New to SUSE Linux and completely lost !

[frimleymark]

Hi,i have recently purchased an HP Mini note 2133 which runs SUSE Linux

I have never used Linux before and am completely bewildered and confused by the whole system
I have tried to download a couple of bits of software (vuze and limewire) but cannot fathom out how you actually install them i have read numerous threads on various help sites but they confuse me even more so is there a EASY and uncomplicated way to install the software ?

Also when i turn the system on it always makes me add the WEP for my wireless internet connection then asks me for another password so that an applet can run ? - i believe it is the software update thingy ?! i would be very grateful for any help

[yancek]

You need to use (at least should use) YaST program to install on Suse. Click the icon on lower left of screen, you should get a menu and be able to access YaST. If you can't find it, just type "yast" in a konsole. Might be a good idea to go to the HP site to see what you can find there as well as Novell as they sell SLED version you have.

[WorkingWriter]

yancek is right. You can install most any software using YaST (Yet another Setup Tool). If you click that green icon (like the Start button) and look for Administrator Settings (with a hammer icon) or Install Software, you will find hundreds of programs to install--including Vuze, I believe. I'm not sure LimeWire runs under Linux, but gtk-gnutella might be an alternative.

If you don't see a program you're looking for in the Software Management (Install Software) list, go over to another YaST module, Software Repositories. Click the Add button and choose Community Repositories near the top of the long list. Since you're interested in file sharing, you'll want to add the Packman repository. There may be some others on the list. Then run Software Management again and search.

For the wireless connection, you should just need to enter the WEP password once. In the system tray, you should see an icon that looks like a globe. This is the NetworkManager. If you're connected, the icon will be green, otherwise, it's gray. Right-click this icon. If there's an active connection, choose Edit Configuration; otherwise, pick New Connection. NetworkManager should see your wireless card. You may have to click Next once or twice, but there's a place to enter the wireless password. Once you've done that, click Save & Connect. It should not ask you for the WEP password again, at least for your main connection.

The last thing you mention that kicks in is your password manager. It should only appear at bootup, and it is basically asking for your "admin" password. You can turn this off, but I don't recommend it, especially since it's a Mini (which can go missing).

Hope this helps. Let us know.

[oldcpu]

I have never used Linux before and am completely bewildered and confused by the whole system

Some basic openSUSE concepts to read, to hopefully help you understand some of the philosophy and put things together a bit better: Concepts - openSUSE

[davo1]

i had pretty much the same trouble
the thing is most repositories (the places you download files from) don't support suse 10 (the version that comes with the hp).
i would suggest (probably seems a bit drastic) either upgrading to openSUSE 11.1 or Kubuntu is supposed to run quite well on the hp mini. plus kubuntu uses apt which, in my opinion, is easier to use.
you can find out how to install these os's online.