> -----Original Message-----
> From: Johnson, Tracy [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> 
> I'm having trouble understanding how to make a modem
> work to the Internet on an old laptop I had just rebuilt 
> with Fedora Linux.  

You might want to try an external modem connected to the serial port as a "first attempt" -- external modems are true hardware modems as opposed to software "winmodems".(*)  The first hurdle you get to jump is mapping DOS port names & numbers to unix/linux device names -- COM1: is (usually) /dev/ttys0 (though the "ttys" part may have other names...)  From this, you can debug whether or not your PPP or "dial-out" software is working properly to begin with BEFORE you take on the headache of debugging hardware...

> when I take it home and try to use the modem card, 
> it just sits there after "Activate".  I've tried 3
> modem cards, just in case I picked a bad one.
> 
> I guess I'm too used to having a link to a Windoze
> modem connection.

Before you plug in the "modem" card [I presume you mean a "PCMCIA" type card] log on as the root user, go to /var/log and issue the command "tail -f messages" (it will "hang" at EOF waiting for more data to be written to the file -- much like MPEX's print;wait command)

THEN plug in the card and note the pcmcia/cardmanager messages that (should) show up -- this will give you a good idea as to whether or not the modem card you've inserted will actually work.  Linux HAS gotten a lot better with "winmodems", but if the modem is an "off brand", you're chances of success are rather diminished.

> (First time I've installed Linux by the way.)

Welcome to the club!  While OT: for this list [well, it DOES deal with computers...] I'm sure you'll find many folks on this list have "been there, done that" :) and will likely help out anyway.  I would also suggest looking for a fedora/red-hat "user mailing list" like this one [most distributions have something set up] as well as look for a local user group (and since "on the internet, EVERYONE is 'local'", you might even try our group's list: [log in to unmask] -- send a message to the user "majordomo" at that same domain with a single text line in the body: "subscribe sgvlug" -- you'll get an auto-response to verify you really did intend to sign up -- relpy to that, and you're set!)

Tom

(*) "winmodems", also called "HSP" or "DSP" modems, are really little more than a speaker and microphone directly attached to the phone line -- these modems use the CPU itself to create the proper waveform on the "speaker" (much like playing a regular .WAV file on the on-board speaker) as well as detecting and deciphering sounds destined for the "earpiece" part of the phone...

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