I finally got into my suse 10.2 install. Used the CD because I was really curious what it was like. Took a while to boot that way, but that's okay for now :-) I have some issues with Grub/MBR/Floppy that I am working on.......

My first impressions where that it is a different looking desktop, (Gnome) which I liked, but here is what I saw, before I had to shut it down to make dinner for the rug rats. Any opinions, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will try very hard to just ask, not complain or rant, as my search of distros is to find one that comes out of the box, with what I like to use, and that is easy to figure out.

I did not find any mount utility to help us newbies mount our other file systems.

The network seemed to configure okay, DHCP, Comcast Broadband. I just let it set up by its defaults. My ping times are over 20 seconds, web browsing cannot be done, and I know not how to go about dealing with that. The connection, via LNE100TX, in windows, is 6-8 Mbits, so I know that the connection to the PC is okay.

In playing around with mounting, I looked into the /dev directory, and was amazed to see my hda6, windows FAT32 partition as the only thing in that directory. Can't imagine how that happened....

I wanted to install flashplayer to run some online tests on the net speed, but when I ran the installer, it wanted to know where mozilla was, and I will be go to hell if I know where Mozilla is located on the system :-) I tried file searches, and got nothing. I must confess, I do not know how to reach the top of the hierarchy, and do a complete search of the entire linux partition, not unlike what I would do in windows, from C:\ All I could find was search tools that wanted to know what directory to search from, and if I knew that, I could probably find mozilla somehow without the tools.... <g>

I attempted to open the mp3 player, I forget the name of it, and it failed, saying there was a zero value in some place where it didn't belong.

I have learned, and am okay with the fact that each distro is different, and there is a big curve when trying to learn to use each one, so I find myself remarkably calm and not at all frustrated, but certainly miffed at this kind of a first impression.

Is there a reason why, in 2007, each mainstream linux distro does not include a mount utility? Some do. Seems that most don't. Where do I go to suggest that such a thing be included, and also that such a utility be created so that I could mount all that I want to mount, and then have it automatically saved into my fstab file? I think that would be nice for folks just checking out the distros, and trying to see what each one offers.

Anyway, I ain't-a quitting or nothing, but certainly, not a great first trip into Suse :-)

If anyone has any help to offer on the problems I mentioned, I am happy to go back in, and see if I can fix it up. I am really curious about tweaking the network so I can use the web, and I have no idea what my hda6 partition is doing in the /dev directory :-)

If you read this far, thanks a lot. :-)

John

Flash - there is an rpm, I assume you used the dl from adobe. Try the rpm http://download.opensuse.org/distrib....8-22.i586.rpm.

mount utility - in yast there's the partition manager which is what you're interested in. Personally I think that there should be a seperate mount utility like some of the live cd's have but truth is once fstab is set .....

This article should walk you through things like enabling multimedia http://www.softwareinreview.com/cms/content/view/60/

which mp3 player?
which browser?

Actually --I don't know about GNOME but KDE has a very nice facility straight out of the box --just click the "My Computer" icon on the desktop.

Shows Network files as well. If you put a CD / DVD in to your DVD writer it will Automount automatically. The My computer also shows such nice things as MP3 music players / card readers attached to your machine.

To access Network files you do need to have some knowledge of SAMBA but there are enough simple tutorials on the web.

If you are sharing Windows files on the same machine (I.e your machine DUAL BOOTS) you can enable NTFS for WRITING by installing ntfs-3g and issuing a mount command mount -t /dev/xxx /windows/D where xxx is the Windows partition probably labled something like hda, hdb etc. You can find out by issuing a command as root fdisk -l and then seeing what is actually mounted by the following command mount -l

if your Windows partition is FAT32 then you don't need to do anything to be able to WRITE to your Windows files.

SUSE 10.2 is actually one of the better distros now. After a shaky start when Novell first took over SUSE and the rela dogs dinner that was SUSE 10.1 OpenSUSE 10.2 works pretty well straight out of the box.

When you install the system though I'd make one change -- change the Network to use traditional IFUP method rather than the Network manager then you can start the network manually. This often works even when the network manager method doesn't.

To get console mode from X you can either in YAST set the default run level to 3 (so you login on a console and issue START X to start the X server) or as root type init 3 on an xterm console.

Cheers

-K

Thanks. I will give that a shot
you mean once someone figures out how to set it in the first place :-) I don't mean it as a rag or rant, but gee, a small utility to do it automatically seems a simple thing, and given all the developers working linux...... <shrug> Why punish people who just want to take a look, and see what suse/linux is about, without having to learn commands right out of the chute? Again tho, I am just putting it out there, trying to avoid any implication of complaining :-)
That looks good. Thanks for the info

I guess it wouldn't hurt to use KDE next time I set it up. Might help a bit.

Bummer. I just want my broadband connection to run faster than a 9600 baud modem.
Well, I had a rudimentary understanding of the mount command, but the only thing in my /dev directory, is the directories that are on my hda6, fat32 directory. There are no devices in there, to mount to. I know I can make new directories and mount to whatever I want, but where do you suppose the stuff in /dev went, and since there is no reference to hda6 in fstab, why on earth is /dev basically my hda6 mounted partition? This one has me baffled....

That is what I heard, and why I thought to take a look. Maybe KDE will help me get going.
Don't understand how to actually do that.

Thank you, but again, you have went over my head :-)
(not hard to do, btw <g>)
John

Jon i think you need to understand the nature of linux. Its not meant to be easy.

Its meant to be difficult and intimidating and difficult for most people to use. Thats is the pleasure of it.

When you finally get that display driver to install or mount that ntfs partition or get your wireless working on your laptop. And when its all done and working perfectly you can sit there knowing if you wiped the lot you could get it back to the same place with the new knowledge thats in your head.

In short if you want a 'windows alternative' buy a mac. Linux is for power users

I personally don't really agree with that. Many distros such as Ubuntu and SuSE have made installing and using Linux much easier for the "noobs" as long as they take a little more than 5 minutes to get acquainted with the OS. Using KDE is a good starting point for people migrating from Windows. Menus and items will be in a somewhat familiar place to at least get up and running.

Linux may indeed be great for power users, but power users had to start out somewhere...

I got a smile on my face, so don't misconstrue, but your tongue in cheek comment is too close to an absolute fact. The worst problems I have ever had with linux, in and out over ten years, is installing, and wondering why the simplest tasks are still so damn hard after all these years.

I ran OS/2 for twenty years. (edited: twenty years! What am I smoking?? <g> 12 is more like it. Sorry..) I know what its like to shovel against the tide, but OS/2, and god help me, even windows, got easier, and more intelligence was added, while Linux just gets more dingy utilities, and I swear, sometimes more impossible to figure out.

Half a dozen years ago, the community took a huge leap, and began working towards becoming more friendly, and easier to use. I cannot even get Suse installed properly, and booting from a floppy, and although I am not conversant with all the 'under the hood' stuff, I am not stupid, and I am not computer illiterate

The amazing thing about windows is, it sucks, it fails, it crashes, and you wade through it, and finally, you gain an understanding of it, and it becomes quite useful, within it own bounds. I cannot count how many times I have honestly tried to do the same with linux distros, and just tossed up my hands and walked away.

Listen, when I load a distro to evaluate it, I stand stunned that I have to manually edit the fstab file, in order to access my other partitions. After ten years, that is just stupid. Even gates figured out how to make things easier in less time than that, and believe me, I am not touting M$. I am a hater, but good grief, every time I install it, I can see all my partitions :-)

Nuff said. What I really need is for someone to explain why Suse installed, with nothing in my /dev directory but my hda6 fat32 partition, and no trace of that partition, in fstab. How on earth does it mount that drive, and put it in the top of the /dev directory? I have on other devices to mount my other partitions, even if I bothered to edit fstab......

That is a new one, but it sure flies in the face of "its getting easier" :-)

Thanks for the space. I am not quiting, and I am not ranting and raving, but I did take a few moments to express the feelings of the day.

Much obliged to be able to do that.

Ahh, yes. Good old OS/2. Me too...but, onward..forward.

Is this a "Live CD"?

First off, i've never (well, once actually for a totally dif. reason) had to edit my fstab. You should (suse should) see the drives at install/setup Where it says 'partitioning' you can click on it to see what it's going to do and mount points. After install, go to Yast->system->partitioner you will see all the drives it sees. if for some reason the drive is there but no 'k' in the 'mount' collum click edit->fstab options and add it. NTFS as read only and mount by device name. if they dont show up its a controller problem.

I use KDE and am unfamiliar with Gnome. Nonetheless, Nautius should be similar to Konqueror for file sys browsing. With my dual boot sys, the windows drive shows up as /windows. In linux you are a user(unless you sign in as root) so that "C drive" of windows is not for you nor needed. Click the lizard (kde) and third down is 'personal files (home)' thats what you work out of. Now thats not to say you can't look. after opening 'home'(actually its your user name)'/Home/user' click the 'up' arrow till you're at / . thats the top of the file structure. Or (KDE) click the lizard->computer and you will see media with all your drives. All mounted at startup. Not good practice to use /dev to get to anything.

2.The nfo or readme with the flashplayer will tell you where to look/install in suse its /usr/lib/firefox/plugins. the flashpyer d/l is a shell script/executable, just left click, it runs.

3. The other guy telling you to go to Yast and change the boot setup to get a command prompt is on CRACK! And wrong.(at root cmd prompt, init 3 shuts down Xserver (gui)and other services that start there. init 5 starts X. God..it's a good thing you didn't get it. Quick way..ctrl+alt+(f1 or f2,f3,f4,f5,f6)and log in. same+f7 gets you back to Gui. above+f10 gets you sys. messgs.

Look here for some good guides suse http://www.novell.com/documentation/...102/index.html

Any way, one problem at a time. lets get your dives found.

We will need details.
well thats all for now.

I do so miss it......
Its the DVD version, and definitely not a Live version.

Okay, got it. there is a details button that needs to be checked to reveal that, and I needed to name the mount point, which I didn't do at startup, but have done manually now, and fstab looks like it will mount them.

Good news. Progress! :-)

Well, by way of explanation, because people think I am loony <g> my first installation mounted my hda5 partition in /dev, and there were NO other devices in /dev to mount to. I dont' know why, but it happened, and really made me wonder about suse in the first place.

Tonight, I just formatted and reinstalled. It did not pick up and mount my other partitions, apparently because I did not specify a mount point, but I have done that now, and it looks fine. Basically, I have just started over again. One thing at a time...


I now have my drives under control :-)

Now, as a greedy little guy, I need lots of help with my internet access, as it sucks, as in reeeallllly slow, as in, unusable. Other stuff can wait, I need the net for this kind of help. PITA to boot windows just to come here and ask questions :-))

I use Comcast, its DHCP, I chose the defaults, and that is all I know, other than it basically doesn't work:-)

In windows, I get 8mbps, so I have some work to do, to get that to happen here in suse. Its a cable modem, not a router, to my NIC. Just my machine on it.

I have looked in the Yast configuration, and see lots of things I guess that might need help, but bear with me, as I think suse ought to have come out of the chute working with DHCP enable, just like all the other distros I have tried. This is the first one that failed to set up the internet connection properly, so I would rather listen to the experts, than just go and tweak things. It works, but it takes one minute to find and load this forum, and about 45 seconds to do a "preview post" on this message.

Please give me the old "teach me how to fish" rather than just giving me the fish :-) I would like to understand enough to be able to do it and get it right, and then be able to fix it if I screw it up or reinstall. <g>

If someone has some starting place for me to look, or wants more details, just lemme know where to find what is needed, and I will be back.

I'm gonna say look at this thread first as it' sounds familliar. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ighlight=cable

I was thinking much the same thing :-) Thanks for that tip.

However, I am not able to find, using KDE destop, where to go and tweak the name servers. I recall seeing that setting while first installing, but cannot find it now, so if you wouldn't mind pointing me there, I will take good notes.


On the plus side, while checking for the dns numbers from within my windows system, I noticed that I got a new IP address lease this AM, and when I booted Suse, the internet seems to be working okay, so they must have updated the DNS sever numbers or something. Whatever.... It seems to have solved the problem.

Still, I would like to be able to find the config page for them in suse, in case the problem comes back around again.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the assists.

John

using Suse's gui config tool Yast. yast --> network devices -> dsl --> edit (selected) --> connection parameters --> unclick "automatically retrieve DNS" --> fill in addresses