Dave wrote:

> Hello All,
> I'd just like to say thanks for the help to anyone who helped me with the
> Linspire installation problem. It's up and running :O) all I have to do
> now is get used to using the OS and I'll be happy.
> One more question, if I'm asking in the wrong group please accept my
> apologies, will any programme designed for linux work with Linspire or are
> the programmes specific to the operating systems such as Linspire, Red
> Hat, Mandrake etc? I assume they will because they are from a similar
> source code but I want to make sure. I'm on dial up so I don't want to be
> downloading a huge programme then finding out it won't work on Linspire
> cos it's designed for Mandrake or something.
> Any information gratefully appreciated.
> Thanks in advance.
> Regards
> Dave

If you buy Linspire you get their click and run archive, don't you? Beyond
that, since it's based on Debian you can add their software trees and use
apt-get (more later) to update and add to your installation. There are
other repositories you can add if you need to for specific apps that aren't
in Debian's database. All this will probably allow Linspire to drop you
like a brick.

You manage Debian software with apt-get. As root, you simply run "apt-get
update" (noquotes) to update your local database. Then you run "apt-get
upgrade" to bring your present software up to its latest version. Caution:
you might be downloading 6 or 8 megs just to update the database. And some
upgrades can be in the tens of megs, or more, depending on the state of
your system.

This is the file you edit, as root, to change your sources.
/etc/apt/sources.list

You can add a line such as this, and update (see above) Note: everything
inside the quotes goes on one line, but leave out the quotes.

"deb ftp://security.debian.org/debian-security/ stable/updates main contrib
non-free"

That gets you started. As far as installing programs, you run "apt-get
install <package name>" If you install outside programs you're
complicating things, but it can be done.

I hope I've helped. If not, let's try again.

--

Everyone, please stop using "whilst."