Re: sarge for i386
Hi Mike,
Before we proceed, please pardon me if I'm rehashing, but I don't know
your level of skills.
> On Tuesday 18 July 2006 21:58, mike williams wrote:
> > > is it possible to use the gnu\lnux as a "normal" OS to do things
like
> > > browse webpages and download programs etc... and if so,how? i dont
have a
> > > problem logging in,but then all i get is debia"a"mike~$, what do i
do from
> > > there to browse web pages etc
Yes, of course you can! Pardon the hardcore responses from the locals,
they take time to warm up to. Debian folks aren't a bad sort. Don't
take the gruff responses to heart, it just takes a little time to learn.
It sounds like you have the basic setup installed without the graphical
user interface, what most normal people call "point and click" or GUI.
Linux is different from something like Windows in that it doesn't always
come with the GUI turned on.
Debian is different from most versions of Linux in that it is not
designed to run as a desktop version out of the box. That doesnt mean
it can't though. I'm sending you this message from the GUI.
If you are looking for something with no muss no fuss, then I highly
recommend Ubuntu, which is a version of Linux based on Debian, but it's
setup for desktop work right out of the box.
The downside is that itdoesn't have as many programs/plugins and whatnot
officially supported. Debian has over 3 times as many supported. Debian
puts in a lot more time and effort.
If you don't mind a few hours of tedium, I'll be very pleased to help
you get the graphical interface turned on. I say a few hours because,
depending on the age (new or old) of your videocard and monitor we might
have to work on some customizing to get the best performance possible,
and we are talking via email - which makes conversations slower.
To get started, I'd suggest running this command as root:
su -c "apt-get install gdm"
It will prompt you for the "root" (Administrator) password if you are
logged in as mike.
What this should do is install the graphical display manager for the
GNOME Desktop. Theoretically, if the package maintainers have figured
out the dependencies or suggested, it should auto install the most of
the base GUI as well.
After that, just do the same for "firefox".
If it does not work (which can happen, maintainers are only human), then
I'll be happy to walk you through the rest privately as so not to spam
the list.
If you are looking for a good desktop experience with Debian, Sarge is a
good place to start, but after a while you might want to upgrade to Etch
(testing or "prerelease" version of Debian). Don't worry about that for
now, you can do it later.
If you have a second computer running, say Windows or a Mac I know
various ways of establishing a voice over Internet connection, and I can
literally talk you through it.
Another option if you need help is to grant me temporary access if you
have a static IP, and I'll help you set it up via remote.
I really hope that the responses on the list hasn't turned you off to
Debian or Linux. People on lists can be elitist at times. You
get used to it, and just ignore the gruff people. They mean well. There
really are people here who honestly just want to help.
I wish you well.
T.J.
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