Hi all,

should I have started out with slackware, or is their a better more less confusing distro out their? I just installed it and screwed up the moouse driver, now my mouse doesn't work and I can't seem to get started on fixing the screw up. I don't know where to start. My books don't help - slackwares book doesn't tell u how to change drivers, my other linux book doesn't tell me either please help!!!

thanks

xf86config

You set up your mouse, keyboard, monitor, and video card here.

Don't use slackware if you're a newbie.

Try Mandrake or Redhat for a few weeks juts to get the hang of things, once you have you'll find Slack much easier and more enjoyable.

Slackware really isn't that much harder. Yeah it doesn't have all the GUI tools like the others but if a newbie starts out with Slackware, I think then they can move on to other distro's and be more effecient with them after using a distribution like Slackware. Doing the reverse, some might get use to and start depending on those GUI tools, that Slackware then lacks...

I agree with trickykid.
I installed Mandrake 9.1, used it a couple of days, wiped it from my harddrive. I just didn't really get the whole concept of the GUI tools, where I expected to be searching through files to edit them. I know this can be done too in Mandrake, but as usual, when it's there I use it.

So I downloaded slackware, installed it and was forced to live with the inconvenience of not knowing anything at all :-) up to now I didn't see one single configuration file. I knew they existed, but didn't know where to search for them, let alone edit them. But it seems to get going better and better, and most problems get solved after thinking about it for a while. I've been involved with computers long enough to realise that there must be a logical explanation...

So yes, slack will require more investigating than mandrake, but if you can see the search for knowledge as something fun, I'd personally fully recommend slackware (being a linux-newbie myself)

I'm currently downloading Red Hat 9, it looks like it will consist of three cds, is this the full version? It's 180 dollars at the store? why give it away for free? what will I receive, limited version with no documentation?

stick with slackware. it might be a little harder at first, but it will be worth it in the long run.

your mouse problem is easy to solve. you just have to change one or two entries in your /etc/X11/XF86Config file. search LQ, i figured out how to configure my 3 button mouse from the archives here. if you still can't figure it out, post the mouse part of your XF86Config file and someone will help you. gl

thanks for the advice, i ran x86config again and chose the right driver. Now i jsust need to figure out how to get online

netconfig

Should be able to autoprobe your NIC and setup DHCP (never had to set up a modem so I can't help you there).

slight

The price you gave must be for the professional version, you can get the home version for like 30 bucks or even cheaper with documentation.