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[<keesan2 AT cyberspace.org>]

I have posted proof that you can use 'ar' (from binutils - it has a
dependency) to extract 'data.tar.gz' from a .deb package and install it on
Slackware.

I installed photopc.deb, a 62K package (available for Linux or DOS) used
to retrieve photos from Epson or Olympus digital cameras (with serial
cable).  It is much smaller than the Windows software that comes with
them.  Photopc installed perfectly, including man and doc pages.

This shows that data.tar.gz that comes out of a debian package can be used
as a Slackware package. I should have first renamed it to photopc.tgz It
put a text file named data.tar.gz into /var/log/packages.  I renamed
data.tar.gz there to photopc.

It wanted /dev/photopc.  I made a link to /dev/ttyS0.  
ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/photopc 

(No need to make a new device with character/block or major and minor
numbers, or downloading MAKEDEV, this is just something that plugs into
Com1).

We took a photo of me standing in front of the Linux computer and plugged
in the camera and cable and turned on the camera and typed

photopc image 1 linux.jpg

It retrieved the first image to the current directory and named it
linux.jpg.

The camera cost $50.  Someone had refused to sell it at eBay for a highest
bid of $40 so I asked what he wanted.  It works fine, at 320 or 640 res,
and will hold 16 photos at 'high' resolution.  1995 Epson Photopc. Takes
standard AA rechargeable batteries.  The $50 was 3 years ago - they should
be dirt cheap by now since people want megapixels and removable memory
sticks.  

We have been using the DOS version on a DOS boot disk, but could probably
boot with BL2 from two floppies and then insert a disk with photopc on it
and copy photopc to RAMdisk.  This bypasses Windows hard drives on
friend's or libraries' computers.  You can retrieve photos directly to a
floppy disk.   That way nobody worries about getting viruses from you.
The DOS disk was handy on a friend's XT.

See the result:

http://www.usol.com/~keesan/linux.jpg

You can see my dual-monitor system (12" amber and 9" mono VGA).
84-key keyboard with F keys on the left.  2x CD-ROM drive (which I will
start using once I figure out rpm2targz or the script based on dd and
sed).  360K floppy disk that BL2 recognizes.  (Redhat 6.0 would not read a
720K disk!).  Case from a 286 rebuilt with a 486 board - nice big red
switch that you can't turn off by accident.

The other computers are DOS pentiums given to us to recycle but we fixed
them instead, and a curbside 17" monitor (pronounced pink tinge but clear)
and a 14" monitor picked up on a bike trip from the trash, and another
amber TTL.  

(You can see our bike trip photos at www.usol.com/~keesan - the above
photo is not linked as it is too messy.)

Sindi Keesan