Re: [newbie] WLAN and Graphic
Piotr Skrzypek wrote:
Hello, i cam imagine, that this topic is very popular, but i cant find
anywhere some newbie`s information. I`ve just install Debin 30r2
because i didn`t want to hold illegal windows. My problem is that i
can`t acces internet (WLAN Planet WL8305) and to run some graphic
interface (kde or somthing else, nevermind). And i don`t know how,
because in school they teach only microsoft`s programs, and i can`t
find any info by mysqlf (even on google.com). Please help me.
You might want to break this down into two separate threads: one
concerning your WLAN card, and one concerning your graphics issues.
WLAN:
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I googled for "WL8305 Linux" and got several hits; unfortunately, none
were in English, so they meant nothing to me, so I can't give you any
specific guidance. I can however say a few things that might be of benefit.
I've never had any success with wireless cards on Linux. That's not to
say they don't work; that is to say I haven't had enough experience with
them to have gotten any successful experiences with them. I say this to
say that wireless networking on Linux is not quite mainstream enough to
be as easy to get working as wired networking.
Your kernel will need to know about the WL8305. As a general rule, this
information can be compiled into the kernel, or it can be bolted onto
the existing kernel by means of installing a kernel module specifically
for that WL8305. If you have the correct module, you merely need to
insert it into the kernel with a command similar to "modprobe wl83xx".
You can look at the stock modules available for your kernel in
/lib/modules/[the kernel version]/, usually in the subdirectory
"kernel/drivers/net", but the module might be anywhere under this tree;
be especially watchful for directories named "wlan". If the stock kernel
does not have an appropriate module for the NIC, you can often go to the
manufacturer's website and download the appropriate module code. Usually
this means you'll either have to compile their source code on your
machine (a daunting experience for a newbie), or you'll have to deal
with whatever binary drivers they offer, which will usually be for
RedHat instead of Debian, and may be specifically for a certain kernel
version other than the one you have.
If you have wired network access, it might be easier to get it working
first, then worry about the wireless later.
X11 Window System:
------
What does "uname -a" report as your kernel version?
What does "lspci" report about your graphics card?
What happens when you run "startx"? Specifically, what errors do you get
(not just the Error 11 one -that's a generic error that's meaningless to
us).
As a general rule, for a single-user workstation (such as a laptop), I
usually recommend upgrading from Debian v3x ("woody") to either
testing/sarge or unstable/sid (think of "unstable" as "Developer's
Playland which is constantly in flux with new packages/fixes/breaks/more
fixes" instead of "unstable"). This way you'll get newer stuff, that is
more likely to recognize your hardware (WLAN and video chipsets) than
the ancient software that's in woody.
If you wish to upgrade, you'll either need a network connection - hmm,
that could be a problem in this case ;-) or you'll need the updated
files on CD or some other medium. So again, if you have the capability
for wired access, that'd probably be your best route at this point.
The problem is that many hardware manufacturers won't release the
information necessary for their hardware to work with Linux. So Linux
developers have to resort to reverse-engineering the information they
need. Less popular hardware (like wireless cards, and perhaps your model
in particular) are owned by fewer developers (if any), and therefore see
less development than hardware that is wildly popular (like 3COM network
cards). So you might want to complain to the manufacturer of your
wireless card that they need to start supporting Linux development (if
they don't already - it's hard to say, since as mentioned above, all the
google hits were non-English so I couldn't decipher them), or you'll
take your business elsewhere next time.
--
Kent
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