On Mon, 2007-01-15 at 00:08 +0000, Paul wrote:

The bad news... It will not compile for 2.6.16 or later kernels due to some changes in core kernel code.

I guess that being the case Eric could always revert to Kubuntu 6.06 LTS as that was built around 2.6.15 (assuming he is not already running that version) Eric, which version of Kubuntu do you have ?

From: ted.harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk Sent: 15 January 2007 09:17

On 14-Jan-07 elc@freeola.net wrote:

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Hi I've been dabbling in Windows for a few years now and thought I knew

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something about what I was doing. Being reluctant to spend my hard earned cash on upgrading from Win 98 SE to another Gates product, I thought I would try Linux. I am now dual booting Win 98 and Kubuntu and working with a dial up internet connection. Now I realise how much I don't know !!! My winmodem is an Intel (R) 536 EP V.92 and Kubuntu doesn't recognise it. Somewhere the internet informs me that of all the winmodems in use the one I have should have a linux driver. I've downloaded 'scanmodem' and run it and I get hundreds of lines of text that means nothing to me. Linux looks good to me, and I feel like sticking with it, if only I can get past first base. Can someone talk me thru in one syllable steps please to overcome this first hurdle.

# Many thanks Eric

Can I very strongly recommend ditching the winmodem, and getting hold of an external modem (connects by a serial cable to a serial port on the computer)?

Look out for a statement on the box that it is Unix or Linux compatible (or the like), or works on any operating system, and make sure it does *not* state that it requires any version of Windows.

One I have is the Zoom 56K v.92/V.90 Model 3049. On the box it says (under "Bundled Software"): "This modem's hardware works with computers running Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and other operating systems, which typically include software for Internet access".

The included CD (i.e. the "bundled software") is for supporting "V.92 modem-on-hold, fax, and other modem features" for *Windows*.

These functions (and all modem functions) are anyway accessible using the Hayes AT commands built in to the modem hardware, and so such a modem needs no driver!

I'd 2nd Ted's comments, get an external box if you can find one. It's not that easy these days finding new ones although 2nd hand ones are available on places like eBay. Having said that I currently run an Intel 536EP linmodem on my Edgy set-up at home. The whole scanmodem route suggested by Ubuntu is a waste of time, you have to download the source for the Intel 536 Chipset (and the headers for the precompiled kernel) and compile the driver modules yourself. Some of the serial i/f code changed with 2.16 (IIRC some legacy stuff was removed) and the source referred to by linmodems.org (and that on the Intel support site) doesn't compile. I tracked down some updated source that does compile, when I get home (I'm currently at work) I'll post the link here. One thing I did notice with Dapper is that although the drivers compiled I was only getting about 70% (about 2.5Kbytes/sec) of the throughput I'd gotten with earlier relases of Ubuntu using the Intel536 drivers. With the revised source (which now caters for the 'improved' i/f functions) I'm back to full speed (in my case about 4.25KBytes/sec - on a good day - going downhill - with the wind behind me :o) ). There are a couple of gotcha's you need to whatch out for when setting up and using the drivers once compiled. Again I'll post them when I get home. However sometime this year I am definitely going to sort out a broadband connection. Regards, Keith ____________ 'I can see nobody on the road.' said Alice. 'I only wish I had such eyes,' said the King, 'to be able to see Nobody! And at that distance too!' - Lewis Carroll

On 15-Jan-07 Adam Bower wrote:

On Mon, Jan 15, 2007 at 11:34:41AM -0000, Keith Watson wrote:

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I'd 2nd Ted's comments, get an external box if you can find one. It's not that easy these days finding new ones although 2nd hand ones are available on places like eBay.

Hmmn, dunno about that, finding decent hardware modems is pretty easy, just the decent ones seem to cost 50 quid. FWIW after we moved recently I had to dig out our external modem while waiting for the dsl to be enabled, this was a US Robotics something-or-other which I'd had for about 5 years. After playing around with V92 and it not working I realised that US Robotics had released a firmware update for this modem late last year and had made a linux compatible installer for it available. After a quick (well, long slow and painful, it was dialup) download later it just ran as a shell script and I was sorted. So +1 for USR equipment.

Yes, I had a USR (US Robotics) modem (Sportster model) for a good while, until its on/off switch failed (and, despite tinkering, I couldn't fix it). So then I bought the Zoom modem I mentioned in my previous post. See http://www.hayes.co.uk for more info about a range of modems. I still keep the USR "User's Manual" by me, though, for the Zoom modem, since it has a comprehensive reference listing for the Hayes AT commands. (Useful, in particular, for Fax use). The manual with the Zoom is almost silent about these. Listings of the AT commands can be found in various places, e.g. http://www.cellular.co.za/hayesat.htm but it's nice to have a source with a bit more explanation than given by the above! Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <ted.harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 15-Jan-07 Time: 12:43:17 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

On Mon, Jan 15, 2007 at 06:00:55PM +0000, Ian bell wrote:

And because all PCs these days have built-in modems, the external ones are available very cheaply - around £10 or less.

I thought nowadays most PCs don't have built in modems, they seem to be going the way of the floppy disk. Out of interest i've not seen an external serial modem for sale for less than 10 quid (cheapest i've seen is one for 11 quid from ebuyer but isn't a "quality" brand), perhaps some usb ones are available at that price but lots of them seem to be winmodems which complicates things even more. Just out of interest where have you seen cheaper? Thanks Adam -- jabberid = quinophex@jabber.earth.li Avoid ID cards, renew your passport: http://www.renewforfreedom.org/

On Mon, 2007-01-15 at 19:39 +0000, Ian bell wrote:

This is a very rapidly changing area. I bought a laptop for my wife just over a year ago. it had built in modem and a built-in wireles card but no serial port. I suspect this year the modem is/will be dropped.

We are still seeing built in modems on nearly all Laptops we sell, however they are now quite rare as a standard fit on Desktop systems. I don't think it will be long now though. Macbooks already come minus a Modem. I think the only real reason they are there still is that they cost virtually nothing to add and take up very little space. Sysadmin/network engineer types are still mourning the loss of the serial port on most laptops, only a few (usually quite expensive) models still come with one of those.

On Mon, 2007-01-15 at 21:42 +0000, Ian bell wrote:

Me too. I do a lot of microcontroller development and most of the tools use the serial port for device programmimg - I currently use a USB/serial adaptor on my laptop.

Those things drive me mad. They never seem completely reliable and I know my Picstart programmer simply refused to work on one last time I tried it. Also when I am out in the field and need to attach quickly to a managed switch/cisco/dying Alpha box or whatever usually I find that the converter has escaped from my kit bag. Usually it elopes with the near impossible to find in an emergency Cisco console lead, but just recently it seems to have had a fling with my Alpha era storage controller console lead (nasty RJ45 end with offset latch and almost totally impossible to find)

On 15-Jan-07 Ian bell wrote:

[...] The other thing I find puzzling in this increasingly PC world is that we are still allowed to refer to male and female connectors - how sexist is that?

I suppose we could revert to good old Plug and Socket connectors (indeed USB cables seem to use these terms already). And then, as PC pressure increases so that "Male" and "Female" become unacceptable terms for the human genders, we can back transfer the connector terminology to Men and Women. (But what should we then call that useful little device the "gender bender"?) Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <ted.harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 15-Jan-07 Time: 23:12:25 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

Wayne Stallwood wrote:

On Mon, 2007-01-15 at 23:12 +0000, ted.harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk wrote:

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On 15-Jan-07 Ian bell wrote:

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[...] The other thing I find puzzling in this increasingly PC world is that we are still allowed to refer to male and female connectors - how sexist is that?

I suppose we could revert to good old Plug and Socket connectors (indeed USB cables seem to use these terms already).

Ahh but those terms are not completely interchangeable because a socket can be either male or female (for example on the back of a UPS you have male and female IEC mains connectors but they are all referred to as sockets) Plugs simply are the bits on the ends of leads and sockets are the bits on the equipment they go into.

Are you sure? ISTR seeing chassis mounting plugs.

Even male and female can be harder to distinguish than it used to be as some connectors (particularly RF ones it seems) are best described as indeterminate or simply confused.

Gay? I know I have spent a reasonable

amount of time looking at some connectors and trying to figure out what sex they are. That said I sometimes get that with people as well so maybe it is just me :-)

Keen observation ;-) Ian

Wayne Stallwood wrote:

On Tue, 2007-01-16 at 07:16 +0000, Ian bell wrote:

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Are you sure? ISTR seeing chassis mounting plugs.

Perhaps, but if you have a serial lead then the end that attaches to a computer is female but I have heard it called a plug more often than a socket.

Ah, but that is different; the reason most chassis mounting connectors are female is that male connectors have exposed pins which could be dangerous if touched. That said I have seen many chassis mounted 3 pin XLR connectors, both male and female, in professional audio equipment. Ian

On 15/01/07, Ian bell <ianbell@ukfsn.org> wrote:

The other thing I find puzzling in this increasingly PC world is that we are still allowed to refer to male and female connectors - hoe sexist is that?

Not at all. I think it's a fact of life that males go out where ladies go in :-) I'm not sure linking the word 'gay' with 'simply confused' is very PC though. However: I happen to have a spare external modem here if the original poster is still stuck. Jenny