[linuxconf] Re: New User

[Martin]

Thank you so much! I will try com1 this night. As far as not liking Netscape I am sure it is very good I just have a little problem with them that follows, I lost a complete days work when I installed one of their Browsers on Win 98 32 bit Fat. It made itself my default browser without asking and I did not notice. I continued to work as my c++ compiler was set to test an e-mail program under the default browser. It crashed and hard at that. I lost many chains and sectors of data. So I know when you say they are good it is true, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth from my experience.

Thanks for the great info, I am

M.H. Baldwin,  at your service.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Clark Mankin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Linuxconf Mailing List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 1:25 AM
Subject: [linuxconf] Re: New User

1)  Move your modem to com 1 and you'll be a happy camper.

 

2)  Apache is ready to go.  There is no need to do anything.  It boots up and runs when you start the system unless you told your system not to start it.  (Type ps x at a command prompt and see if you have httsd running.)

 

3)  For Linux Netscape is the full featured browser.  You will not find one "better" although there are many other choices.  What exactly do you think some other browser does "better" than Netscape, anyway???

 

If you select a browser other than Netscape you will not be able to view 85% of the content on the web.  Everything runs with Java these days and the old text based browsers for Unix don't do Java.

 

You have only two choices for a browser these days and those two are Internet Exploiter or Netscape.  None of the others work with Java or activeX controls.

 

Why have a browser that isn't going to be able to show you frames and do the Java that makes pages interesting?

 

Red Hat is pretty much ready to go, including the web server.  When you get your lines up (I am also waiting for ISDN service to put my own web server on line) and actually get going you may find a few things to tweak, but Apache has done a very good job of making their server "ready to run" right out of the box.  99% of the users find they have nothing to change.

 

If you got Linux Undercover, it will answer most of your questions.  Apache Server for Dummies (available from Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com will answer many elementary questions.

 

If you will go to your /etc directory and type in the following:  Note you must be at the absolute root level (not the one that says # /root.  You want to do a "cd .." and get down to the # /etc.

Then type in the line below:

 

pico bashrc

 

You will launch an editor called Pico.  The bashrc file will contain an "alias" statement at the bottom.

 

Under that alias type the following line:

 

alias ls="ls --color=tty"

 

Then type <control> + X

 

Then type Y (yes) to save

 

Then type <enter>

 

What this does is it adds color to your directory tree.  log off by typing <exit> at the command prompt and when you log in again you will have bright blue directories, bright green executable files and white text for plain text files.

 

You can use Pico to make yourself a little executable to mount and dismount your CD ROM also.

 

First type

 

mkdir /cdrom

 

press <enter>

 

You have made a "mount point" directory for  your CD.

 

Now type

 

Pico /mntcd

 

press <enter> to bring up the editor.

 

Now type in the following line.

 

 

mount -t iso9660 /dev/hdd /cdrom

 

and do a <control + X>

 

Press "y" to save

 

And finish with <enter>

 

 

Now you'll have to "change mode" on the file to make it executable.

 

Type in

 

chmod 755 /mntcd

 

The 755 are octal codes for file permission levels.  7 means the owner can read, write and execute. 

 

In linux you must "dismount" the CD or the drawer will remain locked.

 

umount /dev/hdd 

 

That's the command.

 

You can also use the Pico editor to make a little executable file out of that command.  I call mine /umntcd

 

Remember that you must do chmod 755 /umntcd in order to make the file executable.

 

These little tricks will make your Linux more enjoyable.

 

Dig into the books.  Read the HOWTO files.  And read the Apache documentation.

 

Cheers . . .