[tlug] Ubuntu Breezy and Knoppix 4

[Joseph Essertier <essertier@example.com>]

Has anyone tried Ubuntu Breezy or Knoppix 4?   I have been experimenting
with both of them during the last week and i'm really impressed with
them.  (This is a beginner speaking, keep in mind).  The main problem i
have had with SuSE--possibly because i did not install it
right--Japanese input, seems to have been solved in both distributions. 
The Japanese version of Breezy (the "unofficial" Japanese version) uses
Anthy, like SuSE, but it works better than the Anthy i have in SuSE
9.3.  I mean, the one in SuSE is decent; gets the job done.  But it's
like using the Mac version of Atok that came out like 7 years ago.  This
Anthy on Breezy, on the other hand, remembers what you have typed
before, and it seems to guess the right kanji more often the first time,
so you don't have to keep clicking the space bar over and over. 
(Another problem--at least on my computer--with SuSE's Anthy is that
when the correct kanji does not come up the first time, and a list of
possibilities appear with numbers next to them, selecting the number
doesn't work.  For example, you want selection number 3, so you push
"3."  But instead it gives you selection number 5.  I was like, "What's
going on here?"  the first time this happened to me, but i just gave up,
and resorted to hitting the space bar over and over, or just hitting it
more frequently, so that Anthy only had to guess one word instead of a
whole phrase).

Anthy on Breezy can usually guess the whole phrase correctly the first
time, selecting numbers works, and if it doesn't get it right the first
time, it will the second time.  On the Sony Vaio laptop, on which i used
the live CD, it did freeze a few times in OpenOffice.  Well, it either
freezed or just took an incredibly long time to switch from kana to
kanji, more than a minute.  I'm hoping that's because it's running off a
CD instead of a hard drive.  Within Firefox, on the other hand, no
problems at all--much much faster. 

But Knoppix is even better.  You get 3 or 4 different Japanese input
options, including Wnn (i think version 8) and another i saw for the
first time, not Anthy or Canna, which was wonderful.  It guesses words
and pretty long, set phrases from the get-go.  Often it guesses right
after only 2 or 3 letters and you just hit the return button.  Much
easier on your fingers and probably a little faster.

The selection of software on Knoppix is really awesome, all ready to be
experimented with any time, and in general programs seem to start up
much faster than in Ubuntu.  I mean, it's wonderful what the Ubuntu
programmers are doing i think, and i appreciate the fact that it runs
well on Mac machines too, but as a live CD, the Knoppix DVD is really
valuable. 

Sound worked with Ubuntu on my Mac G4 laptop, but not on the Vaio.  But
sound did not work with Knoppix on the Vaio either, so...

Screen does not come out right with Knoppix on my Vaio, but does on
Ubuntu.  Mouse works great with both of them.

The Japanese version of Knoppix i got from the Nov. issue of Japanese
Linux World.  Well worth the 1,500 yen.  The explanation of how to use
it in the magazine was quite readable and useful too.

Joe