Ethaniel
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Posts: 4
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Posted: April 10 2007,23:08 |
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Hi everyone,
This is my first post in the forums, and I have decided to write because I prefer to have answers from people who really know DSL, instead of yelling and cursing about "how do I do this" or "how can I change that", without making the effort of being involved with this excellent OS.
First of all, this is my second experience with a Linux system. The first one was Ubuntu, but it's heavily dependant on an Internet connection, and that's a problem for me, because I don't have an Internet connection at home (I work with public terminals). Then I've found DSL, and after a few days, I think I'm gonna keep it.
But, like any other newbie, I have a doubt or two (well... several, actually):
1) I know how to edit a text file with Midnight Commander, but I don't know the key or command to save the changes. Also, it seems I can't modify a text file using Beaver or Ted. I can't change a thing in Beaver, and Ted insists with "You cannot write the text file" messages. I think this has something to do with permissions. Do I have to start those programs as a super-user, or there's a way to save a file with root privileges? The only solution I have found so far is starting Midnight Commander as a super-user, and running the programs from there.
2) After installing DSL in my hard drive, I have installed AbiWord, and runs perfectly but it looks outdated. Do I have to ask for a newer version in the AbiWord support, or start learning some programming code to build my own? I have seen a 2.2.7 version, but sincerely, I have no idea of how to install a UNC file. I guess it must be the same with DSL files, but the "GTK" in the module's name gives me a bad feeling.
3) I understand that the concept of "fragmentation" doesn't exist in Linux-based systems. Is this true for DSL too? If it's not, how can I defrag my hard drive?
4) I know this is a question from a Windows-tainted mind, but is in DSL some kind of "temp" directory which I have to purge from time to time or not?
5) Looks like I have a problem with XMMS. I have to put the preamp in the equalizer all the way down, because it distorts my mp3 files even with a zero value. The distortion remains even if I disable the equalizer. Is there any way to make the sound clearer and louder? Maybe it's something about my sound card, but DSL detected it correctly as an Intel 82801AA AC'97 audio board. Downloading the ALSA module (ver. 1.0.11 in MyDSL) and using the "modprobe" command didn't helped. And the mp3 files I'm playing have no clipping.
6) This may sound crazy, but can the embeeded applications be uninstalled? Some are for Internet use (like the FTP client), and I don't have any use for them right now. Of course, they don't bother much, but it's one of my doubts. I've been reading about "remastering" (that thread is eternal, about 70 pages!), but I haven't reached the part of removing applications yet.
7) The last one: I'm having problems with my keyboard. It's an old, standard "us" keyboard, but I need some special characters, like the "ñ" and vocals with accents. In the times of DOS, choosing the brazilian keymap solved my needs, but it seems DSL doesn't apply my selection. I have tried adding "lang=br" at boot, and choosing the "br-latin1" option, but the keyboard remains in the "us" mode. What can I do?
I will stop here for the moment, but I think I'll have more questions in the future. Thanks for your attention and your patience.
Lysander, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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