Baslinux mailing list

[baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org]

On Sun, 16 Dec 2007, baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

> User cannot access /usr/sbin or /sbin.
>
> To let user dial, I had to copy ppp-on and ppp-off to /usr/bin.
> To avoid an error message, I then deleted the third line of ppp-off (which
> uses /sbin/ifconfig, not on user's path, to generate a message stating
> that ppp was not on).
>
> 'user' accesses the modified ppp-off, root the one in /usr/sbin (which
> gives the ifconfig-related message).  I could have simply edited the one
> in /usr/sbin and symlinked to files in /usr/bin.

I discovered that the jwm menu accesses eznet directly (it is already 
suid) so this was all unnecessary for anyone using the menu.  I had to 
change eznet up to eznet up 0 in the menu since I have it set up for 
several possible modems. I renamed ppp-on and ppp-off to DIAL and HANGUP 
and put them in the main menu ahead of the browsers.

I added a menu item WORDPROCESSOR (for wp script).
People who have not used linux won't know how to access console programs 
without a menu.  The one I am making a computer for wants to print letters 
once in a while.  I don't know how to get Abiword to print without 
customizing the printer each time.

> I am online as 'user' from BL3.50, using dbclient.  (I don't know if it
> needed /dev/urandom but I made it anyway.  ssh needs it).

I had not added urandom and dbclient does not need it.  It is a lot 
smaller than ssh (not counting any supporting files (libcrypt, libz).

I added a paragraph  to the end of /etc/issue instructing the user to
type login and password, then startx, then DIAL before using a browser (in 
Windows the browser often brings up the dialing screen), exit the browser, 
HANGUP, EXIT the graphical screen, then CTRL-ALT-DEL (or exit and reboot).

I did all this for a generic user, then made a .tgz (30MB which includes 
also mplayer, netpbm, kermit, sox, msmtp, dbclient, gs...., expands to 
double that, with upx-ed opera).  I can simply copy this to other 
computers (via parallel transfer cable) and add different users.

Windows 98 with a few things added is taking up about 350MB, the CAB files 
another 150MB or so, and linux does a lot more, much faster.

 Sindi