Hello

[johnsiddle]

Hi Guy's.
I am an ex-PC engineer but know nothing about Linux/Unix but thought I would load something on a old IBM Thinkpad Pentium4.
I downloaded all the ISO's I could find but VL7 is the only one that will load and run, so here I am.

So far I have only two problems which I am sure are the same ones for all Linux Virgins are,  1, where can I find other applications to load (in particular I need TightVNC)  and 2, if I find them how the hell do I install them, I tried Teamviwer as a stop gap but didn't manage to load it.

Is there a list of apps that will run on VL somewhere on the net?

Apart from these probs I like the feel of VL and hope to build on it, sadly software is not really my thing so things need to be simple for me, hence a reliance on Microsoft to date.
regards  John.

[nightflier]

Hi John,

Congratulations on your first Linux install!

First of all, you may have noticed that VL7 is not up to date. Active development ended years ago, and no updates are forthcoming. That said, it is still a good way to get started in the wonderful world of free software.

The easiest way of installing software is through the package manager. Long before the "App store" and Windows update there were on-line repositories for Linux and mechanisms for downloading, configuring and installing applications. Look for Gslapt on the system menu.

Unfortunately, TightVNC is not available in a pre-packaged format for VL7, but it can be done.

If you'd like to play with this, give us more information about your Thinkpad. Those were typically very Linux friendly. Do you know the model number, CPU, RAM and hard drive specs? Does it have a CDROM/DVD drive?

[johnsiddle]

Hi John,

Congratulations on your first Linux install!

First of all, you may have noticed that VL7 is not up to date. Active development ended years ago, and no updates are forthcoming. That said, it is still a good way to get started in the wonderful world of free software.

The easiest way of installing software is through the package manager. Long before the "App store" and Windows update there were on-line repositories for Linux and mechanisms for downloading, configuring and installing applications. Look for Gslapt on the system menu.

Unfortunately, TightVNC is not available in a pre-packaged format for VL7, but it can be done.

If you'd like to play with this, give us more information about your Thinkpad. Those were typically very Linux friendly. Do you know the model number, CPU, RAM and hard drive specs? Does it have a CDROM/DVD drive?

Hi Mate.
Thanks for the input, I downloaded this version after googling Linux for 32bit PC and as I said generated about 15 disks with only VL working.        I have just realised that I am running V7.1 (Final) not V7


The PC is a Thinkpad Intel Pentium 4, about a 2GHz.    Type 2684QRU Serial number 99-KRN45, it originally had a 30GB HD but that failed last week ( a week or so after installing VL) so it now has a 40GB (All I had lying around that worked). It has a DVD drive  and I think the RAM is 512Mb. It came with XP. I have fitted (and installed ) a WiFi dongle that seems to work OK.

I have been updating Gslap for the last couple of days, I ticked all the sources boxes thinking that would give me the best chance of finding apps to use but I do not seem to be any further forward.
I think this is going to be a hard slog.
john

PS:  I have just seen a post from someone way back (Lagagnon) which said not to modify Gslapt from as installed so maybe I should re-install and start again.

[nightflier]

Your computer will run Linux just fine.

Applications will present more of a challenge, especially web browsers. The most popular social media websites or on-line productivity apps will choke on anything less than 1G of RAM. Aggressive use of plug-ins to block autoplay media and trackers will allow you to surf the web at a reasonable speed, but you will hit a lot of nag screens demanding that you lower those defenses.

Local programs will do much better. You can run office suites and other awesome productivity apps. Remote access like VNC and Remote Desktop clients will also work well.

There is a newer version of VL available. I would suggest the Light version: http://vectorlinux.osuosl.org/veclinux-7.2/iso-release/VL-7.2-LIGHT-Final.iso  Full disclosure: I was heavily involved in its development and imposed my personal preferences upon it. It is optimized for low power computers and achieves good performance, but requires some technical knowledge from the user. I would be happy to offer assistance in getting TightVNC running on it, sounds like a fun learning experience. 

Unless you already tried it, for the best balance between performance, usability and access to a large selection of software I'd recommend Lubuntu 18.04: https://lubuntu.net/lubuntu-18-04-bionic-beaver-released/ This is the last one with LXDE. Later versions use LXQT, which needs a lot more RAM. You will have access to a vast selection of software and there are a lot of guides and support forums on the web. It has given me problems with "apport" but you can safely remove that.

[johnsiddle]

Hi Nightflier
Thanks for the input, I have been trying to get Gslapt to do something but it just sits there looking at me.
I found a copy of 7.2 but the program stops about two thirds of the way into the load.
I have googled using Gslapt but still not got it working, I even tried to look for LibreOffice (thinking this might be a VL program) but still nothing.
The only success I have had is installing the WiFi dongle and linking to my NAS drive.
 
I am now re-loading  7.1., whilst, playing I have found out that I in fact have 752Mb of Ream and a 2,2Ghx Pent 4  CPU
I downloaded TightVNC .tar.gz from their website but could not install it because it has .gz at the end, I found a converter program online but the resulting .tar .tar would not install.

I have already tried Ubunto and many others but none will install on my PC, I even tried imaging the iso onto a USB drive but the PC does not want to load from USB.
I will download 7.2 lite and see if that works, I dont need much from this old Laptop, just Firefox, TightVNC and Office and learning about Linux.... something that is not going too good at the moment.
What I find strange is that a crappy Acer Aspire one loaded MintLinux straight away, Not tried to do anything with it though as yet so I will still have the same problems as now.

I couldnt include your quote as I am not allowed to post external links.

Regards  john

[nightflier]

John, no need to quote previous replies as all posts show up in this thread.

If the default VL installer stops during install, try starting over and typing "install" on the first screen. That will take you to a basic text mode program that works on most machines.

The tar.gz file you downloaded is most likely the source code. It needs to be compiled on your machine to produce an installable binary package. I just tested this on 7.2 Light and was able to get vncviewer working. We can re-visit that when you're ready.

Libreoffice 5.3 is available using Gslapt - first hit the "Update" button, then type libreoffice in the search field and press "Enter", click the square to the left of the search result, select "Install" and then click the "Execute" button.

Current Firefox can be downloaded directly from the Mozilla site and installed manually.

As in most worthwhile undertakings, the learning curve can be steep at first. Don't let that discourage you. Keep tinkering and have fun with it.

[johnsiddle]

Hi Nightflier, thanks for the info.

After I spoke to you last I tried 7.2 lite but it too hung during install, so I guess there is a problem with my PC, anyway after re-installing 7.1 which installs fine, I then found that my Wifi dongle wouldn't connect anymore.
I have spent the whole time since then on trying to get a connection, when suddenly today, it started working.
Also Gslapt is behaving differently and to prove a point I did manage to install LibreOffice following your instructions.

So now I am on the way to having another go at tightVNC, the file I have is tightvnc-1.3.10_unixsrc.tar.gz and I have copied it into my Home directory.
But that is as far as I can go having given up on trying other things.

I am using the version of Firefox that came with the installation which works OK.
Regards  John

[nightflier]

Good to see you're sticking with it. 

The package I made for VL 7.2 may work for you. Try downloading this file: http://cincibjj.com/tmp/tightvnc-1.3.10-i586-1_SBo.tgz
Assuming this goes to your Downloads folder,
open a terminal (command prompt) and issue these commands:

Code: [Select]

cd Downloads
su
(enter your root password, you will not see anything when you type)
installpkg tightvnc-1.3.10-i586-1_SBo.tgz
exit
vncviewer
If it works, a little window will pop up asking for the address of the VNC server.
If it does not, let me know and we'll take it to the next level.

[roarde]

I wonder about that CPU. It's hard to tell capabilities from the info provided. Run the following and paste the output, please. That'll do it.

Code: [Select]

grep -m 1 '^flags' /proc/cpuinfo

[johnsiddle]

vector:/~
john:$ grep -m 1 '^flags' /proc/cpuinfo
flags      : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe pebs bts cid xtpr
vector:/~
john:$

Going to try tightvnc now... I think I have posted this twice.
john

[johnsiddle]

I ran the install program and it said it was installed but I do not where it installed it to, Below is the message from root.



vector://home/john/Downloads
root:# installpkg tightvnc-1.3.10-i586-1_SBo.tgz

.-----.-----------------------------------------------------------------------.
| 1/1 | Installing tightvnc-1.3.10-i586-1_SBo.tgz                             |
'-----'-----------------------------------------------------------------------'

.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| tightvnc (VNC viewing application)                                          |
|                                                                             |
| TightVNC is a free remote control software package. With TightVNC, you      |
| can see the desktop of a remote machine and control it with your local      |
| mouse and keyboard, just like you would do it sitting in the front of       |
| that computer.                                                              |
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------------'


vector://home/john/Downloads
root:# exit
exit

This is the messages when I type vncviewer bothin root and as john


john:$ vncviewer
vncviewer: error while loading shared libraries: libjpeg.so.9: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory


vector://home/john/Downloads
root:# vncviewer: error while loading shared libraries: libjpeg.so.9: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
bash: vncviewer:: command not found

regards  john

[nightflier]

Okay, it was worth a try. The package is not compatible with your system. Hang on a few minutes, let me do some testing.

[nightflier]

Try this one: http://cincibjj.com/tmp/tightvnc-1.3.9-i486-1_SBo.tgz

[johnsiddle]

Yeah!!! That worked, I assume I have to always run it from the command line.

Getting back to other tar.gz and maybe some other type package downloads, is there some instructions somewhere on how to prepare them for installation?.

I think installing programs is the one big problem newbi's have when starting with Linux especially if they have been brought up on Windows (and some of us DOS but that was easy) and if not sussed very quickly sends them away.  I am talking from experience here.......

Thank you for your help
regards  john

[nightflier]

Great, glad it worked!

The package was built using a "slackbuild", following the instructions here: https://slackbuilds.org/howto/
I searched for tightvnc for Slackware 12.2 and used that one.

It may seem complicated compared to searching for an .exe from some website (if you can manage to find the actual download link amongst all those "CLICK ME!" graphics, that is). But I think you are less likely to catch a virus or a payload of unwanted piggyback programs this way.

Bigger distros on the other hand, have a big advantage with their package managers and access to tens of thousands of packages. Installing and maintaining apps on those is quick and easy, and has been that way for many years.

Making a GUI launcher for vncviewer is not hard, I'll get back to you on that one.