Good evening Fragos,

In your post #13 the following instructions appeared:
<In 9.3 YaST may not always use sax for mouse configuration. To insure sax is used:
bring up a console terminal window
su (you'll be prompted for the root password)
sax2 (GUI version of sax should start)
the rest should be intuitive>
I need some interpretation help:
1. what/where is a "console terminal window?"
2. what is "su;" it sounds like a command to be placed in entry box?
3. what is "sax2;" Redshirt called it a graphical component; but in this context it sounds more like a command or possibly a menu option?

Thank you in advance; you and Redshirt have been a great help to a beginner, who is a still a long way from being considered "INTUITIVE."

langbein

1) A console is a terminal window, which is a command prompt, which is also a shell. They are the same thing. Assuming you are running a desktop like KDE or gnome, you open them with the terminal icon in the menu, or from a launch bar. They allow commands, and running unix and scripts, and whatnot. It looks very similiar to a does prompt in Windows. We could argue semantics and which is the proper term and all that. Essentially they are all used and usable phrases for the terminal prompts.
2) su is a command in a prompt, it is short for Super User. It means, you want temporary admin privileges to install software or mount a device, or something else your normal account doesn't have permission to do.
3) Sax2 is a software program that helps configure hardware. It is a graphical(usually when you see it) window that allows you to select mouse properties, monitor properties, and other things. It is quite seamlessly put into YAST, so it is hard to tell where one stops and the other begins in SuSE. In other flavors of linux, it is much easier to see Sax2 as what it is. It is software, and you can run it via the sax2 command from a terminal should the need arise. The GUI version is a graphical rendention of the original text(terminal based) configuration utility.

1. what/where is a "console terminal window?"

A terminal window is the CLI, Command Line Interface. Click the Kmenu (Gecko icon in the lower left hand corner of the screen) - select System - Terminal. There are other ways to get this window. One of the icons in your toolbar is probably for Konsole (same difference.

2. what is "su;" it sounds like a command to be placed in entry box?

su is a bash command to be entered in the konsole. You will be prompted for a password -- enter your root password.

3. what is "sax2;" Redshirt called it a graphical component; but in this context it sounds more like a command or possibly a menu option?

You can execute any GUI component from the command line as an option to drilling down in Kmenu for it. A benefit is that you get all error messages in the Konsole window, including ones you don't see in the graphical interface.

Feel free to ask more questions.

Good morning Redshirt and Fragos,

A final follow-up on this thread. I was quickly able to locate Kontrol Terminal Window and use the commands "su" and "sax2." The mouse is configured with both left and right buttons active; am still not able to activate the middle wheel, even when this option is checked. But, 2/3 is certainly acceptable. Now, if you can give me some help with

my second post dated 110805:"Floppy A: Drive icon will not open."
24 visitors are recorded, but as of 110905 no suggestions have appeared.
This situation has persisted since my original SUSE 9.3 installation the middle of October.

Sincerely,
langbein

Going by my experience with SuSE, in order to see drive icons you need to open "My Computer" on the desktop. That folder has icons for all installed devices, mounted or not. If for instance you plug in a USB interface device like a memory stick, an icon for that device will appear in this folder and a konqueror window will pop up on the desktop with a file system view of the device contents. My digital camera does the same thing when I plug it in via USB. Back to your floppy. If you put a floppy in the drive the floppy icon will change to indicate its mounted. Usually this is the same icon with a small triangle in the lower right hand corner. If I've misunderstood your problem problem provide more information in this thread.

Thank you Fragos for this Floppy response! It it possible to post your answer on the new thread entitled: "Floppy A: Drive icon will not open" ?
Appreciate your help.
Sincerely,
langbein

Good afternoon FRAGOS,
I followed your suggestion and opened "My Computer" containing the 8 icons; I then placed a floppy disc in the A drive on the Dell Systems Unit (tower); [note that this floppy drive is not a USB device]; there was no change in the floppy icon at the time of disk insertion as you mentioned should occur. As mentioned earlier, when I highlighted the Floppy A Drive with the mouse pointer then following data appeared:
<<Name: Floppy Drive>>
<<Type: Unmounted floppy>>
<<Modified: 1969-12-31 1600>> (langbein comment: where did this string arise?)

(langbein comment: Fragos, this A drive is consistently called an UNMOUNTED FLOPPY DRIVE;
all other icons [7] indicate they are mounted when highlighted with the pointer;
at some point during 9.3 installation this tower drive did not mount; but I don't know what to do to achieve mounting of this Floppy A Drive)

When I double-clicked the left mouse button to open this floppy drive with the floppy disk in place the same error message appeared as indicated in my first post. I hope this better explains my "missing in action" floppy drive problem.
Sincerely,
langbein

langbein

I'm running SuSE 10.0 but I would think its operation is consistent with 9.3. Dispite that the floppy icon say unmouted it is actually mounted with file name /media/floppy/. I apologize if I misled you -- I told you how it's supposed to work and it didn't. I couldn't examine the floppy contents with the GUI but can using command line bash shell in a console /terminal window. 1st I put a floppy in the drive, it had some data on it and then:

Bash command "mount" told me it was mounted on /media/floppy

"ls /media/floppy" gave me the top level directory

"cat /media/floppy/ReadMe.txt" listed that text file in the console window.

"kate /media/floppy/ReadMe.txt" opened up a GUI window with the kate editor and that file.

There appears to be a bug.