Linux is up and running

aldacron · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:23 am Post subject: Linux is up and running

I'm posting this from my shiny new Mepis installation. I did attempt to install Debian 3.0_r2, but ran into some problems. Unlike every other Linux installation I've used, there was no option to configure my Lan card, nor did it detect it automatically. I thought I would log into X windows and configure it from there, but there were errors running X. Ultimately, I gave up and downloaded Mepis.

Talk about user-friendly. I have never seen a Linux install like that. Mandrake and SUSE were the smoothest I had seen previously, but Mepis blows them away. Everything works right out of the box. The LiveCD is a brilliant concept, and I can see myself burning copies for a few friends to try without installing.

I expect I will gradually be spending more time on the Linux as I reaccquaint myself with it. And as things start clicking for me I'll get busy on getting functional Derelict Linux stuff into SVN. I'd really like to get Linux support in for the 0.2 release as everyone who has posted here or in the D NG other than myself have been wanting to use it on Linux. This means I'll miss my target release date of Halloween day (which was really looking iffy anyway). But, oh well.

clayasaurus · Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 857

horray! i'm not sure how new to linux you are but here are some tips : )

if you want to find packages www.debian.org/distrib/packages
type 'sdl' gives all sdl packages and 'openal' the openal ones. i think you need the dev ones for it to work.

install with:
su
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade ' to update all software, avoid if you have slow inet connect.
apt-get install packagename

you can also use the boot cd as a rescue disk to repair X config, grub loader, or reinstall.
oh, and you can burn new versions to a cd and reinstall while keeping your home directory in tact! : )

aldacron · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 7:24 pm Post subject:

JJR · Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Posts: 1104

Aldacron,

I'm glad to hear you found a distribution with such a straight forward installation process. I know they are out there. People seem to be trying harder and harder to make the process easier.

I haven't actually used the Mepis distribution before, but it must be a welcome relief from some of the other distributions out there. Is it Debian based?

As for the graphics driver problems, well that's just kind of typical of Linux still. Nvidia and ATI seem to be starting to support Linux more, but it hasn't been as much a priority for them. Nvidia, from what I understand, though, does a better job with it's Linux drivers than ATI. Yet so far, I've got my ATI mobile graphics running great on Linux, nonetheless (full 3D hardware opengl works great). Performance supposedly lags the windows drivers, but not enough for me to care about.

I hope this means derelict on Linux will be a huge success. Smile

Later,

John R.

clayasaurus · Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 857

hum. you might have to use the command line to get sound working.
type 'alsaconf' follow instructions : )

ok, you already got nvidia drivers working, so this post is probably useless (unless there's future mepis users wondering the same thing)

apt-get install nvidia-glx or kpackage equivilent, search for nvidia-glx and select it for install

go to mepis control center -> display -> select 'use real nvidia driver' or some option like that : ) forget exact.

tadah! nvidia driver is installed. no command line required : )

www.mepis.org

aldacron · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:29 pm Post subject:

aldacron · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:33 pm Post subject:

JJR · Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Posts: 1104

Yeah... I've had issues with blackdown java. You're doing the right thing by switching to the Sun Java release. I had troubles running Eclipse and the D plugin while using Blackdown. Switching to Sun's Java fixed the mysterious problem.

As for drivers, I've had some trouble with sound drivers before, but I've usually been able to work things out. Probably the most trouble I've had with several distributions is CD rewritable operation. Never seems to work properly out of the box, and rarely, if ever, have I got it working. Looks like you've got a great setup, if that works for you.

One thing I like about linux in general, though, is the huge availability of different languages and compilers. It's really quite fun. Modula 3 works right out of the box (language that is over a decade old, but has a lot of features similar to D, yet it's engineered from a Pascal POV).

Anyway have fun.