Michael wrote:
Hi,
Hi Michael. It seems necessary to compare notes here.
Mine have just arrived too, if anyone needs a set. Have got the 64-bit & PowerPC versions too.I've finally had a crack at Ubuntu today (thought I better since it's the Hare Krishna OS of choice). A friend ordered a pile of the Ubuntu install CDs of the innernet. It comes as two CDs packed into a nice cardboard digipak. One is a Live CD and the other is an Install CD.
The GUI 'Network' installer tool is tricky to get at (put a shortcut on your desktop) & control, and annoyingly automated (dialup on boot by default), but it can be made to run your modem. It will auto-detect the external when told to, & link it to /dev/modem, but you should edit the setting to /dev/ttysX (X = com port #). You can next simply put Modem Lights on your taskbar, & watch the connection stats (or their absence, until you're online). The Network Monitor applet will graph activity onto your taskbar too, once configured.The install went smoothly enough although the partitioner is obfuscated in manual mode. Now it's run up it looks like your basic Debian system with less options. The first thing I always look for in a new install is where to set up dial up networking. Surprisingly, I can find absolutely nothing in the menu system to help with that. Dumb dumb dumb. In fact Ubuntu hasn't even found my external USR modem and linked it to /dev/modem. Quite disappointing really, that's easy meat for any installer worth its salt.
My limited experience counts this process as on a par with kppp & SuSE's kdial(?) for difficulty. I've never had recourse to Pon/Poff, as yet. As well as an external I have a PCMCIA modem running on Ubuntu, & accessing through a firewall machine too.
What else is easier for them to have to deal with please? Setup guidance will be required, as always.*sigh* Back to the command line I suppose. pon here I come. How could it be possible to push this on to Linux newbies?
The bigger issue is what they will then be able to *do* with the modem, in terms of simplified updates & program selection / download. Include this phase in all evaluations, to be fair.
Michael.
Cheers,
Rik
