FW: [CS-FSLUG] Add-on to my previous message

[Eduardo Sanchez]

Ruth,

I will try to give some answers to what you said.

On Friday 08 October 2004 17:25, you wrote:
> >>    
> >>
> That learning process is what I've imagined will happen. Sometimes I 
just
> get a bit impatient.  :)
> 

A good way to learn Linux, and especially Mandrake Linux, is to read the 
documentation. Read the Getting Started manual, the User's Guide, and 
when you feel really adventurous, the Command Line Guide.

I suspect you don't have these; look at /usr/share/doc/ and see there 
whether you have the docs installed. If not, you can get them online in 
both PDF and HTML format. They are extremely useful, and if you take 
your time to study them carefully, then your efforts will be rewarded.

> >
> Okay. So for now I'm committed to leaning to work in Mandrake. I hope 
I
> don't wear you folks out with my questions.

No problem at all, my sister. I didn't see a silly question, and, 
besides, yours were mostly the same kind I've always asked myself some 
time ago. That time, some kind folks --and among those a lot of people 
here on this list-- helped me along the way, and I'm just passing the 
voice, as many of us are doing it here.


> After my session yesterday in 
> the "other computer"  I have some new questions.
> 1. How do I format or get to use my CD drives to copy files for 
another
> computer?

That implies the ability to burn CDs. If you want to delve into it, 
there is a whole FAQ devoted to the subject (list, help me, I'm offline 
and on dialup now!), not precisely with "technical" or "advanced" 
question, but only with those sensible question one might think to ask 
of this. Here's a primer:

1. You need adequate equipment: a CD Burner. A CD Reader won't do, 
obviously.

2. You need adequate supplies, of which there are two main categories: 
CD-R and CD-RW.

* CD-R: Stands for "CD-Recordable". You record (or "burn") the CD, and 
that's it. You cannot erase or re-record it. 

* CD-RW: Stands for "CD Recordable and Writable". It's a CD which can be 
burned, then erased, and then burned, and then... well, you get the 
idea.

Notice that CD Recording is a write-once activity. You cannot --save in 
some very sophisticated procedures-- write part of a CD, then write in 
another part, or erase "just that file while keeping the others". 
Before the "burning", you select carefully your material. The CD 
Recording software then assemble it into an "image", which is then 
burned to the disk.

3. You need adequate software. 

* First of all, you need two programs named "cdrdao" and "cdrecord". 
There might be others, but these are the standards. You can check if 
you have these installed by typing in a console window:

rpm -qa | grep cdr

* Now, these programs are command-line only, and very difficult to 
operate intuitively. So what you usually would do is to use them 
through a graphical "frontend". The gold standard of these is a program 
named "k3b". Others include:

* xcdroast
* gcombust
* eroaster

in KDE, you can press ALT+F2 and type each of these names, and see if a 
window opens.

My recommendation is, obviously, k3b. It has a setup assistant, 
k3bsetup2, which helps you in the configuration steps.

I hope these is at least a starting point for an answer.
> 
> 2. for that matter, my printer doesn't seem to catch on to commands 
well there either.

Now, how is that? would you elaborate, please?

> 
> 3. In Jan. another man on our Board at the mission, gave me his 
computer,
> (he said he knew I'd put it to good use!) I installed Mandrake on it 
too,
> but made Gnome  the main desktop there to be able to compare it to 
KDE.
> Whenever I go to open that computer I get this big warning message 
that my
> /var is too small, but when I go into the Mandrake Control center, and 
want
> to adjust it, I get lost. The partitioning windows come up fine, but I 
don't
> know how to set it. Fortunately, I haven't built up any files of my 
own
> there except for a few I was hoping to print out, so I CAN re-install 
if I
> need to. What's my move here?

Hmmm. Usually /var is used by logs and temporary files. So, it *usually* 
is not THAT important for desktop users. Now, about your problem: my 
suspicion is that you installed Mandrake using automatic partitioning. 
Right? That's because auto partitioning in Mandrake splits your hard 
disk into four or five partitions.

I don't like that approach. Even though it is somewhat less bulletproof, 
I have only a small /boot partition and the rest in a large, big, root 
(/) partition (besides swap, obviously). If you want to be able to 
specify your own partition sizes at install time (I am not aware 
whether you can resize partitions on an already installed Linux 
system), you must check the DiskDrake tool that is part of the DrakX 
Installer of Madrake and of the Mandrake Control Center.

I don't remember anymore how DiskDrake is used; but I know there are 
very good instructions about its use in the Mandrake docs. Therefore I 
encourage you to read the relevant section.

Hope to be of help.

Blessings,

Eduardo
-- 
Prof. Eduardo Sanchez
Asuncion, Paraguay, South America
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 The Grape that can with Logic absolute
 The Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects confute:
   The subtle Alchemist that in a Trice
 Life's leaden Metal into Gold transmute.

 -- The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
    

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