Peeter Vissak wrote:
I've tried installing Knoppix 3.7 in several ways (multiuser and CD-like
and . .), but all the time root logins are ruled out. In 3.6 and earlier it
was different.
I use Debian, which is probably not the way you want to go, but I am
quite impressed with Ubuntu. I've set it up for one of my relatives on
an older machine and it works without needing fiddling.
I know of sudo command, but if I want to save a file from an editor into a
location, other than home, it does not help (or does somehow?). I admit that
I've been trying to use Linux as easily as possible, not reading much
manuals.
If you log in as root you can accidentally break stuff really easily by
accident. Sure, if you're busy doing system maintenance, it may make
sense that you're logged on as root, but otherwise I don't do it. In
fact, I've set up all but one of my linux boxes so that I *can't* log in
as root.
if you need to edit a file that you need to be root to do, simply "sudo
vi /etc/hosts" (or whatever). If you need to do a lot of stuff "sudo bash".
If you regularly need to write into directories outside your home
directory (why?) then add yourself to appropriate groups, or change the
directory permissions.
I also know how to go to command-line mode with Ctrl+Alt+F1 or 2 or 3, but
being busy with other work with end-user applications, I've had no time to
get myself into linux's or UNIX's command line language, that is much more
complicated than DOS was, at least it is annoyingly different.
It's actually that DOS is a much cut down version of the unix shell.
The unix shell isn't easy to come to grips with by any means, but you
might like to look at how to set up aliases so that familiar dos
commands will work as you expect.
BTW - I loved DOS and used it for application programs until the new Windows
platform ruled it out, exchanging it with the incorporated terminal
emulation. But even now I have some old-time applications, working in DOS
emulated mode (some geobotanical multivariate analysis stuff and
geostatistics with kriging and similar).
You're not going to get DOS stuff working in Linux without a lot of
effort. If you're really keen, you could look at one of the VM machine
applications, but this looks like a viable alternative:
http://www.preshweb.co.uk/linux/howtos/dos/
OK, maybe it's not going to be a lot of work :-)
The problem is that I am so old already, I want to USE the computer now.
Learning computer will take so much precious time, that perhaps I'm then dead
already, having not been able to wok on it :)
But I still try to be opened for good suggestions and in the meantime I try
changing some conf files to be able to use USB devices.
USB can be a little difficult to get working on older hardware and
especially with older versions of linux. I know, I've battled it :-(
I don't use USB on most of my linux boxes, and on the one that I do, I
set it up by hand.
Some problems may occur, BTW, from the machine being AMD K6-2, that is
something someone perhaps still remembers, but I accidentally own.
Sometimes it is better to trash old junk, not keep them in the attic.
Anyway it will be easier to wait for the laptop coming back from the warranty
maintenance :)
If you've been installing various linux versions, give Ubuntu a try. I
can't promise it will work well on your hardware, but if you have the
time, it's a good distro (as is knoppix)
Steve
