steppenwolf1984

Ran strace and got a copious amount of debugging info I didnt know what to do with. Amazing tool I didnt know I had installed. Finally "fixed" the problem by removing, then reinstalling the app (menudrake, and drakconf) and double checking all the configs for the draktools. Seems that the logon was set to 'none' for the 'run previous session' and 'keep # of previous sessions' ( not the exact words but hopefully conveys the idea) and I switched it to run a previous setup. Logged into root where all those strace docs were waiting....and menudrake was up and running as root and user. Then I found a comment on this site about making an MK disc, where the poster (Anne?) mentioned to configure the drakmenu IMMEDIATELY after install, so as to avoid the 'menu bug.' I think thats the key, run and configure menudrake immediately after an install if you want to use it. Just a guess. It isnt so much as a bug as it is proof that just mucking around with settings has an equal and opposite reaction somewhere else....Thanks for the tips though, and hope this rambelogue can help another user with a busted menudrake.

I'm gonna kill the guy that sold me nethack. I guess the expansion packs were a ripoff too?

Many thanks, will try it when I get home to my penguin box. The odd thing is how it either acts up upon installing the OS, or it doesnt. Will try the strace and let you know. Yin yeti, the problem comes up when I want to alter the menu for non KDE apps. Can I add items to a menu, direct from the file folders? That would be good to know for future reference. Gracias everyone.

Thanks for the speedy answer. Is strace for wiping out verbose error logs? I may have a huge one already from all that harmless "click lets try it again, click' fiddling. I glean from your post that its best to let failed apps lie and stick with the kmenuedit if i need it, rather than re-reinstall all the perl, fonts and libs involved in troubleshooting ...? Ignore? I can do that....LOL

Every time I have installed Mdk 10.1 I have been suprised by whether or not drakmenu will run. Either it works fine, or immediately from install, it begins to load a gui, loads icons, then poof...vanishes without a trace. Trying to run it from command line gives the warning "segmetation fault" and thats it. On a number of times I tinkered with removing and reistalling the app and making various tweaks which I really shouldve kept a record of since I can sometimes get it to run ok after hacking about with it. Any other s have this problem? Is there a solution besides hit and miss, and running Kmenuedit instead? Even in Control Panel, the option to edit the menu relies on Drakmenu ; which as I described, appears then vanishes.

Any advice from webmasters on which of a number of HTML / Web Editors is best for someone working on designing their first web site with little HTML background? Ive been reading up on Nvu and Quanta+ , and dabbling with those and BlueFish and Mozilla composer but not getting far. What s the best one for a newb to web design...?

Muchos Gracias Anna! Keep this thread going...its inspirational to a 42 year old as well, and the world needs more MkCD gurus....

Aargh, the usb thingy! My problems had to do with a VIA chipset and the 2.6 kernel, so my USB devices were not found. Check for errata at the mandriva home page, youd be suprised at the specific problems that crop up over hw....i finally got sudden USB recognition when I installed once and clicked on a " force no acpmia" option when installing came to loading the bootloader. In subsequent installs I found some USB devices with the help of "configure tools" in Hard Drake, and it often involved having the correct name for the given device. Iomega USB cd burner was sr0, not cdrom3....sorry I cant be more helpful about installing via a USB drive, but the trial and error I just described may bring you closer to USB functionality...good luck [copy of preceding post removed by spinynorman - please use 'add reply' button]

The default install has Root as a hidden user account so, should you get the graphical display running you'll have to go into Control Center, System , User Admin, and make root a non hidden user account. Then log out and you will see the choice of root or normal user. Now that you found the root account in gui? forget it. Nearly everything can be run from a normal user by entering the root password or su -ing in command line mode. I felt stupid tho, the first time I tried to delete a mess of files and did it from the normal user, file, by file, until finding the root account. Trust me, tho, after you get into the root account? Get out and go back and make it a hidden user again. Till the next special case. The Mdk default for a hidden root account works really well at showing how little you need to get into the root account at all...good luck

Two things I found when installing Mandriva. One, dont select the packages indivvidually without a lot of experience behind you. You end up choosing packages that cause boot problems (which I think has to do with wrong networking configs, but ....I can't prove it.) Let Mandy choose and install the packages, you can always add more later. THe other thing i had a problem with is my VIA chipset vs Mandy and the 2.6 kernel over USB . Theres an errata page on that issue if you think thats it. Thats resolved tho. I think... Ive seen alot more headaches trying to install most other distros, and found Mdk to be one of the smoothest. You may want to look into running a live cd to check out linux before doing an install. Get a Knoppix, or Mandriva Move, or SUSE live Eval, of Ubuntu live, boot from CD and run linux with no hard drive install or config. When your done, remove the cd, and its back to the old system just the way you left it.

The older versions in this part of the world, the Middle East, have a lot to do with retailers having NO IDEA what they are selling in addition to a lack of follow up perhaps from the distros. Its still underground here compared to the States. You can find RH 5 thru FC 3, next to Caldera Open Linux 2.... a collectors dream. Anyone want Slack 3, or Suse 6? I dont know what is happening now in the States retail wise, so I have no idea about the latest editions and availability. I know in some of the Linux books, the Garrelts, I think (Intro to Linux: A Hands On Guide, but dont quote me) she warns that a lot of retailers and mail order houses like to unload older versions on the unsuspecting, to get em out of the warehouse.

Not a problem. I guess everyones getting used to a whole gnu world in different stages and ways. Whether we like it or not, the first concept of open source is the free beer concept. That GPL is so much more, and about more important freedoms, is a part of the learning curve. But the free download side may still be the big seller when people wanna leave the M$ empire...To me, the open source ethic is about many things and one of those things pertains to those who cant afford to compute....not dont want to, cant. The ubuntu move focuses on a economic and linguistic concept of accessibility and theres alot to admire in it. Some of us get nervous when distros seem to go corporate with all the trappings that arctic mentioned, like lack of transparency and ignoring a large portion of linux folks who arent buying the latest enterprise edition. It was seeing SUSE decide to go "more" open source that was the good news. Of course they always were, but all things have degrees. Because of my experiences with Mandriva, I'd love to see them come out on top. Peace...

Now we are closer to the point. I dont necessarily think they sold out or corporatized but rather, that the IMAGE is more "corporate'. Time was, when, it seemed redhat and mandrake were the only ones putting out linux (unless you were onto it already and going the slack route) From their beginning Mandrake was a distro name people knew. When I switched to mdk via the 10.1 release I was a bit surprised that this image was there -either via the promos or other linux users. But the distro was / is so damn good that I stayed with it. I do think there is a move among the distros to re-emphasize the grass roots side, so perhaps now is the time for Mandriva to say: Hey, we've been there from the beginning! And I still think such an ad/marketing view would be both appropriate and effective now. As for saying "People like you who dont want to pay a dime", I could be wrong but its remarks like that that fall under personal and defamatory. I got a dime, but there aint no product to buy here, so its the download route. In response to Arctics posting: I had no idea when I bought the magazine with the Knoppix cd in it that it would change everything computer wise. And so many others have picked up on Knoppix, you could say its nothing short of a brilliant coup for the linux/gnu/open source world. Now, in the Mandriva press center, theres a post saying that Mandriva will supply mags with Move cds free, as a kind of dual promotion - for the mag, and for mandriva linux. Thats a great sign, and I look forward to seeing Move cds gracing mag covers. This industry moves too fast though, with Vista on the horizon, the Solaris 10, the Suse announcement.....i thought my post was timely. If the corporate iguana can do it, then so can MDK. And probably better if the mdk distro is any clue...

Would love to talk with someone from PR. Perhaps I should be more involved specifically with Mandriva but right now, I test and submit bugs mostly for Open Office and Mozilla. Word processing is something I have to use way too much, so Im likely to hit snags and stumble on bugs. I will repeat in plain English for those who insist I like to download free stuff. I WOULD LOVE TO BUY ALL MY LINUX GOODS IN A BOXED SET... but they aint here. Downloading via someone elses DSL, which really doesnt run anywhere near the speed its supposed to either, is one of the few options here. I did see a boxed set for SUSE the other day in a shop. It was somewhere around version 6 gathering dust. The salesperson wasnt quite sure what it was. Traveling to Cairo last month I found Slackware 3. Buying is the easier way. But bought or not is not what makes one eligible to comment. Nor is whether one is a programmer, or not. The post was an issue of PR and marketing, not whether they should charge money. They should, they do and its a very reasonable price. But the marketing strategy throws people off sometimes, and that is something that I thought required a dialogue....I've had to tell people that Mandriva does offer the free route, via downloads, and other outlets, because they thought they had to buy everything. That was a result of what they saw on websites and from the distro itself. I think the ad-itude (as in advertising style) is what turned many people off Suse. It may turn people off Mandriva. What Novell just did with OpenSuse was , in my opinion, a great marketing move which does not imply that everyone now work for free and don the sandals and sackcloth. Offering a variety of options, price ranges and public formats is not a call for everyone to sign up for the cooker project...and hoping that the more corporate side be toned down is not calling for anyone to file bankrupcy and just give it all away. To infer one from the other displays an abiltiy to win arguments through intimidation tactics designed to castigate the person, not the idea, and thereby render all further discussion fruitless.

Oops , its whither....thanks SpinyNorman.....

In a word, tyme, yeah....its a blunder imho to be practically begging for money as some have noted. I dont complain about M$ because one, most people know about them and two, I would have to care about M$ to invest energy in critiquing them. Ive seen people I know head towards linux lately and many have come up with the SUSE and Mandrake are too corporate, kind of slam. I wouldnt go that far. But it is a critique being leveled by people who should be drawn to Linux and open source. Not because its free as in free beer but becuase its free in a wider sense. Newbies I know head for Ubuntu and Mepis, which tells me, given the great user friendly qualities in Suse and Mandrake, something is wrong marketing/ advertising wise. If you care about something, you should care enough to see the flaws and maybe work towards fixing them. Amazing how easy it is to start a flame war if you spend a couple of minutes thinking about it...sheesh. Some people should learn the symptoms of herd mentality and strive to avoid it.

No one mentioned Nethack....?!

You hit the nail on the head, though it was more of a comment and a personal pet peeve. Amused to see everyone so riled up actually. The marketing , or the tone of the marketing is -imho- a bit off. With such a great distro, most of the Mandriva sites shouldnt lead to "benefits for members only" type promotion. A healthy balance that incorporates the PLF and the Cooker projects would reinforce their open source stance...and like arctic said, the general view of suse was that it was aimed at a corporate audience with little attention - in their promotion - to the community which ranges from corporate to individual hackers. Another great distro but it runs slower than Mandy does - at least on my machine - hence I use Mandy. Seems alot of posters though, are stuck in a world of absolutes and If you dont like it leave mentality...THAT certainly belongs more to the M$ camp. Complain about M$....naw, let em stew in it. I would have to care about M$ first....

btw, thanks for the take on Suse, Arctic, thats how I saw their open source methodology.....the new one is a welcome change.....

Let me clarify...the club and what it does probably is brilliant. But when the level of advertising exceeds something like RH, my first distro, it grates. Linux users, often more than many others , know we all have to eat for a living. Part of unconventional choices (like going the Linux route) is expecting the rug pulled out from under you once in a while and learning self sufficiency and landing on your feet. For that reason, I purchase what I can get my hands on here linux wise, which isnt all that much. When DSL is a novelty where you live the download is the harder route. Given the amount of piracy though in much of this part of the world, I wouldnt expect a Linux Emporium on every corner....theyd be drummed out of business by bootlegs (if that is possible according to GPL)...it isnt that feasible. My "problem" with Mandrake is one of subtlely and since a press release or interview with one of the founders pointed out that they dont have the marketing touch that say - Suse - has ...i dont think Im far off the mark. If anyone , though could read what is self described as a rant and lump together that Im not crazy about the name, I demand freebees, I chose a distro by its name, etc, it sounds like that person has a bigger problem than I do and they just wait for someone to look at them wrong to set off a raging bile duct syndrome. Im using Mandy cause it is good, but everything can be improved. If I were looking for a freebee, I wouldnt be testing Open Office and Mozilla, and studying coding on my own. I have linux to thank for the doors it opens. Miss the point? Some people need to engage and understand what the issue is before passing their lofty and precious decrees, or they risk missing more than the point....like most of the other posters I agree, its choices, one way or the other. And its a main reason for going the Nix root in the first place (pun semi intended.) I'm glad I brought the subject up, so I have a chance at seeing the issue through other peoples eyes. Bottom line? Programmers gotta eat. True, but they aint the only ones. We all do. Open sourcing your work is your choice. Try teaching for a living and getting paid less than a plumber. Teachers gotta eat, too or all the programmers wouldnt have the basic skills to read a man page or code in the first place. But do you see the editors, translators and graphic artists throwing a hissy fit when someone says a distro comes across as mercenary? Not often. Getting into flame wars over emacs vs vi, kde vs gnome etc, redhat vs suse...usually means somebody's taking stuff way too personally. Something that no distro can fix.... Peace, for dem dat wannit.....

In my somewhat limited experience, Mandrake is one of the best distros Ive tried. I know that because its what I reinstall after trying the latest, greatest new thing and it turns out the latest greatest etc. aint all that. Mandrake has the speed, the compatibility (you wouldnt believe the non mdk , obscure rpms Ive installed ) a decent gui, and mandrake always sounded kinda cool. Then it became Mandriva. Sounds too close to drivel so I wont say it. Who thought that was the best we could come up with anyway? Does that mean we can use driva config tools now? To me, its always gonna be Mandrake. With all these pros, its dissapointing to hear that mega corporate, professional enterprising SUSE will go open source, to the point of changing their name to opensuse. And comparing themselves with the fedora project....a lovely idea by the way but a dreadful distro. Can someone convince the powers that be in France that all this club talk, this buy this buy that, subscribe, pay x dollars a year, hard sell is just depressing as hell? Its not like they dont offer significant freebies (theyre open source ain t they) but do they have to make it feel close to freeloading? Many of us live in what is known as the third world and there aint a linux retailer and mail order (email or otherwise) is a nightmare. Still waiting for those Ubuntu cds..... Credit card? Sure, dream on .... So its a matter of approach, of not letting the JOIN THE CLUB telethon feel get worse than it already is. Take a hint from SUSE guys. They just shattered one of the biggest attitude problems people had with SUSE...too corporate, too pricy, somehow not open source enough....wheres Mandrake Core? Bring it on.... Maybe im just ranting (maybe?) but face it, half of linux is attitude...(like it or not) and I dont wanna just go all reactionary and become a Deb user. HELP! There. I feel much better now.....thanks [moved from Talk-Talk by spinynorman - is that wither or whither? :) ]

The strange thing is, under configure Kscd, theres a checkbox for direct digital, but it aint clickable. I m wondering if its the version of Kscd...my box is still running the KDE 3.2. Looks like I may have to think 'analog cable'....i havent ripped audio cds off the system, come to think of it. Just data cds. Even tried adding cda format to a number of the media player's recognized files, since thats what M$ calls anything audio, just about. Nada, zilch sound. But since its reading the track names and plays MP3s without a hitch.... Will let yall know if I get sound. Thanks for the tips and info... PS Now even SuSe is going community based in a big way. Maybe someday MDK will realize all that 'buy now, join the club' stuff becomes grating. Especially since its such a good distro. Am I alone in feeling that I'd buy much more if BUY IT wasnt every other word out of the companies mouth? Maybe this is another post entirely....?!

Going around in circles a bit here. Loved the fact that MDK was up and running DVDs and MP3's pretty much right out of the nonexistent box. Impressive on a downloadable distro. Then it was getting the USB recognized for a VIA chipset; and that worked when I changed a few things in boot options and made sure the cd player and flash were correctly named. Was so happy that everything worked I forgot to try a normal music cd. Store bought or home burned, all the players read the track numbers and sometimes the titles, but no sound. Theres sound on everything else....wondering what gives. Ive tried xmms, grip, totem, kaffeine, Kscd, aumix, rosegarden - you name it. I noticed the "play direct digital audio" does not allow me to tick it on the configure KsCD panel...and Ive tried introducing the concept of cda as a file type....nothing. I wouldn't mind, but with everything else running like clockwork one tends to obssess. Besides, its Exile on Main Street.........! Am I missing the obvious? Help.....

Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try. I was previously thinking the third OS would handle all the MBR choices but no luck. Third OS install boot to boot partition, then go into MDK and add it via Control Center to the lilo....got it...till I try it anyway....muchos gracias

Havent had much luck trying to install another linux alongside my xp and mdk dual boot. Heard it is possible and not to difficult but the third OS never boots...tried it with FC3 and Ubuntu. Any suggestions? All I hear is "Why would you put up two Nix systems on the same box. Cause the MDK works and I want to test drive another one before running it solely alongside xp, should I prefer it. So far, though, nothing Ive tried beats the Mandy [moved to "other linux distributions" by arctic]