Subject: I'm looking for a demo user ...

From: Dirk Luetjens <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 21:48:03 +0200

Hello,

I just have installed debian on my system. It was wonderful. Everything
worked fine until ...

- I was used to have the /etc/profile for the bash and other
configuration files to be more configured than they are now. I don't
want to say that they are not configured at all, the system works great.
I'm looking for some customisations. I thought there is althoug a
demo-user to show how powerful Linux can be. (How to find a new
programm, when you don't know about it :-) 

- How do you manage updates? 
I've copied the debian distribution to CD. How to perform any updates,
when you cannot change the files on CD. Is it possible use a second
distribution on the harddisk, where I put only the files I want to
upgrade? 

- I was although looking for the olwm window manager. Isn't there a
openwin package?

For any help, Thanks

Dirk

---

From: "Susan G. Kleinmann" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 15:34:20 -0400

Hi Dirk --
You asked:
> configuration files to be more configured than they are now. 
You might want to look in /usr/doc/examples/bash.

> (How to find a new programm, when you don't know about it :-) 
This must qualify as a billion dollar question.

> distribution on the harddisk, where I put only the files I want to
Sure.  I use the mirror program (in the mirror package, in the net directory
on the FTP sites) to download a fresh copy of the Debian distribution
every once in a while, then one can update the packages from there,
either directly, using 
    dpkg -i package.deb
or through dselect, setting the access method to a mounted hard disk.

> - I was although looking for the olwm window manager. Isn't there a
I don't see it in the Packages-Master file (kept in the indices
directory at the FTP site) dated August 23.

Good luck,
Susan Kleinmann

---

From: David Gaudine <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 17:56:46 -0400 (EDT)

I have mgetty working on a Slackware system, so I assumed I'd have no
trouble getting it working on a Debian system.  Boy, was I wrong.
I have no idea what I'm doing, or why nobody else seems to have trouble.
I couldn't find any debian-specific instructions.

1) using "dpkg --contents mgetty_099.deb", I see that various
   configuration files (login.config, mgetty.config, etc.) go in
   /etc/mgetty.  However, after installing the package, that directory
   was empty.  Why?  I've removed and reinstalled the package, using
   both dselect and dpkg; usually /etc/mgetty is empty, once login.config
   mysteriously appeared.  Finally I copied the files from the Slackware
   system.

2) What should the line in /etc/inittab be?  I'm using
       d3:45:respawn:/sbin/mgetty ttyS2
   because this is what worked with Slackware.  (not exactly; the other
   system used com2 (d2,ttyS1), and /usr/local/sbin).  Where is this
   d3:45 stuff documented?  The reason I got it working with Slackware
   is that there were already sample lines commented out.  (I think.)

   BTW, the modem is set to com3, and minicom works using /dev/ttyS2

3) Do I need the "gettydefs" file?  I copied it from - you guessed it -
   the slackware system.

Oh, I should mention what happens; absolutely nothing.  No answer, no
logs.

---

From: Gerry Jensen <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 16:40:15 -0600 (MDT)

> or through dselect, setting the access method to a mounted hard disk.

Another method that I like to use is Brian White and Robert Browning's
dftp program.  There's a new version currently in the Incoming directory
that's much faster than the older version.  It downloades the Packages.gz
files for the directories you're intersted (e.g. stable, contrib,
non-free) and presents you with a list of packages.  These are placed in
various sections: new upgrades, downgrades, new packages, ignored
upgrades, and ignored packages.  You then select the packages you want 
and dftp downloads and installs them.  This makes it very easy to have
your Debian system 100% current all the time and you aren't downloading
packages that you aren't going to install.

Gerry

---

From: [email-masked] (Christoph Lameter)
Date: 27 Aug 1996 17:44:15 -0700

Please read the documentation provided. (man mgetty and look into /usr/doc/mgetty!)
Have no idea why it did not install the configuration files. Worked on my system
when tested before being released.

Your Slackware frustration is understandable! Getting used to consistent file location
also took me awhile.

David Gaudine ([email-masked]) wrote:
: 
: I have mgetty working on a Slackware system, so I assumed I'd have no
: trouble getting it working on a Debian system.  Boy, was I wrong.
: I have no idea what I'm doing, or why nobody else seems to have trouble.
: I couldn't find any debian-specific instructions.
: 
: 1) using "dpkg --contents mgetty_099.deb", I see that various
:    configuration files (login.config, mgetty.config, etc.) go in
:    /etc/mgetty.  However, after installing the package, that directory
:    was empty.  Why?  I've removed and reinstalled the package, using
:    both dselect and dpkg; usually /etc/mgetty is empty, once login.config
:    mysteriously appeared.  Finally I copied the files from the Slackware
:    system.
: 
: 2) What should the line in /etc/inittab be?  I'm using
:        d3:45:respawn:/sbin/mgetty ttyS2
:    because this is what worked with Slackware.  (not exactly; the other
:    system used com2 (d2,ttyS1), and /usr/local/sbin).  Where is this
:    d3:45 stuff documented?  The reason I got it working with Slackware
:    is that there were already sample lines commented out.  (I think.)
: 
:    BTW, the modem is set to com3, and minicom works using /dev/ttyS2
: 
: 3) Do I need the "gettydefs" file?  I copied it from - you guessed it -
:    the slackware system.
: 
: Oh, I should mention what happens; absolutely nothing.  No answer, no
: logs.
:

---

From: David Gaudine <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 10:53:30 -0400 (EDT)

> Please read the documentation provided. (man mgetty and look into

I have no /usr/doc/mgetty, that was my first problem.
"dpkg --contents mgetty_0.99.deb" and "dpkg --search mgetty" both can't
find it.  There is only /usr/doc/copyright/mgetty.

Did you mean /usr/info?  That seems to have the same information as Gert's
Postscript file, which is what I used for my successful Slackware
installation.  Following that info is complicated a bit by not having
"policy.h".

> :    because this is what worked with Slackware.

"man mgetty" and "info mgetty" give no hint about whether "d3:45" is
correct.  Can somebody tell me what line works for them?

I realize I'm missing something obvious, since I've been reading
the debian and mgetty mailing lists for months and nobody else seems to
have such basic problems.