Absolute Newbie - Help with Some Basic Functions
 

Hello.

I'm completely new to Linux with a good background in Windows. I have long wanted to migrate from Microsoft and will do so if I can get the kinds of things I need working.

I have installed the latest Ubuntu on a hard drive (by itself). Boots OK and I've looked around a bit but need to get things going. First problem...Internet connection.

QUESTION #1

I have a USB ADSL modem which, until recently, seems to have been unsupported. It now has a driver, which I have installed (as well as the pppoe it said it required). So far, the only way I know how to install is by using deb packages, which is what I've done

Next, the package says it contains a GUI for configuration. When I tried to run it, I got a message that the required gif file was not found. I checked around and found it exists, but was not placed in the folder it was supposed to be in. More precisely, it had the wrong name. The file required is modemeci.gif. What appears in the folder is modemeci.gif.dpkg-new.

Two choices: copy modemeci.gif into the folder or rename the one that's there.
Trying the first, I typed (in the terminal) according to instructions I have for a few commands:

mv -i /Desktop/modemeci.gif/etc/eciadsl/modemeci.gif

I got: "mv: missing file argument"

and have been unable to figure out what I'm typing wrong.

If someone could set me straight, I'd appreciate it.

QUESTION #2

According to the installation instructions, I connect by typing:

eciadsl-start I tee.log.txt (The I before the word tee is supposed to be a vertical line, which I copied and pasted into the terminal).

This brought me the following:

Warning: couldn't find /etc/eciadsl/eciadsl.conf, default config assumed
[EciAdsl 1/5] Setting up USB support...
Preliminary USB device filesystem is OK
[EciAdsl 2/5] Uploading firmware
ERROR: modem not found

I don't know what that means. I wrote lsusb and my printer and modem appeared, which apparently means the system sees them. Does this mean the driver is not installed properly...or isn't configured?

Where do I start to solve this?

Many thanks to anyone who can help.

Ingla

Question 1:
mv requires two arguments, where you are moving the file from and where are you moving it to.
So:
mv /foo/bar /home/user/ will move the file "bar" into the /home/user/ directory.
So I think this is what you want to do:
First type in this:
su
When prompted, type in the password for the root (that's the administrator) user that you set up when you installed the system.
Next, type in this:
mv ~/Desktop/modemeci.gif /etc/eciadsl/modemeci.gif
Assuming that's where your files are located.
The ~ means your "home directory," which is /home/[username]/ where [username] is your username (o_O;;), you don't need to change that or anything.

Question 2:
This is because your configuration file probably wasn't set up. Try the GUI and see if there's an option to choose your device.

It seems that there should be a space between /Desktop/modemeci.gif and /etc. The mv command requires a source and a target in the movement (whether its moving a file from one place to another, or renaming a file). So, try:
mv -i /Desktop/modemeci.gif /etc/eciadsl/modemeci.gif
That gives the mv command the necessary source location, and the target location (including filenames).

The 'vertical line' is the pipe symbol (look at the backslash key at your right pinky finger). Press shift-\ and you will get |, the so called 'vertical line). The command; eciadsl-start | tee.log.txt does the following:

start eciadsl
pipe (|) the output to tee
tee will show the result on-screen, and write the log (think of the letter T: signal in at one point; signal out at the other two points).

You are missing eciadsl.conf. Check your system to see if there is a example file (perhaps eciadsl.conf.sample, or some such name). If not, try to google up a sample config file that you can edit to suit your needs. If you have any documentation regarding eciadsl, that may also give you ideas on what to put into eciadsl.conf.

I'm not sure about this one. You should do a bit of searching via google on usb modem and adsl modem setup. It could be as simple as creating a symbolic link in /dev directory; it could also be more complex. I'm stuck with dialup, so I can't help much in that area.

Since you are new to Linux and a proficient Windows user, you should probably start using a distro with a heavy KDE base. For me it was easier to learn. Ubuntu is a good distro, but it lacks many, many multimedia features. Give SuSE 10.0 Eval a try. A lot of the hardware will be autodetected and configured and most software can install using RPM packages.

Although I will get lots of flack for mentioning a distro that is not someone's favorite, SuSE was easy for me. It is not windows and does not work like windows, but it has many features that will help a windows user get acclimated without having to mess too much with configuration and drivers. Plus it is created by Novell.

Kubuntu is the ubuntu distro that comes with KDE instead of gnome. I like it, though not on my computer (I'm a slackware man!).

Kubuntu still needs lots of configuration to get multimedia working and it does not use the RPM package manager. You need to use synaptic and download everyting. SuSE 10.0 has the most used software on the DVD that you download. I like having the software on a DVD rather than downloading because it is quicker. Especially when I am trying to get used to the Linux way of doing things.

Thanks very much to everyone who answered. I AM now online with Ubuntu. Most of the problems (and there were many) were due to the guys writing the deb files. Mainly, every file called was "not found". I discovered they were all there...they had just added an extension to the extension which their own program couldn't call. OK, so I learned how to fix it...meaning I now know how to move, copy, rename, changed file ownership and permissions, etc.

Good learning process for one little install.

Now I'm trying to install Thunderbird from ar tar file....but they give no indication of what files need to run or how. No instructions, readme or anything. Do you think people try to make this hard?

Also, I need support for several languages. I've found a number of sites that list support files, but not one of them has (or even points to) an actual file download??!!

We'll get there!

Thanks again
Ingla

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rute
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