I need help and advice
 

OK this shows how much of a newbie I really am (BTW this is my first week with linux if thats an excuse).

A few questions for you all:-

1. I can access the KDE desktop in slackware 9.1 but I cant find the cd drrive anywhere (in my pc its /hdd) where can I find it?

2. also where can I get a player to play DVD movies for slackware (I already have the drive installed)?

3. Can I get a copy of open office for Slackware (I have to use .docs, .xlss and .ppt files for university)?

4. What is all this .gz and .tgz stuff ?

5. What extenstion does a linux executable file have ?

6. Any general advice for someone new to Linux and Slackware in perticular

help on ANY question will be welcomed

1. I can access the KDE desktop in slackware 9.1 but I cant find the cd drrive anywhere (in my pc its /hdd) where can I find it?

on desktop, right click, select create new.........cdrom
right click on new config file and select .......properties
click on each tab to find out what they are for.


4. What is all this .gz and .tgz stuff ?
.tgz is the Slackware program extension................
nickname for these is Tarball

http://www.slackware.com/book/

go to above link and Read.........this will help get you started on Slackware.

Well, it's a bit different than 320 gave it to you.....

1. Slackware Linux, as well as all other flavors of *nix, treat drives differently than Windows. In windows, the drives are essentially the base of operations. They are divided into letters, one for each drive (or partition). Linux does not do this. Your drives aren't special. They don't deserve their own little place in the computer. They can get in line with the rest of the HW. So, when looking for a device, the only place to look, is /dev. This directory is not really comprised of files, but of devices. This is done through the use of VFS - the Virtual File System. This allows all of your HW to be treated and addressed as an object - like a file. So, because it is as such, you must mount drives, before you can access them. This is essentially, asking your kernel to connect to the device so that you can use it. You can use the method that 320 gave you, that works great for a desktop icon, but just know that if you are running it as IDE, it resides @ /dev/hdd.

2 Google is your friend. - http://www.google.com/linux

3. http://openoffice.org

4. These are file extensions, similar to those found in Windows. .gz indicates a G-Zipped file. .tgz means it is tarred, and then G-Zipped. They are different forms of compression. Tarballs, though, as they are called, are archive files presented in a form that can be used by an installer. KDE installs Themes in .tgz format.

5. Linux does not have "executables" like Windows. A file is run by the program designed to run it. Forget about .exe - it's nowhere in here.....

6. Read everything you can - do everything you can. Come here for help, and again - google is your friend.....

Hello,

well, one little mistake: what you mean is called "VFS". "VFAT" is something different...

cu

hp_tux

xine will play dvds and it is on the slack disk. If you did a full install simple add it to your menu items or try run "gxine" or just the "xine".

Hey hp_tux - what the h#$! was I thinkin'? Thanks for that....