You can also press CTRL+AlT+F2 or F3,F4... to get to a console screen. This
will be a full screen text console. Pressing Alt+F7 will return to
xwindows.
And unlike Windows, repeatedly switching between a full text screen and the
gui doesn't seem to bother Linux. I don't know how many times I've switched
in linux wondering if it was going to work all right, only to realize that I
was using linux, and I didn't need to worry...
Cory
-----Original Message-----
From: Cory Petkovsek
To: 'Lindsay Crawford '; '[EMAIL PROTECTED] '
Sent: 10/15/00 7:15 PM
Subject: RE: MAC _&_ PC (no LINUX?)
Hi Lindsay,
As Chris mentioned, give EFN a call. Your 486 will make a perfect
X-less
computer. (or an X on occasion computer). I recommend splurging on two
network cards and expanding your mind. ;)
KDE runs on Xwindows. It is actually Xfree86. Xwindows runs on UNIX
computers. Xfree86 is a free Xwindows clone. KDE is your 'K' desktop
environment. It is a desktop, with a few other things. On top of KDE
you
might have a window manager, such as sawmill, enlightenment, etc.
Program
manager in win3.1 or Explorer in win95 is both your desktop environment,
and
window manager.
So Xwindows, KDE and Sawmill come together to give you your GUI
(graphical
user interface) experience.
The console is a text based screen. Linux is not a GUI, like Windows.
Linux is just a kernel, upon which a console is placed. On my system, I
have linux boot up in text-mode. Then when I wish, I start Xwindows.
Sort
of like, starting in Dos and loading win31. So when I say I can start
mp3's
playing, load xwindows, and close it. This is what I'm talking about.
If your Cyrix computer has Mandrake 7.0/7.1 then most likely you have an
mp3
player installed.
>From within your Xwindows/KDE, run a terminal program. Try pressing F2
(I
think this is "run..." on KDE.) It should prompt you for a command. If
not, look in your menus for a 'run' Try one of these: gnome-terminal,
Eterm,
xterm, rxvt. Now you have a console prompt. Remember how to get back
here
for future reference.
At the console prompt, type in xmms, mpg123, or kmpg.
If you get a positive response then you have an mp3 player installed.
xmms and kmpg are graphical.
mpg123 is console, here's how to use it:
mpg123 -Z /dosd/mp3/classical/* &
(-Z means randomize, path and wildcard for mp3's, & = run in background
and
give me a prompt)
Once this is running, you can stop it by running:
killall mpg123
If the kmpg is loading a window that you can't find, try looking on your
other desktops. By default you will have four of them, and they are
accessed by clicking on "One, Two, Three or Four" on your "K" bar. Or
you
can press Alt+F1, or Alt+F2...F4. If you don't see it, forget it. It's
not
a very efficient mp3 player anyway (at least the version on my
computer).
Hope this helps.
Cory
-----Original Message--
From: Lindsay Crawford
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 10/15/00 5:30 PM
Subject: RE: MAC _&_ PC (no LINUX?)
I only mentioned the 486 because it has Windows, and a 14.4 modem.
I have not set up a connection to US WEST internet, and I don't know
if there is any free connection which would work given the
limitations of the machine. Then of course, once on, would it be
quick enough to use? Who knows.
My other machine is a 686 Cyrix 333 with 64 meg I bought from the PC
Training center about a year ago. This is the machine I was talking
about. It's running Mandrake 7.0 with a slight 7.1 fix. I need to
upgrade to 7.1 but I lost the instructions.
>
> Depending on your distribution, you may already have an mp3 player
loaded.
I think my wife installed one on her user, but I have not been in
there to check. On my K bar, under multi-media, there is something
called Kmpg, audio MPEG player, which won't open by itself. When I
click on it, it tries to open, at the edge of the screen, and
vanished before I can drag it into view.
>
> As rob suggested, xmms is an Xwindows based winamp-looking mp3 player.
>
I have downloaded MP3 files once or twice, tried to play, got
nothing, didn't know what to do. No help files. I found xmms on
Google, now I wonder if xmms is part of Mandrake 7.0. If how to find?
> Personally, I prefer mpg123, which is a console based mp3 player.
Maybe I could find this on Google?
I did. When I tried to download, the run window popped up, and
since nothing has ever "run in terminal," I tried to select a
"browser." i tried gFTP, but I could find no way to connect gFTP
with the program I wanted to download. I tried Archie, same deal.
>
> One can start playing an mp3, and then load Xwindows (I don't use
xdm/gdm),
> play around with other sounds, then close xwindows and return to the
> console. All without interrupting your playing of MP3's. hA! try
that on
> windows!
I know how to find the console, it's the litle black screen icon on
my bottom tool bar. I am not sure if X windows is the KDE desktop I
normally see or something else, if else, what? "load" and
"close" sounds like something else. Sounds as if I could use some
PC training.
>
> I am curious, why did you look to the quicktime site for an mp3
player?
> Quicktime will play quicktime movies.
I went to quicktime to view a music video, from
http://www.satriani.com.
Still don't know if there is anyway to view "video" on this machine.
>
> While you may not consider a 486 33 a serious PC, it is certainly
enough to
> load an all growed up Linux on it. Unfortunately, Xwindows may not
fit too
> well in 8mb of memory. I'd recommend learning the console. One can
browse
> the web with lynx, play mp3's with mpg123, check email with mutt,
fetchmail,
> pine, mail and others.
Certainly worth considering. I'd like to bring it in some Thursday
if I can get the kids settled.
>
> This place, hotline, sounds like the next level of napster. If you
really
> want to use their stuff, send them an email, asking for a linux
version.
When I said PC, I meant "ms-dos" based operating system. Sorry.
> If
> this place takes off, and they don't write linux clients, never fear.
A
> linux friend will write a linux client, and append a G to the
beginning of
> the name. Then you can commune with Ghotline. On the otherhand, if a
linux
> client isn't developed, then it's probably not worth your time.
>
>
> Cory
Thanks.
Lindsay Crawford
17:10 PDT Sunday 15 October 2000 @97478
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lindsay Crawford
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: 10/15/00 1:35 PM
> Subject: MAC _&_ PC (no LINUX?)
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> I have not been able to get to the meetings of late or do much more
> than read the list, only because I've been busy with survival.
>
> My machine is still bogging in Netscape Navigator, and otherwise
> hanging, and I'm still looking for answers.
>
> Meanwhile there's another problem. Compatibility.
>
> How does one play MP3 files in Linux?
>
> I went to the quicktime site and they have no LINUX software, at
> least not when I was there.
>
> And now this:
>
> http://www2.bigredh.com/hotline3/
>
> Once again, PC or MAC, no Linux. I was really counting on using
> this site and now I don't know what to do. I doubt my old 486 33
> with 8 meg would be any use for these modern programs. I don't
> have access to a serious PC nor can I afford one. Access, well,
> the Springfield library now has internet access, but I don't know
> what good that would do. Still, I should look at them.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Lindsay Crawford <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> @97478
> 13:33 PDT Sunday 15 October 2000
