timid to the next screen without hosing messing up their existing installs.

It was less than 15 minutes later, the monitor screen told me my install was done.  Yeah, right.  How many more reboots, question fields and more reboots until I was really finished?

I clicked restart and less than 10 seconds later, my DVD drive slid open and I was instructed to remove the disk and hit enter.  How cool is that?  The DVD drawer actually closed shut after I hit enter.  Less than a minute later, I was a Linux user.

I understand this is old hat to most of you.  To you, a Linux system installation is a matter of course, but this girl has battle scars from Windows installs and on more than one occasion, it has taken in excess of 6 hours to get the system to a usable state.  The fact that I had a connected, fully functional, ready-to-go system in less than 30 minutes amazed me.  It still does today.

One thing that I noted as I explored my new system; there was nothing there that wanted me to sign a trial offer, remind me that a subscription would be needed in 90 days or offer me software that I didn't need.  Sure, there is a TON of programs in a Linux DVD that I would probably never use, but there are many included that I  look forward to using, or at least give them a measure of experimentation.

I truly appreciate the lack of pop-ups and circus-like pages that try to entice me into their software tent.  No, I do not like trialware.

Please do not get me started on wireless drivers in Windows.  It has been explained to me that this used to be a source of great angst for Linux users but installing a distro called Pinguy on my laptop produced immediate connection ability for my ancient Thinkpad.  It is dependent upon a USB dongle wireless device and I take a deep breath of fresh air when I realize I don't have to dig through a pile of disks and flash drives to find those drivers anymore.

For me, my initial install of Linux Mint had everything I needed to get to work.  As a Microsoft Office user, I found LibreOffice to be competent but different enough to have a modest learning curve.  The word processor is smooth as silk.  The spreadsheet solution was an entirely different story.

It is vastly different than Excel.  Once I got the hang of it and began learning the differences in how to do things, I stumbled along until I was able to use it but it's not intuitive at all, at least for me.  It took me forever to figure out how to get it to simply keep running tabs on an ultimate total for an invoice.  I have also learned that conversion between file formats can be greasy if using complex tables or graphics.

My Editor called me and said that it looked like the document had "been under a terrorist attack".  It looked fine on my machine as an .xlt file, but the email delivery fairies must have decided to rearrange it prior to it arriving in the Editor's email box.  It was truly a mess.  I had to come into the office and redo it on Microsoft Office.

I am not a database person so I am completely unqualified to remark on the LibreOffice database.  I do however find the presentation tool completely competent and have used it twice and saved it to Microsoft format without problems.

I am almost enamored by the clean, professional look of most Linux distros.  The clarity and crispness of both visual representation and physical response is, to me, far superior to Microsoft Windows.  My friend Mark has since explained to me that the quickness of the system, even in a full Gnome desktop can be attributed to not having any antivirus software running in the background.  That is another glorious freedom I enjoy.  That is until a friend or relative sends me something "I just have to see" as an .eml file.  I have not found a way to open them.

In Windows, I used Windows Media Player to play my music and VLC to watch clips and movies.  At first I was a taken aback slightly by the choices of media players for Linux.  I am not particularly thrilled with Rhythmbox or Amarok.  I have since settled on Clementine for my music collection.  It just seems to be a cleaner, more productive and easy interface.

Speaking of interfaces.  Even though I have only used Linux for a short time, I could not help finding myself bogged down by the hurricane of dissent concerning things like Gnome, Ubuntu Unity and KDE.  I have spent some time in each type of desktop and find strength and weaknesses in all of them but I will admit a bit of confusion over Ubuntu Unity.

I use dual monitors and for the life of me, Unity refuses to work with them.  As well, it seems to take forever to click through to what I want to do.  I personally find it a hindrance more than a help.  I cannot see myself using it much at all.  I do not understand how clicking two to three times in Unity is a better choice than having to click something once in Gnome or Xfce.  Possibly if I had a small laptop or netbook it might work, but for my two big rigs, it fails immediately.

In all, I suppose I prefer the very first desktop I used and that is the Gnome desktop in Mint.  I hear the roar of the crowd concerning the new Gnome and downloaded Fedora 15 to see what the fuss is about.  In my opinion, all the fuss is about an under cooked chicken.  If the developers have put it out there for ongoing user improvements or "further cooking", then I understand.  If they think that is the finished product, then I will stay an old Gnome user.  Xfce is something I have on my list to use should the old Gnome go away.

In my travels down the Linux Path, I also developed a curiosity to explore KDE.  It is my understanding that there has been a major change within the past couple of years within KDE.  I downloaded the live DVD of Open Suse and took some time to work with it.  KDE is stunningly beautiful but complex.  It has components to it with names so out of sync with what they do, that it was difficult for me to understand their purpose within the environment.

The first time I encountered the Akonadi server, my initial reaction was to ignore it because I didn't need a server on my desktop machine.  I had no idea how important it was to KDE as a whole.  There were others that left me scratching my head as well but I cannot bring them to mind at the moment.  I for one like the "K" naming scheme within KDE.  It lets me know during software searches via Synaptic that it is a KDE application.  On the whole though, KDE is a bit complex for my needs.  There seems to be too many ways to accomplish the same task within that environment and it can be confusing.  Again, this is from a complete new user.

It used to be that I would turn off my computer every night.  I would prefer to leave it on simply for convenience but even Windows 7 has a habit of degrading in performance rapidly if I left it on more than three days in a row.  Sometimes I would have to do a hard shutdown because it would not respond at all.  I would always end up rebooting it to get a "fresh" desktop, and then it seemed to take forever.  I think the last time I turned my Linux computer off was three weeks ago and its performance is as crisp and sharp as it was the day I installed it.



There is a lot to like about Linux.  I am now an official convert.  Fortunately, my co-worker and friend Mark has about half the staff using Linux at the office.  Do not get too excited, there are only 11 of us.  As I understand it, all of our server software is Linux as well.  As I hear it, we are an anomaly in the business world.  At least our anomaly does not crash minutes before a deadline.

In retrospect, I have recently read a large amount of comments and articles on how Linux is not ready for prime time.  Honestly, if I had read even a fraction of these articles, I doubt I would have installed it, even with Mark's endorsement.  In the past two months or so, I can honestly say I can not understand how these writers came to such a conclusion.  Linux works extremely well for me.

With that being said, there are things in Windows I miss.

part III and the final entry to Chika's notes will be posted late tomorrow. - HeliOS.

Hope and Change Inside My Computer

In a thread on LXer.com I became acquainted with a lady who I only know as chikauuno.  Yeah, I didn't know how to pronounce it either.  It's simply a modified Spanish term for one girl (una chica), and as she admits, not a very good one...


It's the only one gmail said wasn't taken but she now chooses to use it online for her nomme de Internets.


What drew my attention to her was the fact that she is a new Linux user and during email conversations, I discovered she has some insights many of us might find interesting.

The copy she has given me is just a bit long for one blog posting so I will post this in two parts, possibly three, one day apart.  She's given us the entire journey from Windows to Linux.  I normally don't like doing so but it's simply too long to publish at once...please bear with me.

One request before I paste her article and comments here and hit the publish button.  Let's put away our fanboy flags and just listen. She has no allegiance to any distro or desktop environment.  She simply talks about her experiences thus far.


You have the floor Chika.

I have used a computer since I was 10 years old.  You might say I was born into the Internet Age.  I am probably a bit younger than many of the people who will read this.  I am in my first job fresh out of college and I make my living as a staff reporter for a small newspaper in Texas.  I have the luxury of working from home as the paper that employs me is 70 miles away.  That's why a computer is so important to me.

To say it is important to me is an understatement.  The professional Me lives and dies by my computer so it goes without saying that I need a reliable internet connection and a system that stays out of my way and lets me work.

 Like many people, I grew up using Microsoft Windows.  I think the majority of people who sit down behind a computer did as well.  All throughout high school and college I lambasted every computer I used when things went badly.  I have probably done more re-installs of Windows than two-thirds of the people who use a computer.  Looking back on it, it wasn't a computer crash or a system glitch that made me look outside the Windows world for a solution.  It was a Windows update.




My poor computers did not deserve the trash I verbally dumped upon them.  They did their jobs perfectly.  It was the garbage installed upon it that failed.

A political story of fair importance was brewing and I had talked to the one person that could "blow the lid off" of a political candidate's run for office.  Remember, in small towns, big news is rare and this was, in ancient vernacular, "a scoop". 

I typed the story quickly, I proofread it to the best of my ability and was about to save the document when a dialog box popped up saying that Windows was finished installing updates and it needed to restart.

Checking my watch, I clicked restart and waited for the machine to reboot.

Instead of rebooting, it went to the "almost rebooting" screen and it told me not to shut down until 18 updates were finished.

"Wait"., I thought to myself.  "I thought you said you were done installing updates."

I strummed my fingers on my desk as five, ten, then fifteen minutes had passed and only 4 of the updates were complete.  Knowing that there was a good chance a competitor from one town away had the same information, I just held down the power button.

I can hear the combination of groans and laughing already.  Yes it was a stupid thing to do and yes, somewhere in the back of my mind was a voice screaming for me to not do it.  I didn't listen.  Needless to say, the computer rewarded my actions with a blue screen of death and I had no idea what to do.  I did the only thing that came to mind and used my "call a friend" option.

Mark was at my apartment in less than 15 minutes and sidestepped past me when I answered the door.  He went straight for my desktop, , inserted a CD and rebooted the machine.

As we waited for the computer to boot, Mark explained that he was going to recover my data and any shred of the document I had been working on.  He explained to me that a Linux live CD was a self-contained operating system and that it was every bit as good as Windows, if not better in some aspects.

Fortunately, the document I had been typing had auto-saved itself minus the last couple of sentences.  Mark opened the document in Linux and I then finished it, saved it to .doc format and printed it for me to fax.  He then saved it to his thumb drive.

I suppose what surprised me the most is that he did not have to install any drivers for my printer, or my mouse for that matter.  Keep in mind my resume could easily read "Professional Microsoft Windows Installer".  Drivers are a nightmare when you don't have them handy.  The fact that this Linux thing had mine already included was impressive.

I use an off-brand trackball wireless instead of a mouse and in Windows it works somewhat without the drivers but to get the full functionality, the drivers need to be installed.  Every feature worked while the CD was running and without installing one driver.

I was intrigued.  My first question to him was "How do I buy a computer with that already on it", that of course being Linux.  Mark explained that it not only acted as a recovery CD but that it could be installed as a permanent operating system and showed me the icon on the desktop.

I asked him if I could play around with the disk for the evening and he of course said yes.

After faxing in my story, I logged out of work via computer and began exploring my new digital visitor.  I would have occasional fits of "This can't be working." and "Can this be legal?"  Of course now I know it is but from my narrow perspective, I'll ask you to understand my doubts.

I can't tell you exactly when I made the decision but somewhere between playing with LibreOffice and the webcam software, I found myself dropping and dragging important files from my Windows world onto a portable hard drive.

It was about 6 PM that evening, roughly 9 weeks ago, I double-clicked the "Install Linux Mint" icon.

Homecoming

For the briefest of moments, it was as it was supposed to be.  I was driving, Diane was sitting next to me, chatting about some thing or another and me nodding my head as if I was really listening...

But a glance sideways reminded me it wasn't like that anymore.

The left side of her face sags slightly, as does her left eye.  Her voice is surprisingly clear and tight but an extended conversation reveals the slurred speech and the fatigue that sets in from it.  Her body lists to the left because a monster within her has rendered that side of her body almost useless.

I drove Diane home from the hospital with the weight of one fact bearing down on me.

I am her primary caregiver.

I want you to remember that 3 short weeks ago, this woman was an unstoppable force as she cleaned floors, painted walls, nailed pictures and decorations, polished, arranged and rearranged computers and furniture within the new HeliOS facility.

Today she struggles just to swallow.

As I type this, she sleeps fitfully, not really able to find a comfort spot but needing rest and healing that sleep will bring.  Her breathing is deep and relaxed at times, but then she will gasp as she struggles to make the muscles in her throat and diaphragm work correctly.

While Diane was in the hospital, I had the chance to visit other stroke victims and speak with doctors who specialize in treating this affliction.

No, it's not an affliction...it's a monster.

A monster that indiscriminately picks and chooses what body functions it will tear asunder...a beast that is neither predictable or gentle and one that lays waste to one's mind and body.

Diane accepts the fact that it will take months to get even 50 percent of her function back.  She accepts that she is genetically predisposed to this disease.

But she also realizes that she has the power to tell this monster to sod off.  She's a strong woman but the tears come when her strong will is unable to command a weakened body.

She feels the disconnect and despises it.

And I love her for it.

While she is unable to do so herself, she has asked me to thank you for what you have done for her.  She had no idea that strangers would care so deeply, or even care at all.  Because of you, she has the utilities and tools at home to begin her recovery.  Her wheelchair and other accessories alone cost over $1200.00.

That's 1200.00 neither of us had and had it not been for you, I don't know where we would be now...or even if now would exist.

So from Diane and her family, thank you.  There are still things needed, simple things really but things we will get one way or another.

One thing she has received is your love and concern.

And there isn't a paypal payment in the world that can equal that.

Thank you.

Ken

Canonical Alienates Their Major Asset.

I've long lamented the fact that Linux lacks any real marketing strategy.

Of course, when a product is free of cost, there is no ROI so what's the point?

Canonical beat the odds with Ubuntu.  The fan-base became so large, so fast that Universal Awareness of Ubuntu can be credited to a simple grass-roots effort that expanded across the globe.

It wasn't television or radio advertising.

It wasn't billboards.

It was good old fashioned proselytizing.

Gimmee that old-time religion any day.

And if you take some time to really look back at the process, many of us would admit it was a thing of beauty...almost a force of nature.

Ubuntu in essence, became Linux....or the other way around, depending upon your point of view.  Ubuntu became the number one Linux distro almost completely on the backs of their users.  Ubuntu was perceived as an entity guided and molded by the community...a true socialized effort in which every user had a stake.

Somewhere around release 9.04, that myth began to unravel.

The first threads came apart when decisions were made to remove certain keyboard shortcuts, "for the good of the new user".  Ctrl/alt/delete and ctrl/alt/backspace were removed.

For the good of the new user.

If I remember correctly, this did cause a bit of a stir...I for one certainly didn't like it.

But what about the new user...?  He could seriously mess stuff up if he were to mistakenly hit one of these key combinations.  God forbid...

So they were axed.

And of course, either Canonical or someone in the Ubuntu Community wrote a script that would replace this lost functionality, but you really had to search hard to find it.  Not a huge deal but the disturbance in the Ubuntu Force could be clearly felt.

So it has gone with Ubuntu from then until now...little changes here, stuff taken away there...navigation buttons pushed to the left side...  Now flash forward to the new Unity interface which serves as the latest reminder that the Ubuntu Community isn't really a relevant force in how Ubuntu is shaped.

They are simply users along for the ride.

Now Synaptic is being removed in place of the Ubuntu Software Center.  Some would argue that having the software center and Synaptic is redundant.  Maybe it is, but even those who work to produce the Software Center admit it has a long way to go.  The latest release is a great improvement but still...

It seriously lacks the power of Synaptic.

And please don't bring that "Synaptic is too difficult to use" stuff.  I teach 12 year old kids the basic and advanced functions of Synaptic in 20 minutes.  I'm guessing if there are adults that are flummoxed by it, they can always ask one of our 12 year old children.

But still, the Software Center is looking good and as long as it's for the sake of the new users...well, I guess that justifies the decision.

To be honest, it's probably a good idea.

The pews are becoming quiet.  The shouts of "Hallelujah" and "Amen" are no longer raising the roof.  What were almost under-the-breath mutterings about unnecessary changes seems to be evolving into sounds of slamming doors.

People tend to slam doors in anger when they leave.

So we're left to wonder at Canonical's strategy here.  Are they truly trying to become the "New Linux User" distro?  Are they dumbing things down to the point where a new Linux user sees enough parallels with Windows or Mac that she feels comfortable?

Are they aiming for a new crop of New Users?  Ones to replace the old new users?

If so, at what cost?

A quick look into the various forums and discussions will bear out that Unity isn't well-liked at all..except by maybe a few.  Very few.  For many, Unity is the proverbial last straw.  For others, the removal of Synaptic from the base install will be the last, last straw.

An interesting thing to note is that within the last 30 days, Linux Mint has taken the first place spot on Distrowatch.com.  Mint of course, remained using Gnome 2.32 when they matched Ubuntu's 11.04 release featuring Unity.

Now, we can argue the validity of such placements and we can even argue the statistics used to measure such placements.  but what we cannot argue is the fact that just about the time Unity came into the spotlight, the first to second place distrowatch listings juxtaposed.  It would seem more than a handful of people dislike Unity. 

You think that's coincidence?  Come on...you're smarter than that.

It leaves many to wonder how many of those "losses" in the Ubuntu column were gains for Linux Mint.

It defies logic that Canonical cannot understand one simple and real-life fact:  The users that leave you will not only take others with them, they will bad-mouth you endlessly.

That means no more apostles spanning the globe on your behalf.

Slam.

There have been some turbulent changes in the Linuxsphere within the past few years...KDE 4 and then the almost simultaneous Gnome 3 and Unity environments taking their places within.

I'm not sure in the grand scheme of things, that Synaptic will be missed by that many.  Personally, I use Apt Cacher to do many of our HeliOS installs and Synaptic is a welded-in part of that process.

As well, the Unified Customization Kit (UCK) uses synaptic to build the new ISO's when one is doing their respin.  Taking out Synaptic due to "lack of space" is a non-starting argument since they plan to go to all DVD ISO releases anyway.  Oh and sure I can always add it back in if I need it.

But I don't have time to do that.

Still, I might be able to understand taking it out to lessen confusion of the New User....thus removing one instance of redundancy.  I can make sense of that easily.

So HeliOS will be sticking with the 10.04 version of Ubuntu until it ends it's life and then we'll see what our options are.  By then, maybe Gnome 3 will actually be something people will want to use.  Maybe Unity will evolve into a usable interface for anything larger than a 10 inch screen.  Maybe a reliable remaster tool will be created for Mint much like UCK was created for Ubuntu.  One that doesn't throw a bazillion errors in the first three minutes.

And maybe I'll be the King of Tonga by that time

All-Righty Then...

This Was a First...

I kept my mouth shut.

That doesn't happen often, especially when it comes to the thrust and parry during a Windows vs. Linux match.  There was a time, I would shoulder my way into the battle and shamelessly impart my knowledge/expertise where needed.  And as I've learned...cool, level-headed discourse is much more effective than the confrontational habit of calling your opponent and idiot...as difficult as that may be at times.

But in this case, my participation wasn't needed.

As many of you know, my partner Diane suffered a stroke almost 10 days ago.  She is still hospitalized and she is unable to walk even as far as the bathroom without a person on each side of her and the use of a walker.  Partial paralysis has manifested itself on the left side from her face to her calf but she is slowly and painfully making progress.  She will more than likely remain blind in her left eye.  I will post a complete update as to her condition in the next day or two.

Fortunately, her daughter Hillary was able to come to Austin and stay with us for a couple of weeks.  For a while, there was a real threat of the hospital releasing her due to not having insurance but wiser heads prevailed and they decided that a fall at home would be more costly in a return visit than allowing her to stay an extra couple of weeks and receive the physical therapy she needs.

The timing was perfect as I had already committed to taking my daughter Amanda to Texas Tech University in Lubbock and register her for classes while she attended mandatory orientations.

Oh, and have I failed to mention in earlier posts that she is only 1 of 7 females out of 324 freshman accepted to the Whitaker College of Engineering?

Probably not...

It was while sitting in the TTU Student Union Building that I heard the battle brewing.  There were two male freshmen sitting at different tables close to me...both had laptops open and one was complaining bitterly that his Windows 7 updates were broken.  He wasn't so pissed that they were broken as he was about having had the exact same problem in Vista.

He lamented loudly to another student how he had spent $150.00 for the Vista to Win7 upgrade, hoping that would fix the problem.  He also complained about the complete lack of a solution, even in the official Microsoft help pages and forums.  The "solutions" Microsoft itself offered did not work.  Multiple hours of re-installs netted the same broken results.

We all know the modern definition of insanity.   Being a former Windows drone, I can relate.


The other young man was listening and watching intently.  I won't put any dialog in quotes as this is a rough playback of the conversation, but it is fairly close. 

When the complaining party was verbally spent, he looked over to him and asked:

So why do you use it?

The other student seemed confused.

Why do I use what?

Windows.  Why do use Windows if it's such a problem for you?

The troubled freshman thought for a few seconds...

And what else is there, a Mac?  I can't afford a Mac.  This laptop was a high school graduation gift.

The wiser of the two shook his head and held up a finger as in the "wait a second" gesture then moved from his table and seated himself next to the other student.

This had Windows on it too until I took it off and installed Linux.  Look...you can do everything you need to do on it and it doesn't cost anything.  You're just frustrating yourself.  Watch this.

The Linux user spent the next ten minutes showing the other guy his system.  He fielded the "complaint" of needing Windows for certain things by opening VirtualBox and demonstrating his Windows XP install within.  He let the other student navigate throughout his laptop and provided instruction when needed.

In the end, the biggest obstacle was convincing him that the entire shootin' match didn't cost anything, aside from a Windows and MS Office license for his VirtualBox and even then, it was going to be largely unnecessary.

They then retrograded into a comparison of their classes the first semester, where each was from and other mundane conversation.  After a few more minutes, the Linux guy shut down his computer and stood to leave.  I glanced up at him and he looked in my direction.

The smile was huge when he noticed my t-shirt.  I just winked at him and went back to my work.

Sometimes, it's just best to keep your mouth shut.

All-Righty Then...

When "minor" and "devestating" are used in the same sentence.

addendum:  Since we cannot find a single physical therapy place to take on Diane's treatment, (the cheapest we've found is 600 dollars a day) I've found a place that will teach me in-home physical therapy specifically for stroke victims.  The course costs $2500.00.  I was able to make the down payment of $500.00 and we will go from there.  Thanks to everyone who has helped us in this trying time. - Ken

I've had my share of health issues but I've never dealt with a stroke victim.

Until my partner suffered one.

Last week during the morning while watching TV on the couch, Diane felt an immediate need to lay down.  Once she did, she experienced an excruciating pain on the left side of her head.  When she became dizzy and nauseous, she tried to get up and go to the bathroom.

Her legs completely failed her.  She displaced her hip when she fell.

She had to crawl using her right arm and leg....her left side was useless. 

 She made it to the bedroom and was able to pull the phone off the desk and she called me at the shop.  I couldn't understand anything she said.  It was like she was talking with a mouth full of dry bread.

I knew immediately what happened. 

Her son Adam was able to get 911 notified and an ambulance on the way to our house and they were securing her to the transport when I arrived.

CT and MRI scans revealed an aneurysm at the bottom of the brain stem...an inoperable aneurysm.  The exact same location and situation that killed her mother.  The slight tear in the artery was what caused the stroke.

They called it a minor stroke...but the results were devastating.

 However they found that both arteries feeding the brain stem were either partially or almost fully blocked and the decision was made to place stents into those arteries and restore flow to that part of the brain.  Some of the tissue was already dead from lack of blood flow and oxygen.

The stents were the main plan of attack...

Until they found she was uninsured.

Diane is 64 and took Social Security retirement at 62 so she lives on 1200.00 a month.  There is a no-man's land of 3-4 years where she is not eligible for Medicare so she's just been hoping for the best and that her luck would hold.

It didn't.

So now instead of surgically placing the stents, the plan is to "passively" treat her condition.  Blood pressure meds, blood thinners....  The doctor said with any luck, those treatments would relieve the pressure that caused the weakening of the arterial wall.

Luck. 

We went from a good surgical solution to luck.

Because she does not have insurance.

So her son Adam and I are contacting various hospitals that do take on "charity" work.  So far, we've found some promising possibilities at Seton Hospital in Round Rock.

Not to be confused with Round Rock Hospital where "Luck" is considered a viable treatment plan.

She'll still need specialized in-home care.  Adam's twin sister is coming down from Portland to spend a few weeks.  She'll sleep on the couch and since she does from-home tech support for a living, I will set up a VPN for her so she doesn't have to lose any work time.

I am considering going back to work...I'm just not seeing any other way to help.  The HeliOS Project may have to sit idle for some time.  We have set up a fund for Diane's immediate and considerable medication needs as well as her physical therapy.  She will have to learn to walk again or at least regain the strength in her legs so that she can.  If you are interested in helping, you can do so through a paypal account we've set up.  The paypal email address is dianekfranklin at hotmail dott komm

Diane has been an important part of The HeliOS Project for a year now.  Not only has she organized our planning and logistics, she almost single-handedly did all the cleaning and prep work to get our new facility ready for the public.

I feel a lot of guilt in my quiet moments...thinking I let her work too hard, not knowing the results that would occur.

If you are prayerful, we would appreciate it.  If not, just send your positive thoughts this way.  We're going to get through this.

I'm going to see to it.

Ken

It's been a bad day....

My partner Diane suffered a stroke today and we're not yet sure of the damage inflicted.  This space may be quiet for a while so just know that I have business on this end that has to be my focus.

Thanks for understanding.

Ken

HeliOS Classroom Needs Wireless Devices

We are fortunate to have a local wireless company sponsor our Internet access for the new HeliOS facility.  While setting up a router and switches/hubs would be ideal, the physical characteristics of the room do not easily allow running CAT 5 or 6 to each computer.

We will be needing USB or PCI wireless devices for each of our 12 computers.

To be frank, we blew through most all the money we had banked while doing the interior construction in our new place.  Do you have a proven Linux-compatible PCI or USB wireless device to spare?

If so, we could sure use it.  The few we had stashed need the Windows driver and wrapper and without any internet available, that's tough to do.  4 of them are so old or after market that don't even have supported Windows drivers any more.  Even worse, all but one of them only support wireless b.

We would appreciate your help.  Either email us helios  at fixedbylinux dott komm or leave a comment and we can get back to you.

We have the first of our classes starting on June 27th.  Hopefully, we'll be able to get these machines connected in time.









We have also taken on a special-needs student who requires a ball mouse to use her computer.  If you have a Logitech Trackman or any ball mouse device with the roller ball on the left side, we could put it to good use.


 And thanks again for helping us do what we do.