Linux. Start here!

[Dippyskoodlez]

I have recently ventured into the vast world of linux.. and I must say I am quite happy. While trying this and still very much learning I have searched endlessly for an easy guide to getting linux going and a good support place for it, but not able to find much, I have begun this. My guide to linux. I would like everyone to feel free to contribute knowledge to fill in holes you find in this guide. Hopefully once its grown a fair bit, it will earn its spot on the TPU front page.

Nothing like an open source guide to an open source operating system!

Introduction to linux
Linux is a unique creation. This guide is aimed primarily at those computer enthusiasts that have grown up with windows, and thats all you know, but are very interested in linux. Thats where I came from. I had always been a windows buff and pretty decent with mac os X now, but i have always struggled with linux. But no more!

Originally Posted by Migons

Here's kind of wizard that tells you which distro(s) would suit you the best:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/in...firsttime=true

Getting started
Materials needed: A CD-r or two(or more) depending on the distro (Possibly even a DvD-R), free hard drive space, time, and willingness to learn. Pretty easy eh?

First we'll look at Distros.


I would like to suggest a site a friend introduced me to, http://distrowatch.com . They keep an updated list of the top distros and provide a lot of information about a distro aswall as reliable mirrors to download them.

Good begining distros are:
Ubuntu
Mint Linux
Mandriva
Suse
Xandros
Linspire
Debian
Vector
Fedora

Ubuntu has a program set up that they can send you a few free CD's. This is a very nice package, especially for people like me that hand it out to anyone that wants one.. The package comes with a Ubuntu Install CD and a Live CD.



Live CD's

Live CD's are a very cool addition to the OS toolkit. Instead of booting to the CD, allocating hard drive space for the install and starting it up, using a live cd you can boot and have a working OS right there. It never touches your hard drive so if you mess something up or get confused, just power off and your computer is back to the way it was before.

Very good live CD's are all over. This will also help with determining compatability with your system before wasting time to install and to find out its gonna freak out on ya

Installation
This is a quick guide to help a beginner with installing uBuntu. Required: 1 computer (To install to!), 1 ubuntu 9.04 CD, and all your old data backed up! This will also work for Virtual machines.

Insert the CD, and make sure your computer is set up to boot to the CDROM.




After letting the CD boot with defaults, it will let you select your language. Default is english. Not pressing anything will eventually lead you to this screen.



Double click Install, and it will bring up a wizard to guide you. Select your language, time zone, keyboard layout, and then bring you to the partition management screen. If you have windows installed, it should provide an option to leave windows there, except resizing the partition if necessary. This is an easy way to quickly dual boot. If you are installing to a clean drive, the default should work.



Next, choose your username, password, network name, and log in preferences.



Confirm your settings on the last slide, and Install.

After installation, ENJOY

[Dippyskoodlez]

The History Of Linux

Originally Posted by Solaris17

here is a very good page not to detailed just somewhat watered down version of the history of linux this really doesnt have any "real" value to the guide but i thought it important. History o linux

odd fact: linus choose "Tux" the penguin as the mascoot because while far down below in the southern hemisphere linus wlaked up to one to take a closer look and it bit his finger. here is a link to the history of "Tux" Tux

Linux Kernel Information!

[Solaris17]

All right i need to leave in like 5min. so i can contribute very little.
First if anybody who has never tried,used or seen linux and is intrested here is a site i usually go to. www.linuxiso.org/ here you can download linux .iso files and burn them to a cd.

For begginers and ppl who can read my bad spelling here are some usefull distros that arent too challenging to begin with.

Ubantu
Suse
XanderOS
Debian
Linspire
Vector
Fedora Core
Mandriva
Mandrake
^ i tried to make that list in order from easyest to hardest but their isnt that much diff.

** ill put more sites up later and a list for more experianced users though the ones above would be exellent for experianced users also because linux is so flexible it really doesnt matter.**

Experianced users
Gentoo

also u can get live cd's for those who maybe just whant to try it. though usually u have the option to try it or install at boot here are a couple names.

Live Cd's
Knoppix
Overclockix
Damn Small Linux
Linspire

remember usually while running live(off the disc) your options may be limited so if things dont work right or u cant figure something out its to be expected.Also most Distrobutions come with or have (on a seperate disk) a live cd option. so go ahead try and experiment

ok guys im off to school later.


**Edit: thats the other site DistroWatch this site is better than linuxiso and offers more.

[zAAm]

I think you meant http://distrowatch.com Dippyskoodlez. Or you know of another site that's offline atm? I used Mandriva. Version 10 I think. Just a hassle to install ATI drivers. No 3D Acceleration...

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by zAAm

I think you meant http://distrowatch.com Dippyskoodlez. Or you know of another site that's offline atm? I used Mandriva. Version 10 I think. Just a hassle to install ATI drivers. No 3D Acceleration...

ooh guess it is.. lol http://distrowatch.org works aswell.. but redirects.. ty

[Anarion]

well this is realy a nice work to be done . but afaik or afa i used , linux just mean server .

many years ago ,me , have been in some os developments group, on an old BBS , we design alot of net figure those days but @last we put it away coz it was huge (we don't know well somethings those days &.... laziness) well said all of this to conclude with just one word .

open source mean poor . don't leave it , learn , but never hope high ,

[DanTheBanjoman]

Might be handy to install VMware or VirtualPC to try out Linux if you're new to it. Goes for any OS actually.

[Anarion]

Bochs is better (u have everything in ctrl )

[Solaris17]

The History Of Linux

here is a very good page not to detailed just somewhat watered down version of the history of linux this really doesnt have any "real" value to the guide but i thought it important. History o linux

odd fact: linus choose "Tux" the penguin as the mascoot because while far down below in the southern hemisphere linus wlaked up to one to take a closer look and it bit his finger. here is a link to the history of "Tux" Tux

if anything i have written is wrong do feel free to correct me.

and if your new to linux dont be overcome by the scope or sophistication of this operating system it is very fun it is a bit challenging yes but not very and whats life without a tad bit of challenge

[Migons]

Here's kind of wizard that tells you which distro(s) would suit you the best:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/in...firsttime=true

(ps. thanks for the Linux section, actually 80% of our household's comps are Linuxes/Unixes )

[W1zzard]

Originally Posted by Migons

Here's kind of wizard that tells you which distro(s) would suit you the best:
http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/in...firsttime=true

(ps. thanks for the Linux section, actually 80% of our household's comps are Linuxes/Unixes )

gave me fedora, what i already use

where's the "i dont need one" answer when it asks for which desktop you like ?

[Migons]

Originally Posted by W1zzard

where's the "i dont need one" answer when it asks for which desktop you like ?

Heh, maybe they're boycotting non-gui users..

[W1zzard]

gui is for the weak

[Thermopylae_480]

There is something satisfying about a text based interface. I don't know if its flexibility or nostalgia for the old DOS days.

[W1zzard]

it's the most flexible way of doing things for me. also it's often faster to do something.

[Dippyskoodlez]

lol it gave me: Mandriva, Suse, Kubuntu, debian and mepis..

hehe.. and I run mandriva.. works for me..

[CUSACKOTG]

i have suse 10.0 on 40gb hdd- installed but i wish to wipe it- cant remember the partitioning - was a few weeks ago now- i want to wipe the disk and start again- slowly- installing suse 10.o again.

what disk formatting utilities can i use- apart from the one which is already on the suse disk 1 that is.
......?

apol. for the newbie/ dummie qu's but have only been into computers for a couple of years and i like to think than i learn somethin new everi day

thanks in advance

jl

[W1zzard]

mkfs formats a partition

[PVTCaboose1337]

I got Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian...

Guess what? I use Ubuntu indeed!

That test is correct for me...

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by PVTCaboose1337

I got Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian...

Guess what? I use Ubuntu indeed!

That test is correct for me...

they need to add os x..

[Migons]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

they need to add os x..

I hope they won't, it's not Linux, even though Darwin is UNIX derivate.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by Migons

I hope they won't, it's not Linux, even though Darwin is UNIX derivate.

its so much nicer than windows, and its very similar to linux.. i would say learning linux using mac os x as an intro would be very effective.. the terminal behaves just like it would in linux.. and its a bit harder to kill things

then again, it isnt free

There is a darwin tho.. but its definatly not user friendly yet and probably never will be.

[Migons]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

its so much nicer than windows, and its very similar to linux.. i would say learning linux using mac os x as an intro would be very effective.. the terminal behaves just like it would in linux.. and its a bit harder to kill things

You're right, but why to list Mac OS X while Linux with KDE/Gnome is so similar to it? Well, almost.. BSDs aren't listed either, even they are pretty similar to Linuxes too.

In my opinion, it almost exactly same to learn Linux in real Linux or Mac OS... But of course it's better to learn Linux in Linux

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by Migons

You're right, but why to list Mac OS X while Linux with KDE/Gnome is so similar to it? Well, almost.. BSDs aren't listed either, even they are pretty similar to Linuxes too.

In my opinion, it almost exactly same to learn Linux in real Linux or Mac OS... But of course it's better to learn Linux in Linux

yeah, but apples aqua gui is... just.. soooo much better than KDE or gnome will ever be

[Migons]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

yeah, but apples aqua gui is... just.. soooo much better than KDE or gnome will ever be

But KDE and Gnome (and others) are soooooooo much cheaper than Aqua will ever be