Hi,

I have no broadband connection and I would like to add applications and update linux. How can I do that. I have a 1 gig pendrive. THanks.

Assuming you can find a way to get the required files on your pendrive then the details will be distro-specific or, at least, packaging-system-specific. Which distro are you using?

Just take the packages into pen drive or create a local YUM Repository.

Hi,

Not enough information!

'How to Ask Questions the Smart Way' would be one link you should look at to help us to help you in the future.

Hi,

have a look at this site. This is how to build a local repository:

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showth...ight=localrepo

What connection DO you have?

He didn't specify his distro! What if he has Ubuntu and needs to create a local APT instead of YUM repository? He would need APTonCD to transfer the packages from one computer to another.

Oh, and one more thing: You CAN update your software using dial-up. If you have ANY Internet connection, you can update, although it may be extremely slow.

1 members found this post helpful.

markedly you reveal little but if you have no connection you will be struggling. Use someone else's, record it and transfer it.

fred.

Hi,

Most Libraries & University's have open labs with machines to download or access necessary files. Some don't allow burning of CD/DVD media but allow Flash drives. If your locale doesn't then possibly a friend or colleague may assist.

Another possible solution would be look at 'Linux User Groups' World list to see if a local group may assist.

The above link and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

Hi,

Thanks for all the responses. Firstly I was given an old desktop with XP on it. I am going to format the drive and install a version of linux. I have been looking at pclinuxos and dreamlinux. I do not have either broadband or dialup. I have a working cd-rom drive.I have a 1gig pendrive with dreamlinux 3.5 installed . The problem is that the libraries over here, Scotland, are not very linux friendly. I would like to be able to install a linux application to the pendrive then use it to update the desktop. I checked the link http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showth...ight=localrepo and I am hoping that something like that can be used for debian based dreamlinux or rpms for pclinuxos. I am surprised that no one has requested this sort of thing before. I searched the forum and found very little on this matter. Where I am broadband is expensive and dialup also. Thanks for your help in this matter.

So, how do you connect to make these posts?

Even if you set up a local repository, you still need a way of getting the packages for updates, adding SW, etc.

What exactly is the issue with the libraries? ("not Linux-friendly")---What is it that you cannot do there?

Hi,

How is the local library not GNU/Linux friendly?

If you can download to a pendrive/flash drive then it doesn't matter what is downloaded unless some form of restriction(s). If you can't download then try some local sources, some magazines have CD/DVD Gnu/Linux distributions available. Another means would be something like 'CheapBytes' or 'CheepLinux' which is UK.

'KNOPPIX' would be another GNU/Linux that you could order from direct.
'Slackware' is another.

Since you seem to have the means to post here then a Google search will get you even more available sites to order a CD/DVD to get a GNU/Linux of choice. Look at 'DistroWatch' for more information.

Be sure to check out the LUG list that I provided earlier as I'm sure there are members that would be willing to help you out.

The above links and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

They don't have to be, provided that they don't prevent you from downloading files.

Having tried this in England (...I would expect the situation to be the same, but I to admit that I haven't actually tried Scotland, it does vary a bit county-by-county, but as far as I am aware, they are all usable, provided that you don't intend to use Porn or Race-hate sites; sometimes you have to persuade them that sites are legitimate, but I have succeeded in persuading my local auth that distrowatch are legit before now, so they do listen) I have to comment that it can work, but bandwidth can be, err, variable. And, if you had a laptop (or other device which can use WiFi, such as some mobile 'phones), I'll point out that it may be possible to get more bandwidth out of the last quarter of an hour, when they turn off the other computers, but not their WiFi network, than you get in the previous hour. I'm guessing that some of the people using their computers use lots of bandwidth, but I'm unclear what they would be using it for.

Different authorities probably have different approaches to QoS.

In order to get it onto your desktop, you don't want to install it to the pendrive, you want to copy it to the pendrive and install it from there (or, copy it from there to the place from which you do want to install it).

Still doesn't help you resolve dependencies, though.

I am afraid that people without broadband are a minority, these days.

Unless you really are at the edge of the world (the outer islands, perhaps), you should be able to get dial up for the cost of the phone call. That won't be making it any faster, though, and you'll have the line open for quite a while to get worthwhile amounts of data. I don't want to advertise them (on principle, and because aspects of their service are, err, of less than the finest) but PlusNET used to have a service which gave you dial-up access in the wee small hours for free (by free I mean 'baked into the fixed costs, which were competitive with people who didn't do this'), but dial up is pretty unpleasant, at the best of times. And worse at others.

Hi,

I have memories of dial-up that leave a bad taste. Moving back to the country years ago and changing from a 'T1' to dial-up was a shock 10 years ago. Now I've got DSL with a clean line for the cost of what a lot a people out here still pay for dial-up.

To the OP: what about 3G? I did some searches on Google for 'Scotland 3G' with the result count being acceptable. You could weed it out with refined/advanced search. Look at this blog entry which should turn on the light and lead to some useful means to get on-line ($$??). BTW, this blog and entries are provided by another Scotsman.

Hi,

A lot of interesting responses. I still have no definite solution.
There are still many people with no broadband and a problem accessing
dialup, expense is one reason. I do not want to be downloading updates
for 1 hour then lose a connection. I do want to be able to add
additional application to the linux desktop. I was hoping to get a
complete list of all dependencies for an appliction via a web site
then compare it against the list in my installation then download the
required files. This would all be done programmatically.
I could run commands to get the list. Of course this
would have be done via my local library using Windows XP. I have much
to say against Microsoft and the various windows releases but one
thing I can say that is positive is that installation of application
need not involve internet connectivity.