Re: Miscellaneous Linux problems

[Matthew John Palmer <nospam [at] uow.edu.au>]

On Thu, 30 Mar 2000, B Seiwarski wrote:

> 1. I use SuSE 6.3.  Whilst creating new users is fairly straightforward, 
> does anyone know why KDE doesn't transfer across desktop settings (or video 
> mode settings, whatever) when creating new users, and therefore how to 
> change video mode configuration things so that KDE starts in the correct 
> video mode every time? (at the moment, I have to press CTRL+ALT+MINUS or 
> CTRL+ALT+PLUS every time it loads up)

This is (usually) controlled by the XF86Config, which is a global file.  If
you find a config file in a user's KDE home dir that you want to make the
default, stick it in /etc/skel with the same relative path (to the user's
home dir) and it will become the default for all new users.  Doesn't help
with the existing ones, though...

> 2. Does anyone know where the options file for Sokoban hangs out?  See, I'm 
> trying to copy this from one user profile to another so that I can play 
> Sokoban on a different log-in with the same level settings and stuff.  Any 
> ideas?  Ditto for modem ISP settings, but this is easy to replicate.

>From memory:

.kde/share/apps/ksokoban (or similar)

The easiest way to find out would be:

find $HOME -name "ksokoban" -type d -print

and go where it tells you.  <g>

> 3. The text editor supplied with SuSE 6.3 is not brilliant and so I'm 
> looking for a better one.  I think I've found one on the Internet, but does 
> anyone have any opinions/recommendations for a decent text editor?

joe.  The one and only.

Yes, this is a religious issue.  You have been warned.  If you argue with me
I'll invoke the power of the joe on you (it may cause warts, or something).

> 4. Graphical, WYSIWYG-style HTML editors - any ideas?  Although I can use a 
> text editor to create tables in HTML and Netscape to view them, it's hardly 
> ideal.

Doesn't Nutscrape come with a Composer?

Maybe it's crudware, I don't know, I've never used it.

Alternately, an LSM search on "HTML" and "Editor" couldn't do any harm.

> 5. I've got this weird 'Windows optimised multimedia' keyboard (it's even 
> got a built in microphone) that works fine with Linux, but has loads of 
> buttons that just don't do anything.  Any ideas on how I can configure all 
> these buttons, so that, for example, I can pop up the K application menu 
> thing?

This is a wonderful little problem, beloved by many.

I think the program you want is showkey.  Start that up, then record down
the number it gives you when you press the appropriate key.  Then edit your
keyboard map file, to add the scancode and the thing you want it to do when
you press it.

If I recall, the K menu can be popped up by F1, so make your Phantom Key
send an F1 whenever it's pressed.  Should make all the difference.

> 6. My CD-player hasn't managed to auto-detect the album/track titles for any 
> CD's whilst I've been on the Internet (it's the standard CD player supplied 
> with SuSE 6.3).  What am I doing wrong?  Oh, and will my machine ever be 

Have you told the CD player what the names and all that are?  Alternately,
have you told the CD player where on the Internet it can find that data?

It's not a mind-reader.

Neither am I, for that matter.  What is the standard CD player for SuSE 6.3?

> able to read Apple Mac compatible CD's or will I need a special CD player 
> for that?

Shouldn't think so.  I'm pretty sure the kernel's got support for Apple Mac
filesystems, so perhaps there's a hack somewhere for it.  Is the Mac CDs
ISO9660?  Don't know.

Might be your big chance to gain fame and fortune - make a kernel driver
which will read Apple Mac CDs.

> 7. There might have been two questions contained in that last point, so I'm 
> making up by having another point, here, that has no question in it.

OK.  The answer to that is 'maybe'.


-- 
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Matthew Palmer
mjp16@uow.edu.au

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