I don't think linux has the advantage when It comes to complete novices like me. I think Windows, with all its faults, still is easier to set up and run out of the box than Linux. I think it has a way to go before it is serious competition with windows for anyone other than advanced computer users. The learning curve is very steep. Its such a shame because Linux seems so attractive.

Glenn.

I thin you will find that once you start using linux, that you will pick up the basics quicker then you think, but unfortunately without net access its a major pain, unfortunately more and more pcs are coming without serial ports any more (I bought a USB > Serial adapter of trademe the other day for $10 inc postage). Fortunately ethernet is plug and play, and wireless is getting pretty good. I doubt "win-modem support will ever get better as fewer and fewer people are using it. On 10/30/08, wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz <wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> wrote:

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Today's Topics:

1. Re: slamr architecture error (GJB) 2. Re: slamr architecture error (Glenn Stuart Morrissey) 3. Re: slamr architecture error (Roger Searle) 4. Re: slamr architecture error (Daniel Lawson) 5. Re: slamr architecture error (Bruce Kingsbury) 6. Re: slamr architecture error (Chris O'Halloran)

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Message: 1 Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:46:14 -0700 From: "GJB" <balle(a)auspira.com> Subject: Re: [wlug] slamr architecture error To: "Waikato Linux Users Group" <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> Message-ID: <20081029024614.82ec331de94f1c4494241ee0c8bc5dda.51721241e1.wbe(a)email.secureserver.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I think slamr is a dodgy package ... I've gotten the same errors on Tosh. A-106 laptop running Xubuntu. It's got its knickers in a twist trying to work with some level stuff Windows uses for the software modem.

Thank the lord I don't need to use my modem very much anymore, I can't believe such a simple device evades a software fix ... but hey, you get what you pay for!

...

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [wlug] slamr architecture error From: Glenn Stuart Morrissey <gmorrissey(a)kol.co.nz> Date: Wed, October 29, 2008 10:10 pm To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz>

After downloading and unzipping slamr 2.6.24-19, I ran setup and copied down the output of the setup.sh.

glenn(a)glenn1:~/Desktop$ cd slamr-2.6.24-19-generic glenn(a)glenn1:~/Desktop/slamr-2.6.24-19-generic$ sudo ./setup installing drivers for kernel version 2.6.24-19-generic driver=slamr

Installing the Debian packages supporting autoloading *dpkg: error processing sl-modem-daemon_2.9.10+2.9.9d+e-pre2-5ubuntu4_i386.deb (--install): package architecture (i386) does not match system (amd64)* Errors were encountered while processing: sl-modem-daemon_2.9.10+2.9.9d+e-pre2-5ubuntu4_i386.deb

Copying over newer files Making folder /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/extra Copying drivers to /lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/extra Checking driver install slamr.ko slusb.ko ungrab-winmodem.ko Copying newer slmodemd to /usr/sbin/ Checking slmodemd version. Should be 2.9.11 ./setup: 51: slmodemd: not found Finished installs. Informing the System

Starting function tests, loading drivers: FATAL: Error inserting ungrab_winmodem (/lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/extra/ungrab-winmodem.ko): Invalid module format FATAL: Error inserting slamr (/lib/modules/2.6.24-19-generic/extra/slamr.ko): Invalid module format Running diagnostic:

ports should be created by: slmodemd -c USA /dev/slamr0 ./setup: 70: /usr/sbin/slmodemd: not found Checking for success Port creation with slmodemd failed. Read the Slamr.txt record, other *.txt files and the sample wvdial.conf .

glenn(a)glenn1:~/Desktop/slamr-2.6.24-19-generic$

Looks like im going to have to wait for someone with a AMD64 system to compile slamr, so it can run on my hardware. I don't think changing the modem will achieve anything since the modem driver itself is written for 32 bit systems.

Glenn.<hr>_______________________________________________ wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Message: 2 Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:00:44 +1300 From: Glenn Stuart Morrissey <gmorrissey(a)kol.co.nz> Subject: Re: [wlug] slamr architecture error To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> Message-ID: <4908344C.1060102(a)kol.co.nz> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

I don't think linux has the advantage when It comes to complete novices like me. I think Windows, with all its faults, still is easier to set up and run out of the box than Linux. I think it has a way to go before it is serious competition with windows for anyone other than advanced computer users. The learning curve is very steep. Its such a shame because Linux seems so attractive.

Glenn.

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Message: 3 Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:11:34 +1300 From: Roger Searle <woja(a)paradise.net.nz> Subject: Re: [wlug] slamr architecture error To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> Message-ID: <49089946.6000006(a)paradise.net.nz> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Glenn I think you're right to a certain extent and I have been where you are. It is a steep learning curve but you don't need to move up it particularly quickly. Part of the difficulty you have is that you need/want to get a modem going as this can prove to be difficult - or impossible - even for the gurus depending on the specific hardware. Being on DSL or cable certainly makes things simpler, it will probably "just work". I spent some years continually frustrated by one thing or another, feeling incredibly stupid at times since so many little things would baffle me, and I have a background of some years successfully doing nearly any windows-based setup and networking I desired. However when I look back at my early windows days, there was pain there too!

I hung in there despite the setbacks, asked questions on linux lists, googled, and didn't give up. Distros improved but so did my understanding of linux administration. My path has taken me through various distros as I've learnt, and my experience these days is that nearly everything works out of the box (I'm generally talking kubuntu). However there will be something that does/will not and I live with that and look to the next release. Where something different will cause me grief. But I hang in there, I'm looking forward to Intrepid Ibex's release tomorrow or the next day and will give it a spin, perhaps this will be the one where everything "just works" . . .

Regards Roger

Glenn Stuart Morrissey wrote:

...

I don't think linux has the advantage when It comes to complete novices like me. I think Windows, with all its faults, still is easier to set up and run out of the box than Linux. I think it has a way to go before it is serious competition with windows for anyone other than advanced computer users. The learning curve is very steep. Its such a shame because Linux seems so attractive.

Glenn. _______________________________________________ wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Message: 4 Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:13:41 +1300 From: Daniel Lawson <daniel(a)meta.net.nz> Subject: Re: [wlug] slamr architecture error To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> Message-ID: <4908A7D5.9050700(a)meta.net.nz> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

...

I don't think linux has the advantage when It comes to complete novices like me. I think Windows, with all its faults, still is easier to set up and run out of the box than Linux. I think it has a way to go before it is serious competition with windows for anyone other than advanced computer users. The learning curve is very steep. Its such a shame because Linux seems so attractive.

There's a large element of luck in it too, if you aren't already familiar with linux. By that I mean that if you aren't planning on buying hardware that is specifically compatible with linux, it's all down to luck as to how well things will work or not :P

Your problem in particular is made harder for me (and most others with plenty of experience) to diagnose because, for the most part, we stopped using dialup a long time ago. Linux support for the so-called winmodems is far better than it used to be (they never used to work, and now, in general, they do).

I can probably dig up a *real* external serial modem for you to borrow (or buy, if you like). No drivers needed. I see you're from New Plymouth, so suggesting you come to the Saturday workshop probably doesn't help a lot.

Just a question though - you're managing to download files (and send email)somehow, what computer and connection are you using for that?

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Message: 5 Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:54:04 +1300 From: "Bruce Kingsbury" <zcat(a)zcat.geek.nz> Subject: Re: [wlug] slamr architecture error To: "Waikato Linux Users Group" <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> Message-ID: <54e2f3c80810291154i1d3be6c2t6f88515843bcaa21(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

2008/10/29 Glenn Stuart Morrissey <gmorrissey(a)kol.co.nz>

...

I don't think linux has the advantage when It comes to complete novices like me. I think Windows, with all its faults, still is easier to set up and run out of the box than Linux. I think it has a way to go before it is serious competition with windows for anyone other than advanced computer users. The learning curve is very steep. Its such a shame because Linux seems so attractive.

Windows has the advantage of being a monopoly, manufacturers have to write Windows drivers or nobody will buy their hardware. Linux is starting to get much better support in this area and you'll find where manufacturers have fully embraced the 'open source' way of doing things, getting the hardware to work requires nothing more than plugging it in. But unfortunately some hardware still has little or no support in Linux.

Two suggestions;

External serial modems are cheap, about $15-$20 on Trademe. And people keep giving me free ones which I give away so I can avoid solving problems like this. Let me know if you'd like one. Serial modems 'just work' in any mainstream Linux distro.

If you're going to be compiling drivers or trying to run windows drivers in some form of emulation wrapper, you'll find things are much more likely to work in 32-bit linux. Getting winmodems to work is always difficult, getting driver wrapper-glue and 32-bit binary blobs to build in 64-bit Linux is much more difficult.