RedHat 9 Questions

Linux and Unix-Like Red Hat
1

Cairns, Queensland
Australia
2011 April 25

I am new to the formidable Red Hat forum. I hope I am submitting things
correctly. I am using Red Hat 9, that and nothing else.

May I start with three questions?

o Does anyone know if there are simple instructions for activating a
firewall for Red Hat 9, and if it is important to have?

o I have a brand new HP Laserjet P1102 printer which I am desperate to get
working with Red Hat 9. Is that impossible?

o What browser would you recommend for Red Hat 9 today?
- I am currently using Konqueror 3.1-15
- Also working is Firefox 0.8
- Are there better, maybe later, versions? Opera?

Thanks for any help offered, and please let me know if I am using this forum
incorrectly.

                          Michael Snowden
2

Hi Michael, and welcome!

First of all, it might help if you read the forum rule.

You need to be careful not to double post and you need a descriptive subject text. Your subject "astronomer" is not really helpful to others and does not correctly represent your question, which really has nothing to do with astronomy.

4

Please be aware that Red Hat 9 is ancient.

from redhat.com | Red Hat Linux 9 Features Latest Open Source Technologies

8 years may as well be a lifetime in the Linux world. If you have a reasonably modern computer and are interested in contemporary Red Hat Linux for personal use, visit Fedora Project Homepage

Regards and welcome to the forum,
Alister

5

Thank you. Not quite what I am seeking.

Michael

---------- Post updated at 09:19 PM ---------- Previous update was at 09:11 PM ----------

Cairns, Queensland
2011 April 25

Thank you administrator. I have not found a way to change the word astronomer to Red Hat 9. Can you do that for me please?

Michael

6

You can use iptables, not sure if it's included by default but you can certainly install it yourself.

Yes, but IMO if you are really concerned about security then it would be more important not to use an ancient OS.

Have a look here: foo2xqx: a linux printer driver for XQX stream protocol

Any browser would do as long as it's a recent version. Old browsers tend to have a plethora of known bugs and are easily exploitable.

7

Could you please elaborate on why that's the case? It's extremely uncommon for someone to be using a Linux distribution of such vintage. Has it been forced on you by an institution? I am genuinely curious.

Googling for 'red hat 9 documentation':
Personal Firewalls
Basic Firewall Configuration
Firewalls

These manuals are probably installed somewhere on your workstation (or are on the media used to install the operating system), but here's an online version:
Redhat Linux 9 Documentation

Given that new security holes are announced nearly every single day, a firewall on a long ago discontinued version of Linux should not be very comforting (legitimate traffic can still remotely exploit software which is known to be vulnerable):
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhel-server-6-errata.html

Not according to the first two google results for 'red hat HP Laserjet P1102':
redhat linux drivers for HP LaserJet Pro P1102 Printer [solved]
foo2zjs: a linux printer driver for ZjStream protocol

You can try checking with the Fedora Legacy project; they provided updates and security fixes for Red Hat Linux 9 after Red Hat, Inc. discontinued RH9. That said, Fedora Legacy shut down a few years ago and most mirrors aren't even working anymore. I tried over 10 links on the mirror list before hitting one that is still reachable. In one of their repositories you may find a more recent browser than those you are currently using, but whatever Fedora Legacy has to offer will by no means be contemporary.

The Fedora Legacy Project
Fedora Legacy Repository

You could try building one yourself, but I doubt a modern browser's source will build on such an old system (although there's nothing preventing you from grabbing the code and giving it a try). Perhaps you can find a statically linked Opera binary? I don't think such a beast exists for Firefox.

Perhaps you'll have some luck at:
http://www.opera.com/browser/download/requirements/\#linux

Regards,
Alister

8

Cairns, Australia
2011 April 26

Thank you ever so much, Alister, for the super helpful advice. I am
pursuing all the ideas you gave.

Especially thanks for the advice on the foo2zjs printer driver for the HP
P1102 laserjet. It does indeed print with it. I was getting absolutely
nowhere on the Web until I got that advice from you. One problem remains,
however. When printing with Open Office 2.1 (or any other application), it
imposes an undesirably large 10 mm margin at the top of the page. No
adjustments with Open Office will remove that large margin, say to 5 mm, so
I conclude the printer driver is at fault. Can you confirm that that is the
source of the problem? If so, is there any way to edit a printer driver to
remove the imposed margin? Is there maybe something inherent in the HP P1102
printer that causes this problem? Would another printer work better? At the
bottom of the page it prints right off the page with no margin.

I'll try to answer your frequently asked question why I stick with RH9
best I can, but beware it is rare that anyone understands or will accept
my reasons:

o I have an extremely difficult time dealing with rapid-fire obsolescence.
I just cannot cope with abandoning something that I like a lot.

o My RH9 configuration is loaded with the installations and configurations
of highly technical application software, which is so intensive to use
that I don't have time left over to fiddle with an operating system. That
is, I am a LINUX user, not an administrator. It took years to configure
this stuff with scripts etc which do not work with updated operating
systems, and I will not even try to adapt them again.

o I have decided to stick with RH9 indefinitely, and in the future as each
application and routine become obsolete, I will abandon using each of
them, one by one, right up to the point where I expect to abandon
computers altogether and return to typewriters and fountain pens, where I
am comfortable. One by one, Web sites are already refusing me access via
my Konqueror and Firefox 0.8.

o Onward and backwards with RH9!

Michael Snowden

9

Hi, Michael:

Happy to be of help.

With regard to your printing issue, I don't have a clue. Hopefully, someone else knows the answer. I've barely printed anything during the past 5 years and I haven't even used Linux regularly since the 1990s (Red Hat Linux 5.2). The last time I used OpenOffice was the late 1990s (maybe 2000); it took all night to download on a 56kbps dialup connection and was still known as StarOffice.

If you are able to build a recent browser on your RHL9 system, or find a precompiled (statically-linked or not) binary on the internet that runs well on your system, please do report back. I'd be interested in the details and it may be of use to others running end-of-lifed linux distributions.

I can sympathize with your reluctance to abandon all the hard work you've put into your setup. While not to the same degree, most of my machines are a bit behind the cutting edge as well. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity.

Regards,
Alister

10

Cairns, Australia
2011 April 28

I have several current Gnuplot scripts that work well with the latest version of Gnuplot sitting on top of recent Ubuntu. When I attempt to use these scripts with an older version of Gnuplot (version 3.7, patch level3) on RH 9, they will not work.

Can someone advise me how to get these scripts working with Gnuplot on RH9? Should I change the syntax of the scripts or try to compile a newer version of Gnuplot on RH9? Which version?

Going to a later LINUX will not be an option.

Thanks.

Michael

---------- Post updated 29-04-11 at 12:12 AM ---------- Previous update was 28-04-11 at 11:52 PM ----------

Cairns, Australia
2011 April 28

I have several scripts for a recent version of Gnuplot on top of Ubuntu, which I would like to use in an earlier version 3.7, patch level 3 that I am using with RH9. They won't work. Is there some way to get them going on this earlier version? Should I adapt the scripts to version 3.7 or try to get a later version of Gnuplot compiled and installed on RH9. Which version and where to find it?

For various reason using a later version of LINUX is not an option.

Thanks for any advice offered.

Michael

---------- Post updated at 10:34 PM ---------- Previous update was at 12:12 AM ----------

Cairns, Australia
2011 April 28

I have several scripts for a recent version of Gnuplot on top of Ubuntu, which I would like to use in an earlier version 3.7, patch level 3 that I am
using with RH9. They won't work. Is there some way to get them going on this earlier version? Should I adapt the scripts to version 3.7 or try to get a later version of Gnuplot compiled and installed on RH9. Which version and where to find it?

For various reason using a later version of LINUX is not an option.

Thanks for any advice offered.

Michael

11

Cairns, Australia
2011 May 29

Can someone recommend a printer that will print A4 format with Red Hat 9.0? I guess I am asking for a printer with available drivers.

Is the HP 2200 a useable printer with Red Hat 9.0?

The only third-party driver available for the HP Laserjet P1102 will not print properly an A4 page. Is the problem with the driver or CUPS?

Thanks for any help.

Michael