Joho the Blog
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July 11, 2003
[The series of entries on installing linux begins here.] Linux sees the other computers - all XP - on the network. But when I try to open an html file on my laptop, it tells me:
Foolishly thinking that this error message is telling me that htmlview just isn't up to the task, I click on the box that lets me associate html files with something other than htmlview. Now all I have to do is figure out which directory Opera installed itself into. It's been a long time since I've poked around a unix directory. But, what the heck. And sure enough, there it is, in usr/something/something. I'd be more specific, but the file browser has frozen so I can't get past usr. I also can't close the windows. Sure wish I knew how tro list and kill processes in linux. Looks like I'm headed for another forced re-start. Nope. It was a hidden dialog box that needed attention. Windows obscuring their own child dialog boxes? What does linux think it is, Windows?? Posted
by D. Weinberger at July 11, 2003 02:10 AM
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Comments
smb is the linux term for a Windows format share.
You should learn how to use top, ps, and kill to see what running and how to stop processes.
Linux is good, but like all modern OSs there is a learning curve.
Check out how RPMs and package management works. It's quite an accomplishment that Red Hat pushed forward.
Posted by: Michael | July 11, 2003 02:53 AM
Note the SMB is a proprietary Microsoft protocol for file and service sharing. Nobody knows how it works, including them, but the Linux tool to interface with it (Samba) is said to do a reasonable job despite the intrinsic weirdness of SMB and the fact Microsoft routinely (and deliberately) changes things just enough to break Samba.
Posted by: des | July 11, 2003 06:36 AM
It's *very important* to have fun while learning Linux. There is a wonderful satisfaction to be had when solving the problems which inevitably come up with this great OS.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 11, 2003 06:57 AM
SMB (Server Message Blocks) are just part of the stack Windoze uses in the networking communications process. Actually many people understand them. Even telco geeks in my classes understood the basics after an hour of review. You can make anything more complicated that it needs to be. They're just a building block MS uses in the communications stakc across the network. Samba, while frequently broken by MS changes, does a decent job of integrating the two environements.
Posted by: Ken Camp | July 11, 2003 08:25 AM
Thanks to you all for the early stage support. I'll get back to playing with linux this evening. Can't wait.
Posted by: dweinberger | July 11, 2003 09:05 AM