Yesterday I finally managed to view dvds on my Debian Laptop. The only thing that was missing was to symlink /dev/dvd to /dev/cdrom.
I also got the cd-writer working using the new 2.6 way (i.e. not using SCSI emulation). After some googling and trial'n'error I found the missing option: cdrecord dev=ATA,:1,0,0 or cdrdao --device ATA:1,0,0
Today I also got my USB audio device working. I bought it years ago in Berlin, but it never worked with Linux. After some research I found a very helpful tip: The USB device has to be plugged in prior to booting! Else it cannot override the build-in soundcard. Well, now it's working and I'm currently recording "A grand don't come for free" from the Streets, so I can burn it to CD as a present for my mother (she actually asked for something from the Streets...)
Oh, in case you're wondering why I don't just rip the CD: I don't by CDs, I buy vinyl. I bought it years ago, because vinyls are just nicer than CDs. And I buy them now, because there's no digital restriction management on them! Take that, RIAA et.al.! (and of course vinyl is still nicer than polycarbonate)
For some reason I misread that and imagined Han Solo encased in vinyl
