Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Tue, 10 May 2005, David Moberg wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "sindi keesan" <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>
>
> > In any graphical mode (including Windows or BL3 Xvesa 800x600) it
> > used the entire screen.  It does have 2MB RAM so can do 16-bit at
> > 1024 but Xvesa is hopeless.  I will try SVGA so as not to get 132
> > columns in text mode with fb.
>
> I assume that if the resolution is not a 4:3 ratio, the scaling thing
> kicks in.
It is not even a simple ratio if it did stay at 4:3 - 9.5/12.
The computer was clearly designed only for Windows, in graphical mode.

> > In CMOS I can choose either or both, so I set it to both.  There is
> > also an output to TV.
>
> With corresponding TV output jack?
A small yellow hole in the side of the case.  You plug in a cable.

> > I wonder if I could get the video to display two terminals on each screen.
>
> Probably. You would need screen for the two terminals. Multi-headed X
> only works with XFree86 4+ IIRC.
>
> > In X it does not seem to matter whether or not you choose video
> > expansion, it is full-screen anyway. Only the text mode is affected
> > (DOS or linux or even the MS-DOS prompt).
>
> Text mode = 720x480 pixels, which is not a 4:3 ratio.

And they tried to convert 720 to 680 and expand at the same time?

Hercules Graphics mode for text?  Or Hercules text mode = 720x350? MGA can 
coexist with VGA text mode.  You can see text on both at once, but you 
lose the MGA if you do VGA graphics on the other screen, SVGAlib or X11.

I will see if I can get this working with mdacon.

> > We went to the neighbor who owns the wireless card and installed
> > the software, which says it is Linksys.  7MB on a CD.  We could not
> > get the card recognized even with the antenna part in a computer a
> > few feet away, but this may be because we did not have the user
> > password (we have it now). You can get into Windows with ESC but
> > not into the network.  The reason for trying out a card is to see
> > if we can pick up the DSL line from a nice Bulgarian neighbor who
> > offered to let us use it but lives a few houses away.  He is a
> > computer professional and likes linux and could help.  He suggested
> > we do 'linux from scratch'.
>
> I suggest that LFS is a waste of time. It is much easier to install
> packages, and merely recompile those that you are interested in.

I suppose you could end up recompiling everything on your computer to make 
it exactly what you need.  This might be helpful if you have 3MB RAM and a 
30MB hard drive but we have put that one back in the closet.

 >
> > > Linksys WUSB11 is what I have. The manufacturer lists Linux drivers at
> > > the download site. Mandrake came with drivers for the PCI, PCMCIA, and
> >
> > Perfect!  First we need to make sure this will work with the
> > borrowed card in Windows.

The neighbor can't recall her password.  She used ESC.  Then she gave us a 
'password' which is actually just her login and won't work.  The Windows 
software appears to require a password so we need to figure out how to put 
one into Windows, maybe using linux and a text editor.  Any ideas where to 
attack it?  We are not good at Windows.  We have a desktop to which we 
added a PCMCIA slot and could go straight to linux if that would be easier 
to set up.

> Let me know when you need the drivers. Is it really a standard
> Linksys model?

The software is Linksys and it puts a few little icons on the screen and 
beyond that I don't know.  How would I find out from the software if it 
were linux-compatible?  We have it on the computer but returned the card.

> >> They are supposedly down to $10 or so, the older types of PCMCIA
> > which are not as fast.  We are not in a hurry but it would be nice
> > to have a free phone line.  Does 2.2.16 not support wireless LAN at
> > all?
>
> Not the newer cards.

This is a 'b' 2.4GHz 11Mbit - we were told this is the slowest.  Do we 
need a newer card?  Would 2.2.16 support something that is still 
compatible with other hardware?  The b's are cheaper at ebay.


> > This computer came with a working 56K PCMCIA modem which says it
> > will only work in Windows, not DOS or an MS-DOS prompt.  Gateway
> > Telepath - I don't expect it to work in linux.  Could we add a 28K
> > modem to the other slot?
>
> Why not? A winmodem doesn't take up a COM port.

Windows found it in Com3.  It also says it is X2 so I suspect we now have 
a 33K winmodem.  Good enough unless I want to plug in headphones and 
listen to Realaudio.  We passed along a Mac laptop with 56K PCMCIA modem 
to a neighbor who may not be using the modem - are Mac modems hardware 
style?  I should have expected the X2 since it is a 1997 computer, the 
year they had three 56K standards battling it out.

> > Also if I install both BL3 and BL3
>
> I hope you meant BL3 and BL2.
I make lots of typos, none quite as much fun as the degrees centipede.

> > can I chroot to BL3 on one
> > terminal, dial there, and then go online with a browser from a
> > different terminal with BL2?  (Rather than installing pcmcia.tgz in
> > BL2).
>
> Why don't you move the PCMCIA stuff from BL3? Use the BL3 kernel, and
> copy these directories/files from BL3:
>
> /lib/modules
> /etc/pcmcia
> /usr/sbin/cardmgr

Is cardmgr not a program with library dependencies?

We were thinking of putting on BL3 anyway to use with dosemu since the 
later version was not working last we checked (no A or S in CLI).

Do we need to worry about firewall stuff if someone else has set up the 
DSL line properly?

I don't recall if Steven added a wireless section to the pcmcia setup. 
Perhaps if not, he could post at his site an expanded file containing that 
and what I got working for the pcmcia CF adaptor (the generic version, not 
the manuf specific one).  Was there something specific needed from the BL3 
kernel to do PCMCIA?  Would BL2 kernel also work?  Could I compile a 
2.2.16 that would work and also do wireless ethernet?  (Once I fix my 
symlinks).

> Someone please tell me if I've left anything out.
>
> David
>
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keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org