my dsl experience
Forum: User Feedback
Topic: my dsl experience
started by: lovdsl
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 10 2006,01:50
I have installed dsl to hd non frugal with grub on a dx2-66mhz with 48meg ram..on 420 meg linux boot with secondary 130 meg linux personal and 130 meg swap on a second drive..I used a soundblaster card,fm8818 33.6 modem with rockwell chipset and advance logic vid with 24bit. this is a linux box..no dos partions, non boot cd rom and a floppy. boots to X desktop.with some greater understanding via the forum, The install is easy and the desktop is very nice and customized to my likeing.
I chose the following dsl extensions:
Opera6.1.2 (7 had font issue)
dia (drawing program)
imagemagick (for resizing pics etc)
wmdrawer (nice hidden menu)
wmrack ( for lighter cd playing)
pclock ( like wristwatch )
wm calc ( only alternate to calco)
wm pinboard (only sticky like option)
xscreensaver (nice to have)
eboard, gammon, mahjongg, penta
Opened singularly expect the following wait times in secs on this configuration:
nano=3, xzgv=3 +3-5 change pic, beaver=7,
xpdf=3 +8sec page turn, xpaint=6-10, dillo=8
imagemagick=8, sylpheed=10, dia=16, eboard=12
xmms=20, opera=15+20=35, siag=31, calco=32
calendar=35+.
Dockables open fast and work well except calc and pin are simply to small
eboard is slow and runs alone but allows a match with the computer. I had install issues,, from peer/ play engine..choose generic engine tab and replace gnuchess with crafty and click ok..should play..or goto /var/lib/crafty and copy the book.bin and books.bin to home/dsl/eboard..this also worked. On this config. do any preference changes as a seperate task..during play may cause a freezeup.
I love the dia program, there are few freeware drawing programs for win95. this alone compells me to play on this machine.
Opera6 opens faster than firefox and offers greater functionality on this machine but has limitations that must be adheared to. Opera7 did not work. choose nano to save text and exit..opera used alone and waiting for pages to load fully, proved to access web mail and allow general search and surf. long sessions and copy with bever in tray caused spontainious freezeups..when signing out of hot mail opera closed completely but when reopened with no page allowed continued surfing..My suggestion would be to limit opera use and choose Dillo..although Dillo can not access forums and webmail it is a very powerful browser for general use.
I had no issues listening to music on the cd dockable and playing games ( except chess) or checking the mail via sylpheed or viewing pics in xzgv..or drawing in dia..however as example: tunes, mail and attempt to view pics could be problematic..memory limitations are likely to blame. I suggest testing these limitations and enjoying what you CAN do.
On older machines wait times are expected..5 to 10 seconds is fairly common..larger programs like opera take longer to open but are often worth the wait. some however are not functional waits. the items below are things I found unacceptable or unavailable for use with dsl on this configuration.
1- The calc options for dsl are calco which opens in 36 secs or the dockable which although it opens instantly is to small for quick fuctionality.although at 640 resolution it is a little more bearable it is the greatest issue for dsl on older machines. No operating system should be without quick access to a calc and notepad.
2- The pdf viewer although it opens and provides access to files instantly, unfortunately turns a page in 8-10 secs..acrobat3 on95 opens slower but turns a page instantly..I hesitate to transfer the 200+ books and manuals to dsl for this reason.
3- internet dict. req. connection. on single line reduces freedom..
4- no alarm clock for wake up and reminders
5= the calendar, like pdf opens instantly however to see a month one waits 34 sec to display in viewer and another 6 to reduce to full view at 800*. and offers print and the current...with no printer dsl cal lacks usefullness
These are my greatest issues with dsl and suggest the following dsl extensions for basic functionality on older machines..all handy adds for newer aswell.
simple fast basic calc I can see.dsl
good offline dictionary.dsl
repeating alarm that has off button.dsl
note calendar.dsl..like the one on the wall..opens to full month..click day and add note. shows current. with the alarm.dsl can act as pim for older machines
I suspect speeding the page change in xpdf is unlikely. so will likely have to accept.
all considered dsl does power a dx2 with 48 meg ram with X. wise program.dsl choices and mutitasking limitations fully tested, it can offer basic functionality even on a yardsale computer.with the calc being the biggest exception.
Thanks so much for DSL..look forward to more .dsl extensions in the future
some handy tips most from the forum: many thanks:
1-Turn on dma in grub - emelfm super - boot/grub/menu1st
click menu1st - view file - see titledsl - see no dma - backspace "no" save file exit reboot
2-read the help file. it is available in cpanel
fix dillo patched - emelfm super - click "H" shows hidden files
open xinitrc - see dillo add "#" in front (#dillo.....)save. the"#" stops dillo at boot. Goto home/dsl/fluxbox/menu scroll down see (dillo patched) ( blablabla) replace with (dillo)(/usr/local/bin/dillo)save. Goto dillo desktop icon and click properties change command to just command: dillo
this will restore dillo to normal.
3- to turn off desktop stats and workspace boxs goto home/dsl/xinitrc and "#" torsmo and fluxter.save. restartx, remove the # to restore.
4- push alt+ left or right mouse buttons to move and resize windows.
alt+left to move, alt+right to resize
5- split and cat - file split and rejoin for floppy storage. in fm type split or cat --help for info. click the directory the files are in.
ie: split -b 1380000 /home/dsl/eboard.dsl chess
this should give chessaa, chessab, chessac.
ie: cat chessaa chessab chessac > eboard.dsl
Note: test join before storage. if the file size is not correct try refresh by exiting the directory and reopening..
6- add pppdial icon to desktop - click icon tool from desktop menu.click add. choose icon from list and type sudo /usr/sbin/pppdial in full path. type name choice in icon label, click ok
7- save files to and access a directory on a second partition from dsl -
command line= chown dsl.staff /mnt/hd<b1>/<directory> where b1 is the drive and partition number and directory is the name of the directory you wish to access from dsl.
9-add jpg wallpapers to home/dsl/fluxbox/backgrounds and change via desktop menu wallpaper
10- convert your favorite icons to .png and add to home/dsl/xtdesktop then choose them via icon properties or icontool if creating a new shortcut.
For those who think it does not matter, something to consider
< http://www.ciber-runa.net/guide/BetterUpgrade--ActivistGuide.html >
Posted by AwPhuch on Mar. 10 2006,04:46
Wow! Great review!Brian
AwPhuch
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 12 2006,06:21
Nice review. Sounds like you might be better off with good old xcalcYou might be able to get a better calc program by enabling apt and type:
sudo su
apt-get install xcalc
As for the calendar and alarm issues, please give jpilot.dsl a try. It is intended for Palm Pilot and compatible PDA users, but it also works as a decent standalone desktop computer PIM system.
If you want your appointments to make noise and not just appear as popup windows, you can configure a shell command to do something like "echo" a control-G (computer beep sound), or play an mp3 file, or even play an audio cd.
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 13 2006,05:37
Like I said calco or wmcalc are the options. you can not apt-get install xcalc..to install xcalc one has to apt-get install xbase-clients which includes the following:
Unless a command will extract only the xcalc and required files I think not..thanks though for jpilot..a nice addition to a dx2 install..debian searchs show no available english dictionary amoung other freeware I hoped to replace
Package: xbase-clients (4.3.0.dfsg.1-14sarge1) [security]
miscellaneous X clients
An X client is a program that interfaces with an X server (almost always via the X libraries), and thus with some input and output hardware like a graphics card, monitor, keyboard, and pointing device (such as a mouse).
This package provides a miscellaneous assortment of several dozen X clients that ship with the X Window System, including:
- startx and xinit, which initialize X sessions from the command line;
- xauth, a tool for controlling access to the X session;
- xedit, a text editor;
- xbiff, a tool which tells you when you have new email;
- xcalc, a scientific calculator desktop accessory;
- xclipboard, a tool to manage cut-and-pasted text selections;
- xcutsel, which exchanges selection and cut buffer contents;
- xconsole, which monitors system console messages;
- xditview, a viewer for ditroff output;
- xeyes, a demo program in which a pair of eyes track the pointer;
- xfd, a tool that displays all the glyphs in a given X font;
- xfontsel, a tool for browsing and selecting X fonts;
- xhost, a very dangerous program that you should never use;
- xkill, a tool for terminating misbehaving X clients;
- xload, a monitor for the system load average;
- xlogo, a demo program that displays the X logo;
- xmag, which magnifies parts of the X screen;
- xman, a manual page browser;
- xmessage, a tool to display message or dialog boxes;
- xrandr, a command-line interface to the RandR extension;
- xrefresh, a tool that forces a redraw of the X screen;
- xsetroot, a tool for tailoring the appearance of the root window;
- xtrapchar, xtrapin, xtrapinfo, xtrapout, xtrapproto, xtrapreset, and
xtrapstats, a group of sample clients that use the XTrap extension;
- xvidtune, a tool for customizing X server modelines for your monitor;
- xwd, a utility for taking window dumps ("screenshots") of the X session;
- xwud, a viewer for window dumps created by xwd;
- oclock and xclock, graphical clocks;
- beforelight, a screen saver;
- atobm, a converter from ASCII to X bitmap (.xbm) files;
- bitmap, a monochrome bitmap file editor;
- bmtoa, a tool that converts a monochrome bitmap to ASCII text;
- cxpm and sxpm, tools for checking and viewing X pixmap files;
- dpsexec, a Display PostScript program that allows the user to interact
directly with the PostScript interpreter through a command interface
- dpsinfo, a utility for displaying information about the DPS extension
present in an X server or provided by a client-side DPS agent
- glxgears, a GLX demo that draws three rotating gears, and prints
framerate information to standard output
- iceauth, a tool for manipulating ICE protocol authorization records;
- texteroids, a spinning text demo for the DPS extension
- xset, a tool for setting miscellaneous X server parameters;
- xmodmap, a utility for modifying keymaps and pointer button mappings in X;
- xsetmode and xsetpointer, tools for handling X Input devices;
- setxkbmap, xkbbell, xkbcomp, xkbevd, xkbprint, xkbvleds, and xkbwatch,
tools for managing the X Keyboard Extension (XKB);
- xsm, a session manager for X sessions;
- smproxy, a session manager proxy for X clients that do not use the X
session manager protocol;
- xgamma, a tool for querying and setting a monitor's gamma correction;
- appres, editres, listres, viewres, and xrdb, which query and update the
X resource database;
- Xmark, x11perf, and x11perfcomp, tools for benchmarking graphical
operations under the X Window System;
- fstobdf, which retrieves a font in BDF format from an X font server;
- xcmsdb, a device color characteristic utility for the X Color Management
System;
- xstdcmap, a utility to selectively define standard colormap properties;
- xev, an X event displayer;
- xfindproxy, a tool to locate X proxy services;
- xlsatoms, which lists interned atoms defined on an X server;
- xlsclients, which lists client applications running on an X display;
- xlsfonts, a server font list displayer;
- xprop, a property displayer for X;
- xdpyinfo, a display information utility for X;
- xwininfo, a window information utility for X;
- glxinfo, a GLX extension information utility for X;
- xvinfo, an Xv extension information utility for X;
- ico, an X graphics demo using an animated polyhedron;
- dga, a demo program for the DGA extension; and
- xgc, an (unfinished) X graphics demo program.
xbase-clients also -- except on the s390 architecture -- contains the XFree86 X server configuration programs xf86cfg and xf86config, but in general the Debconf interface to the xserver-xfree86 package should be used instead of these tools.
The bitmap, editres, viewres, xbiff, xcalc, xconsole, xditview, xedit, xf86cfg, xman, xsetroot, and xsm programs use bitmap images provided by the xlibs-data package. xkbcomp uses the XKEYBOARD (XKB) extension configuration data provided by the xlibs package.
xrdb requires the C preprocessor (cpp) to process X resource files. The GNU C preprocessor's "-traditional" support misbehaves in early releases of the GCC 3.3 series; therefore, this package conflicts with those versions.
(Strictly speaking, atobm does not depend on any X libraries, but it shares a manual page with bitmap and bmtoa, and so is grouped with them in this package.)
Other Packages Related to xbase-clients
= depends = recommends = suggests
cpp
The GNU C preprocessor (cpp)
libc6 (>= 2.3.2.ds1-21) [not alpha, ia64]
GNU C Library: Shared libraries and Timezone data
libc6.1 (>= 2.3.2.ds1-21) [alpha, ia64]
GNU C Library: Shared libraries and Timezone data
libdps1 (>> 4.1.0)
Display PostScript (DPS) client library
libexpat1 (>= 1.95.8)
XML parsing C library - runtime library
libfontconfig1 (>= 2.3.0)
generic font configuration library (shared library)
libfreetype6 (>= 2.1.5-1)
FreeType 2 font engine, shared library files
libgcc1 (>= 1:3.3.4-1) [hppa, m68k]
GCC support library
libgcc1 (>= 1:3.4.1-3) [not hppa, ia64, m68k]
libgcc1 (>= 1:3.4.3-6) [ia64]
libice6
Inter-Client Exchange library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libncurses5 (>= 5.4-1) [not s390]
Shared libraries for terminal handling
libpng12-0 (>= 1.2.8rel)
PNG library - runtime
libsm6
X Window System Session Management library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libstdc++5 (>= 1:3.3.4-1)
The GNU Standard C++ Library v3
libxaw7 (>> 4.1.0)
X Athena widget set library
libxcursor1 (>> 1.1.2)
X cursor management library
libxext6
X Window System miscellaneous extension library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxft2 (>> 2.1.1)
FreeType-based font drawing library for X
libxi6
X Window System Input extension library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxmu6
X Window System miscellaneous utility library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxmuu1
lightweight X Window System miscellaneous utility library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxpm4
X pixmap library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxrandr2
X Window System Resize, Rotate and Reflection extension library
or xlibs (>> 4.3.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxrender1
X Rendering Extension client library
libxt6
X Toolkit Intrinsics
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxtrap6
X Window System protocol-trapping extension library
or xlibs (>> 4.2.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxtst6
X Window System event recording and testing extension library
or xlibs (>> 4.1.0)
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
libxv1
X Window System video extension library
xfree86-common
X Window System (XFree86) infrastructure
xlibmesa-gl
Mesa 3D graphics library [XFree86]
or libgl1
Virtual package
xlibmesa-glu
Mesa OpenGL utility library [XFree86]
or libglu1
Virtual package
xlibs
X Keyboard Extension (XKB) configuration data and metapackage
xlibs-data
X Window System client data
zlib1g (>= 1:1.2.1)
compression library - runtim
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 13 2006,18:34
Hmm...Maybe someone who has an old DSL cd nearby can boot it up and copy the xcalc file or better yet make an xcalc.dsl , xcalc.tar.gz or better yet xcalc.uci
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 14 2006,00:32
Yes..would be nice to see xcalc and wmclockmon or timer as .dsl..am not able at the moment..these are listed packages but are not found by apt-get..tried xmms-alarm..would be nice but when it starts and displays the OK dialog it stops and repeats the process 25 - 30 times..then runs..so I have to click OK 25 times then click stop on xmms..also downloaded the 100 year old dictionary..it opens in a xterm..type dict <word> and a definition is listed..many biblical referances but finally found a dictionary(dict-gcide) but worst I have trouble booting and many more freezes..think it is time to reinstall.
Posted by spock on Mar. 14 2006,01:32
Hello,If you change your /etc/apt/sources.list from
deb < http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ > oldstable main non-free contrib
to :
deb < http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ > stable main non-free contrib
you should be able to apt-get and try wmclockmon, gtimer, wmtimer and a newer version of xmms-alarm (0.3.6 instead of 0.3.0-pre2.1). Good luck,
Thierry
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 14 2006,20:34
Thanks..yes..the newer xmms-alarm seems to function better..at least at the moment..however must sit in the tray..so excellent for wake up...but hope was to add wmclockmon while useing the machine.....it should pop up an always on top message and go DING (.wav)..but I can not seem to find the right command lines for command and msg cmd..aptget also left me searching for the exe's. there are several
adding..after reinstall 50 I attempted to aptget the dict again and after download the machine froze and refuses to reboot..I have lost the desire to add a calc and dictionary or to reinstall. dsl is what it is.
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 15 2006,20:13
next day...ok...boot and get command line today so sudo su fsck and dsl auto fixs several things and I re update apt-get for old stable and redownload the dictionary..this time installs..so have added the following to the system:
Jpilot.dsl ( excellent cal with pop up reminder)
apt-get installed- stable..xmms-alarm ( rocks you up )
apt-get installed-old stable. dict-gcide ( xterm eng.dict)
Thanks..
Notes: Have used jpilot in tray to pop remind while drawing in dia and listening to cd dock.short test.
have used beaver and opened a term and looked up a word..copy word from beaver, paste after typeing dict.
set xmms-alarm for wake up..plays cd
still working on the fast calc, lite remind with snd..and have yet to try deb2dsl..still testing limitations.
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 16 2006,03:50
FYI,I sent in an
xcalc.dsl
so it should appear in the TESTING area of the mydsl repository soon when the next round of files are updated.
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 17 2006,06:45
Thanks very much..will look for it..this would basically answer most or all of my original issues..with the exception of the spontainious freeze ups..I decided to try on a p166 motherboard..same everything but the board...did not like at all..so back to testing the dx2..with the new additions I can not use opera or firefox..opening gives freeze..but most everything seems to function as before otherwise..thought maby dictd server? like the new adds though..will have to try a different board..think this one liked windoze.
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 18 2006,18:31
FYI,Does switching the window manager from the default Fluxbox over to JWM help with the freezeups?
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 19 2006,01:43
Thanks..will try that..just downloaded the xcalc to try also...
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 19 2006,04:53
Gatta love the xcalc...many thanks for that...any one installing on old equipment will want to use it...used with bever and jpiolet...also with dia..both with tunes..copy/paste calc total to bever..system is looking good for a tired old dx2..opened dillo and hit a few links..fine..when I closed and clicked hangup..as before freeze..
reboot..switch to jwm...open opera and check a few links...close and open dillo..few links...close and hangup..wow...will have to test further..but initial test suggest switch for online service..like fluxbox better..but what works works..thanks
just used all my new knowledge to install on a pent166-the bios needed some changing before I could load..typeing this with opera 8 from the test folder. so far so good. will post the dx2 tests with jwm to keep the dx2 project positive..
many thanks..great forum.
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 20 2006,07:28
Well..to good to be true...spontainious freeze ups...dsl on the dx2 is fine if I do not try to connect to the net..It had worked better before adding the dict amoung others..so may try a basic install another time and check the online issue. Have installed on a pent166 which is much nicer..will have to get it set up and test...
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 22 2006,07:51
Ok..just did a freash install of dsl to the dx2..did not add any of the great dsl extensions..did a ppp config and clicked firefox....the first time it opened and I opened pppdial..when I clicked dial..freezeI rebooted and clicked firefox..it started to open and freeze.
..what is very odd is that I installed dsl to the dx2 many times and used firefox to download all the extensions several times before I learned how to store them.
the freeze should not be happening...
does anyone have any thoughts on why this is occuring.
Posted by mikshaw on Mar. 22 2006,14:43
When you get problems like this all of a sudden, first thing I think is hardware failure. It could be heat, maybe from bad air circulation. It could be fried or improperly seated RAM. Could be a bad harddrive.Or it could just be that your ram is being sucked up. Did you use swap last time, and maybe not use it this time?
Posted by anaconda on Mar. 22 2006,16:20
I had a similar problem (than your freezing). The problem was that I played a lot with 1 install of DSL and finally got X to stop working... So I installed DSL to the same partition overwriting everything and X still didn't start. Then I tried DSL from another partition (previously installed, worked before) and X didn't work in it either
??Then I booted the machine and looked really closely everything that was going on when booting. And noticed a line saying something like: "restoring from /dev/hda3" !!
Ahaa! DSL was restoring the screwed up configuration from hda3 ! So that is why no version of DSL worked in my machine! IF you haven't specified where DSL should restore the previous setting and (booting)DSL notices that some partition has the DSL restore file it uses that!? (strange)
So I booted with knoppix or blueLinux and removed the file from hda3 and X started working! Booting with DSL didnt help, because if you remove the restore file from hda3 and reboot, the restore file is written again! (maybe removing it and unplugging the computer without shutting down would have done the trick..)
Your problem could be similar. ie DSL automatically restores the bad settings from somewhere..
Posted by roberts on Mar. 22 2006,17:51
Auto restore has been a feature with DSL for a very long time.One can always boot with the norestore option.
And to not load any extensions use the base option.
In fact, it is always a good idea to look at a new release by booting it with:
dsl base norestore
Posted by cbagger01 on Mar. 22 2006,18:00
Wasn't the special version of Firefox installed in DSL compiled for i586 use?If this is so, it won't work with a 486 CPU. Pentium is the minimum.
However, other web browsers may be supported. Opera, Dillo or Links perhaps?
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 22 2006,21:23
Thanks..some confirmations and new info...for this odd happening...I thought of over heating..the machine was off for a day..
the dx2 chip should not need a fan but it has one, spare part
..the fan on the power supply is working.
..I checked to see if the ram was seated.
.and I deleted the partitions and made two..one for each drive..hda1 is a 420m boot..hdc1 is 260m swap.
I mke2fs on both mkswap and swap on.
.after the freeze I did a fsck and e2fsck thinking about bad sectors..I did use opera during original tests but had to use firefox to download. so if it was designed for 586 it worked on the 486 many times.
.this is not likely a dsl issue..I used the same cd and floppy to load on another machine.
.is it possible that the chip is worn out?will try another chip..recheck all and reinstall
I am useing a two button mouse..changed with that in mind.
just strange...THANKS..appreciate the ideas and confirmations
Posted by lovdsl on Mar. 25 2006,19:36
To sum up..I reinstalled and load myadds..I decided to not install eboard as although it could play a game was slow and had install issues. did not install xsaver as although it ran it gave an error deamon did not start properly. did not install dict-gcide as it was just to much bother to redownload. this last install is the same as detailed in my original post with the exception of those I chose not to reinstall and the addition of the most excellent Xcalc, Jpilot cal, and xmms-alarm. I also did not install opera6. opera8 will not work and since I had freeze issues online..decided that the dx2 will fuction well as a mailbox and allow general offline functionality with wait times I noted...thanks to all the help from the forum getting something on the dx2.I used this knowledge and installed dsl and the dx2 setup to a pent166. it runs the way I had hoped it would on the dx2. No issue installing eboard, xsaver or opera8. all programs run well so far. I still use xcalc for speed. am very happy with basic functionality an this machine. now if only I could rip a few tracs to mp3 for the xmms alarm I could shut up and use the machine. will play some more with the dx2 later.