Re: knoppix 4.02 upgrade

On 1/9/06, drills <drills@bluebaysupply.com> wrote:

On Monday 09 January 2006 12:27 am, Napoleon Manuel wrote:
> Laszlo,
>
>  As I stated earlier, I have re-installed knoppix 4.02 and I have desisted
> from running apt-get upgrade.

Does the keyboard work prior to installing knoppix to disk, ie: does it work
when running knoppix from the cd?

What type of connection does the keyboard have, ps/2 or usb?

Would it be worthwhile trying someone else's keyboard, different brand or
different connection type to see if that works?  When set up correctly, Linux
is capable of multiple users on the same system by using multiple keyboards
and mice connected via usb.  As long as the usb hot plug is working
correctly, any connected keyboard should be recognized right away.

>  Regarding the keyboard, I changed keyboards and still cannot use it in kde
> though it is ok with iceWm.

Well, you have a clue here.  Time to fire up or apt-get install xchat or other
irc client, and start asking in the linux newbie rooms how to identify which
module IceWm is using for your keyboard, and why there appears to be a
conflict or problem with that same module in kde.  Normally, keyboard
functionality is a kernel level issue, so it shouldn't matter which desktop
environment you are running.  Kde, however, has some nice configurability
capabilities for keyboards.  Check Control Center, Regional & Accessibility,
Keyboard layout, and check to see that the keyboard selection is correct.

> Again I can't seem to get this on so I guess I
> will again just re-install my system.

If the original install didn't work and you do everything the same, then it
still won't work.  Also, 2 additional problems.  The first is that if you
still can't get it to work you are liable to get fed up and go back to
whatever OS you were using before.  Second is that with GNU/Linux systems,
you don't reinstall.  Especially with Debian based systems.  Once you
install, that's it.  You are able to upgrade to the newer
stable/testing/unstable systems without a hitch, so once you install in a
system, you find out and fix the problem without reinstalling.

Although there is a benefit.  You will become the resident expert in intalling
knoppix on your particular system once you do it enough times.  And if you
don't run into a problem during the install. Because if you do run into a
problem during an install, you won't be able to drop to a command line to fix
the problem because instead of learning to fix the system, you are deciding
to reinstall.

Tough it out.  You'll get immense satisfaction in solving this problem, and
even more satisfaction when you learn how to solve the next problem on your
own by finding the solution in documentation or through googling.

The first step you should take is to obtain documentation.  If you have, or
have access to a laser printer with low per-page cost on printout, you should
printout the documenation that comes with Debian.  There is a user manual, an
adminstrator manual, an apt-get manual, and others.  They really contain a
lot of useful information that you as your own sysadmin will find very useful
to have at your fingertips.  If interested in buying a book or two, I highly
recommend The Debian System Concepts and Techniques, Martin A. Krafft, No
Starch Press, ISBN 1-59327-069-0, and Unix Power Tools, OReilly, ISBN
0-596-00330-7.  One other book if you can find it (I believe it is out of
print), is

Linux
Volume 1: ac to zcat, the basics
Author: Dale Scheetz & Mark Williams Company
Linux Press
PO Box 220
Penngrove, California, 94951
linuxpress-dot-com (link appears dead last time I checked)
ISBN 0-9659575-2-7

This book probably has been discontinued.  It's at least 4 years old.
Cheapbytes used to carry it, don't know if they still do.  It's worth
finding.  Great, concise for shell commands.

Knoppix is a great distro.  It's the swiss army knife of distros.  I carry
copies with me for emergencies and to hand out.  If you are installing to
disk as you stated, have you considered installing Debian itself?  As stated
earlier, Knoppix is a combo of testing, unstable, and may still also have
experimental packages in it.  I'm currently using knoppix to run from cd, and
use that to log into my old desktop which is a server now, running debian
stable.  I had been running Sarge when Sarge was still testing, but the
problem with that is there is a lot of updating/upgrading to do all the time.
The same with unstable.  Now that Sarge is stable, other than security
updates, there is very little upgrading to do and therefore less hassle.
Yes, some packages get out of date including kde, but so far kde is holding
up well, and I've obtained OpenOffice.org 2.x and other newer packages
through backports or dotdeb, and they work fine.

Until you learn Debian, the underlying system to Knoppix, and Linux in
general, perhaps it would be a good idea to install Debian stable/Sarge.  See
if your keyboard works with that.  If not, you could get help in the
debian-user irc channel as well as other channels.

Really consider printing out the adminstrator docs for Debian, or obtaining
the Debian System book stated above.  Stick it out.  It's worth the learning
curve.

>
>  thanks for the help.
>
>  Napoleon

That's what it's (GNU) all about.

One more thing.  In the debian-user channel, and the debian-user mailing list,
some of the more militant members are adament that Knoppix is not Debian.
But Knoppix is really Debian+, and Debian-Mixed.  So if you still can't get
help from others in irc or someone else more knowledgeable doesn't jump in
here to help you with the keyboard problem, perhaps you could get help on
debian-user on irc, or on the debian-user mailing list by asking generic
questions about your keyboard issue. If they ask which version, tell them
testing with some unstable packages, and tell them which kernel.  Between
this list and the debian-user list or irc, you will find a solution.  Also,
the linux newbie irc channels are very helpful and friendly.

Stick it out, don't give up!

-- Laszlo
--

> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Taper shank drills, Silver & Deming drills, surface treated high speed
> > steel jobbers length drills, http://www.bluebaysupply.com

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