Post by thread:[OT] Linux question

So recent discussions here finally prompted me to get my hands dirty with Linux. I got a copy of Ubuntu 6.06 (dapper drake) and installed it on a separate hard drive. The install was smooth and I have what seems to be a stable desktop. Then I tried to get a dial up connection to my ISP... It turns out I have a Connexant HCF winmodem and I need a different driver. No problem, just boot back to windows and download it to a USB flash drive. Reboot back Linux, oh I needed something else too, back to windows..... about a day of back and forth later I've got to this. I need the debhelper package for the driver to install. Package manager doesn't find it on the install CD. All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't work if you don't have network connectivity. Downloading debhelper directly lead me down a long and convoluted, seemingly endless dependency chain. So I've got a bit of a chicken and an egg problem, I need network to install package, I need package to install network - any suggestions? Thanks, -Denny

{Quote hidden}> -----Original Message----- > From: spam_OUTpiclist-bouncesTakeThisOuTmit.edu [.....piclist-bouncesKILLspam@spam@mit.edu]On Behalf > Of Denny Esterline > Sent: 04 February 2007 20:32 > To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. > Subject: [OT] Linux question > > > So recent discussions here finally prompted me to get my hands dirty with > Linux. I got a copy of Ubuntu 6.06 (dapper drake) and installed it on a > separate hard drive. The install was smooth and I have what seems to be a > stable desktop. Then I tried to get a dial up connection to my ISP... > > It turns out I have a Connexant HCF winmodem and I need a > different driver. > No problem, just boot back to windows and download it to a USB > flash drive. > Reboot back Linux, oh I needed something else too, back to windows..... > about a day of back and forth later I've got to this. I need the debhelper > package for the driver to install. Package manager doesn't find it on the > install CD. All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of > "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't > work if you > don't have network connectivity. Downloading debhelper directly > lead me down > a long and convoluted, seemingly endless dependency chain. So > I've got a bit > of a chicken and an egg problem, I need network to install package, I need > package to install network - any suggestions? not really :( if it was debian i'd just tell you to get the later CDs but ubuntu doesn't have any later CDs btw the chain is not endless, remember to install all the packages you have grabbed in one command so that dependency loops don't present a problem.

Can you use apt-get to spit out a list of packages that are required, and then fetch all of them by hand? (PITA, I know.) - Marcel On 2/4/07, David VanHorn <dvanhornKILLspammicrobrix.com> wrote: > > > > not really :( if it was debian i'd just tell you to get the later CDs but > > ubuntu doesn't have any later CDs > > > Edgy Eft is the current release > -

Hi, You probably only need debhelper to create a package that integrates nicely with your ubuntu packaging system. But that's probably not required for it to work, I suggest you try doing it without creating a .deb package. Also see this description, Method B: http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=190728 Disclaimer: I've never used Ubuntu;) Bart On Sun, 4 Feb 2007, Denny Esterline wrote: {Quote hidden}> So recent discussions here finally prompted me to get my hands dirty with > Linux. I got a copy of Ubuntu 6.06 (dapper drake) and installed it on a > separate hard drive. The install was smooth and I have what seems to be a > stable desktop. Then I tried to get a dial up connection to my ISP... > > It turns out I have a Connexant HCF winmodem and I need a different driver. > No problem, just boot back to windows and download it to a USB flash drive. > Reboot back Linux, oh I needed something else too, back to windows..... > about a day of back and forth later I've got to this. I need the debhelper > package for the driver to install. Package manager doesn't find it on the > install CD. All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of > "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't work if you > don't have network connectivity. Downloading debhelper directly lead me down > a long and convoluted, seemingly endless dependency chain. So I've got a bit > of a chicken and an egg problem, I need network to install package, I need > package to install network - any suggestions? > > Thanks, > -Denny > >

On 2/5/07, Denny Esterline <.....firmwareKILLspam.....tds.net> wrote: > All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of > "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't work if you > don't have network connectivity. Downloading debhelper directly lead me down > a long and convoluted, seemingly endless dependency chain. So I've got a bit > of a chicken and an egg problem, I need network to install package, I need > package to install network - any suggestions? > Do you have a broadband connection? If not get a real hardware modem. Winmodems are not good at all for Linux. And this may sound discouraging but your Linux experience will not be pleasant without a fast network connection. You will need to download loads of packages and updates from time to time. With a dial-up connection, the downloading process can be very frustrating or even not possible. I recently installed Fedora Core 6 (after downloading a 3GB+ DVD ISO) and did the system update, the total downloading size for the updates is abut 544MB. Regards, Xiaofan

Unless I'm missunderstanding something (very likely) that's what I've done to get this far. is there some way to get it to tell me all of the dependant packages at once? The real PITA so far has been rebooting to win to gat a package, reboting to linux to install it only to find I'm missing something else. -Denny > Can you use apt-get to spit out a list of packages that are required, > and then fetch all of them by hand? (PITA, I know.) > - Marcel > > On 2/4/07, David VanHorn <EraseMEdvanhornspam_OUTTakeThisOuTmicrobrix.com> wrote: > > > > > > not really :( if it was debian i'd just tell you to get the later CDs but > > > ubuntu doesn't have any later CDs > > > > > > Edgy Eft is the current release > > --

> > All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of > > "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't work if you > > don't have network connectivity. Downloading debhelper directly lead me down > > a long and convoluted, seemingly endless dependency chain. So I've got a bit > > of a chicken and an egg problem, I need network to install package, I need > > package to install network - any suggestions? > > > > Do you have a broadband connection? If not get a real hardware modem. > Winmodems are not good at all for Linux. So it would seem. > And this may sound discouraging but your Linux experience will not be > pleasant without a fast network connection. You will need to download > loads of packages and updates from time to time. With a dial-up > connection, the downloading process can be very frustrating or even > not possible. > > I recently installed Fedora Core 6 (after downloading a 3GB+ DVD ISO) > and did the system update, the total downloading size for the updates > is abut 544MB. That's about what I expect vista's SP1 to be :-) -Denny

> -----Original Message----- > From: piclist-bouncesspam_OUTmit.edu [@spam@piclist-bouncesKILLspammit.edu]On Behalf > Of Denny Esterline > Sent: 04 February 2007 23:31 > To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. > Subject: Re: [OT] Linux question > > > Unless I'm missunderstanding something (very likely) that's what I've done > to get this far. > is there some way to get it to tell me all of the dependant packages at > once? The real PITA so far has been rebooting to win to gat a package, > reboting to linux to install it only to find I'm missing something else. iirc it should already be telling you all the direct dependencies, indirect dependencies can't be discovered without the packages that contain them. you can also see the dependencies of packages on http://packages.ubuntu.com though obviously that wont tell you which ones you already have.

Denny Esterline wrote: {Quote hidden}> So recent discussions here finally prompted me to get my hands dirty with > Linux. I got a copy of Ubuntu 6.06 (dapper drake) and installed it on a > separate hard drive. The install was smooth and I have what seems to be a > stable desktop. Then I tried to get a dial up connection to my ISP... > > It turns out I have a Connexant HCF winmodem and I need a different driver. > No problem, just boot back to windows and download it to a USB flash drive. > Reboot back Linux, oh I needed something else too, back to windows..... > about a day of back and forth later I've got to this. I need the debhelper > package for the driver to install. Package manager doesn't find it on the > install CD. All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of > "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't work if you > don't have network connectivity. Downloading debhelper directly lead me down > a long and convoluted, seemingly endless dependency chain. So I've got a bit > of a chicken and an egg problem, I need network to install package, I need > package to install network - any suggestions? > > Thanks, > -Denny > > Perhaps one slightly cheating way to do this would be to install vmware in windows create a new vmx type file and point it at that hard drive. Boot your ubuntu install inside windows as vmware setup the network adaptor in ubuntu and it'll be online.

Xiaofan, On Mon, 5 Feb 2007 07:05:22 +0800, Xiaofan Chen wrote: >... > Do you have a broadband connection? If not get a real hardware modem. > Winmodems are not good at all for Linux. ...or any other operating system - they're not even very good in Windows! They are just a way to save hardware costs for the manufacturer, with no technical benefit, and the big disadvantage that you're using CPU cycles to replace the missing hardware. Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England

On 2/5/07, Howard Winter <KILLspamHDRWKILLspamh2org.demon.co.uk> wrote: > >... > > get a real hardware modem. > > Winmodems are not good at all for Linux. > > ...or any other operating system - they're not even very good in Windows! > They are just a way to save hardware costs for the manufacturer, with no > technical benefit, and the big disadvantage that you're using CPU cycles > to replace the missing hardware. Agreed. From year 1999 to year 2002, I was using a Celeron 400MHz PC running Windows and Linux with a PCtel Winmodem. It can work on both platforms but the performance is quite bad compare to a real serial port based modem. In year 2001, I started to use a 256k ADSL and never looked back at Dial-up. Now I am using a 6Mbps Cable Modem connection. It is not cheap to use here in Singapore (S$58 per month, about US$37) but we can live without it. Even my parents back in a small town in China are using broadband.

>> In year 2001, I started to use a 256k ADSL and never looked back at >> Dial-up. Now I am using a 6Mbps Cable Modem connection. It is >> not cheap to use here in Singapore (S$58 per month, about US$37) >> but we can live without it. Even my parents back in a small >> town in China are using broadband. Xiaofan I didn't understand if its 58 or 37 american dollars per month but its even if its u$s 58 its the 30% of what you will pay in argentina!! Here a 512K connection is about 35 american dollars... now the competition between the broadband companies make prices go down for some months (the first months of the subscription) but after those months you pay $35. And I live in the second biggest city of Argentina!! so , prices are lower on that kind of stuff. Broadband connection , with cam and mic made living far from people's family an easier task :) __________________________________________________ Preguntá. Respondé. Descubrí. Todo lo que querías saber, y lo que ni imaginabas, está en Yahoo! Respuestas (Beta). ¡Probalo ya! http://www.yahoo.com.ar/respuestas

Hi! On 2/4/07, Denny Esterline <RemoveMEfirmwareTakeThisOuTtds.net> wrote: > So recent discussions here finally prompted me to get my hands dirty with > Linux. I got a copy of Ubuntu 6.06 (dapper drake) and installed it on a > separate hard drive. The install was smooth and I have what seems to be a > stable desktop. Then I tried to get a dial up connection to my ISP... > [...] > All the web sites I've found say something to the effect of > "just use apt-get install debhelper" which is fine, but doesn't work if you > don't have network connectivity. Just type "apt-get install debhelper --print-uris". The --print-uris flags tells apt-get to only list everything that you need to install this package, with the full URL. Daniel.

On 2/5/07, peter green <spamBeGoneplugwashspamBeGonep10link.net> wrote: > afaict that will only work on a machine that has information about the internet sources cached, not a machine thats never been online. If I had a Ubuntu machine I could do it for him, but all I have is stock Debian boxes. But anyone could send him the URI's. Nate

> > > In year 2001, I started to use a 256k ADSL and never looked back at > Dial-up. Now I am using a 6Mbps Cable Modem connection. It is > not cheap to use here in Singapore (S$58 per month, about US$37) > but we can live without it. Even my parents back in a small > town in China are using broadband. That's almost exactly what we pay here in hometown indiana! :)