topic title: Newbie questions
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#31
thansk secipolla and eriefisher.

regarding editing .xinitrc, am i right in thinking that the mark

*)

basically assigns the default windows manager? so if i put in startlxde, antiX would choose it upon login?

i have a question on downloading other windows managers: i tried to download xfce and the others, but they all came up with windows saying at the bottom that the download would take several hours... such as 5 hours or more. is this a problem with the website, such as too many people downloading? is there another way to download and install, such as in the windows model? or would this method present problems about auto configuration of the dependencies?
Posts: 2,238
dolphin_oracle
Joined: 16 Dec 2007
#32
the length of time is likely more related to your connection speed...I installed xfce on a test installation today in about 20 minutes.

as far as other installation methods, there are other ways to install software, but anything from the software repos is going to be infinitely easier to install. certainly I would avoid installing something as complex as a desktop environment unless I used the repos (synaptic or meta-installer).

at least until your linux skill set is more complete... __{{emoticon}}__
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#33
thanks dolphin oracle __{{emoticon}}__

i find it weird that i'm downloading at such incredibly slow speeds... right now i'm installing azureus and i'm getting only by bytes, not kilobytes. the weird thing is that my connection downloading by bittorrent is by megabytes (2, 3MB/sec at some points). not strange since we're on fiber optics cable, very common here in japan.

any settings i can tweak? when i tried xubuntu, the speeds were, shall i say,"normal." generally, though, i feel that linux distros download much slower than windows... even file transfers are longer (for example, HD to external HD).
Posts: 2,238
dolphin_oracle
Joined: 16 Dec 2007
#34
every now and then the debian repos get really slow, so that may be the issue. I've not noticed a difference in download speeds of linux vs. windows.
anticapitalista
Posts: 5,955
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
#35
Try changing the repos to where you live
ie default antiX Debian repos point to de (Germany). You may want to change de to another country.


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Posts: 1,228
secipolla
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
#36
Thanks for the tip, anti. It seems the German repos are overwhelmed (I changed to Brazilian ones and now it's fast alright).
Sorry for asking again (I'll try to find it better), but how to solve (if even needed) the

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Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#37
thanks anti, very important tip.

btw, i want to change my default application to another. how is it done in linux?

in windows, the exe file is found in the programs folder. in linux, is it in the"file system" directory somewhere?

or is there a command to update the file associations?
Posts: 1,228
secipolla
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
#38
Hi, Summon. I'm an ubuntu generation Linux user too but this may help you:

*IceWM main menu is at ~/.icewm/menu (the dot before icewm means its a hidden directory - press ctrl+H or the 'eye' icon to show them).
*The sub-menus are at /etc/X11/icewm/programs
*To change how a file is opened, right-click it and choose 'set run action'.

By fiddling here and there you may find where the executables are for each program (they're usually in /usr/bin)
If you want icons (like for the menus and toolbar or anything), they're at /usr/share/icons or /usr/share/pixmaps
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#39
thanks again secipolla, will try these.
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#40
just an update on how i've been tweaking my antiX environment:

i've finally ascertained how to set the proper resolution for my monitor; i just had to edit the file and at the proper line, set"1440x900" at depth 24. windows xp could not come up with the right resolution for my monitor, but linux can...

window managers can be changed upon startup, or just when the screen kicks in even during auto login, just by pressing f1.

after trying other windows managers, i've decided to stick to icewm. once you get to know your way around how to tweak it, it's very fast. i miss the icons, but by tweaking the"media" command, the icons can be displayed on the desktop. however, i'm getting used to the"media" window.

the debian ftp site for germany is slow, during certain time periods in the day, but it can be changed to another site for faster downloads. i had to look around how to do this, but i discovered that a lot can be done within the"control center" window... of course, i've messed up my system and had to reinstall antiX again and again, but it was worth it.

using the synaptic package manager, i downloaded more icewm themes. i've discovered an icewm theme that's very close to windows xp; it helps because i'm used to its toolbar buttons.

i am now able to select another ("preferred application") program to run files, by looking at the applications in the usr folder.
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#41
in the antiX environment, is it possible to use windows applications using software such as wine?

i want to use yahoo messenger.

or is there another way to communicate in a similar way using another linux program? what if the other person is not using a linux o.s.?
anticapitalista
Posts: 5,955
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
#42
You can use windows progrma via wine in antiX (you need to install wine from the repos). The most up to date version of wine is via the MEPIS community repo. See Mepislovers for more information.

pidgin is a messenger app included in antiX. (Network->Chat->Messenger)
Personally I don't use it, but it is considered the best linux app for messaging. As far as I know, you can communicate with anyone using pidgin, whether they use windows or linux or a mac.
Posts: 903
plvera
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
#43
Hello:
It is the case that pidgin does communicate with other messenger software (for example MSN messenger). I've used it sucessfully, at least with MSN. It won't do video or voice chatting, at least not when I tried it a few months ago.

Regards,
Pedro
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#44
many thanks anti and pedro.

i've removed windows in my celeron machine entirely; it's running only antiX. this will be a big help in managing the full transition to linux.

there's one program, though, that i don't think has an equivalent in linux... utorrent is so easy to use, and has a small footprint; how come vuze is so bloated? transmission, on the other hand, is a bit quirky to use. any suggestions on what i can install as a bittorrent application?
Posts: 516
oldhoghead
Site Admin
Joined: 01 Oct 2007
#45
I use deluge in Mepis, and transmission in antiX, deluge is in the Mepis community repos. Has worked well for me YMMV

cheers,
oldhoghead