1. Downloaded slmdm-2.7.14.tar.gz
2. Tried to compile - failed. Need the kernel headers.
3. Kernel headers ain't on the Mandrake ISOs (good one).
4. Downloaded the wrong kernel source.
5. Compiled successfully.
6. Didn't work. Now there's a surprise.
7. Downloaded the correct kernel source.
8. Compiled and installed successfully.
9. This is an internal modem, but you still have to point the serial port at it in Minicom. That wasn't so obvious.
10. Action! It dialled! Only problem was, it was so excited that it dialled too much. I could dial my work (the exchange ignored all the extra DTMF tones), but I couldn't dial clear.net.nz. Bad language.
11. Google is my friend. Fluked an obscure web-site in the UK, where the very helpful gent wrote "Don't use 2.7.14, it adds extra digits when it dials".
12. Downloaded 2.9.7 (latest thing), and 2.7.10 as a back-up.
13. Compiled 2.9.7, installed it, struggled, got it to dial successfully, couldn't connect. Don't ask me why.
14. Today, delightfully, I had a terrifying hardware-type blue-screen-of-death under Windows. Horrors. My lap-top is looking flaky. Fortunately, it's behaved itself this evening. It's just trying to scare me.
15. Compiled 2.7.10, installed it. It seemed to work for that guy in the UK, perhaps it'll be kind to me.
16. Dialled in Minicom, it talked to the server! Got right through to the password before it threw me out.
17. Attacked it in DrakXConnect, and finally got the "You are connected to the internet message". Hooray!
18. Can't believe it. I've been struggling with this in my spare time (not much, with two infant children, plus a day-job that impinges heavily on my Linux play-time) since February. Have to go and browse a few web-sites just to confirm that it's actually happened.
So we're on line. I'm still struggling to believe that I've succeeded. This is definitely a terrifyingly steep learning curve. However. Onwards and upwards. urpmi next.
Many thanks to those of you that helped with the flood of questions. Believe me, there will be more.
Douglas.
