DSL Talk

This seems kinda banal, but with an SNES and a VBA emulator available for DSL,
I think it's important that the users know how to enable a joypad.

---Code Sample---

sudo insmod joydev

---End Code Sample---

That's all that must be done.

Of course, I hear you ask: "But I gotta do it every
ime I boot. How can I make it an automatic thing?"

Shove it in an init script. I keep mine in /sbin/hotplug-knoppix
(since it's a hotpluggable device, and all). just add:

---Code Sample---

insmod joydev

---End Code Sample---

to the end of /sbin/hotplug-knoppix and you'll have your joypads - USB or old-skool gamepad type - available even if you don't elect to enter X.

Installing an application with the MyDSL system is easy.

There are 3 ways you can go.

---Method #1---

Use the MyDSL gui.

Just click on the MyDSL icon on the desktop and it will fire right up.

Select the app you want and click the "Get it!" button beside it.

The app will automatically download and install itself!

Be aware that if the Ibiblio mirror is down the MyDSL gui will not work, so you can use...

---Method #2---

Use Firefox or Dillo to download the extension you want to your home directory.

Open up the file manager, EmelFM, by clicking on its icon on the desktop.

This is how to install DSL to a USB Key from Windows XP (98,NT,2000?) workstation without burning the ISO and without having to boot into DSL from the CD and partition theUSB key. (of course if you want to partition it you'll have to use a partitioning tool, cfdisk, or something else like
that)

1. Procure USB Key and make sure it is formatted with FAT, just to be sure its working. (ugh.)

2. Download the images necessary (as of this writing, bootimage 0.8 was used and filesystem image 0.9.0.1 was used.) and also download WinImage (a share/freeware program -- google it.), and install Daemon Tools or some other ISO viewing/manipulating program.

Having read the many posts of how to install DSL with no cdrom using a huge stack floppies, I wanted to create a script using only one floppy.

I wanted to make a simple way to install DSL on older laptops that have NO CDROM.
I started by looking for a single floppy Linux distro with good pcmcia network support.
I have found that TOMSRTBT is very good. It works with several old pcmcia network cards.

The systems that I have used for testing have:

32MB memory
1.44 floppy drive
128MB HD
800x600 screen
Linksys PCMCIA network card model PCMLM56
Also works with Xircom RealPort2 Model R2E-100

If this process seems a little daunting to you, remember that I wrote it with a lot of built in sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humor.

If it still seems too tough, and you have a Windows OS, you can try AwPhuch's method on 2.c.2 here in the docs.

*****WARNING*****

This process may cause excess stress and frustration.

Not recommended for people with high blood pressure, a history of heart problems or aneurysms, pregnant women, or anybody else who is unable to cope with high levels of stress.

The author takes NO RESPONSIBILITY for any damage, either mental or physical, caused by this process.

1) Boot up the DSL livecd. If your computer does not support booting from CDROM drive, then download the boot floppy image from the DSL website and get the RAWRITE32.exe program and create a boot floppy disk. Then use the boot floppy + liveCD to start up DSL.

2) Open up an xterminal window and type:

***CODE SAMPLE***

sudo su
cfdisk /dev/hda

***END CODE SAMPLE***

Assuming that you are ready to blow away all of your existing data storage
(you might want to back up any special drivers and other important stuff in
case you want to re-install the original OS), create 2 new partitions:

You will want to use a CD writing program with a 'write to disk' or 'burn image' option. We'll be burning dsl-x.x.x.iso straight to the CD.

This will provide a "full" standard DSL install, and it will be bootable.

Software generally used for this under MSWin is Nero, Roxio, or any program that will 'burn ISO image'.

---In Linux---

There are many different ways to burn an ISO image, including many GUI frontends for burning ISO images like K3b, GNOME's Nautilus filemanager (using the burn:/// URI)and X-CD Roast, but I will go over the most generic way. For a more in depth HOWTO, try the CD Burning HOWOTO.