Re: problems installing piklab

Jay Dagenais wrote:
> You know that you are absolutly correct! With the amount of time and 
> even cash that I have sunk into parts, hours and all in order to obtain 
> a free programmer to get started with the PIC's, I could havce easily 
> just bought any one of a number of commercial programmers and been well 
> on my way by now. Alas, I have taken the hard way, as I find myself 
> doing in many of my endevours. The last day or so I have found a couple 
> of designs which are parallel port oriented, and am going to have a go 
> at building one tonight, if it doesn't work I guess I will break down 
> and buy one finally.

Don't be discouraged. I'va an ultra-simple hand-made programmer design 
working also as ICSP (you can program the target PIC without taking it 
off from its circuit). If you want I can draw the schematic and e-mail 
it to you.

> 
> Also right that the version of Suse I am using is old, from last year. I 
> have other recent copies of Mandrake, and Mandriva, but for some reason 
> they just won't install on my laptop, and no monitors for any of the 
> desktops! I recently recieved a copy of DSL linux in a zine, and am very 
> interested in this as it is quoted as being able to boot from USB pen 
> drives using a total of only 50MB, which isn't that small I guess in the 
> embedded community. They also say that it can be booted right from in 
> Windows, or another Linux, whatever, so that may be the way I go after I 
> figure out how. Anyways, I am just using the Suse instal untill I get a 
> bit better as it is comfortable to me as Linux can be to a beginner:)

AFAIK knoppix, ubuntu and SimplyMEPIS are the most capable in 
recognizing hardware. These are also the easier to use for a novice.
knoppix and MEPIS even run off the CD if you want (maybe ubuntu has a 
live version as well, I don't remember).

Cheers,
Marco

-- 
Marco Pantaleoni

elastiC language developer
http://www.elasticworld.org