newbie: Help, I'm stuck!

[Scott Frankel]

  Problem 1: the cursor won't respond

I installed the Potato release as the default OS in a dual-boot
setup on an Apple PowerBook Pismo (Firewire/2000/tc.).  X (v.3)
launches happily, but the cursor arrow won't respond to either the
trackpad or an externally connected USB mouse.  It won't budge from
the center of the display (which is some sort of Debian desktop
decoration with some icons on either side.  Don't know what they do
yet; I can't click'em.)

I've tried manually editing the XF86Config file, setting the pointer
to /dev/input/mice, as per a suggestion.  Still no joy.  In searching
the new system  documentation for an X configuration tool, I found
that none were installed (I chose the task-based, simple installation
method, selecting everything I *thought* would be useful).  This leads
to:

  Problem 2: dselect config file mulched

I've inadvertantly hoarked whatever shoot-myself-in-the-foot.config
file it is that controls what the dselect program can access.  I can't
seem to get a package list update from the CD's I installed from.
With this remedied, maybe I could install the man pages!  In any event,
this leads to the frustrating:

  Problem 3: dsl via dhcp internet connection does't work

Which means that I can't connect to the Debian ftp site to download the
XF86Setup package!

I posted a plea the other day and received very interesting information 
in return.  (Thanks!)  My /etc/network/interfaces file, edited accordingly,
now reads:

# interfaces to launch at boot
auto lo eth0

# loopback interface
iface lo inet loopback

# fast ethernet
iface eht0 inet dhcp

Nontheless, I still get unresolved address errors from dselect's Access
methods.  Lynx complains as well.  From a cold boot and root login, invoking
ifconfig returns no output whatsoever.  If I then invoke 
% ifconfig eth0 up
I get 
eth0 PHY ID: ... 
full_duplex:1, speed: 100

dselect  lynx remain unhappy though, even after that ifconfigery.  Note that
the computer is connected to a Linksys Cable/DSL Router, which serves IP numbers
via DHCP -- and the whole setup works flawlessly under MacOS ...

Two related questions:  
- What does /sbin/pump do?  I'm told it plays/can play a role in dhcp
  configuration.  What would/should I do to implement it?

- What does /sbin/ifup do?  There's reference to it in the original 
  /etc/network/interface file.

Thanks in advance for your help.  I've spent the better part of a week 
absolutely
dead in the water -

Scott

mouse config for PowerBook Pismo?

[Scott Frankel]

Would anyone have suggestions for configuring the mouse for X v.3,
Debian Potato release?  This is for use with an Apple PowerBook
Pismo 2000.  When I launch X, I get some sort of desktop environment
(WindowMaker?) with the cursor locked dead in the center of the
screen.  It won't move with either the trackpad or an external USB 
mouse.

One suggestion I got was to change the /etc/X11/XF86Config file's
Pointer section's Device call.  i.e.:

  [/etc/X11/XF86Config]
  Section Pointer
  Protocol  BusMouse
  Device/dev/input/mice# was /dev/mouse
  EndSection

/dev/input/mice *does* exist; but unfortunately, this hasn't fixed 
the problem.  

Thanks
Scott

newbie DHCP TCP questions

[Scott Frankel]

I'm setting up a dual-boot Debian Linux | MacOS PowerBook.  It's connected
to a LinkSys Cable/DSL Router, supporting DHCP.  After configuring the router, 
the MacOS side works flawlessly.  But there's no joy yet on the linux side.

One thing that'd sure help would be to know how I can translate terms my ISP 
uses into the terms-fields used in /etc/network/interfaces.  i.e.:
  [...]
  network -- ?
  broadcast   -- router address?
  gateway -- name server addresses?

Would anyone have example /etc/network/interfaces syntax for configuring the
automagic of DHCP?  Under MacOS, all the TCP/IP settings are supplied by the
router.  How is that set up here?  Is there another script or file used to 
configure DHCP?

Once I get the DSL connection working under Debian Linux, my next task is
to find a package, XF86Config(?), so I can get my PowerBook's trackpad to work
under X.  Then maybe I can boot into one of Linux's graphical UI's ;)  

Thanks
Scott