Subject: Debian LInux

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 18:20:59 -0400

I recently installed Debian Linux on my system and have a few questions about
the distribution.

When using dselect, do I have to download from the ftp site, packages or are
they on the install disks ?
The programs that I am interested in are the XFree86, Emacs and Latex
including software to access the net.
All I can seem to find while running Linux is the bash shell and ae . I can
not find any man pages.
I have looked for FAQ`s but have found none pertaining to the info that I
need. 

Does the install contain a list of commands for Linux ?

While installing Debian 1.1 when it came to loading and configuring modules
to place in the kernal there where a few things I did not understand .

1. Under Fsystem/smbfs involved a Windows 95 Sharing . What is this ?
2. Under Vfat there was a driver ( I guess ) that you could install  for
Windows 95 long file names under       DOS. What is this ?

Any help regarding this subject matter would be greatly appreciated. I am a
new user in the Linux/UNIX environment and am rather excited about running
the OS.

Mark
Debian 1.1
Root Floppy Built June 16 1996.
Windows 95
486 DX2 50
16 RAM
CD ROM 4x

---

From: "Susan G. Kleinmann" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 1996 20:54:23 -0400

Hi Mark --

> they on the install disks ?
The install disks only contain enough software to set up your system
so that it is *capable* of being used to fetch the major packages.

All tolled, the Debian software packages take up several hundred MBytes.
They can't fit onto floppy disks.  (Of course, you don't have to install
all of the files -- just the ones you need for your purposes.)

> including software to access the net.
The programs you need for XFree86 are in the Debian FTP archive, in
the directory stable/binary/x11.
The programs you need for Emacs are in the Debian FTP archive, in
the directory stable/binary/editors.
The programs you need for Latex are in the Debian FTP archive, in
the directory stable/binary/tex.  You may also be interested in the files
in stable/binary/text.
Programs to access the net are mostly in stable/binary/net.

> I can not find any man pages.
'man' and the 'manpages' are additional large packages.  They are in
stable/binary/doc at the Debian FTP archives.

> I have looked for FAQ`s but have found none pertaining to the info that I
See http://www.debian.org/FAQ

> Does the install contain a list of commands for Linux ?
I don't know what this question means.
The installation disks boot up, then present the user with a dialog to
help guide him through setting up the disk partitions, formatting the
disk, then setting up the basic directories.  It then guides the
user through the installation of the very basic Unix-like tools which
are on the base disks into his newly-made Linux system.

> 1. Under Fsystem/smbfs involved a Windows 95 Sharing . What is this ?
smbfs is a file system for sharing data and directories with other
computers running Windows.

> Windows 95 long file names under       DOS. What is this ?
Windows 95 allows the usr to (think he can) use file names longer than
8 characters, a dot, and a 3-character extension.  (Actually, windows 
translates the filenames to shorter, MS-DOS compatible filenames for use
by the DOS filesystem, but the user is in general unaware of that.)
The vfat driver allows a Linux user to use Windows-95 style file names
in accessing file on a Win95 drive on his Linux system.

Good luck,
Susan Kleinmann