A bit of an update.
Well I decided not to abandon the idea after all and give it another go.
Along with the info in your replies (thanks again) and some other stuff I found on the net I now have:
Drawterm working on the host and my laptop.
Networking is now working and I can access the internet using abaco.
I can work completely in plan 9 if I want to and move files around between it and the host using drawterm.
I'm still trying to figure out how to get cifs working so am still working on that.
I have figured out how to access the CD drive. However, guestadditions won't install, but I didn't think they would, just wanted to make sure.
The whole 'everything is a file' thing is starting to become a little more clear now.
What has surprised me is how much I like working in plan 9, particularly acme. I've even grown to like the way it looks including the colours. It doesn't get in the way. I'm fortunate that most of what I do is text based so I only need to dive into Windows or Linux for graphics stuff etc.
Does anyone work exclusively in plan 9 or is that not feasible so you think?
Thanks for your help again.
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 20:57:39 +0100
> From: begnoc@gmail.com
> To: 9fans@9fans.net
> Subject: Re: [9fans] How to access CD drive?
>
> Cifs on windows 7 worked for me after doing the registry workaround
> mentioned in the README of cifs
>
> 2014-03-09 18:02 GMT+01:00, Skip Tavakkolian <skip.tavakkolian@gmail.com>:
> > unfortunately virtualbox "shared folders" would require a special driver
> > [1] on the guest (i.e. Plan 9) os. the easier route is to figure out the
> > network and then use cifs (SMB client on plan9) or sftpfs to import the
> > host windows folders into plan 9. this is the recommended method [2] in
> > virtualbox documentation.
> >
> > [1] https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html#sharedfolders
> > [2] https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Sharing_files_on_OSE
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Mar 9, 2014 at 1:28 AM, Steve Foster <steve-jf@outlook.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi all.
> >>
> >> I'm new here and to plan 9.
> >>
> >> I'm the kind of person who doesn't always pick things up straight away,
> >> I'm a bit slow like that :-) The light bulb usually goes on - eventually.
> >> Sometimes I just need someone to flick the switch a few times. So if my
> >> questions come across as a bit dumb you'll know why.
> >>
> >> OK, so I'm new to Plan 9. I've managed to install it in virtualbox
> >> (Windows 7 host) and can log in and use it. I've also installed plan9port
> >> onto Lubuntu, also running in a virtual machine.
> >>
> >> Acme has become my main work environment now, I was an emacs user. I like
> >> acme a lot and spend most of my time in there (I'm writing this post in
> >> it). I use two screens; one with acme (plan9port) and the other with
> >> everything else. This set up is working well for me and I'm happy to
> >> carry
> >> on working like this.
> >>
> >> However, I would love to try working with acme in plan 9 itself. Well, I
> >> can use it with no problems (so far anyway), but I can't get networking
> >> or
> >> shared folders (virtualbox shared folders) working. This means,
> >> obviously,
> >> that plan 9 is isolated from the outside world so any work I do is stuck
> >> in
> >> there. Now, I'm trying ot get my head around the whole plan 9 thing and
> >> how
> >> it works. I admit I'm struggling with it, but don't want to give up just
> >> yet.
> >>
> >> So for starters, does anyone know how to get shared folders (virtualbox
> >> shared folders) working in plan 9, I have them working OK in Lubuntu so
> >> no
> >> problem there.? I know you have to install the virtualbox guest additions
> >> and this is easy to do, but...
> >>
> >> This shows how much of a doofus I am. I don't know how to access the CD
> >> drive in plan 9 which is where the guest additions would be installed
> >> from.
> >> How do I do this please? I have searched, but have not managed to find
> >> the
> >> answer, or maybe I have found it and didn't understand it.
> >>
> >> I've been reading the 9fan archives and realise that technically all you
> >> chaps are way above me (as you can tell from my question) so please be
> >> patient with me :-)
> >>
> >> I also can't get networking to work which may or may not be related to
> >> the
> >> above, I'm not sure. I have tried the different suggestions I've found,
> >> but
> >> nothing seems to work. If I could just get shared folders working that
> >> would be great to start with.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Steve.
> >>
> >
>