Random Linux babbling thread

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I just installed Slackware 10.2 on my other PC (has to install two times, since I screwed up the first time), and I was wondering how to setup an USB flash drive to be functional in Linux.

I successfully got the NVIDIA driver to work (I have no clue to what it changes, but oh well), but I'm still scratching my head as to how to get a flash drive to work.

Also, which antivirus and firewalls run on Linux? What about setting those up?

[ September 22, 2006, 21:32: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

Thanks for the links, BTA.

I got the USB flash drive working using the following:

mount -t ntfs /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbkey

NTFS because I accidently formatted my flash drive in NTFS.

For antivirus matters, there is a freeware version of Panda which runs on Linux.

 

You'll notice that Linux requires a lot of work just to get it working with your hardware. At least you got nVidia's driver to work where Mandriva said nay to me.

You don't need AV on Linux as of yet. It's not that common that virii-writers would bugger to program malware for non-Windows OS. But good luck; it will require more patience than what I had to get through each device and sorting it out to a working order. And then finding good programs and sorting them out.

 

Mandriva refused the NVIDIA driver? That's odd. Then again, I'm not overtly familiar with Linux, but it went like a charm on Slackware.

Yeah, Linux is more work, hardware-wise. It just proves how lazy of an OS Winblows is - everything is done for you.

But anyway, if the antivirus is optional, I think I'll pass until I perfect what little knowledge I have about Linux. I got the network, sound, graphics (whatever it changes) working A1.

It's definitively more head-scratching, but it's definitively worth it to be rid of M$.

[ September 21, 2006, 03:50: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

Well, Mandriva is simply crappy.

I use Debian (when I need stability and speed), Ubuntu (Kubuntu or Xubuntu, when I need features) and Knoppix (when harddrive install isn't a good idea).

Yeah, I love the way apt works.

 

Knoppix is fantastic. On my system it takes me far less time to configure hardware with Knoppix than with Windows. Even the Knoppix hardware installation worked like a charm. The only problem I had (with Knoppix 4) was that apt-get update and upgrade mess up badly (because they would install Debian on top of Knoppix - messy). Knoppix 5 apparently has a smarter hard drive installer - I'm trying it out this weekend.

 

I'm not overtly familiar with Linux, so I might post here quite a bit.

Another problem I've stumbled upon is the graphic card. It's stuck at 640x480, and will go no higher, so the display looks really crappy. I've been trying to fish a driver for Linux, but it seems that all that can be found are M$ drivers. I use a crappy onboard S3 Trio 3D, and don't really plan to cram in a new graphic card in the comp, as I don't want to invest in my old P3.

If any of you guys find anything that could be of some assistance to me, do let me know.

Also, sound isn't working - Linux does not detect my sound card. It's an old ISA Sound Blaster 16, so I think this might be the reason. I think I'll try removing the ISA card and re-enable the onboard card.

Third, but not least - to get on the Internet, I need to install a program that my ISP provided me with. There are two versions for Linux, which are kernel-dependant, and nine hells know I have NO idea what kernel I am running, never mind getting the Ethernet card to work correctly. I tried "ifconfig eth0 up", but still end up with no IP whatsoever.

 

If you want higher than 640x480 in shell, you probably have to add that in the bootmanager configuration (vga=xxy in menu.lst for grub - refer to the grub manual).

If you want higher than 640x480 in X, you need to reconfigure X. The configuration file for Xorg is at /etc/Xorg/X11.conf, IIRC, but this can vary by distribution. Again, refer to the manual.

The sound card requires the correct module be added to the kernel - relatively simple in the kernel docs, usually a royal pain though. I've gotten that specific model to work, though, so don't lose hope.

And by default most nix distros only recognize the 'net when configured with dhcp. Anything else, and you're in the land of deep wizardry, especially with Slack.

 

I've had the same problem you describe, DotW. Xorg is annoying in this respect, as it doesn't like a lot of graphic cards (it wouldn't recognise my ATI X700 Pro either). Whereas XFree86 (which was the more popular version of X a couple of years ago) would still allow you to display in 1024x768, Xorg gets stuck at 640x480. Really your only option is to find a driver - there must be one somewhere on the internet. S3 themselves will probably not have one, so you'll have to dig for a user-made driver (they tend to work really well, so no problem there). Both ATI and Nvidia have Linux drivers for their cards, so this might be another option. You could find an older (Geforce 2 or 3) card for a very cheap amount and that will work.

No tricks to share for sound and network, as mine work like a charm. I do think Slackware is not as easy to configure as other Linux distros (Ubuntu in particular), so you might want to think about switching to another distro if this one's too hard for you.

 

Just install XFree86 with apt-get and you'll be fine then.

For some further random babbling: firefox might be good on Windows, but on Linux it sucks.
The popupblocker is almost nonexistant, the official Debian version is 1.0.4 (current is 1.5) and on some pages it crashes faster than Richard Hammond in a jet-powered car (bwahaha)

 

@ Taza

Don't lose hope after the litany you just croaked? Yeah, right, when it does to fix all the Linux problems is to insert WinXP CD, click yes, and wait for 30 minutes.

(Okay, not really, but fixing the sound, screen, and network alone could take 20 hours of work easy, especially if you are starting from scratch. Compare to the install-process of any Win-app and you'll start understanding why Linux isn't becoming popular.)

 

Well, for the Internet access program, I've contacted my ISP, and I get told "the software isn't made for Linux". I can get rp-pppoe that MIGHT work... otherwise I was recommended to switch distros in favor of either SuSe or any of the Ubuntu (Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and the rest), because the PPPoE software is already built and relatively easy to configure.

So, it seems Slackware was a bad choice. Good thing I got a friend to download it for me. What do you guys think about SuSe and Ubuntu? Which one would be the best choice? Graphic-wise, I'm leaning for Xubuntu.

 

I'd go with Xubuntu or Kubuntu - or perhaps Ubuntu with the xfce-desktop package installed - all the features and look of Xubuntu (except the initial lightness), with all the features (and bloat) of Ubuntu.

You need to reconfigure Grub for *ubuntu to look good, though.

 

Huh?
Not to sound patronising, but if you're blaming Firefox because Debian ships with an older version of the software... It's like blaming Windows for not shipping with Adobe Photoshop.

Just download the latest version of Firefox for Linux. Works like a charm, and as far as I'm concerned it works on Linux better than on Windows, and again for a reason that has nothing to do with any of Windows, Linux or Firefox: it's simply because Java has the tendency to crash Firefox (and IE, and Opera, and Netscape for that matter) under Windows, every once in a while.

As for the popup blocker, I never use the Firefox built-in one anyway. Adblock Plus is much better, and ever since I installed it I've never seen an ad again (with the exception of SP ones, which I allow to pass through)

On a completely unrelated note, if by "official" version of Debian you mean the stable release, then that's outdated by a year or two last time I checked. The only reason I can think of for using Debian Stable is if you're running a critical server that must NOT go down no matter what. For desktop purposes, you would never be able to tell the difference in stability between Debian Stable and Testing anyway.

 

All those problems I mentioned occur with the 1.5.0.7 version, and not with the *stable* 1.0.4 version.

I didn't mention my biggest problem with Firefox because then I wasn't quite sure whether it could be blamed on Firefox or on the mouse-config inside the XWindow System, the problem is that the middle-mouse button is apparently the magic button.
When I click on a part of the webpage that isn't a link, firefox replaces the page I am watching with a random webpage. ****** annoying and only recently did I find the option for turning it off, why firefox uberhaupt included such a stupid option goes beyond me.

 

Well, I settled for Kubuntu because of the K Desktop Environement, which I am familiar with (thanks to Slackware), and just ordered a copy via the Ubuntu website.

For the moment, I'm back on Winblows 2k. *shrugs*

As for Firefox on Linux, I can't really speak - I've been working with Konqueror on Slackware, which works great.

 

'Kay, time for more intrigue.

Seeing as Slackware just doesen't work (and that I can't spare the dough for a video card), my buddy brought me Fedora, from Core 1 to Core 4. I was told that since I have an old machine Core 1 would be the way to go. I only have CD1 for Core 2 and Core 3, however, and he got mixed up burning Core 4... CD1 is fine, but CD2 is actually a Slackware CD.

I'm getting ready to install it, but there are a few things I wanted to be sure about:

First, I was told that Fedora Core 1 does not support NTFS, but only FAT32. This is no big deal, but my flash drive is in NTFS, and if Fedora *really* doesen't support NTFS, then I'll reformat it in FAT32.

Next, and most important, my internet connection. I have an ADSL connection which uses the PPPoE protocol, and the program they gave me, not surprisingly, doesen't work on Linux. I was pointed out towards RP-PPPoE, which was told would make my Internet connection work. I have no idea whatsoever how to get the thing to work, so before switching to Fedora, I was wondering is any of you ever configured the damn thing.

That's it for now... my Kubuntu is also underway, and PPPoE is supposed to be included with it.

Hmm, while we're at it, between Fedora and Kubuntu, which distro would you guys settle for?

 

I wish it was that easy. Unfortunatly, my ISP imposes me an ONE gigabyte download quota... so if I download two ISOs, I busted my monthly quota and then it begins costing an arm and a leg.