Topic awaiting preservation: Linux chat program?

Hey...i just got the linux side of my box up and running on the internet. Was looking for a chat program that I could port my stuff from ICQ.
So...what do you Linux people use as far as chat. Also, what browser have you found to be your fav? I am currently using Galeon and it seems to be really good.

Thanks in advance!

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

gaim supports just about all of the IM clients, in one. (msn, aim, icq, etc..) You can also use irc, there should be a few clients that come with your distro.

I hadn't heard of galeon(It looks similar to mozilla), probably because I don't use gnome/kde. I love fluxbox.

For a browser, I used to always use opera. I recently started liking mozilla, because some reason opera is a bit slow to start/exit in linux. If I'm using a terminal, lynx. One browser I noticed that doesn't seem as standard-compliant is konqueror . It's better used as a file manager.

If you didn't know, you can use gnome/kde programs even if you are not running gnome or kde. (Ex: if you run fluxbox, you can run galeon)

[This message has been edited by ninmonkey (edited 12-07-2003).]

ninmonkey: thanks for the info. tried to install the RPM of gaim and it wanted me to instert the disk. Since this was a download of Linux...well...i don't have the disk.



Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

Whenever I used rpm's it wasn't easy. Tarballs are much easier. If you have debian, I've heard great things about their packaging system.

If you download one of the tarballs (.tar.gz or .tar.bzip) all you have to do is

$ su root

# cd /usr/local/src

# tar -zxvf /path/to/tarball .

# cd /usr/local/src/dir/created/by/tarball

# ./configure

# make

# make install

Generally you only have to be root for the make install part. I just said to switch to root earlier because I don't think regular users can write to /usr/local/src.

There is usually a INSTALL or README that comes with the source and can have important flags for configure, so always check them for help

$ less README

$ less INSTALL

There is a different flag you can pass to tar to decompress bzip files. It's in the manual

$ man tar

ninmonkey: ha! I got it working. Well...i got it installed. Now I just have to get my users back on there. I am going to do some searching to see if I can just import my users or if they will just showup.......... Kind of new to this linux stuff so it tends to rattle my brain.

while we are on the topic of Linux...i downloaded Firebird. So........how do you run it? haha! Told you i was new to Linux. I was wanting to just slap an icon of the desktop or on the menu bar. I actually use Gnome. Just point me to some reading material and i might be fine. Gonna go search myself....

Thanks in advance.

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

Did you download the source? If so, did you compile it? (./configure; make; make install)

If you downloaded a binary, look in the tarball it came in. It probably has an installer, or at least a README or INSTALL (the files name's are usually all caps)

If it only has a binary, then put it in a directory (probably /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin) and just type "$ binname" at the prompt to run it. After that works, add your shortcut on the panel.

Great! Thanks. That was a lot more simple than i thought it was. Typical...always making things harder than they are.

Thanks for all the help!

One last question...Firewall? Got any sugestions? I love ZoneAlarm on my windows side...anything like that for Mandrake Linux?


Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

[This message has been edited by CPrompt (edited 12-07-2003).]

linux's firewall is built into the kernel, so you already have one.

You may have howto's installed on your computer, if not, you can get them online here http://www.tldp.org/

I always forget, but, after a little looking, I think I got the order right: kernel 2.4.x and later uses iptables as the firewall, earlier kernels use ipchains.

$ man iptables

Thanks ninmonkey! I found out about 2:30 this morning that mine uses iptables haha!

Great. Thanks so much for the help to this Linux newbee.

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

yeah, that's usually how that works...


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342

quote:

---

yeah, that's usually how that works...

---

I've finding that that is the way with a lot of things concerning Linux

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

all I can say is- it gets easier the more you read up about it....

would you have known where the firewall thing in XP was if you didn't read up about it?

What distro you using, anyway? I noticed you mentioned that you downloaded Linux... would this be a pirated version of Linux?


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342

Petskull, I am using Mandrake 9.0. I should clarify how I got it though I guess.

Signed up at Mandrake and downloaded the images from Mandrake's site. The images were burned onto CD and a friend installed it for me since he knew quite a bit about Linux. After that, I was going to keep the CD's. I thought I grabed the right ones but I didn't. Now that friend is in the Army somewhere. Oh well.
So no...they are not pirated. Just missing in action.

I am going to be upgrading 9.2 possibly though

So...what distro are you running ?

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

I am using slackware 9.1 It used to be hard to set up, but recent versions of slack are really not that bad.

ninmonkey: if i were to download the fluxbox window manager, would I just go for the tarball of the latest release since I am running Mandrake? Told ya...Linux n00b. All these different types of downloads confuse the hell out of me.

Thanks in advance!

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

Get the latest stable source ( v0.1.14 Source tarball )

To install, You probably only need to do

$ ./configure

$ make

# make install

Then, make sure you exit X so you are at a terminal only (You can't use a gnome terminal for this) and edit your ~/.xinitrc (~ expands to your user's HOME directory)

At the bottom it will say "exec gnome-session" or "startkde". Just comment those out, and add "exec fluxbox"

#... most of the file I didn't post ...

#window manager



exec fluxbox

#exec gnome-session

#startkde

Then if you "startx" it should be fluxbox. To get gnome back, uncomment the gnome line and comment the fluxbox line.

You can do other things, such as auto run xmms (a mp3/ogg/any audio player) from here. .xinitrc is ran whenever you "startx"

hmmm....ok. I think I can follow that. Sounds pretty much like just about every other Linux install.
So I need to exit completely out of X? Just can't run a terminal? Kind of got me confused because you then say that I can just use the Gnome terminal for this.

Also, when I download this stuff, is it ok just to keep it in the home directory or should I place it in another folder? As I understand it, the "Home" directory is kind of like the "My Documents" on Win.

One last thing about this. When I boot up Linux it gives me the login screen where I can choose what platform I want to use, will it just slap in FluxBox in there as well?

Thanks in advance! One day I will be able to figure this shit out on my own

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

quote:

---

So I need to exit completely out of X?

---

yes, since you are switching the window manager

quote:

---

Just can't run a terminal? Kind of got me confused because you then say that I can just use the Gnome terminal for this

---

I was just trying to say don't use a terminal emulater, that you have to exit X.

quote:

---

Also, when I download this stuff, is it ok just to keep it in the home directory or should I place it in another folder? As I understand it, the "Home" directory is kind of like the "My Documents" on Win.

---

every user has their own directory named /home/username It's okay to keep the files there. I usually keep downloaded tarballs in my home dir or on a cd, and extract the source and compile it in /usr/local/src/

quote:

---

One last thing about this. When I boot up Linux it gives me the login screen where I can choose what platform I want to use, will it just slap in FluxBox in there as well?

---

I'm not sure what screen you're talking about, a bootloader, or a graphical login?

quote:

---

Since this was a download of Linux...well...i don't have the disk.

---

I'm no expert on Linux, but couldn't you just download the ISO images and burn them to disk? That's how I installed my copy of Fedora...

ninmonkey: Thanks for the info. This is starting to make a lot more sense now. The bootloader is what I was talking about. Log in screen and you can choose what window manager you want. At any rate, gonna give it a shot.

ozphactor: read my response to Petskull. In short, i lost the cd's that they were burned onto. Typical with me.

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

quote:

---

The bootloader is what I was talking about. Log in screen and you can choose what window manager you want. At any rate, gonna give it a shot.

---

If you're talking about the screen where you choose window manager your talking about the login screen, the bootloader is where you select which OS to load.

The Fluxbox won't come up as a choice in the login in menu. I'm not really sure how to get it there. But what you can to do is edit your .xsession/.xinit file as ninmonkey said, and then choose 'default' as your window manager at the login screen. That way it will use your .xsession/.xinit file to setup the window manager. Al least that is what I've done to get FVWM working with Mandrake.

The Home directory is kind of like the My Documents of windows, but it is also more. If you think of a system with lots of users. Then the Home directory is the only place where the user have full access. They can install things there, remove things, do whatever they want. Only the super user (root) has full access to other parts of the system. So the idea is that root should install programs that all users can use in some place other than a home directory, while users who want to insatll something for themselves can use their homedirectory to do so. Since you're the only user on you computer it is different. The way I've done it is that I keep all my source files in /usr/src and install most of the programs to /usr/local/.

_________________________
"There are 10 kinds of people; those who know binary, those who don't and those who start counting at zero"
- the Golden Ratio -

Veneficuz: thanks for the info. So I guess when I install stuff just go ahead and do it as root. I can just download stuff when i am logged in as user and move the tarballs over when i log in as superuser.

i think as far as fluxbox is concerned, i'll just wait until I am more comfortable with Linux before I start doing something drastic.

thanks for all the help

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

don't be afraid to break it a couple of times and start over from CD... it's the best way to learn...


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342