linux problems
 

hey guys, I got my linux drive upgraded last night, by a freind, but I am having a bit of trouble downloading and installing themes and extensions for firefox in linux.

also, how can I make my fonts seem the same as in windows?

another question, in Xine, what dos this error mean:
Xine engine error
there is no input available to handle
'devices:/devhdcmntcdrom'
Maybe MRL syntax is wrong or file/stream source does not exist

I am trying to get into this linux thing, But I have noticed that I am unable to do as much as I can in windows.

ik

Re: linux problems
 

I am still having trouble. with linux mandrake 10.1, I am at a loss. I am looking for places to go, like forums, so that I can ask newbie questions and get answers, to help me learn linux faster, cause I am hitting my head off a wall. any suggestions?

to the above quote, I will attach 2 png files, one from linux the other from windows, they look different in firefox within each OS, why?
I mean the fonts look cleaner, I can't seem to get it like windows. any suggestions

ik

Re: linux problems
 

The only thing is google, goole, and then google some more.

Linux gives everyone grief. I have never had a clean install, or anything not go wrong (apart from the inital install)... every single app I have install has given me some grief I have had to google for.

About the Xine problem... try this: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/286815 It seems to be a permission problem (fix on the webpage)

Your other problems seem a bit general... Can you give us a bit more on it? Error messages maybe?

About the fonts, are you using Gnome or KDE for your windows manager?

Re: linux problems
 

Have you installed the Windows truetype fonts in Linux? Unless things have changed, Linux as supplied only has bitmap-type fonts, which as you have noticed; look awful.

I seem to remember getting my 'windows' fonts from http://corefonts.sourceforge.net/ last time I tried Mandrake (currently have Suse installed), but don't ask me how I installed them as it was last year... :> I remember it being a pain to figure it all out though.

Re: linux problems
 

He's using KDE 3.

Re: linux problems
 

For the firefox question, define a few problems. Any error messages displayed? What are you trying, and how are you trying it? Which extensions/themes? All of 'em or just certain ones?

For the fonts question, you could always import them from your Windows partition, using the MandrakeLinux Control Center -> System -> Fonts.
__________________

Here's a link for getting good fonts under MDK 10.1

Re: linux problems
 

Yeah, could have looked at the screenshot :dunce:

Re: linux problems
 

That's the definition of open source - others have suffered before you :D

Re: linux problems
 

I prefer "When the source is open, the possibilities are endless"

Re: linux problems
 

More like the compilation errors are :)

Certainly feels like that sometimes when trying to install an app.

Re: linux problems
 

Ok,

I have sorted out my firefox problem, by getting rid of firefox and downloading a new version and installing it. I can now download themes and extensions. although I am stuck as to get the fonts correct, I am looking over the links given to me above.

Thanks guys for the links, but it looks like this is going to take ages to get fixed, because Xine keeps starting up when I double clikc a subdirectory in Konqueror, not sure why? but still come up with the same message as in my first post.

I am not sure what some websites mean when they say sign in as root, does this mean just sign in to a terminal as root, or something else?
if I sign in as root to a terminal, am I root everywhere else? e.g. the prog I have open like Konqueror.?

ik

Re: linux problems
 

The problem is that the fonts that exist on your Windows system do not exist on your Mandrake system. What you will need to do is install these fonts on your distro, there's an easy guide here, if you don't have a Windows install, get the MS Core Fonts from here. There used to be/still are some patent issues surrounding truetype fonts and I'm not sure if Mandrake will have the full truetype renderer enabled so the fonts may still not look quite the same as in Windows (enabling the advanced renderer means rebuilding some libraries...this may be out of date, it's a year since I last looked at this).

Are you sure it's a subdirectory and not a media file? I've no idea why that would happen but for a workaround try using Nautilus as an alternative.

Sounds like a syntax error in the xine config file, not in a posiition to check it at the moment as am at work (on a Windows machine :() but if I get a chance I'll check when I get home.

There's something seriously wrong if a website is asking you to sign in as root, what ae you doing/looking at when it asks you to do so? And what browser are you using? When you allow a program/process (like Konqueror) root access (to run as root), only that program and any programs that are started (spawned) by that application will run as root, all other running processes will run as the user that started them.

Re: linux problems
 

not sure what Nautalus is, but I am sure that when I am in Konqueror I am double clicking a subdirectory ikthius, like file:/home/ikthius it opens Xine.


thanks, all help trully appreciated


the website itself is not asking me to log in as root, but the website it a tutorial saying that if I want to do A, B or C then I should log in as root.
this is the website I am trying:
http://convexhull.com/mandrake_fonts.html
I can't do step 2 in the tutorial of the link.

I tried to do step 3 I think I got it done right, but I am not sure, I did it through system > configuration > KDE > System > font installer and I got all my true type fonts from my windows partition.

then I tried to do the same in the link for firefox, but I don't seem to have a userChrome.css file I do have a userChrome-example.css located here file:/home/ikthius/Firefox/firefox-installer/defaults/profile/chrome
or a chrome.rdf file located here: file:/home/ikthius/Firefox/firefox-installer/chrome

I hope all this made sense.

ik

Re: linux problems
 

Nautilus is the Gnome file manager (like Konqueror is the KDE file manager). It's more than likely installed on your system, just type nautilus on a command line.

To log in as root, type su on the command line and then put in your root password.


Copy the userChrome-example.css to userChrome.css

Re: linux problems
 

Hi everyone,

sorry for restarting an old thread.

I have installed Kubuntu 5.4 and I am having the same problem about fonts.

I do not have windows mounted, so I cannot see into the drive to get my windows fonts.

I am having trouble with my Firefox, in that everything is small.

I went to the site gareth posted on post 6, it was for mandrake, but would this work for kubuntu?

and I was also going to download fonts form: here

but what do I chose, as I would like a broad range of windows fonts to run on my linux system.

could anyone help me, I have been google-ing all day and I am getting tired because I cannot find a good and easy to do answer.

ik

Re: linux problems
 

Ik, I tried Ubuntu but couldn't get to grips with it and reverted back to Mandy till I'm brave enough to give Gentoo a whirl... so, what I'm getting at is that I can't test this, but I remembered seeing this thread when I was initially browsing the Ubuntu forums, and it has a post-installation script you can run that prompts you to install a whole bunch of stuff not installed by default, including the MS Core Fonts.

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthre...highlight=haih

Hope that helps :)

Re: linux problems
 

thanks but I am having a nightmare since I got this kubuntu, as I cannot change my privilages to su at all.

I am starting to think (k)ubuntu is mainly for people who are already linux masters, as I cannot even write to cxertain files as I have no permission.

I cannot just put in su and my password in a shell, I have to do sudo then an action, then I give my password, but thats the problem, I don't know the commands yet.

bloody linux, why is it, people want windows people to change for the better, but there are so many distros of linux to choose from, which one is best for newbiers to get a grip and learn. and when I ask some people for help, I get the classic, figure it out yourself.

I think I will try something else if not go back to Mandrake.

so I am giving up with kubuntu after just 2 days, as I cannot even write to files, or extract to certain directories as I have no permission

ik

Re: linux problems
 

Ubuntu is one of the easier distros to get to know, but one of the key things is that it installs with root disabled, so you can't su to it. And if you can't write to certain files, it's probably for a very good reason! Which files, incidentally?

sudo is the *proper* way of doing admin tasks, as it avoids the perennial problem of lazy people logging in shells, switching to root and leaving them, which is about the easiest way to compromise a machine going.

sudo is also very granular in the privileges you can apply with it.

What does 'sudo bash' give you, incidentally? Or 'sudo passwd root', which should let you enable root. Have you got apt (or synaptic, if you want a GUI) working yet? IIRC that was how I got my fonts working.

That's a strength and a weakness of course - moving from a world where Bill is God to one where everyone has an opinion has its upsides and downsides.

However, there are plenty of forums to look at - I found everything I needed to know about Ubuntu from them without having to ask anyone a question (including the root thing).

Re: linux problems
 

hey BB,

I just got so fed up with not being able to do much, that I am now downloading Suse 9.3 as I type.

I was following a how to, on making the fonts better in KDE. http://convexhull.com/mandrake_fonts.html

I had to compile freetype but kubuntu would not let me, it just said I don't have the priveleges even if I did use the sudo before hand.

I think the Suse may suit me better, as I prefer working with su thatn sudo, I can't seem to get a handle on this.

I did try Mandrake but it was a bit buggy for me, thats why i am changing.

Plus I was getting a sore head trying to read the very small text.

ik

Re: linux problems
 

9.3 is good, I use 9.1 as my server OS and 9.3 as my desktop but I have Ubuntu on the laptop and I really like it but then I have used Linux for a good while now. Persevere and you will get to like it. Yes there are lots of distros but with broadband it's not too bad to just download any of them and try them out, you're bound to find one that you get along with!