Linux Mint 19 comport problem

[#1]

Two problems really.

1. Way back, when I started to play around with Linux Mint  8,9,10,11,12,13, 14, etc... I used to be able to install WINE and then I could try to get my favourite windows type programs running... It used to be a part of the download or you could install it from the packages... and it was version 1.4  there "appears to be a version Wine 1.6, BUT this shows a message saying it is "dummy package" for something...

I have tried to use "playonlinux"....but not very successful, and certainly not as straight forward to use as Wine was...i.e. right click on the download, and "open with...."  gave Wine as an option, click that and everything "just worked".. with playon linux there are so many different things to click on, it is not easy to understand or follow.... and so the "install" process fails.

So.. question/problem number 1.... how can I get Wine installed, so I can just right click on the download of the program I want to install, and it "just works"... ?

2.  I did manage to get one particular program to install, after about 7 hours of pratting about, clicking on god knows what, until eventually I managed to get the program icon on the desktop, and able to "open" it and "run" it from clicking that icon.

However.  the program is called CWcom... the program I use to transmit and receive morse, using my morse key attached to the laptop with a USB to Serial Converter.

The process to get this working is two-fold.... first you have to "define" the comport, after plugging in the USB converter, via dmesg which shows the converter plugged in, installed,and using ttyUSB0

My  program, requires that I select a "ComPort" number... from 1- 14   ( usually I use Comport 4 ). and so I must initiate the comport with

cd ~/.wine.dosdevices

ln -s .dev/ttyUSB0 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com4

The second part requires that there be  "DialOut" permission granted... which I have done, and this is "proved" because the cwcom program does actually connect to the internet...and I have actually had a conversation, via morse, with another user in germany... so that has proved the dial out is good..

The problem is... that the definition of COM4  as outlined above, does not work... in other words, when I select the comport and the number 4 as a choice, it reverts back to the default method of transmission, i.e. "keyboard"... where I have to use the down arrow key as a morse key.. ( which is not a good choice )

Can anyone advise on these two problems...

1... how to install WINE to install the windows type programs simply. (right click on the download )

2... how to get the dev/ttyUSB0  to be recognised as Com4 by the morse program 

( if I use the terminal and rm com4 twice, it says on the second one that it does not exist... i.e. proof that com4 DID exist  from the previous terminal instructions. )

Please, ... all instructions to be in simple step by step format ! ! ! ... as I struggle to understand how linux works, even after all these years of trying ! ! ! ..

[#2]

Hi @shutter,

Your symlink appears wrong should it not be:

ln -s /dev/ttyUSB0 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com4

[#3]

@  Yeah... that dot before the dev is a typo on here... on the actual laptop in use.. it is same as what you said...

[#4]

Fair enough @shutter but the current vintage of Wine is 4.0 (4.6 in Dev) but you say you're using an earlier version. Time to upgrade I'd say. COM port detection is done automagically, from v2.8 and above, so in a terminal what does:

ls -l ~/.wine/dosdevices/

provide?

Remember the output of the terminal can be copied and pasted as text, just select it with the mouse and do a Ctrl+C, so there's no need to do a screen grab, then paste it in to your reply using Ctrl+V

[#5]

@Anonymous  I am working on another laptop... so it is easier for me to reboot, and try things, but keep this one running windows... hence my PICS.. from the screen.. ( I actually photograph and then edit them ).

Here is the pic of what you requested..

Interestingly  ttyUSB0 is still that... and com4  is showing ttyS3 

(com 33 above that line, would be no use on cwcom, as that prog only goes up to COMPORT 14 )

[#6]

Well from what I can see your symlink isn’t correct and as you say com4 points to ttyS3 and not the /dev/ttyUSB0 as you want.

So try using:

ln -sf /dev/ttyUSB0 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com4

to update the existing link.

[#7]

@Anonymous  OK... have done that.... but it did not "return" anything after pressing the "enter" key..

So I repeated your previous instruction  ls -l   and it shows up exactly the same as the pic I posted..

[#8]

@Anonymous  here are the screenshots...

[#9]

The no return is correct as the implication is success, but going by the screen shot above its not the case.

OK, can you filter the output of ls and use:

ls -l ~/.wine/dosdevices/com?

then, do

ls -l /dev/ttyUSB?

[#10]

@Anonymous 

[#11]

Sorry @shutter, see edit above.

[#12]

@Anonymous  that shows

root dialout 188, 0 Apr 19 14:03 /dev/ttyUSB0   

Note the clock time on the laptop has not been set yet ! ! ..

[#13]

In your OP @shutter you say that you’ve had a conversation with a user in Germany but I’m assuming this was via the console and not in morse, if it were we wouldn't be having this conversation!

The DialOut group is for the Serial Port not access to the Internet.

To me this appears to be a permissions issue, and I’d guess on the DialOut group so can you check the groups you are in by entering:

groups

The output of this command should include DialOut.

If you don’t see it then use:

sudo usermod -a -G dialout mint

(Assuming mint is your username)

[#14]

@Anonymous  OK... the program , cwcom, as you know, we use morse to "communicate" or have a "conversation" with distant stations... after, literally, Messing around, and clicking all sorts of different things, I managed to get the program installed.

  That is where the first part of the problem is (kinda) solved,..

but I want to be able to "replicate" the install procedure, so that I can describe it, on my blogsite, in "simple terms" for others to be able to use the program on Linux Mint.  

As mentioned, once I had figured out how to get it working , from Mint 8 up to 18, it has been working,  as documented, using the procedure described, on my blogsite..

https://morsepower.blogspot.com/2016/11/cwcom-cwcom-new-instructions-for-linux.html

A guy in germany mentioned to me that he was having keying problems with Mint 19... so I thought I would "investigate" and see if there was a problem , and how to solve it..

The program works, "as is".. from the install, in Mint 19... BUT.. you cannot use an external morse key, because of this "comport" problem...  So... I WAS having a conversation , in morse, with the guy in germany, through the CWCOM program... by using the "down arrow" key as a morse key... and the "keyboard" as the "default" selection for the "morse key input"...

The issue, seems to me, to be something wrong somewhere, between "defining" the COMPORT number, and the Mint processes with the usb to serial converter being attached to ttyUSB0  and unable to "set" or "define" that to a COMPORT NUMBER  i.e.

You now need to "define" the COMPORT number you want to use
in "terminal"  type ( or copy and paste )  (that is lower case l not fig 1)

cd ~/.wine/dosdevices 

   ln -s  /dev/ttyUSB0  ~/.wine/dosdevices/com4

The "dial out" permission, is the "final part" of the procedure.. and without this, set up, then the program will not "communicate" over the internet via the server...

Dial out permission is not a concern,... as this has proved to be working, with the above contact with the guy in germany.

[#15]

No @shutter that’s not right. The communication you had was software based and would not have needed the serial port to work.

To use the physical key you need to map your comm port, that you appear to have done successfully, then set yourself in the dialout group but I’m not convinced this has been done.

Actually @shutter, I've been thinking. Remove the existing symlink from your dosdevices directory put yourself in the dialout group then create the symlink. Fire up the software and I think you'll find things work after that.