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On Wednesday 09 April 2003 4:47 pm, Simon Sanders wrote: > I'm an aspiring Mandrake 8.2 package user, strongly desirous of scrapping > all dependence on MicroSoft Windows and MS Windows applications. I bought a > copy of Mandrake Linux 8.1 which ran ok except that StarOffice 5.2 > collapsed whenever I tried to print and hardly any of the games worked (to If you mean things like 3D games, I'm not at all surprised. I find it bemusing that Mandrake and other distros install these games as default in the Games group when a large number of newish systems simply can't run 3D X. > The only trouble is, StarOffice 6.0 wouldn't load (I got an error message > that said it couldn't find StarOffice 5.2), KPPP stopped working properly Sounds like you did an upgrade - I've had problems with upgrades and I now only install - make a backup and let the new installer zap the partition - start again with a fresh configuration. This isn't just Linux either, I couldn't get Windows 98 to upgrade over Win95 and Windows ME wouldn't upgrade Win98 and that's before we consider upgrades that actually change the filesystem structure like ME->XP. > (although I could connect with my ISP, my browser and email systems > couldn't find whatever it is need to find in order to work), the games were DNS normally, plus a gateway. That problem may have disappeared with a fresh install. > no better and Mandrake wasn't interested. I'm sure the problems are due to > something simple like configuration, but I haven't a clue what to do. The We all start there. There have been LOADS of people on this list (including me not so long ago) who kept on nagging Simon (W), Alex and others about configuring Mandrake whilst having to use a Windows connection. The key is to take one thing at a time and remember that this is not a small bit of software, it is a complete system and there is nothing about it that necessarily has to work anything like the Windows way. Learning Linux still takes time because the system is so much more capable. The temptation to install EVERYTHING is enormous but you'd be better off installing just what you can get your head around. Leave the rest until later. Don't entrust valuable data to any new system until you are confident about using it and you'll be happy to zap it to solve problems. I know most problems can be solved without wiping the partition, but when I was learning it was by far the easiest way to learn. You pick up how to solve problems by less drastic means as you learn more. > FAQs associated with KPPP do identify my problem but the prescribed remedy > doesn't work (actually, I haven't pinged the server because I don't know > what this means or how to do it). Open a terminal window (often the icon looks like monitor perhaps with a seashell in one corner) and type ping -c4 hostname.domain - the c4 means that the ping command only executes 4 times. That's useful when you are testing and you actually haven't got a connection to where you want - otherwise you can sit there staring at ping for some time. (It's Control + C if you need to quit from ping). So: ping -c4 127.0.0.1 ping -c4 192.168.0.1 ping -c4 www.dclug.org.uk (Think of a terminal window as a more powerful version of the C:> prompt.) > I'm tempted to go out and buy another package, but I feel that I'm likely Nah, just try again. We all did. > to be disappointed again. So I've reluctantly transferred everything back > to MS Windows and I tell myself that at least I'm partly free of MicroSoft > since I use Eudora and Netscape Navigator/Communicator. I've tried sites > like Linux Newbie and Just Linux but can't find anything remotely relevant. Ask away. (And when you find the answer, add it to the Wiki for everyone else). > And one way and another, I'm pretty cheesed off since I would really like > to go over to Linux but can't. Yes you can. It's not an impossible task. Installing Netscape etc. is the easy stuff (as easy as buying a pizza). Installing and learning a new operating system (Linux, BeOS, OS/2, Unix, whatever) takes more time and involves some new learning (more like buying a house). > So it's all very well to say that that's what packages are for - the > Mandrake package hasn't worked for me. Yet. :-)) Keep going, ya doing fine! -- Neil Williams ============= http://www.codehelp.co.uk http://www.dclug.org.uk http://www.wewantbroadband.co.uk/
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