well i still cant get the wireless adapter to work on my computer (WMP54G if you dont read the wireless networking section) but i need to no other stuff about linux too and they are really newbie questions... how do you execute files and how do you install programs? lol sorry for not knowing anything linux is just way different from windows!

I'm about to have the same problem with a wireless card as we are installing a wireless netword next week. I hope you've solved your dilemma before then but, if not, misery loves company.

About orientation, I'm also a newbie, but my brother told me something about executing commands that helped. He said that files are not ever manipulated as such unless in the context of a particular program.

For e.g., an MS Word file is always manipulated in the .doc format in windows or not at all.

This was significant to me b/c, in Windows, the operating system recognizes the formats so transparently that its easy to forget that there's a program involved in the process.

From the command line, this is a different ballgame. Generally speaking, files do not seem to be manipulated AT ALL unless as part of a command. So the user always enters commands linked to "targets" which are files. The command cues the format of the file so that it is recognized.

This is a small insight perhaps, but it hit me like a rocket. Apologies if its too far from where you are now to be helpful --- but I hope it is.

http://www.die.net/doc/linux/man/man1/chmod.1.html
use that comand to make a file executable (warning its dangerous to use it cuse it can mess up permisions on a file and make it possbile for somone to use it to make you system insecure, so be carful), neways only certain programs/libaries/scripts should ever be executable, to veiw permisions type "ls -l ./*" that givs the permisions of all files in the directory ur in. (if somone knows how to make ls -l give the permiions in number format can you plz tell me?, cuse i hate the letter format, its to long, lol)

dunno about the wireless adapter.

Installing software depends on how you get it - as you seem to be using mandrake, then it's most probably going to come in the form of "rpm's" and you would usually want to look for mandrake specific rpm's i.e. they usually have .mdk in the name somewhere.

You will have to have root permissions to install an rpm, but start with just clicking or maybe double clikcing in a downloaded rpm, it would normally ask for root password.

You can also install stuff as "tarball's" i.e. filename.tar.gz (or possibly bz2) - that's a whole different ball game - not difficult, but different. There's an install guide here about's, but you'd have to search for it.

if you've managed to install software or files or somesuch, but can't read/execut them, then that's usuall problem's with permissions. Your user account has to have permission to use a file/app/device otherwise you just get told no access (or words to that effect). Again, I don't know enough about all that type of shit to advise, but a search here at LQ should guide you in the right direction.

regards

John