Help, newbie at Linux

[_fus_]

Right, i have just installed Mandrake Linux 8.2, and have only a small knowledge of how to use it. Every bit of hardware is now installed except one thing, my Usb ' alcatel speedtouch modem'. I have tried to connect to the internet, but it wont let me. As i am new to this, i don't really know where to start or how to get it to work.

I have got the newest drivers, linux version, but don't really know what to do with them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Testin da Cable]

depends what the drivers are really. iirc they will either be a precompiled binary or a bit of source code that you'll have to compile yourself. the finished thing will prolly be a kernel module that you'll have to load [insmod] and perhaps have some extra configuration to do for it.

all of that being guesswork really. does the driver have any documentation with it? online docs? try google when in doubt.
does it give you any error messages? if so..post em heh. good luck!

 

[Wilier]

oooooh Linux sounds so much fun. Real user friendly stuff.

 

[Testin da Cable]

it requires you to indeed be above 'average windoze luser' level Wilier

 

[MYstIC G]

Not really, it just requires more detailed configuration

/me harps on about win3.1 & dos

 

[Testin da Cable]

dos? the os/2 warp dos emu was better than the real thing




ps. I love you G

 

[Wilier]

Originally posted by Testin da Cable
it requires you to indeed be above 'average windoze luser' level Wilier

no point me bothering then.

BTW, wheres the wink smiley gone??

edit. Oh there it is.

 

[Embattle]

I'm above the average Windows user but the fact remains I have no intention of wasting time on setting up the basic fucntions

 

[Testin da Cable]

I don't suppose you'll go for the argument that usb is a very un-basic function will you?

 

[old.Scarenius]

Well, when I first started using LINUX the USB was the first thing working. I switched my mouse over to it since it worked better than the ps/2 port did. The problem is I have Mandrake 8.1, and in LINUX those little updates make for huge improvements. So I don't know if I could help any.

 

[Testin da Cable]

aye heh. I have had several different things running on usb, from a mouse to a digital camera. problem is, usb modems notorious for being picky

 

[old.Scarenius]

I just wish I had two HDs again. Then I'd have LINUX back. I have two HDs, but the heatsink/fan needs the power plugin. And don't expect me to partition this one, Sheesh, how much use is a partitioned 3.2 gig-er?

Try doing something rash. Maybe getting a USB-> Ps/2 converter and trying that. And you could always compile your own drivers. Hehe.

 

[Testin da Cable]

heh aye. I want linux on my workstation again but, as I'm an uberslacker, I have not yet gotten around to reinstalling. Still, with three openBSD servers and two netBSD servers in the house atm I get me fair share of *ix

 

[Shocko]

Heh, i've been using a Linux desktop for about 9months now... I'm not really sure i could get used to using Windows again, as a desktop - It's the little things that are annoying. I used Windows for a couple of days, not at home, and when typing, i was annoyed to find that pressing "down", when on the bottom line, doesn't take you to the end of that line. I'd never really noticed this at all, untill i found that Word and IE don't have this.

Other things, such as having to click the title bar of a window to get the keyboard focus, and not being able to move windows by holding Alt and clicking anywhere, just annoy... I guess these are all Application specific things, but it's the lack of choice with the desktop enviroment with Windows, that makes it this way. Oh, and double clicking, i couldn't get used to that at all

 

[Testin da Cable]

one could argue that [especially] linux is overconfigurable, and thus user-unfriendly. Real power is put in the users hand and, contrary to what people usually think, that's not really a good thing. one is almost required to know what one is doing and so joe average windows user will bog down.
It's not even Joe's fault: he has never had to really know what he was doing, so you can't expect him to become an instant *ix guru without a struggle.

 

[Shocko]

True, true... Perhaps the blame lies with the computer manufactuers, and marketers.

People have been persuaded, that using a PC is piss easy, and that anyone can, and indeed should, get one.

Windows may be very good at getting along with the important things on its own, however there's a clear differance between an a moderate to experianced Windows user, and someone who barely knows anything about PCs.


It this problem, which resorts in huge virus outbreaks, the huge number of spyware programs, and general ignorance of how things work.

The worst part is, that there's no reason, or encouragement, for people to learn more, when using Windows. You could quite easily install Mandrake or Suse, or RH or whatever now, and get on fine with it, but not have a clue about anything. However, there's incentives that would encourage people to learn. The fact that there's the whole "inner workings", laid bare and spread out over the file tree, is tantilising, and there's benefits there as well, such as faster and more effectilve file management, once you get profficent with the shell

 

[Embattle]

Unfortunately most new users don't understand the complexity of the PC they just bought. The PC is not a true Consumer device like a Video recorder although it'll make it one day but most probably in a form totally different from the beige boxes of today.

Shocko you fail to realise most people don't give a flying fuck about the "inner workings" of Operating Systems and would much prefer that it did everything by its self while they learn the different applications that run on top.

The definition of an OS is:

Software designed to control the hardware of a specific data-processing system in order to allow users and application programs to make use of it.

Linux has its place and it'll fail massively trying to portray itself as a consumer OS.

 

[Will]

Originally posted by Testin da Cable
one could argue that [especially] linux is overconfigurable, and thus user-unfriendly. Real power is put in the users hand and, contrary to what people usually think, that's not really a good thing. one is almost required to know what one is doing and so joe average windows user will bog down.
It's not even Joe's fault: he has never had to really know what he was doing, so you can't expect him to become an instant *ix guru without a struggle.

I can agree whole-heartedly with this one. I've been struggling my way through an OpenBSD shell account, and vi over the last few days. The extra power you are offered makes it less intuative than Windows is, maybe because we've all been raised on Windows and (in my case) Macs. Being a beginner again is very off-putting, but I'll struggle on (because I have no choice, to set up a game server on Linux, you need to learn to use the thing).

 

[Testin da Cable]

Originally posted by Embattle

Shocko you fail to realise most people don't give a flying fuck about the "inner workings" of Operating Systems and would much prefer that it did everything by its self while they learn the different applications that run on top.

so you want them to use macs then?

 

[Embattle]

I'm currently looking at either FreeBSD or Linux as a little trial project

 

[Testin da Cable]

Originally posted by ItchyTrigaFinga
I can agree whole-heartedly with this one. I've been struggling my way through an OpenBSD shell account, and vi over the last few days. The extra power you are offered makes it less intuative than Windows is, maybe because we've all been raised on Windows and (in my case) Macs. Being a beginner again is very off-putting, but I'll struggle on (because I have no choice, to set up a game server on Linux, you need to learn to use the thing).

true. remember that every time you become a newbie the learning curve is shorter and less steep you will find that, once you get the basics down [and the real basics are well...basic heh. they are what? 5 or 6 commands really... and one editor if you go for stuff like that] you're there. everything else is building on top of that. I'll admit that things may seem scary at first, but you'll be past that soon enough.

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by Shocko
True, true... Perhaps the blame lies with the computer manufactuers, and marketers.

People have been persuaded, that using a PC is piss easy, and that anyone can, and indeed should, get one.

Windows may be very good at getting along with the important things on its own, however there's a clear differance between an a moderate to experianced Windows user, and someone who barely knows anything about PCs.


It this problem, which resorts in huge virus outbreaks, the huge number of spyware programs, and general ignorance of how things work.

The worst part is, that there's no reason, or encouragement, for people to learn more, when using Windows. You could quite easily install Mandrake or Suse, or RH or whatever now, and get on fine with it, but not have a clue about anything. However, there's incentives that would encourage people to learn. The fact that there's the whole "inner workings", laid bare and spread out over the file tree, is tantilising, and there's benefits there as well, such as faster and more effectilve file management, once you get profficent with the shell

All this is bollocks, only nerds care how the OS works or want TEH POWER, unless you REALLY need it the OS should be totally transparent and as helpful as possible. Most people don't fuck around with files enough to need the supposed 'flexibility' that linux offers. The only reward offered by linux is a superiority complex that is displayed by 95% of the linux using world all who look down on Windows as an 'amateur' operating system, however, when it comes down to it, Linux will never be the professional choice (with the exception of inherently nerdy jobs) unless it becomes more like Windows.

 

[bids]

Originally posted by Scooba Da Bass


All this is bollocks, only nerds care how the OS works or want TEH POWER, unless you REALLY need it the OS should be totally transparent and as helpful as possible. Most people don't fuck around with files enough to need the supposed 'flexibility' that linux offers. The only reward offered by linux is a superiority complex that is displayed by 95% of the linux using world all who look down on Windows as an 'amateur' operating system, however, when it comes down to it, Linux will never be the professional choice (with the exception of inherently nerdy jobs) unless it becomes more like Windows.

Right in one way - wrong in another.

If you are talking about a desktop environment, then you are probably right - although Microsofts new licensing scheme may push some desktop environments over to Star Office.

However, as a server operating system, Linux is stable, reliable
and (relative to MS server products) secure. It has its faults, but flexibility and 'configurability' of Linux on a server is far superior to MS servers. Example would be as a Web platform - would choose Apache over IIS every time. Similar with firewalls, database servers, game servers, FTP, etc, etc.

You'd still need Win2k for your Domain or ADS, but each OS has it's place.

Oh - and just because we work in IT and use Linux doesn't mean we are nerds

 

[Embattle]

Originally posted by bids


Right in one way - wrong in another.

If you are talking about a desktop environment, then you are probably right - although Microsofts new licensing scheme may push some desktop environments over to Star Office.

Although that may be countered by Suns plans to charge for Star Office.

 

[Testin da Cable]

Originally posted by bids
just because we work in IT and use Linux doesn't mean we are nerds

indeed. it means we're geeks

 

[bids]

Originally posted by Embattle


Although that may be countered by Suns plans to charge for Star Office.

From what I read, free to educational institutions and about fifty quid to anyone else - dunno about corporate licenses, but either way it's gonna be a lot cheaper than MS Office.

(P.S. Not suggesting it will challange MS Office realistically, but if it raises a bit of competition for our Bill it can't be a bad thing).

 

[bids]

Originally posted by Testin da Cable



indeed. it means we're geeks

I prefer the term 'IT Professional'

 

[Testin da Cable]

a rose by another name

 

[old.Scarenius]

I think LINUX users have that whole superiority thing cause they see what LINUX can do. I mean, I've heard M$ horror stories about an expert LINUX user running windows 2000- Windowed!

 

[Testin da Cable]

yeah. and I have screenies too
and you can run it too you know*



















*too bad vmware is so bloody expensive