Success: mount an HFS partition as non-root

[Clinton MacDonald]

Bill and Everyone:

On Thursday, August 14, 2003, at 07:11  PM, Longman, Bill wrote:
>> [1] in a console, get superuser privileges ("su")
>> [2] using vi or pico, edit the file /etc/fstab
>> [3] add the line --
>>
>> /dev/hda10    /mnt/macos    hfs    noauto,user,rw    0 0
>>
>> [4] from the console, as a regular user, type "mount /mnt/macos"
>> [5] Voila! (or, so I hope -- I will be unable to test this until this 
>> evening)
>>
>> [...] I will let you know if this works. Thanks, again!

Yes, it works! Just as sweet as can be. Thanks, Bill!

Once mounted, I can route through the directories using Konqueror just 
as if they were on my main root directory. Drag and drop works, and I 
can even open and save files using AbiWord, OpenOffice.org, The GIMP, 
etc. Just like a *real* operating system. :-)

For even more fun, I discovered that KDiskFree (or "kdf" from the 
command line) will mount or unmount directories (and show free and used 
space) with a nice GUI. I liked it so much that I created a shortcut to 
KDiskFree on my desktop. The hardest part of creating the desktop 
shortcut was to figure out what was the true name of "KDiskFree." After 
a lot of hunting through directories and unhelpful "About" boxes, I was 
able to discover that "KDiskFree" from the kicker menu was actually 
"/usr/etc/kdf". Not what one would call "user friendly." :-( From 
there, I was able to drag the icon from the Konqueror window to the 
desktop, and was given the choice of "create link" (or words to that 
effect). Very easy and nice.

I got so excited, though, about throwing useful widgets on my desktop, 
that I hunted out "snooze" ("/sbin/snooze", the command line utility 
that puts a PowerBook to sleep), and placed it on my desktop, too. I am 
a much happier camper, now!

I still have some questions, though. How can I rearrange some of the 
applications and utilities in the kicker menu (or whatever it is called 
-- the one that sits in the place of the Windows Start menu or the 
Macintosh Apple menu)? Mandrake Linux has a utility to organize this 
menu, but I haven't found anything similar for Yellow Dog.

Thanks!

Best wishes,
Clint

-- 
\ Dr. Clinton C. MacDonald   \ <mailto:clint.macdonald@ttuhsc.edu>
  \ Cell Biology & Biochemistry\ 806/743-2703
   \ Texas Tech University HSC  \ 806/743-2990 (FAX)
    \ Lubbock, TX 79430          \
     \ <http://www.remedy.ttuhsc.edu/cbb/faculty/macdonald/>