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Getti ng Started Wi th Li nux Part One

Through various forums and people I know, I have seen many people start
using Linux and then give up, whether through frustration or any other
difficulties. I thought I should write an article on what I believe the best
strategy is to begin your journey into the fabulous world of Linux.

First a bit of History, for those of you that don't know, Linux does not refer
to an operating system as such but a kernel. (h ttp://en .wik ipedia.or g
/wik i/Ker n el_%28com puter _scien ce%29) Windows 2000 used the NT
kernel, SUSE (h ttp://www.n ovell.com /lin ux/) uses the Linux kernel. I won't
go into too much depth on that issue, but it is worth noting the difference
although most people will refer to a Linux based Operating System as
Linux.

The most important thing is to evaluate why you want to use Linux, it is an
alternative not a replacement for Windows. If you are wanting to use Linux
for its benefits - stability, Open Source ethos, configurability - then you are
making the right decision. If however you are wanting to use Linux because
you are fed up of Malware, fed up of MS or similar issues, whilst these are
not wrong reasons to use Linux you may encounter a few difficulties. This is
purely because it suggests you are planning to use Linux on the basis of
having heard rumours, and have not really evaluated the pros and cons.

Before installing Linux I really encourage you to do a bit of groundwork, try

a live CD such as Knoppix. (h ttp://k n oppix.or g/) A Live CD is an Operating
system that runs entirely from a CD (or indeed a DVD), it does not require
you to save anything to your hard drive, although many do have the option
to save settings to a USB drive.
I also recommend buying a Linux magazine, try to read through it as you
will gain a better understanding, Linux Format
(h ttp://www.lin uxfor m at.co.uk /) is particularly good. Many magazines also
come with coverdisks including software and Distributions. They do not
always include Live CDs but the information that can be gained from within
is invaluable none the less.

A live CD will allow you to play around with the OS a bit before making any
changes to your system. If you have a specific distribution in mind (i.e.
Mandriva (h ttp://www.m an dr iva.com /) , Ubuntu
(h ttp://www.ubun tu.com /) , or even Gentoo (h ttp://www.gen too.or g/) ) then
I would also recommend trying to obtain a Live CD of that distribution. All
three mentioned have live CDs although if you are starting out on Linux I
would not recommend jumping straight in with Gentoo, wonderful as it is, it

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can be very intimidating. Trying the live CD of your distribution of choice

will allow you to decide whether you like that distribution. I usually
recommend either Mandriva or Ubuntu for people starting out, to me they
are the most 'newbie friendly.' I heavily recommend trying Live CDs of
various distributions before deciding which to install, most importantly
remember that the distro is running from the CD/DVD so it will run far
more quickly once you have installed the distro onto your hard drive.
You may wish to try taking a distro choosing questionnaire such as the one
at Zegeniestudios.net, (h ttp://www.zegen iestudios.n et
/ldc/in dex.ph p?fir sttim e=tr ue) or the one at Voidofmind.com.
(h ttp://eedok .voidofm in d.com /lin ux/ch ooser .h tm l) These questionnaires in
particular seems to be capable of quite amazing accuracy, answer the
questions honestly and it may well suggest the distro you fall in love with. It
is also worth looking at www.distrowatch.com to get more information
about various distributions.

Once you have tried a live CD then you will most likely want to install a
distribution onto your hard drive, this article is not written to be distro
specific so there are only a few tips for this section of the article.

If you intend to keep windows on your computer (a very good idea for the
time being) then defragment your hard drive in windows, several times is
recommended
backup any important files
pay close attention to any help tips the installer offers you

The backup is important in as much as whenever you make any changes to

your system you should always ensure you have a backup first, trust me I
have been there.
When offered the packages you want to install try to avoid thinking "well I
may use that at some point" its far easier to just install it later if needs be,
there is nothing worse than sitting waiting for an installation to finish

OK so now theoretically you have Linux installed, but now what do you do?
The easy answer is play! The mistake that many people seem to make is
expecting it to be like Windows, it isn't. Try and find a task to do, even if its
just word processing a quick document. I once read that regular drivers
make better drivers, the same goes for Linux users, if you boot into Linux to
tinker once in a while you will develop your skills far more slowly than if
you regularly use Linux.
The way I committed myself to using Linux was to say that all my GCSE (OK
so it was a while back) work was going to be done on a non-MS OS. I
struggled at first, but everyone does. Don't let setbacks dishearten you, it is
a new system and it takes a little while to adapt.

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Linux does have both benefits and drawbacks (as does Windows and any
other Operating System).
Package Management is a major benefit for many users; Most Distro's have
a package management system whereby you select a package (i.e. A Media
Player), click install and then the system installs not only that package but
any dependancies (Packages that your package requires to run properly).
Packages can often be installed in minutes with just one click. Easy huh?
One drawback you may experience with Linux, is that not all distro's
support MP3 playback out of the box (most do though), you may have to
install support. The reason for this is not a fault of Linux, it is a licensing
issue, The MP3 format is owned by the Fraunhover institute. Installing
support is usually quite easy however, there is a good guide for doing this
on Fedora here. (h ttp://br an don h utch in son .com /Fedor a_Helper .h tm l)
Similarly no Linux distro ships with support for DVD playback, this is due to
contraversial laws such as the DMCA (h ttp://en .wik ipedia.or g
/wik i/Digital_Millen n ium _Copyr igh t_Act) in the US, and the amendments
to the Copyright, Designs and patents act (h ttp://www.law.duk e.edu
/j our n als/dltr /ar ticles/2004dltr 0003.h tm l) in the UK. The library (Decss)
used to decrypt an encrypted DVD is perceived as a circumvention of an
effective technical measure and is therefore illegal in the UK and the US.
This is why no Distro ships with support, however the library is easily
installable and available. The library is widely used, and no one I have ever
heard of has been prosecuted for its use, its legality is more the result of
over zealous Media corporations lobbying for the change in laws.

You may think differently, but for me the best way to learn was to try and
learn the commands for everything rather than relying on the GUI's. That is
however just my learning style, I prefer to go in head first and try to sort
out my broken neck later, if you prefer to ease yourself in take that
method.
Just try to find yourself tasks (even if you have to invent nonsensical tasks)
to do from within Linux, and gradually increase the difficulty of the tasks.
Below is an example of a list you could use

Word process a document

browse the internet
Listen to music
view the network settings of your computer
Set up a webserver - easier than it sounds
Configure your printer - again can be easier than it sounds but not always
View the boot parameters for your system
Install updates for your system

Now at first glance parts of that list are very intimidating, however you
need to rememeber that there is a vast amount of resources on the Internet,

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Google searches (h ttp://www.google.com /) are invaluable, as are forums

such as those on Linux Format. (h ttp://www.lin uxfor m at.co.uk /) In the
same way you relied on information from other people when you first used
Windows you can do so with Linux.

You will find the online community very helpful and supportive so long as
you do a bit of the work yourself, that means read any relevant available
documentation before posting a question to a forum. If you cannot find a
question then ensure you post the question to a forum where it will not be
Off-topic (asking about a graphics card in a Discussion forum when there is
a Hardware forum readily available, is not a good idea), and include any
relevant information you have, these should include

Details of any hardware (especially if its that you are having problems
with)
Which Distro you are running (i.e. Gentoo, Mandriva, Fedora, Ubuntu etc.)
Which Desktop Environment you are running (i.e. KDE, Gnome, XFCE etc.)
The results of running uname -r from a console
Details of the problem, including any error messages you have got
Ensure your post has an informative title or it may not get read
Try to avoid saying "it should work like it does on Windows," this will only
irritate people

The Linux community is here to help you, however you do need to provide
enough information when you have a problem that someone may better be
able to help you. A good (if rather arrogant) guide to how to ask questions
properly can be found here. (h ttp://www.catb.or g/esr /faqs/sm ar t-
question s.h tm l) The forum that is most likely to be best able to help you is
the forums for your distro, Ubuntu, Gentoo and Mandriva all have their own
forums. Many other distros do as well, although you may find that it is also
helpful to ask on a non distro specific forum such as Linux Format.
(h ttp://www.lin uxfor m at.co.uk /) Before posting rememeber to search the
Forums with relevant keywords in case someone else has experienced the
issues you are experiencing.

Many people are put off using Linux by stories of "Linux is really difficult to
use", its not so much a case of being difficult to use as being different.
When helping someone start with Linux I usually categorise them within
one of three groups

Basic user

This user uses the Computer as a device, they do not know or care how it
works overly, they just want to be able to boot up and use a word processing
application, listen to music, or browse the internet.

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Power User

This user knows exactly how to use Windows, they can configure IIS, change
user settings, manage acocunts and much much more. Generally these
users proclaim that they know exactly how to use a computer when asking
for help.

Advanced User

This user knows exactly how a computer works, they can explain what an
IRQ is, know how to resolve IRQ conflicts whether through the OS or the
BIOS. They can use Windows to the same or higher level as a Power user,
but they have a good understanding of computer technology.

Of the three the person who suffers more when migrating to Linux is the
Power user, s/he believes they know how to use a computer when what they
in fact know is how to use Windows. They often get frustrated and say
things like Windows can do it why can't Linux? 99% of the time Linux can
but they are trying to do it in the way you would with Windows. Before
using Linux you need to understand that Windows and Linux are very
different, Linux is an Alternative not a replacement.
(h ttp://lin ux.on ean don eis2.or g/LNW1.h tm )

Many have said that Linux is not ready for the Desktop, this is not true, I
use Linux on all of my machines, servers and Desktops alike and no longer
even have Windows installed. There were a few setbacks on my journey
through the world of Linux it is true, in fact there were a number of times I
gave in and just used Windows, but I persevered with trying to find a distro
I like. Once you find a distro that just kind of clicks it is easy, for me it was
Gentoo. I have to admit though the experience gained through using other
distros was invaluable, trying to use Gentoo without a basic knowledge of
Linux is very intimidating although the learning curve does do one good.

To Summarise if you wish to begin using Linux there are a number of things
you should do.

'shop around' for a Distro that you like, Live CDs are particularly useful
for this.
Once you have installed your distro of choice, set yourself tasks to do, this
will allow you to get used to the system
Make good use of the resources available whenever you encounter
difficulties
Don't be afraid to ask questions
Remember that Linux is not Windows!
Above all, persevere!

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I hope this article has been of some use to you, and that you enjoy using
Linux

Shifty_Ben (../about.h tm l)

Getti ng Started Wi th Li nux Introducti on - Why use Li nux? (http://benscomputer. no-

ip. org/Articles/getting_startedintro. html)

Getti ng Started wi th Li nux Introducti on Part 2 - Hardware (http://benscomputer. no-

ip. org/Articles/getting_startedintro2. html)

Getti ng Started Wi th Li nux (http://benscomputer. no-ip. org/Articles/getting_started. html)

Getti ng Started Wi th Li nux Part 2 - Instal l i ng Software (http://benscomputer. no-ip. org
/Articles/getting_started2. html)

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