Streetfight, Round 2: LINUX v me

supes · 17.04.2004, 07:16

Holy crap people.

Anyone ever see Fist of Legend when Jet Li rolls up in a dojo full of Japanese guys and single-handedly ruins their collective sh*t with crazy vertebra-snapping eye-gouging fury...?

Yeah. That's what Linux is doing to me right now.

See, I'm a lifelong member of Microsoft's "You're all my bitches" club... until this past week when I decided I was finally ready to ditch Bill(ions) Gates and his MicroLackeys, and try my hand at Linux.

I installed Mandrake 10 on a partition on my Dell laptop. Went well. KDE desktop kicks balls. Everything's cool, except I can't get my Linksys wireless card to work. Damn. Who wants to be tethered to a wall all day when you've got a little laptop that's just begging for you to haul it around the house... out on the terrace, in the kitchen while you cook, on the toilet...

Anyway, I decide that, yes, I am smart enough to get this working. Can't be that hard right?

Wrong. Wrong. (Chapelle's Show reference).

I am not smart enough.

Not nearly.

So first of all, there's about a dozen different sites out there with step-by-step instructions for how to get a Linksys WPC11v4 working on Linux. But they're all different. Go figure.

Anyway, I start trying them. One by one. Reinstalled Linux about 5 times. None worked. Not because these people were telling me to do the wrong things... No. But because I haven't the slightest friggin clue what the hell I'm doing. Everytime I try to follow the directions, Linux crushes me like Brian Urlacher hauling it full-tilt and spearing that skinny little girl from Cat in the Hat. From behind.

Linux has handed me my %ss on a plate at least six times since, oh, about an hour ago. I feel like a complete idiot.

The thing that pisses me off is that this wireless thing is the kicker for me - if I can get this working, I'm done with Windows for good.

But it's like I'm trying to pull the chains off my ankles and make a break for freedom when I can see Linux out in the yard waiting to knee-cap me with a rusty pipe. A lead one.

Anyway... I hope I don't sound down on Linux, because I'm not. I really like it. It's just beating the hell out of me. Over and over. And over.

Unless I suddenly become like, the Ten Foot Tall *ss-kicking Linux Magician like Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China, I fear this whole endeavor may end badly...

For those of you who believe in a god... pray for me.

supes

visualdensity · 17.04.2004, 11:18

LOL.

I'll pray for you.

I do not know how to install a wireless card. But I can tell you that Linux is not for everyone. It does take a little bit of a learning curve to catch up with it. I haven't touched it for 3 years. So, I'd be dead if I decided to get one.

Good luck!

SvenErik · 17.04.2004, 11:20

Linux has come a long way in the last 3 years! Take a look at this KDE 3.2 - A User's Perspective - Screenshot Gallery

visualdensity · 17.04.2004, 11:29

Tell me about it.. getting back into it is just like learning everything from scratch. And dang... the graphics are awesome!

Loved Linux's anti-alias font rendering on the browsers. Simple amazing stuff.

supes · 17.04.2004, 19:53

went to linuxquestions.org and got advice on a driver from some guy there... then when i tried to follow the directions, Linux proceeded to kick my *ss again...

Linux hates me.

sh33zo · 18.04.2004, 04:13

If you still have an installation try typeing this on the command line!
insmod -f rtl8180_24x.o

If that doesnt work youll have to download this !
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/...model=RTL8180L
and read this readme files and look here also
http://www.jamesjgardner.com/wpc11v4.html

Post back once you try this! I want a follow up!

Gayle · 18.04.2004, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by sh33zo

If that doesnt work youll have to download this !
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/...model=RTL8180L

Quote:

Linux kernel 2.4.20 (gcc version 3.2.2)

I believe MDK10 comes with a 2.6 kernel by default and GCC 3.3.2. May need to take this into account.

supes · 18.04.2004, 19:30

hi. thanks for the tips. i'm going to try your suggestions when i get the chance - probably tonite. but right now it's 72 degrees outside and i'm getting the hell out of here. i'll post back when i've tried again. thanks.

sh33zo · 18.04.2004, 21:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by sh33zo

If you still have an installation try typeing this on the command line!
insmod -f rtl8180_24x.o

I also quoted his hoping it was in the kernel already!

sh33zo · 18.04.2004, 21:14

Does Mandrake let you select wich type of kernel to make the installation from?
Are you selecting the pcmcia kernel? I know other distros can do this!
let us know! Plz!