#### "Linux Gazette...making Linux just a little more fun!"

## The Mailbag!

Write the Gazette at gazette@ssc.com

### Contents:

- Help Wanted -- Article Ideas
- General Mail

### Help Wanted -- Article Ideas

Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 16:59:49 +0100
From: "W.N. Beukers", beukers@ampcometal.nl
Subject: Set up Linux as server

I am planning to buy a Linux version to use for a server i am setting up. The main things I want to have Linux do is ask as a proxy, a mail and a fax server.

Linux will be running on a PC together with windows 95 and handles all the outgoing faxes, all e-mail communications (internal and external). Also these users have to have the possibility to to on the Internet by means of the proxy server.

Last wish I have is a graphical interface to work with as I am a novice but I still want to set up this system and maintain it. What Unix version is the best, easiest (red hat, Susie, or Debian)

Can you tell what I need as a basis and what additional packages I need so that I can order it.

--
Wilko Beukers

Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 11:17:18 -0500
From: DJ FALCIONE, falcione@bettis.gov
Subject: Idea for an article

I have an idea for an article.

How about a primer on how to set up one's sound card to do true MIDI?

I have an Ensoniq AudioPCI card and have been successful in getting it to play WAV files via the audio out port and also simulated MIDI using TIMIDITY.

But I can't figure out how to get TRUE MIDI rendering like I get with the same card in Windows 95.

Is this a driver issue? Thanks,

--
Dean Falcione

> (Check out Linux Journal issue58. It has an article on Csound that discusses MIDI issues. It's on-line too at http://www.linuxjournal.com/issue58/3187.html. --Editor)

Date: Tue, 05 Jan 1999 22:42:11 -0600
From: Romulo Rodriguez, romulorc@earthlink.net
Subject: Celeron

I would like to know whether Linux will have any problems with the Intel Celeron Processor. Thanks,

--
R Rodriguez

Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 10:33:39 -0600
From: "MARK -The Great- ZOLTON", mcz@wheat.ksu.edu
Subject: Advanced Linux/Java Concepts

At my university, most new programming courses are taught in Java. Because of that, I have become quite apt in programming for such an environment. However, when the time comes that I have a great idea for and application for Linux, I feel somewhat bad about programming it in Java as it is not native to the system. I feel particularly left out when it comes to gathering information from the system. For instance, I am currently working on a set of Zip disk management tools and I have begun coding the core of the application in Java. Since Java is the only language where I have any real experience programming a GUI, I plan on using the Swing widget set to make a slick GUI. Anyway, to manipulate the Zip disks, I make several calls to basic system functions like umount, mount, eject. While this is fine for simply manipulating the disk, I would also like to gather information about the disk... such as, is there a disk in the drive, is it already mounted, etc... Can you see where I'm going. Although Java can do quite a bit, Its platform independence seems to limit it. I would like to know if there is a Java package designed for use with Linux that can provide me information about the system. Or, if that does not exist, does anyone know of a simple, effective method of gathering information from the system? Maybe parsing output from other Linux utilities?? Thanks

--
Mark

Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 11:30:12 -0600
From: "MARK -The Great- ZOLTON", mcz@wheat.ksu.edu
Subject: Getting started with programming for Linux

Although I am a somewhat experienced programmer, I find myself wanting to know more about programming for Linux. I have a little C under my belt as well as C++ and a lot of Java (from university classes) and I'm just learning Perl. I am very interested in programming for Linux (specifically X), but I don't know where to start. I don't know enough C to begin fiddling around with other people's source, so I'd like a general introduction to programming for Linux (how to interact with the system, how to program a GUI using GTK, QT, etc..., and how to write Window Maker docklets). However, seeing as how I have only a little knowledge of C, if there is an introduction which provides said things along with intermediate C programming, that would be the best. Does something like this exist and would the O'Reilly X books be of any use at this stage in my development? Thanks again,

--
Mark

Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 01:01:58 -0600b4 From: Bob Counts, rcounts@troi.csw.net
Subject: Gzip and tar files

I am looking forward to reading the gazette but for right now the only machine I have is a Windows 98 that is connected to the Internet. I would like to download the Gazette but I don't have any way to expand and un-archive gzip and tar files in Windows. Is there any software that you know of that will do this. I am still in the infancy stage when it comes to Linux and I need all the help I can get. I know your magazine will help, but until I get PPP going on my Linux machine I am stuck. I think I should mention that my Linux and Windows computers are separate boxes. Thanks

--
Bob Counts

Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 12:58:01 +0100
From: Ottar Engstrøm, Ottar.Engstrom@lfk.mil.no
Subject: Matrox Productiva G100

I am trying to configure X on my PC, XF86config asks me for several questions I can not answer. Like RAMDAC,Chipset ect on my Productiva G100 8MB AGP graphic card? I will be pleased if You could answer me.

--
Ottar

Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 18:01:19 +1100
From: "deves", deves@eisa.net.au
Subject: EMM 386 Emulator

I'm trying to find the EMM 386, can you give me any addresses for download of this emulator? As my computer needs it to play most games including the famed POKEMON game Do you think I should get this emulator, or wait for the PC game? P.S I still want those addys!!!!

--
deves

Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 10:53:14 -0500
From: GBE, hawk@valinet.com
Subject: new user

I'm new at Linux(RH5.2) and I've a question. When I download files using Netscape4.04 it puts it in my root directory. Now I guess I'm a little anal-retentive but I would like it to go in a folder called "download" or some other place. When I went to upgrade my XFree86 the install directions said that it was suppose to be in /var/tmp ??? Now I can mkdir for the folder, do I put permission on it? Do I have to link it to somewhere?

Please give me commands to do this, if you can. Thanks

--
Gene Euvrard

Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 19:32:05 +0200
From: "Volkan Kenaroglu", volkan@sim.net.tr
Subject: FTP Server

I installed Debian 2.3 recently. And I want to build a FTP server. h All I need to know is how can do this :) But I never tried to do so I don't know even where to start. Please help! Any information would be appreciated. thanx Linux-mates.

--
Volkan

Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 23:28:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Shanti Mohan, kas6719@yahoo.com
Subject: Trouble on Linux

This is regarding CD-record software available on Linux. When a CD is doing a actual write to the CDR, and some other user on the server tries to remove a very big file using "rm" (the file is about 400MB) the CD-record program stops writing. This also happens when a user is trying to copy amount of data on the server. Is there any solution to this problem as it means that my server is locked while write is in progress.

Could you please help ? Thanks

--
Shanti Mohan

Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 09:30:57 +0000
From: Andreas Neukoetter, ti95neuk@de.ibm.com
Subject: Idea for an article ...

I'm one of the poor guys in Germany who has to use an Provider for his Web server ... instead of hosting it myself.

The biggest Problem is to keep the "online"-site in sync with the "off-line"-one. Since i choose a cheap-provider i have no telnet-access to "my"-server and can't use the wget- or mirror-approach.

I've written some scripts to make "crc32"-lists (in fact just sum-up the bytes since my crc32.pl just don't works) in Perl and execute it "off-line" and "online" (as a cgi ... the only way to run programs on the server). These lists are compared and different files are synced ... it works... but i don't find it satisfying :(

has anybody a "better" solution ???

--
Anti

Date: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 14:26:26 -0000
From: "Jonathan Homer", jhomer@pulsesoftware.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re Telnet!

Need help with the Telnet Daemon. It works perfectly accept when you connect via Windows or NT (sorry). It does as far as I can tell a Username lookup. Since NT or WIN 95 does not run such a service there is a pause of 10 seconds or so. I have not yet found the way to switch this lookup off. Can anyone help me? Thanks

--
Jon

Date: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 06:05:39 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Foster steve_p_foster@yahoo.com
Subject: Xaw3d Documentation

Just a short note, is there any documentation available for the wigit set, as I have used the example in LG 2(?), and fancy a crack at some other styles.

--
Steve

Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 19:29:55 -0500
From: "Jeffrey S. Flowers", ftn@bellsouth.net
Subject: Linux in ROM

The recent letters about putting Linux on a floppy is interesting to me but what I am interested in is putting Linux in ROM. I have a used 486 and what I would like to do is buy a ISA card that emulates a IDE hard drive. I've seen them advertised but to work with Linux wither a custom driver would be needed or Linux would have to be set up to use the BIOS for all disk accesses.

Does anyone know of anyone doing this kind of thing? Thanks

--
Jeffrey

Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 10:14:45 -0600 (CST)
From: Andy Kraut, opie4624@wagner.mtco.com
Subject: Help Wanted -- Client 32

My High School uses Novell's Client 32 for all of their Internet connections. This means that only the main server has an IP address. Does anyone know how to make Linux (Red Hat 5.2) use the Internet over this? IPX is the only protocol in the Network settings of the Win 95 machines here. Thanks in advance,

--
Andy Kraut

Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 10:51:22 +030
From: "bman", biz_bman@hotmail.com
Subject: A Question Please

First, I like your web site, and second, I have a question.

I have two 3com modems v90's one is internal "3com v90 voice" and the other is External 3com v90 .... I am using each one with a Linux System and have them connected to each others by a telephone line .... my problem is that I don't get the 56 speed that v90 should have. I get 33 or some thing like that... is there a way to tune up the modems in Linux operating systems? Thanks a lot.

--
bman

Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 17:10:18 -0600
From: "Aaron Becker", abecke2@uic.edu
Subject: Help with AGP Riva TNT and Linux

I just installed Red Hat Linux 5.2, and I don't know how to configure it to utilize my 16 MB STB Velocity 4400 AGP graphics card. That card is not in the card database, unfortunately. I can start the X Window System, but, the resolution is only 320 X 200. This resolution renders X virtually unusable. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me on this subject. Please bear in mind that I am extremely inexperienced with Linux when you respond. Thanks

--
Aaron

Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 21:07:17 +0100
From: "Oriol Molist", omsv@mail.cotursa-hotels.com
Subject: Suggestion

I am a Linux user. I have setup several PCs as X-terminals, but it is quite boring and takes too much time. I want to create a script that allows the easy setup of a X-terminal with lpd and ghostscript printer support, sharing the same NFS root for all xterminals, these would allow to install a network of xterm-PCs easily. Imagine that you can have the same of windows terminal server without having to pay anything.

Please if anyone is interested in helping me, send me e-mail. thanks

--
Oriol Molist

Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 00:18:25 -0500 (EST)
From: jvu001@umaryland.edu
Subject: Help: Linux, laptop, PCMCIA SCSI

I have a Toshiba 220CDS laptop and it once ran Linux on a 800 MB partition, but I deleted the partition because I needed the space. I have a PCMCIA SCSI card and am thinking about getting the Iomega Jaz drive (either 1 or 2GB) and installing a Linux partition on that external drive. My question is: Is this possible? Has anyone attempted this and has successfully installed Linux on it? I'm thinking that I would have to use DOS to load the PCMCIA drivers first and then use loadlin to boot the Linux partition. Am I correct in thinking that this will work? Thanks.

--
John

Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 08:58:27 -0600
From: Pete Nelson, pete.nelson@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Subject: Serial Headache

I had been trying to set up a PPP connection from my Red Hat 5.2 box at home to various ISPs. It was so problematic, I ended up writing a script that would begin dialing and fork an xterm with a 'tail -f /var/log/messages' so I could watch it fail.

I ironed out all the bugs in my chat script (Linux would be no fun if everything worked perfectly out of the box!), and pppd would connect - but it would then bomb out.

The messages were always the same before pppd died :

pppd[xxx]: Serial connection is not 8-bit clean. pppd[xxx]: Problem: bit 7 always 0.

So it looks like a serial problem. But I haven't found a fix with 'setserial' or anything in my BIOS, or in the PPP setup. My guess is it's something incredibly simple that I'm just completely overlooking, but no one else that I know can figure it out, either.

If anybody knows the answer to this problem, I'd really like to hear it ( and you can even throw in a 'DUH!' if you so desire - I'm almost positive there's a real easy answer to this! ) Thanks.

--
Pete Nelson

Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 14:49:53 +0800 (HKT)
From: Romel Flores, rom@ncc.edu.ph
Subject: (newbie question) messed up terminal

tty1 of my Linux box went gaga and can't accept the enter key. It just displays the ^M when I press the enter key and ^? when I press backspace.

How do I solve the problem without resetting the machine. Thanks.

--
R. Flores

Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 12:43:06 -0800
From: "Rick Lim", rick_lim@bctel.com
Subject: PPP dialin and out from the same box

I can connect to my ISP (PPP) which uses dynamic IP address. I can then turn around and configure the same serial port for a static IP (PPP) for someone to dial into the same box.

But if I now try to connect to the ISP my box has the same static IP that was assigned to the port and it will not let me connect.

Is there a way to PPP out dial using a static IP address and still have a PPP in dial and assign a IP from my LAN? Thanks for any help.

--
Rick

Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 11:13:38 -0500
From: Dean Maluski, n0ety@home.com
Subject: Netscape

I tried using tip to have Netscape use Mail directory. OK now I created all my sub-directories in Mail but they start with Caps so Inbox is not the same as inbox.

Is there any way to make them the same? Preferably Netscape looking at inbox & not Inbox. One cool thing is now when I look at message center I have a choice of looking in Inbox or inbox, and all directories within /Mail using Netscape.

--
Dean

Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 22:19:36 EST
From: tomf7@hotmail.com
Subject: Linux

So I finally got Red Hat 5.2 installed after 8 tries, now what. It seems like a fun game toy, but is it really useful? I can't get Netscape going because the server doesn't have a DNS even though I put one in for it. The xplaycd reads the CD, but no sound. The time I spend on this system doesn't make up for the cost. Linux has at least light years to go to catch up with anything that runs .

--
Tom

### General Mail

Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1999 16:43:22 +0100
From: Christian Schaller, frostking@linuxrising.com
Subject: RE:Anouncements by Sun & TrollTech

After seeing the latest issue of Linux Gazette I have a couple of comments.

1) I often feel that the stories covered in Linux Gazette and thereafter Linux Journal are dated, I mean these license announcements are old and heavily debated and Slashdot etc. As a Journal subscriber I for one would appreciate if the currentness of the stories covered in the gazette and the journal was more close to date of publication than today.

2) As for the articles content I have one issue I think should be brought up when the "open-source" licenses are discussed. And that is the fact that these licenses are a bigger threat to the free software community than proprietary software. Most of these licenses makes it impossible to reuse code and they undermine the success criteria that GPL/LGPL and BSD licenses gives open source software, by enabling anybody to modify or include code or complete software packages in their own software. If these types of licenses are allowed to be accepted as just as good, the best scenario we might hope for is that anybody making free software "just" have to include 20 different licenses with the software witch have to consist of 15 different patches. I hope SSC through their publications takes care not to support such a development.

Sincerely,
Christian Schaller

> (The realities of life are both LG and LJ are monthly magazines. If an announcement is made on on the 4th of the month, it won't show up in LG until the next month. For LJ, it's even longer because there's the lead time needed to get the magazine in print, etc.

> We could, of course, just ignore all news related issues and stick with technical articles only, but then we wouldn't be getting our opinions out there.

> What would be nice is if these companies would tell us 2 months in advance so we could have the stories in print in LJ at the same time the announcement is made. But this isn't likely to ever happen--insider information and all that.

> One of the reasons that I put the article in LG was to get it out a bit quicker than it will appear in LJ. You are not the only one that has made this particular complaint. However, I ask that you all cut us a bit of slack--we are not a daily newspaper.

> As to your second point, I noted that these licenses were not the same as GPL--only a step in the right direction. Thanks for writing, --Editor)

Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1999 23:07:49 +0100 (CET)
From: jfm2@club-internet.fr
Subject: Destroying the Kernel Compiling Myth

Once again we find an article propagating the myth of kernel compiling (the one written by a guy from India). Problem is that since 1996 benefits of this are nearly nil in a well designed distribution.

I think this myth is very harmful to Linux: as long as there will be people claiming "Thou hast to recompile thee kernel" it will be impossible to attract non-hackers to Linux. That means confining Linux into a _small_ programmer's ghetto.

The MIME attachment is an analysis of the benefits of compiling a 2.0 kernel. It is based on performance measures, simple maths and source reading. Quantitative analysis shows there are ways far more effective for optimizing a Linux box. I talk about them but that should be developed. The text will be part of the Independence distribution. If you think it is not acceptable for LJ to publish something that will be on a web site in a few days then publish on Linux Gazette.

--
Jean Francois Martinez
Project Independence: Linux for the Masses, http://www.independence.seul.org

Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 23:30:20 -0500
From: Jim Heyssel, jheyssel@bellatlantic.net
Subject: Make Linux Better, Yet!

I am happy with your site. I am suggesting some improvements to Linux itself which would make it the enterprise software of the next decade.

1. Give Linux full journaling, unlimited file-size, and scalable multiprocessor support. Whether using ext2 with new 64-bit fs, or writing an integrated driver for making ufs, or xfs, or ntfs, it does not matter.

2. Incorporate full IPV6 support. Incorporate complete networking interfaces with NT, Novell, Mac, other UNIX systems. A lot of support is already there, but I am particularly interested in Network Directory Service type support and Domain control support with one login.

3. Fully integrated KDE desktop environment - when you install application software, it should be on the desktop and automated for dummies. Not everyone is a hacker. But everyone who uses computers for the sake of interests other than the computer itself (unlike many of us Linux geeks), should be able to download and install any application without having to read an inordinate amount of documentation or worry about configuration files (unless, of course, we enjoy that sort of thing).

4. Multi configuration automation for distinct uses - e.g. an enhancement like Red Hat's for various types of use: server, router, desktop workstation, database server, etc.

5. Software that deliberately aims at inter-operability with file formats generated by Microsoft, Apple, and other popular software applications.

6. These goals can easily be achieved in the next year and make Linux number one, with a combination of features to entice the most innovative of hackers, and most mundane of end-users.

7. Tell me where to begin. If anyone else is interested in any one of the above, I would like to collaborate.

--
Jim

Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 18:58:47 -0600
From: Brian Bray, ixnay@wws.net
Subject: Jan, 99 article Xwindows vs. w95/98/NT

first let me say that I love you :-)~ secondly in your article from Jan 199 entitled X Windows versus Windows 95/98/NT: No Contest, by Paul Gregory Cooper. he states that that...

> "Windows95/98/NT on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. Here the OS, GUI, WM, and desktop aren't clearly separated (as in UNIX) but are all rolled into one. Thus you have whatever choice Microsoft happen to give you, i.e. windows themes.

> For Microsoft this is an advantage - it stops people butting in and rewriting parts of their OS which could potentially lose them money. For instance they realized that with the old windows 2/3.1 you could simply replace MS DOS with another compatible DOS such as DR DOS from Caldera. In an ongoing court case Caldera allege that MS added code to windows to make it seem like there was a bug in DR DOS. With 9*/NT being all rolled in one there is no need to resort to such tactics. "

While I agree that everything that this article states I would like to point out that users of Windows 95/8/NT can indeed change there shell to a Afterstep like interface called Litestep.

http://www.multimania.com/jdubois/litestep/index.htm

I have not personally ever used but know ppl who have. And it doesn't look to bad.

Thanks for your time,

--
Brian Bray

Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 05:55:47 -0800 (PST)
From: Casper Boden-Cummins, casperbc@yahoo.com
Subject: X

Here's a top tip: the popular X Window System is _not_ called `X Windows'. There is no such product. Instead, the man page on X says:

The X Consortium requests that the following names be used when referring to this software:

X
X Window System
X Version 11
X Window System, Version 11
X11

I'd be overjoyed if we could ditch this M$-inspired mistake! ;-)

--
Casper Boden-Cummins

Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 10:33:35 -0500

From: Michael Bright, mabright@us.ibm.com
Subject: How about a cross platform section?

This is to the Gazette as well as Linux Journal. From what I've seen in the industry, most businesses are using Linux in a heterogeneous environment. They are doing this because they don't want to jump into Linux with both feet. A lot of these are NT/Linux houses which leverage the abilities of both platforms to get the job done. This could be anything from a collection of tips to entire articles. I see NT/Linux related questions and tips in almost every issue. Maybe its time they were put in the same section. I even have an Idea for a logo or symbol, Take a Yin Yang and put a Windows emblem in the space for the white dot and a penguin for the black. The black background could be made to resemble the NT workstation package with the "edge of space" graphic and perhaps the penguin could be in an arctic scene.

This idea does not have to be limited to just Linux and NT, there are connectivity issues for Apple, OS/2/Aurora, Novell and others.

Thanks for your time. --
Michael

Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 13:25:02 +0000
From: Me, deltax@pragma.net
Subject: Quark Xpress on WinDos?

Quark Xpress was originally a Mac product.

I was unaware that it was ported to winferior systems.... Indeed it would be very nice to have Quark under UNIX. From what I remember using it (long time ago, old version!) it was a very nice, efficient and powerful page design software.

--
Eric

Published in Linux Gazette Issue 37, February 1999

##### This page written and maintained by the Editor of Linux Gazette, gazette@ssc.com
Copyright © 1999 Specialized Systems Consultants, Inc.