understanding how to compile driver
 

i am very new to linux. i recently installed mythbuntu and i am trying to install the isley pvr usb2 driver. i think i understand that i need to compile it against my kernel source (or a kernel source) but i don't understand how to do it. it seems that all the threads i have read assume a certain level of skill with linux, but as i stated earlier , i am an extreme newbie. i would really appreciate a clear "how to".

thanks for any help u can offer

Have you tried reading the instructions? If there's something you don't understand, you need to tell us specifically what it is.

thank you for your quick reply nylex. yes i have read the instructions. probably several dozen times. the area that i am stuck with are these specific lines : "Compile this driver more or less in the usual way one does to build 2.6.x kernel modules outside of the kernel source tree. Said another way, you need a kernel source tree somewhere nearby...".
i'm sure that someone of your skill level can comfortably take such a simple statement for granted but it does assume a level of experience that i currently do not possess (but am eager to acquire). i would ,specifically, like help understanding how to put a "kernel source tree somehwere nearby" and why.

thanks again,
pjremy

I presume you have the Ubuntu distro?

You need to install a lot of development tools, including the gcc package (which is the compiler), and you also will need to obtain the kernel source appropriate for your version of the kernel. Basically, the kernel source is just what it sounds like; the source code that was used to compile the kernel that is in your system. You need to have this source because anything you compile has to match your kernel, and it makes sure of the match by grabbing information from the source for the kernel you are running.

Using the package manager, do a search for gcc then install the packages that are found (unless, of course, you have already done this). Then look for kernel-source and install the one that matches your running kernel. That should get you going.

Unfortunately, right now I am on my Mandriva system (not my Kubuntu one), or I could give you more specific instructions.

thanks jim. i'll tinker around. i appreciate the help.