Baslinux mailing list

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

> > > Eventually, I did a pppsetup, then ppp-on and it connected to my
> > > ISP!
>
> Of course the darn thing dialed by pulse rather than tone, and
> there didn't seem to be any option to change that.

I have a few modems that dial pulse by default.  Try adding T before the 
phone number.

> But I followed the instructions I was given --- NOT with the BL3
> download, I might remind everyone --- and it worked.

What would you like to see added to the README file, or possibly put in a 
larger readme file at the BL site to which the downloaded one refers you?

> > > Links2 and sylpheed appeared to install properly but give
> > > "floating point error" when I try to run them.
>
> > Did you first type Xsetup and choose resolution and color depth and then
> > run X (startx)?
>
> Nobody said I had to. So why would I do it?

When you boot BL3.40 you get a page of HINTS FOR NEW USERS (see also 
/etc/issue) which tells you how to use X, if you know what  GUI is and 
that X is a GUI.  Maybe it should be worded differently?

'To activate the stand-alone GUI, execute startx (required 8MB RAM)'
The first time you run it you are asked to choose resolution etc.
You can use Xsetup to change resolution later (or edit Xconfig).

But the download site does not make it at all clear that links2 and 
sylpheed require X.  They 'require SVGA' - what does this mean?
I interpret that as 800x600 resolution, which they do NOT need, do they?

Is it mentioned anywhere obvious that X (the GUI) needs more than 8-bit 
color?   And to use another X server (X_SVGA) if you have only 8-bit?

The links2 from delilinux works with svgalib, does not need X.

Steven, I could not find the instructions to insert the slhc and ppp 
modules every time before dialing.  Perhaps you should add those to 
ppp-on.  I made a dial script which inserts modules and dials.

> Someone did tell me that all you do is type "pkg <add-on>.tgz" to
> install the add-on, then you type its name to run it. That worked
> with mc and yabasic jes' fine!
>
> >  The programs both need X.
>
> Now they tell me. What else is there that I don't know?

Probably a lot.  Please make a list of questions and answers you think 
would be helpful to other newbies, not in the readme or issue files.

> > What did you type just before the error message?
>
> "Links2" in one case, "sylpheed" in the other case. Why would I type
> anything different?

You need to run them from X.  The download site did not mention this, I 
think it should.

> > ppp-on runs a pppd program used by an eznet program which dials, but the
> > kernel was kept small so you need to insert two modules for pppd to work,
> > slhc.o and ppp.o, and pppsetup does that for you.  You can insmod slhc
> > then insmod ppp then type ppp-on (or eznet up 0).
>
> > Can we insmod slhc ppp on one line?
>
> I have absolutely no idea. What does that mean?

I was asking other list members if you can insert two modules by typing
'insmod slhc ppp' instead of 'insmod slhc' 'insmod ppp'.  I was a newbie 
here not too long ago and have a lot to learn.

> > On the other hand, it is extremely surprising that so much worked, when
> > you probably did not even read all the instructions.
>
> Well, "probably" you really have no idea of what I did or didn't
> read!
>
> I don't know what you mean by "all the instructions" but just now
> I checked through the README file again and I can't see where I
> did anything wrong, or didn't do anything I should have.

> Is it that the README file is totally inadequate for instructing
> a new, first-time user in the things they need to know?

You also need to read the little page that you see when you first boot 
with the HINTS.  But please help to improve the README or put together 
something else that I would be happy to host if Steven does not want to 
put it at the site.  For an older version of BL (BL1) he has a nice set of 
FAQs but I don't see reference to them at the BL3 site.  He can't spend 
all his time working on BL but does what he can and is quite amenable to 
changing things.

> Elsewhere --- but _NOT_ in any instructions that came with with
> BasicLinux --- I found a note that said I can enter "man bash" or
> "info bash" to get a list of all the available commands and how
> to use them.
>
> Naturally "man" and "info" don't exist in BL3.

We complained about that and Steven added a 'man' script and man pages. 
But not 'info'.  Look in /usr/man and /usr/local/man using zless and the 
name of one of the .gz files, or type man and the first part of the file 
name.

> There doesn't seem to be any "help" files or similar for BL, or
> any mention of where they can be found.
>
> The new user is strictly on his own.

No, there is this list for help.  You obviously found the instructions to 
reach the list.

> .   ,-./\
> .  /     \     from Greg Mayman, in Adelaide, South Australia
> .  \_,-*_/     "Queen City of The South"    34:55 S  138:36 E
> .       v

Sindi, a third-year newbie.