Linux often throws errors but most of them don't stop you from getting the job done. i get an entire scrolling bunch of console error jargon when launching Mutt plus a certificate authentication failure alert but it works anyway. sorta reminds me of Windows' 'Error: The operation completed successfully' error alert.
It wasn't a Linux error, it was an Android Forums error, probably because there's no javascript in Links. It actually said "The following error occured with your submission." but wouldn't say what the error was, it was just blank. Basically I was using an unsupported browser. The post didn't show until I viewed AF in Firefox. Probably an AF
Moderator woudn't be able to
moderate with Links, things like locking threads and editing or deleting wayward posts.
I never actually bothered about console errors. If you're running X applications you don't see them, not unless you started whatever app from the terminal. Most of the time they're not actually real errors, they're just warnings, like about how an app is using a system call or library function or something. Mutt might be set to ignore certificate errors, and just get on with it. Like when you find an SSL certificate error in a browser, usually click OK and don't bother me again about it. Think you're supposed to examine the site's certificate and determine what the problem is. I've seen it a couple of times saying the certificate authority isn't trusted, and then I looked and see it's Google or Verisign, then think shouldn't be any problem here.
Links would stop me "getting the job done", mainly because it can't read Chinese, just get a load of asterisks. I often use wenku.baidu.com to source lesson materials. Which is heavy on javascript, and uses Flash as well to preview PPT presentations, so I can decide which ones are worth downloading. Think it's just like trying to use early '90s Cello in the 21st century...LOL.
...for anyone who doesn't know what Cello is...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cello_%28browser%29
I think if one does have an underperforming machine, like the school's elderly Pentium 4, that's only just able to run say Firefox 25, especially on complex javascript heavy, Flash banner ad laden websites. Install No-Script and Ad-Block, and that'll allow you to have more control and cool things down a bit, while still being able to accomplish what you need to see and do.
Windows XP was originally designed to run with just 128MB or 256MB RAM, which was typical of PCs at the time. But when you add all the Service Packs, modern browsers and Office 2010, etc, that's just not going to happen. But a machine like that I wouldn't expect it to run KDE 4 too well either, Vector Linux should be ok though, or XFCE.
Starting with, what are you using for e-mail?
