[Wylug-help] Re: Wylug-announce digest, Vol 1 #216 - 1 msg

Sun Oct 24 01:15:11 BST 2004

I was in this situation a few months ago, when I had just started using a new
computer, new Broadband provider (Pipex), and Linux (SuSE 9.1 Personal) all
at the same time. There are various scripts, and substitute drivers around,
and I tried them all, ultimately to no avail.

You can look at

http://speedtouchconf.sourceforge.net/

which reports changes since I tried to install in July, and it's also worth
checking bulletin boards/forums like Linux Questions and Linux Forum, but
this whole problem highlights one of the difficulties faced by Linux newbies
like ourselves, that often peripherals are designed based around Windows. In
the case of this modem, the basic problem is that unlike a proper comms
device it relies quite heavily on software in your machine to make it work.
This is why they are cheap, and Broadband providers hand them out like
confetti. In my case, the solution I chose was to buy a router, which I
installed with help from a WYLUG member. Routers make sense for a number of
reasons, particularly if you are thinking of setting up a home network, and
the one I have is a Zoom X4.

My suggestion is to give the Sourceforge stuff a try. Linux is always getting
even better - unlike Microsoft which just gets worse. We've stopped doing our
family finances on MS Money. The version we bought in 1994 (16 bit) was great
but doesn't work in XP. The new version is bloated and offers lots of
features which help Bill analyse your overdraft, but can't deal simply with
non-online banking.

If Sourceforge doesn't work in the long term try moving to a router instead.
They are not massively expensive (£100 will get you a good one), but as with
all hardware and peripherals check Linux compatibility. I got caught out on
this with my printer (a Canon MP 370) where I had to buy an extra program
from a German company called Turboprint to make it work. If you are buying a
printer, check out

http://www.linuxprinting.org/

Even if you don't plan to buy from them, make sure that you check out all
local branches of PC World, Currys and Dixons, asking their highly informed
technical staff whether what you are thinking of buying is platform neutral.
This will remind them that we exist!

SuSE 9.1 Personal is a fine little distro for most home users, but in an
effort to make things simple, it does tend to lock things down. I've had
problems with the KDE Menu, and installing various bits of software, in
particular making multimedia applications like Kaffeine work (solution -
delete the SuSE version, replace from RPMs on
http://packman.links2linux.org/) where SuSE tend to be cautious about
distributing codecs etc. where they think someone else has a defensible
patent.

It will be worth keeping up with developments. SuSE 9.2 Professional is due
soon, and a project called Project Utopia is being developed by various
people with the support of amongst others the Novell/SuSE/Ximian entity. This
is intended to make a wide range of peripherals (digital cameras, storage
devices as well as printers etc.) work out of the box with Linux. I contacted
one of the people involved (Robert Love, who works for Ximian) who stated
that he hopes that by SuSE 9.3 this will be an element of the SuSE Distro.

Good luck! It will be worth it. My set-up is now working really well
(including sound, thanks Dave) and I'm not going back to Bill. My kids love
Frozen Bubble and Knights as well!

On Saturday 23 October 2004 12:00, wylug-announce-request at wylug.org.uk wrote:
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>    1. Suse Linux 9.1 Personal (John Powell)
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> Message: 1
> From: "John Powell" <john at ny44.freeserve.co.uk>
> To: <wylug-announce at wylug.org.uk>
> Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 23:42:00 +0100
> Subject: [Wylug-announce] Suse Linux 9.1 Personal
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> Hello
>         I am new to linux and am finding my way round linux quite easy, =
> But am unable to install my speedtouch Broadband on Linux please could =
> you advise how to do it or point Me in the write direction.
> Thank You
>
> Regards
> John Powell  New Member
>
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> <DIV>Hello</DIV>
> <DIV>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am new to linux and am =
> finding=20
> my way round linux quite easy, But am unable to install my speedtouch =
> Broadband=20
> on Linux please could you advise how to do it or point Me in the write=20
> direction.</DIV>
> <DIV>Thank You</DIV>
> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
> <DIV>Regards</DIV>
> <DIV>John Powell&nbsp; New Member</DIV>
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