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| news |
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03.07.2004: If you are looking for a working ppp-utility for GNOME, visit the gnome-ppp website
(I haven't tested it myself - but it sure looks good ;-)).
This website is only here for "historical" reasons. I really don't recommend using gppp (even if you really happen to have a ancient version of gnome,
which it actually requires).
31.7.2002: Um, ok. This page really needed an update. I still get mail once in a while regarding gppp,
and this site has quite some visits every month.
Ok, there are two main questions regarding gppp I get regularly: Will there be a gnome2 port? And: why did you stop development,
or will you continue? Both are quite easily answered: Though I still think it's a pity that there is no real easy-to-use ppp-dialer
for gnome, and gppp was my effort to create one, I will probably not port it to gnome2 nor will I continue gppp (at least not in the
near future). The reason is simple: I now have broadband internet-access and gave away my modem to my brother. I must admit that I'm
not very interessted in developing a application I don't have any use of myself. And even if I would decide to continue, it would
be quite impossible without a modem.
Anyhow, the old version of gppp still exists. Feel free to try it. I haven't used it since almost 2 years, so I don't know if
it still works with recent versions of gnome. Also keep in mind: The application was designed to run setuid root. But I don't
recommend this at all! Below is a little instruction how to get it running it as a normal user.
Ok, that's it. Maybe if I have to use a modem again sometimes, and there still is no good dialer for gnome, I'll restart this
project. Otherwise someone else has to do it ;-)
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| about gppp |
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Gppp is a ppp dialup utillty similiar to kppp or the windows dial-up-network. Unlike other programms it doesnt use skripts to start pppd; instead it uses wvdial, a program that is included in every distrubution i know... (and is distributed under the LGPL, in case you don't have it already, dowload it here). It is very easy to edit your accounts with gppp, and it even features autodetection of your modem. But you can configure quite much yourself, too. But if you want to configure everything yourself, its perhaps not the right program for you...
Gppp is distributed under the GPL, so you can download it and use it for free. The source-code might seem kinda messy to you. Thats right, it still needs some cleanin up, but i havent had the time yet...
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| Features |
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Features:
- Easy to use, you don't have to fiddle with config-scripts.
- Quicksetup for all features you need. Optional autodetecting of your modem-settings
- The GUI is similiar to the one of kppp or Windows DUN
- Supports gnome
- Has a nice gnome-applet with modem-lights
- and much more
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| Iconsets for the modemapplet |
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For all of you, who like to customize the look of applications, I have good news: It's very easy to change the pixmap that is used for the modemlights in the applet. You just have to substitute the xpms modem[1..5].xpm in the xpm subdir of the gppp-source with your own pixmaps, and recompile gppp.
If you have drawn some cool pixmaps, feel free to send them to me and i'll put them on this page.
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| TODO |
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Left TODO:
- Gppp has to be run setuid root or as root for the moment. I want to fix this, but haven't figured out how yet, cause wvdial needs to do a lot of root things
- Maybe i'll stop using wvdial at all, if i find a better alternative, or i'll merge the sources of wvdial into gppp sometimes...
- A wizard to add new connections would rock!
- Write a manual and faq
- Add translation support
- Add isdn support (as far as wvdial supports it, is anybody interested?)
- Build rpms and maybe debs.
- Fix bugs!!! ;-)
- You tell me...
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| FAQ |
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Question: When I run gppp the first time i get some weird console-output like this:
Phone = ... before [Dialer name]!
Username = ... before [Dialer name]!
Password = ... before [Dialer name]!
What's wrong?
Answer: You probably run an other application that uses wvdial (suse yast for example or redhat rp3) before.
Some of them use features of wvdial that aren't mentioned in the man-page of wvdial, and therefore I didn't include them in
my parser and that's why gppp crashes ;-(. To fix it, edit your /etc/wvdial.conf like this:
- Delete all keypairs that aren't mentioned in the manpage of wvdial.
- Make sure, that all account-specific keys (like Phone, Username, Password) are in an extra section [Dialer myProvider].
After that, your /etc/wvdial.conf could look like this:
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[Dialer Defaults]
Modem = /dev/ttyS0
Baud = 115200
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATM0 Q0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 S11=55 +FCLASS=0
[Dialer myProvider]
Phone = 01234567
Username = myUsername
Password = myPassword
---------------------
This is just an example! (I guess you know, but to be sure ;-))
Question: That didn't help at all/Gppp crashes my panel when i run it! (Sauerei!)
Answer: Yes, thats something weird, I know. I don't know no other solution than to run gppp as normal user.
To run gppp as normal user you have to:
Give the user r/w access to /etc/wvdial.conf
Give the user r/w access to /etc/resolv.conf (You can skip that if you don't specify a nameserver in gppp)
wvdial needs r/w access to your modem-device /dev/ttyS0/1/... (/dev/modem is a link - set the rights in the real device
Test wvdial before you start gppp. If wvdial can't establish any connection gppp won't be able, too. The wvdial.conf that gppp
makes is still usable be wvdial, but you have to start wvdial like this: "wvdial myProvider"
You could also, if you don't want to fiddle with acces-rights do a setuid root on wvdial, if you like
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| Screenshots |
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You want to know how it looks like? No, problem, here are some screenshots i made for you:
The mainwindow:
Manage your accounts:
Add a new account:
Set up the dnsserver for your account:
Set up your modem:
Autodetecting:
The Status window:
Some statistics about the connection:
The applet in the gnomepanel:
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| Download gppp |
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Yeah, right, now you want to test that fantastic program yourself;-) Ok, go ahead, download it now, compile it and you'll see... (i hope it works for you).
Perhaps i'll provide DEBS later, we'll see. Or theres someone who likes to do this for me?
Required software:
Download gppp-0.2.2.tar.gz here! (152k)
A RPM is now available, too: gppp-0.2.2-2.i386.rpm (68k - small is beatiful ;-))
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