[AuckLUG] Installing Linux

[Richard Leckinger]

On Wed, 2007-04-25 at 16:03 +1200, Richard Innes wrote:

> 
> 1. First distro Ubuntu 6.10. First big mistake used the manual option in 
> the installer. Result back to square one and a revamp of my hard drive. 
> Second attempt got Ubuntu sort of on my hard drive, no install options, 
> no option to create user and super-user passwords with a result that 
> though a sudo password was asked for I had no way of knowing what it 
> might be. Also, the device manager did nothing but waste CP cycles. It 
> couldn't activate or deactivate anything and listed most of my devices 
> and peripherals as 'unknown' and 'working' whether the latter was true 
> or not. Worse still, though I could configure pppd I couldn't call up 
> the dialer. Sadly, when I checked at the Ubunbtu website I learn Ubuntu 
> do not support dial up connections. Perhaps when broadband gets 
> cheaper/quicker I might go back to Ubuntu.
> 

When Ubuntu states that they don't support dial-up, they are really
saying that you're on your own with a winmodem. It's just too hard to
support all the variations on those software driven modems. It does not
mean that Ubuntu, (or any other distro) won't support dial-up itself.
That's standard in linux.

Richard, you're using an external serial modem, which will work with
every distro under the sun. Ubuntu (or any of the others you've tried),
have all the programs you need to use that modem in the native install.
I know because I have set up a number of Ubuntu boxes for senior
citizens on dial-up so they can email their grandchildren using retired
computers from their own children. The only thing missing was a dial-up
launcher for the desktop, which is available from the "add to panel"
list. 

All your headaches sound like the usual learning curve for new-to-linux
folks, and you are likely to find something frustrating from every
distro out of the box because they all have their little idiosyncrasies.
They're all good, for different reasons playing to different strengths.

I only chose Ubuntu for my seniors because it has a low desktop overhead
for an older machine, and a low overhead desktop for my grey haired
friends! It's easy for them to drive, and they don't miss the eye candy
missing from the default Ubuntu installation. I've just checked a shiny
new Feisty installation, and all the usual modem tools are still there,
even though I don't need them. Time to upgrade the seniors!

My two cents:
Take your box to the AULUG installfest next week as advertised here on
AuckLug, email dated: April 25th at 9:33 PM. Whatever distro you choose,
they're likely to make it a painless install.

Cheers
caraka