Linux-Misc Digest #901, Volume #25 Sat, 30 Sep 00 03:13:04 EDT
Contents:
in which script is X started? (Mandrake 7 User)
Re: Total Newbie Question (jeff)
Re: Should I jump into Linux? (Cevat Ustun)
Re: in which script is X started? (Vilmos Soti)
MS Netmeeting under Linux? (Mandrake 7 User)
Re: Different Flavors of Linux (Jerry L Kreps)
Re: in which script is X started? (Hal Burgiss)
Large file system ("Michael Pike")
Re: ERROR too many files systems !!! what is this? (Bob Hauck)
Problem with TNT2 installing ("user12")
Re: ATI Xpert (Rage 128, AGP) - RedHat 7 (Daryl Fonseca-Holt)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Mandrake 7 User <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: in which script is X started?
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 04:01:49 GMT
Which is the script that starts the X server? (system boots to kdm;
distro is Mandrake 7 / Redhat 6.) I need to pass options to the X
server but in startx and the like I see no command "X".
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (jeff)
Subject: Re: Total Newbie Question
Date: 30 Sep 2000 04:15:49 GMT
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Fri, 29 Sep 2000 22:08:06 -0400,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I have installed Caldera's Open Linux with the KDE interface - I know
> that Linux purists are cringing, but newbies have to start somewhere.
> Anyway my question is when I am moving through directories how can I
> distinguish between file types? I mean how do you know a file is an
> executable in Linux? If I want to put an alias on my KDE desktop (once
> I find an executable file) how would I go about doing that?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Denis
>
> PS: If you have to flame at leadst make it creative
Denis - lots of (some?) Linux purists use KDE, some (including me) use the
vastly superior (just kidding, sheesh ;) Gnome.
To determine if a file is executable, just look at its permissions. Use: "ls
-Al" to look at a directory, and look for permissions like "-rwxr--r--".
The "x" means that the file described can be executed by its owner. Look in
your Caldera docs for more info on permissions. To get a more visual
indication, try using Midnight Commander (command: mc). This is one of the
most useful programs ever to have been developed to run under Linux. Among
its many features is that it highlights executable files.
Sorry, can't help with the KDE question.
Good luck!
-jeff
------------------------------
From: Cevat Ustun <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Should I jump into Linux?
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 04:18:14 GMT
I am in a similar situation (physics TA and now RA) and have been
using linux for quite some time now. In making the transition, the only
one commercial program that I looked for was Mathematica
and sure enough, you can find that for linux too (I'm
sure you can find Matlab also). As for spreadsheets,
there are quite a few choices, but in my experience, it is usually
best to use one that is compatible with Excel as profs can
(and sometimes do) ask for the grades at the end of semester
in this form. Now if you _must_ use Xess ... :)
As I'm sure you realize, it is possible to have windows and
linux coexist on the same hard drive so "jumping" doesn't
necessarily have to involve a _complete_ break with the past.
If you have _any_ doubts about trashing your windows
partition, you may want to get an old hard drive (say an
800MB one or so) and try that in place of your usual drive to
install linux and see if you like it. These old drives should
be pretty affordable and worth it considering (however
remote) the possibility of trashing your system due to
inexperience or whatever.
Good luck.
Cev.
Andrew wrote:
> I am looking for any advice and wisdom people have about 'an average Joe'
> installing Linux on a home machine. I'm an applied math graduate student,
> and I use my computer quite a bit. Like most folks I use the web and e-
> mail, but I also write papers using Word and use Telnet and FTP to access
> and utilize Matlab from home. I don't do any programming, except
> mathematical programming using Matlab.
>
> -I've read and watched all the excitement about Linux, and I'm wondering
> what advantages installing Linux would offer to someone like me?
> -I'm a TA, and I have to use a Unix spreadsheet program called Xess. My
> Microsoft spreadsheet program doesn't seem to be compatible. Is there a
> Linux equivalent that is freely availble that would be compatible to Xess?
> -Is most Linux software free? More specifically, I have to write my
> thesis using LaTex. Is there a Linux version of Tex that is free?
>
> The bottom line, is that I'm not a Windows hater or Windows lover.
> I use my computer as a tool to get information and get my work done.
> Would Linux be a good step for me to take?
>
> Thanks for any help you could give me....Andrew
>
> --
> Posted via CNET Help.com
> http://www.help.com/
--
------------------------------
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Re: in which script is X started?
From: Vilmos Soti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 04:30:35 GMT
Mandrake 7 User <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Which is the script that starts the X server? (system boots to kdm;
> distro is Mandrake 7 / Redhat 6.) I need to pass options to the X
> server but in startx and the like I see no command "X".
startx -option1 -option2 -- -option3 -option3
Here, option1 and option2 will be used by startx. option3 and option4
will be passed as paramteres to the X server. Anything after the --
is passed to the X server.
BTW startx calls xinit which is the X initializer.
Vilmos
------------------------------
From: Mandrake 7 User <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: MS Netmeeting under Linux?
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 04:31:48 GMT
Is there any net conferencing program for linux that is compatible with
MS Netmeeting?
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: Jerry L Kreps <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Different Flavors of Linux
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 22:39:06 -0500
Rod, on your website your wrote the following about SuSE:
>"SuSE is another RPM-based distribution. It gets along with RPMs intended for
Red Hat a bit better than does Caldera, but there are still occasional glitches
along those lines. "
I've been using SuSE since 5.3. Can you give an example of an "occasional
glitch"? I have yet to see one. SuSE's system management tool is called
YaST. (Yet another System Tool). I've found that the packages on the CDs have
been adjusted by SuSE to work with the perl configuration scripts that YaST
invokes during the installation process and I can't recall a single failure of
YaST to install a package properly.
>"Fortunately, SuSE has done a very good job of providing alternative tools
available in RPM format, so there's seldom any need to install a Red Hat RPM in
a SuSE system and then modify its configuration files. "
Are you refering to xrpm or Kpackage? Those are not 'SuSE' tools. About any
distro can use them. I've used Kpackage to install numerous RPMs from RH,
Mandrake, and independent developers. I've yet to encounter a need to
manually modify configuration files.
>"One quirk of SuSE is that its RPMs don't include the hierarchical
organization information used by other distributions, so when you look at your
RPM database, you see one big morass of installed packages, rather than a
hierarchical organization of packages by type (utilities, applications, etc.).
To my mind, this is a drawback, since it makes it harder to locate a package --
but on the other hand, RPMs on Red Hat systems aren't always organized in a
logical manner, so it can take a while to locate a package in Red Hat, too.
Strange. Mine SuSE installation does. I can run Kpackage and see this
hierarchical structure anytime I wish. It sounds like you have issues with the
RPM program itself, which has a few bugs in it. These are well documented in
the book "Maximum RPM". It is not a SuSE issue. For example: with some RPM
packages, after you install them with RPM you can't remove them using RPM
because the RPM database wasn't properly updated and using the uninstall
option results in a "package not installed" message.. All distos encounter
those same bugs. Useing YaST bypasses them, however, because perl scripts make
sure the rpm database is updated.
>"I've used both SuSE 6.2 and 6.3, but not yet 6.4. Especially for English
language users, SuSE 6.3 has a few too many warts, in my opinion. For
instance, even when you specify a U.S. keyboard during installation, SuSE
installs a German keyboard for X. "
I just ordered 7.0, but I am currently using SuSE 6.3 and it is flawless. In
three and 1/2 years of using SuSE I have NEVER encountered this keyboard
'problem'. I just installed SuSE 6.4 on a server at work using the graphical
install and never saw any German 'warts' either. The new ReiserFS is
absolutely fabulous. Thirty minutes after I installed it at work on an old P100
with two HDs, the second HD died. It held the /home partition, but I was
logged in as root. The dead drive was smoothly disconnected from the system
without a hitch. On a whim I decided to test out the new ReiserFS, so I
reached over and pressed the reset button. About 30 seconds later the box
presented me with the graphical login screen. No problems. No losses.
>"This means you may not be able to log in, depending upon your username and
password, because some keys may be remapped. (This matter can be corrected by
manually editing the /etc/XF86Config file.) "
Nonsense. If you can't log in how can you 'manually edit' the XF86config
file? Use "Linux single"? That has never occured on any installation of SuSE
I've installed or run in 3 1/2 years. It sounds like you weren't following
installation instructions, or you were attempting to install SuSE on hardware
that was not listed in the compatible hardware database.
>"The 6.3 installer is now GUI-based, though not quite as flashy as those
offered by Caldera, Corel, or even Red Hat. "
Both the console based YaST installation program and the new, graphical based
installation system are available, at the user's option. I still prefer
the older YaST, but I used the new graphical system to install 6.4 and found
that SuSE has cleaned up the problems that were present in the 6.3 system.
I recently installed Mandrake 7.0 for a person who later watched while I
installed the SuSE 6.4 distro at work using the GUI installer. He was more
impressed by the SuSE 6.4 GUI installer than the Mandrake one. He is scrapping
Mandrake and installing SuSE 7.0.
>"On my system, it included annoying delays between operations. The installer
insisted on creating a /boot and swap partition instead of using those I
already had on my system, which I found extremely annoying (to get the
configuration I wanted,
I've been upgrading my box with each release of SuSE since 5.3 and the
installer has NEVER refused to honor my existing /boot and swap partitions. it
ALWAYS has displayed those and asked if I wanted to continue using them, which
I did. Sounds like operator error.
>"I had to delete partitions with Partition Magic and muck about with
/etc/fstab and other configuration files to get things working correctly. I've
had major problems getting daemons and other packages that should run at start
time to do so.
Again, sounds like you were using incompatible hardware. There are some
circumstances, with certain kinds of HDs, where one would have to use fdisk
to configure the HD, but those circumstances are rapdily becoming a thing of
the past. BTW, why use PM when you can use fips and fdisk (Linux)? If you
used YaST to make your partition changes you would know that manually editing
the fstab file is a waste of time because YaST (via the SuSEConfig script)
always overwrites it. If you didn't use YaST that probably explains why many
of your configuration files were never updated and you had to putz with them
manually. There is even a header message to that effect in the file. If you
use KDE to modify your fstab it will also leave a header message. What
'daemons and other packages' have you had problems with? It sounds like to me
that you may have tried SuSE when it was going through the library change that
occured during version 6.0 and 6.1 when the old verion 5 libraries were mixed
with the new glibc2 libraries. That's ancient history, and never was much of a
problem anyway.
>"There seems to be some peculiarity to SuSE's /etc/rc.d/init.d
files that I haven't figured out.
Chapter 17 of the manual discusses the boot concept quite adequately. It
explains the init program, the run levels and how to change them, and 17.4
discusses the initd scripts. Sections 17.5 through the end of the chapter
describe all the scripts. When you run YaST all you are really doing is
setting values mainly in the /etc/rc.config script, and a couple of others.
/etc/rc.config is discussed line by line. Each of the scripts in /sbin/init.d
execute rc.config as a first step, to read the values in it. The task of
/sbin/SuSEconfig is to generate the the various configuration files using
rc.config. If you use YaST to change the configuation of your network,
for example, it changes rc.config. SuSEconfig will read rc.config and from its
values change resolv.conf, and other settings. If you change rc.config and
other files manually, then you must run /sbin/SuSEconfig manually to make sure
all the affected config files get updated. This always allows you to change
your config without rebooting.
Not many distros have a 480+ page manual in their package.
>"As a workaround, I'm using entries in /etc/rc.d/boot.local to force such
programs to run.
It's not a 'workaround' because you aren't working around anthing and you are
not 'forcing' them to run. You are just not following directions. As SuSE
plainly states on page 366, about boot.local, "Here, you can enter additional
commands to be executed at boot time before chaning into a runlevel. It can be
compared to AUTOEXEC.BAT on a DOS system." Adding commands to boot.local is
most common when you install programs that come as tarballs, and it is up to
you to change .profile or .bashrc, or boot.local to set env variables or fire
daemons. For example, if you install mingetty from a tarball you will have to
edit initd.conf to see that it fires at the proper runlevels and binds to the
correct ttySx.
Here are some lines I added to my boot.local:
modprobe ppa
insmod lp
/opt/oss/soundon
/opt/oss/ossmix mic 0 pcm 95 mic.rec 0 synth 95 line 0
Why? Because I have a parallel zip drive attached to lp1 and a printer on lp0.
I needed to install the ppa module and lp module to make them run. That is
a hardware specific problem that SuSE couldn't code for. Further, my sound
driver is from 4Front, a licensed version, because my box has an odd version of
Yamha sound chips in it. The oss lines are a result of the instructions that
came with my licensed version of oss from 4Front. While SuSE comes with a free
version of oss, and the alsa sound package, I needed a special driver.
>"Although the installer is X-based, post-installation configuration continues
to rely upon the original text-based YaST program, which some newbies may find
offputting.
Does that make sense? You are saying that in the very first moments of the
install, SuSE (or Mandrake or RH) is throwing up a functioning Xwindows,
keyboard and gpm'd mouse, and then later can have troubles configuring your
XF86Config file... If you study the screen closely I think you'll find that
while the graphics looks impressive they are not X-based. It is high quality 16
to 24bit color CONSOLE graphics.
>"One big advantage (or drawback) to SuSE is that its retail version comes
both on CD-ROMs and on DVD-ROM. The former package includes 6 CD-ROMs (at least
in the 6.3"
If you don't have a DVD then it is no advantage at all. SuSE led the distro
pack with their 5, then 6, now 7 CD count in their package. They have always
been the best value for the buck.
JLK
On Fri, 29 Sep 2000, Rod Smith wrote:
>[Posted and mailed]
>
>In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
> Tim <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>> I am new to the Linux world and am terribly confused by all the versions
>> of Linux that are available. Can someone please tell me what the
>> difference is between lets say Red Hat Linux and Mandrake Linux? Red Hat
>> Linux and Corel's version? Etc.
>
>Check my web page on Linux distributions:
>
>http://www.rodsbooks.com/distribs/
>
>--
>Rod Smith, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>http://www.rodsbooks.com
>Author of books on Linux & multi-OS configuration
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Hal Burgiss)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help,comp.os.linux.setup
Subject: Re: in which script is X started?
Reply-To: Hal Burgiss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 05:19:03 GMT
On Sat, 30 Sep 2000 04:30:35 GMT, Vilmos Soti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Mandrake 7 User <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
>> Which is the script that starts the X server? (system boots to kdm;
>> distro is Mandrake 7 / Redhat 6.) I need to pass options to the X
>> server but in startx and the like I see no command "X".
>
>startx -option1 -option2 -- -option3 -option3
>
>Here, option1 and option2 will be used by startx. option3 and option4
>will be passed as paramteres to the X server. Anything after the --
>is passed to the X server.
>
>BTW startx calls xinit which is the X initializer.
But he is using kdm. Just guessing this is based on xdm, so should have
a config file like /etc/X11/kdm/Xservers. This is where you pass options
to the X server. I've added the 'dpi 100' line below.
:0 local /usr/bin/X11/X -dpi 100
--
Hal B
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
------------------------------
From: "Michael Pike" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Large file system
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 00:34:21 -0600
While setting up RH6.2 on a Dell Poweredge for work, with over 80 gigs of hd
space, a problem arose while xferring a database file from it's NT
counterpart...
The file is 8 gigs in size, its a hospital database..... Linux, because it
is on Intel arcitecture, cannot accomodate files larger than 2 gigs in size.
I found patches for the kernel to enalble large file support, but i failed
miserably trying to apply the libs and the kernel patches....
My question is this.. since 7.0 is out, and it uses Kernel 2.4 - is the
large file system stuff built into the kernel now?
I am afraid if the LFS isnt implemented as a standard, Linux is going to run
into a lot of problems, because 2 gigs is NOT big enough in this day and
age, especially for enterprise servers...
Thanks,
Mike
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bob Hauck)
Subject: Re: ERROR too many files systems !!! what is this?
Reply-To: bobh{at}haucks{dot}org
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 06:43:47 GMT
On Fri, 29 Sep 2000 11:46:20 -0400, Agron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>I added another hard disk and a cd burner to my system. CD-burner is OK
>but HDD not. I have formatted the hdd and installed windows 98.
What mount options did you give? Did you specify VFAT or FAT32?
--
-| Bob Hauck
-| To Whom You Are Speaking
-| http://www.haucks.org/
------------------------------
From: "user12" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Problem with TNT2 installing
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 12:31:27 +0500
I try to install TNT2 kernel drivers for linux and get unresolved link in
/usr/src/linux/ **** .h
How to solve this problem?
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Daryl Fonseca-Holt)
Subject: Re: ATI Xpert (Rage 128, AGP) - RedHat 7
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 07:55:08 -0500
Do you have Driver "r128" of your XF86Config file? To get full use of
its performance I had to rebuild my kernel with r128 support, DRI
support and AGP support. Some of this support may not be available in your
kernel. I am using kernel 2.3.99. You should be able to get by without it,
the card just won't be as fast as it can be.
Also, read the Xfree 4.0.1 docs carefully, there is a special
step for building the r128 loadable kernel module.
Maybe you could post your XF86Config file if none this works for you.
On Thu, 28 Sep 2000 16:59:18 -0400, Vic Gedris
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Brian wrote:
>>
>> I just installed RedHat 7... Much to my surprise my ATI Xpert (Rage 128,
>> AGP) would not work properly. RedHat detected the card, but when I went to
>> test it, it failed every time, under every resolution. Is this a problem
>> with XFree86 4.01, which is used by RedHat 7? If so, is there any way to
>> fix this? By the way, also RedHat could not start up it's graphical
>> installer on my system, so it defulted to the old menu based one...
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>> Thanks for any help! =)
>>
>> - Brian -
>>
>> (P.S. please send copies of responses to my email as well as the newsgroup.
>> Thanks. [EMAIL PROTECTED] )
>
>Brian,
>
>I'm using an ATI Xpert2000 Rage 128 AGP (32MB) and it works flawlessly
>(so far) under Redhat 7.0. I was also able to use the graphical
>installer.
>
>I'm not sure what the problem on your end is....
>
>Cheers,
>Vic
>(remove "microsoft" from my email address to email back)
>
>--
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] WORLD WIDE PUNK http://www.worldwidepunk.com
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
** FOR YOUR REFERENCE **
The service address, to which questions about the list itself and requests
to be added to or deleted from it should be directed, is:
Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
You can send mail to the entire list (and comp.os.linux.misc) via:
Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Linux may be obtained via one of these FTP sites:
ftp.funet.fi pub/Linux
tsx-11.mit.edu pub/linux
sunsite.unc.edu pub/Linux
End of Linux-Misc Digest
******************************
