Linux Q & A

[Fraser]

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST. PLEASE DO NOT POST TO THIS THREAD

I am starting this thread for the benefit of Linux new-starts just like me.

I need to learn. Simonk83 needs to Learn. Others need to learn. Matt Bottrell, Axcairns and others know the answers.

Given that Swiftel won't let us moderate the forums, the only way this will work is if the forum members exercise a lot of self discipline.

This Means "Internal Moderation!"

I am volunteering to moderate-by-PM, and have asked Matt Bottrell assist.

To maintain some degree of order and sanity, and to ensure that what we finish up with is useable for any Linux newbie, rather than just a pot-pourri of posts, I ask anyone with a linux question to PM me [Fraser] . I will number the questions, index them, and post them to this thread and acknowledge the asker.

Anyone with answers to those questions please PM them to Matt Bottrell [mbottrell] . Matt will compile the answer and PM it to me. I will then edit the question to add the answer.

This process will depend upon the goodwill of all not to post directly here. I will politely PM anyone who does and request that they delete their post. Ongoing discussion on Linux is still available in the Linux 101 thread.

If all goes according to plan, we will build a good, accessible and sensible Linux Q&A.

Suggestions for improvement are welcomed.

[Fraser]

INDEX OF QUESTIONS ASKED SO FAR

1. What, exactly, is Linux?
2. What are the benefits and drawbacks of Linux?
3. Is there an easy way to try Linux?
4. What is a "distro"?
5. What are all the different types of Linux?
6. What is Lindows/Linspire?
7. Where can I get Linux for Free?
8. How do I download a Linux Distro?
9. How do I burn an "iso" to make a bootable linux install CD?
10. What does Linux do to the hard drive when it installs itself?
11. What Does a computer with Linux installed look like?
12. What packages/programs are part of a "default" Linux installation?
13. What are Gnome and KDE?
14. Does Linux have an equivalent for ...?
15. Is Linux Secure from viruses and hackers?
16. Is here somewhere I can go for Linux help and support?
17. Where can I find all the free Linux software packages?
18. How do I install a Linux software package?
19. What is/are Tar and Tar/GZ files and how do I deal with them?
20. If I have a home network, will the Windows machines and Linux machines talk to each other?
21. Can I use a Linux PC as a server for the Windows PCs on my home network?
22. Can I run (host) my personal website from home on Linux?
23. What should I do before I make that final move to Linux?
24. Can I run any of my old Windows programs on Linux?
25. What, exactly, is "Wine"?..and where can I learn more?
26. How is Linux Organised?
27. What does a typical Linux Directory Structure look like?
28. Can I set up my PC to boot into either Windows or Linux?

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser, improvement by YMO and axcairns

Linux is a computer operating system for stand-alone computers and workstations. Linux is a derivation from the UNIX operating system, but does not actually use any of the the UNIX code.

The UNIX operating system was designed to let a number of programmers access the computer at the same time and share its resources.

The UNIX system (pre-dating Windows by many years)coordinates the use of the computer's resources, allowing one person, for example, to run a spell check program while another creates a document, lets another edit a document while another creates graphics, and lets another user format a document -- all at the same time, with each user oblivious to the activities of the others. This real-time sharing of resources make UNIX one of the most powerful operating systems ever.

While initially designed for medium-sized so-called "minicomputers" of teh 1970s, the operating system was soon moved to larger, more powerful mainframe computers. The Internet still pretty much runs on UNIX, albeit a more refined form.

The "Linux" project started in Sweden as a university project by a then student named Linus Torvalds. The project was to re-write UNIX to run on a personal computer. The first version of Linux was released in 1991.

Linus Torvald's thesis (Linux) was made freely available, and is "licensed" under what is known as the General Public Licence (GPL). This license allows anyone, anywhere to make any modification or improvement to the system, provided that modification or improvement is also made freely available to anyone who wishes to use it.

Over the years Linux has been added to and refined by lots of other computer programmers.

The upshot has been that some of the world's smartest geeks and nerds have got their hands on Linux, and developed it to what it is now, and created lots of software packages to run on it. Working unpaid, they have a collective brain-power vastly exceeding Microsoft and a people resource around the world driven by pride in what they can achieve, rather than by dollars and profits. This means that any glitch in a Linux program or software package is usually fixed pretty much as soon as it is noticed, and that fix is by free issue of a patch or a whole new updated package.

The newest distributions (Distros) of Linux compare favourably with Windows in both look and feel, and best of all, they are free!

Because development of Linux has been by co-operative effort across the Intenet, nobody actually owns it. The downside of this is that development can be haphazard at times, but most "brand-name" Linux distributions are extremely reliable and stable, and much more so than Windows is perceived to be.

Much of the software designed to run on linux has also been developed and devised by geeks and nerds, but some has been licensed as "open-source" by companies such as Netscape, Sun Microsystems and others, who wish to see their own UNIX style platforms continue to receive support in the face of the marketing onslaught by Microsoft.

In short, there is little or nothing that can be done on Windows that cannot be done better, faster and on a lower spec PC by Linux.

...and all for free!

...BUT... TINSTAAFL [there is no such thing as a free lunch]

In this case the payment is in your time.


Don't foget... there was once a time before you had Windows, when it seemd that learning to run Windows would be difficult. Most people now run Windows as easily as they drive a car... and only the particularly interested ever bother to look below the bonnet.

Linux looks like Windows, acts like Windows, but, after all is not Windows. This means it may take a few hours to a few days to a few weeks to gain the level of mastery that you need in order to run Linux to the depth of understanding that you now run Windows.

Trouble is, Windows does not come with a "Haynes" technical manual. Linux Does ...and those same geeks and nerds that wrote the software, documented it all the way through.

want to know how to do something with Linux? Take a look at the Linux "Howto" files, and you'll see what we mean.

linux "Howto" files (http://howtos.linux.com/howtos/HOWTO-INDEX/categories.shtml)

[Fraser]

Question by simonk83


Answer: by Matt Bottrell

Benefits:

No Microsoft...

Much of the software is free...

Better response time, made for the Internet (not an afterthought like Windows)

Lack of viruses (though there are some... no where near as many).

Do it your way... UNIX/Linux allows you about 100 different ways to do a job. So you choose it the way you like...including tasks, desktops, applications.

Cost....

Not as memory/CPU hungry... means your hardware is still viable much longer.

1000's of applications available for just about everything!


Drawbacks:

Some 'brand-name' applications aren't available (Microsoft Office, Macromedia Devleopment Tools)... though other tools that supplant them are available (such as OpenOffice and NVU or BlueFish!)

Game Support - though many games are now available on Linux... and more support is coming.

Sites using ActiveX objects don't load. Though your need for them isn't as high -- as the biggest one is Windows Update!

Windows Media Player - not available.. though one Distro just bought rights to the codecs. A player is in beta.

Funnily enough no Microsoft software works. (Windows Messenger -- ports available for MSN such as GAIM), Visual Basic, Access, etc.

All in all... you will find software that caters for your needs.... and more and more quality software is coming out... most of which is under GPL (OpenSource).

The biggest drawback is probably Games. Most business apps and general applications have equiv. programs under Linux.

You can survive in a Windows-free world... if you can do without your games...

You can always purchase VMWare... and run Windows as a 'virtual machine)' under Linux... if you REALLY need that application.

You can also utilise Remote Desktop from Linux and just leave one computer with Windows running. I do this for MYOB and Flash development. (until both get native Linux ports).

[Fraser]

Answer answer compiled from comments from Matt Bottrell, rbirdman, axcairns, dagdog, and others

A full Linux install will re-format your hard drive and add partitions to suit the linux distribution.

If you have a spare PC it is easy to install Linux on that to have a play around. If not, there is an alternative. It is called "Knoppix". Knoppix is based upon 'Debian" Linux.

KNOPPIX is a bootable CD with a collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. Knoppix can be used as a Linux demo. It is not necessary to install anything on a hard disk.

Knoppix can run without 'installing' or removing Windows. Handy for a try-before-you buy approach.


You set up your PC to boot from a CD and pop a Knoppix CD into the drive. Knoppix will run from the CD without otherwise affecting your current Windows Installation. ...and when you are done, remove the CD, re-boot and Windows is back again.

Remember that knoppix is a "cut-down" version when compared to other "brand-name" Linux "distros", and may not have many of the refinements that are now available.

Where do you get knoppix if you want to have a play around?

Read the knoppix FAQ:
http://mirror.pacific.net.au/knoppix/KNOPPIX-FAQ-EN.txt

Get the knoppix file from:
http://www.knoppix.net/

in fact, there are many live CD linuxes out there. Most large Linux distros now produce a live CD version.

[Fraser]

Answer Mostly courtesy of the Melbourne Users Group Website and Linux.org

A Distro, or "Distribution" is a release of a copy of a Linux operating system.

Each distribution has its own set of features and functionality that makes it unique -- some distributions are available for download at no charge, others are provided on CD or floppy disk and have a (usually) nominal charge associated with them.

As you may know by now, there are more than a few Linux Distributions out there. There are popular commercial ones such as Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, TurboLinux and more, and there are ones like Debian which are completely non-profit and stays alive by relying on volunteers and the occasional donation.

Many Linux users are passionate about their choice of distribution, and hence it is best never to say that one distribution is better than another. Each distribution suits a different person and sometimes they are geared towards different tasks as well.

When starting out it is advisable that you have a play with the different distributions. Red Hat is by far the most recognised distribution, but there are others as well that are quite good and you should play with a few of them and decide which ones you like.

Linux companies such as Red Hat and Mandrake have more than one distribution, but to put it in a nutshell, they both have a free product and a commercial product range. You can legally use their free product for as long as you like but don't expect the respective companies to help you when you have a problem -
...thats where this forum comes in!

[Fraser]

answer by Matt Bottrell, improved by axcairns

Yes there a literally hundred of Linux distros out there. :eek: For the newcomer it can be a bit of a mine field.

Why you might ask? The reason is simple .... cause we can! :p No serious, it's because many distros are setup specifically do one particular thing very well... whilst others are better at other things. :) (Gawd that is shocking grammer!)

For those new to Linux I would recommend that you look at one of the 'name-brand' Distros...

There are a few reasons for this:


Support is easier.. as many people use them. So they can help :)

GUI tools are normally included in the well known Distros to automate much of the job.

Each distro is about 95% the same, it's the icing and package management/administration that differs.

Name-brands generally have better automatic detection of hardware.. so less time setting up and more time 'using' ;)

There are some excellent distros that new users to Linux should look at:


Knoppix. CD-based... can run without 'installing' or removing Windows. Handy for a try-before-you buy approach.

Redhat Fedora Core - This is the free version from Redhat + Community. Very slick, good admin tools and excellent install program. :)

SuSE - It's German... so of course it's engineered well! ;) Now owned by Novell... so you're bound to end up with a damn nice distro.

Mandrake - Another excellent Distro... good Desktop support . Mandrake is considered one of the most n00b friendly.


There are other more 'advanced' Distros that I don't recommend to new users... these include:


Gentoo - [pronounced "Jentoo"] you need to compile your operating system from source (or a large hunk of it). Unless you have days to burn... forget it. :p Good for a 'spare machine'... not good for your ONLY machine.

Debian - The Stable version is outdated, the Latest version is 'bleeding edge' and isn't officially supported... including Security/Bug Fixes. :(

Slackware - The old world Linux. One of the cleanest and oldest.. but does require intimate knowledge of Linux to get it humming well.

Again... others will dispute these calls.... however it's my personal spin having used all of them over some 9-10 odd years with Linux.. and observing many ppl come across from the Dark Side and assist them. :)

Axcairns, "Gentoo has great package and dependency management utilities - IMHO the best I've seen. Also there is a Gentoo Reference Platform (GRP) install that only compiles a bare minimum - you can be up and running in under 24 hours! Not a choice for n00bs though."

Axcairns "Debian also has excellent package management. Far better than any RPM based (eg. Red Hat, Suse, Mandrake). Also, the stable version is called that for a reason. If you are after rock solid reliability go for Debian. And they do issue bug fixes and security patches."

Fraser, "Been playing with Red Hat fedora Core 2. Magnificently easy to set up and run. Has a familiar look and feel, and lovely graphics, if you're into that sort of thing. Well worth a look for a newbie.

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser

Linspire is the new name for the OS formerly known as Lindows.

advertising blurb

"LinspireTM is a full-featured operating system like Microsoft Windows XP or Apple Mac OSX. Linspire offers you the power, stability and cost-savings of Linux with the ease of a windows environment."

What this means is that Lindows/ Linspire is a commercial package, and unlike Linux, is not "free". Linspire users are required to licence their OS. Probably worth mentioning that Linspire is 'Debian' based

Linspire is, however, cheap, compared to Windows, at only about US$45, and from time-to time they allow free download and licencing.

Linspire acts like a cross-over between Windows and Linux. It has a smooth professional feel, and a lot of the functions and names are very similar to those used by Windows.

Linspire comes with a whole load of appplications such as a windows compatable office suite and web browser already installed.

For anyone wanting a cheaper operating system than Windows, Linspire might be a good startpoint.

Although Linspire will run the freely available software packages Linspire also offers commercial packages, games and add-ons, that are downloadable for a fee using an install system called "Click'n'run". packages are cheap when compared to Microsoft or other software manufacturers' equiavalenst, but still more expensive than the "free" of true Linux.

Linspire is a 620MB download, and is detail is available here:

http://www.linspire.com/sales_intro.php

Fraser,"I've been playing with Linspire 4.5 . It needs about a 1MHz+ CPU and 256 meg of RAM to run at a reasonable rate, so that puts its hardware demand somewhat similar to Windows XP. Other than that, easy to install, and easy to run once the installation is complete. Will easily install on an empty partition beside an existing windows installation, and will boot into Linspire, but offer you the chance to go to "MZ", presumably "Microsoft Zone", if you want to boot Windows instead. Auto-recognition of hardware is excellent."

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser, improved by axcairns

Linux Distros are available by free download from a large number of Linux sites and mirror sites (assuming you don't run over your own ISP dowload quota).

It is not unusual for computer magazine cover-disks to have Linux Distros from time to time.

If you live an a metropolitan area, look out for computer fairs or swap-meets. there is often a Linux stall, or Linux User-group stand where you can buy a copy of a Linux Distro for pretty much the cost of the blank CDs.

For WA Swiftel users, the pacific internet mirror (mirror.pacific.net.au) and 3fl mirror (mirror.wa.3fl.net) are FREE FREE FREE.

Awaiting response regarding sites, (including Swiftel's own file sites) bit-torrent downloading.

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser

Linux Distros are available to download as "Image" files

Linux Distro Images are usually available in two formats: ISOs and SRCs. Unless you are already a guru, ignore the SRCs.

[for the technical, ISO sounds like an acronym for International Standards Organisation, but actually derives from a Greek word meaning "equal", and refers to the stardard that describes this format for CD writing]

Download the ISO for your selected Distro into a directory of your choice. Thereafter all you need to do is burn it to a CD. (Several Distros run to 3 or even 4 CDs, all as different ISO files.)

Distrowatch (http://www.distrowatch.com) is a great site for seeing what distro's are available.

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser

Fire up your CD Burner. Selected "Burn Image", and navigate to the image you want to burn, select it, and burn it to a blank CD. (Users of NERO prior to NERO 6 might find that they do not have an option to burn ISO files, but are offered NRG files instead. Simply select *.* as file type, and then the ISO you want to burn.)

The output is a bootable CD. (or, at least, CD#1 is bootable if there are a number of ISO images to the Distro).

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser, assisted by axcairns

Traditional "home" versions of Windows (Win 95, 98 & ME) are overlain on, or replace, "DOS" (an acronym for "disk operating system").

"Professional" versions of Windows, such as Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP are based upon a more stable variation of DOS.

To run Windows you need to create a "partition" on a hard drive (a fancy term that simply means allocating part of the hard drive for a particular purpose) and then "format" that partition (prepare the partition to receive data in a "format" that can later be retrieved).

You can choose to have only one partition on the hard drive (use all of it all at once) or set multiple partitions, that will appear as different drive-letters, (C:, D:, E: etc) when you boot your PC.

"Home" versions typically use an indexing system called a file allocation table (FAT), of which two types are avilable, defined by the size of data "chunks" in the index (FAT16 and FAT32). Since the introduction of Win98SE, FAT32 has progressively replaced FAT16 as the preferred format.

Windows NT/2000/XP use an alternative formatting system called (cleverly) NTFS (NT Formatting system).

When you install Linux, it offers to partition the hard drive for you.

Answer by Axcairns, edited by Fraser

Partitions -

Linux distibutions automatically set up three partitions during your install:

- Boot - this holds the kernel and boot manager. (typically 64MB). Recommended to keep separate from the data so you don't screw your kernel accidentally.
- Swap - this is the same as your swap file in windows. Usually double your physical RAM amount is fine.
- Data - everything else.

This sytem is the partitioning scheme recommended by gentoo, redhat and others. Other distro's use all sorts from one monolithic partition to dozens! Apparently some commercial UNIX environments use large numbers of partitions for performance and security reasons.

Probably worth mentioning that if you want a dual-boot system it it is best to install Windows first as Windows tends to wipe out any existing partitions. Partition the disk in advance to have a partition for Windows and a big remaining area for whatever Linux partitions you need


Detail awaited

[Fraser]

Answer; by axcairns, edited by Fraser

A bare Linux install looks a lot like DOS.

The GUI (graphical user interface... the mouse and windows bit) that comes with Linux distros is actually not Linux but made up of two parts - the graphical engine (eg. XFree) and the window manager/desktop environment (eg. KDE, GNOME, Fluxbox). Some look a lot like Windows (eg. taskbar, menu buttons, desktop icons) while others go in a completely different direction (eg. right-clicking on the desktop to get a 'start' menu).

One common trait is the use of multiple virtual desktops.

Windows 2000 and XP added this in their Powertoys but UNIX/Linix Window Managers did it first and better. KDE and Gnome are the front-runners and style themselve's 'desktop environments' because they deliver a lot more than just the window manager, including an integrated set of tools and utilities that you would expect in Windows (and many you would expect to pay for).

For a list of Window managers see
Here (http://www.linuxsoft.cz/en/sw_list.php?id_kategory=5 )

[Fraser]

Answer: by axcairns, edited by Fraser

Depends on the distro.

Some (Mandrake, Red Hat etc) install everything and the kitchen sink including multiple WM's, word processors, music players, browsers, instant messengers, terminals, spreadsheet programs, databases, games - the list goes on.

Other distros (gentoo!) install nothing and you add the bits you want.

The first approach is great for getting up and running quickly and having a great choice to play with and see what you like. The second approach is great if you know exactly what you need and want to avoid bloat.

During the installation routine he more commin noob-friendly Linux distros will generally ask whether you want it to run as:

A desktop PC
A server
A workstation
etc, etc

Depending on your choice, it will then offer a default installation of a mixed bag of packages to suit that usage. it will also offer a choice of manual selection of packages, which will ask what packages you want to be included in the installation.

The usual key choices are which Window manager (WM).
Fraser,"My own preference seems to be KDE, but Gnome is OK".

It will also ask which bootloader (the choices usually being either grub or lilo, but both do the same thing, and allow multiple boot systems.)

In any event, there is a lot of personal choice available with linux packages, thet windows just does not provide.

[Fraser]

Answer by Axcairns

Refer to Q11 & Q12.

KDE and Gnome (the top two window managers/desktop environments) are pretty much on par with Windows XP for bloat and performance. If you have old hardware consider an alternative like xfce4, icewm or fluxbox.

Answer by Fraser

KDE and Gnome are variations of Graphical User Interface (GUI) front-end. the thing that looks and acts like Windows, and when you click with the mouse, converts that click to an instruction that gets the outcome you want.

(Think about how Win95 looks different from Win XP, but acts in pretty much the same way when you point and click)

KDE and Gnome are the most common GUI front-ends, and both look and feel pretty good, but its all down to personal preference. Others are available to try if you want.

If you are used to running Windows, the new Linux WMs will be very, very familiar.

[Fraser]

Answer by Fraser, axcairns

Linux often has several equivalent and Windows-compatable versions of free software. The packages below do pretty much what their Windows equivalent does, they can run Windows-equivalent files, and the output can be read by Windows...

This list will be updated as forum members provide information.

Windows Program --- Linux Package

Internet Explorer --- Mozilla/Firefox
MS Office --- Open Office
Outlook --- Evolution
Access --- MySQL/PostgreSQL
Outlook --- Mozilla/MozillaThunderbird/Sylpheed/Evolution/Opera/KMail.
Internet Explorer --- Mozilla/Mozilla Firebird/Opera/Konqueror/Epiphany/Galleon.
MS Office --- Open Office.org/Koffice.
Word --- Abiword.
MS-Project --- PHProjekt/Planner.
Excel --- gnumeric.
MSN Messenger --- kopete/gaim.
Notepad --- vi/nano.
Windows Media Player --- mplayer.

[Fraser]

Question by Simonk83

Answer by Axcairns, edited by Fraser

Linux by default is more secure due to the way it partitions processes and only give them the level of access to the system needed to do their job, whereas Windows provides system level access to most programs.

Do you have NAT on your router? Linux behind NAT is pretty secure. There is a built-in firewall on many Linux Distros. (Knoppix doesn't have a firewall but according to a quick look on knoppix.net most or all ports are closed by default.)

Most mail viruses will be inert if opened on Linux as they are generally written for windows

Further detail awaited

[Fraser]

Answer by Matt Bottrell, additional material by axcairns

There are some FANTASTIC resources for getting upto speed on Linux.

In particular:

1. Linux Documentation Project (http://tldp.org) provides a range of FAQs, HOWTOs, Guides, Manual Pages and Linux Magazines! It's the #1 spot to check first. A list of Australian Mirror sites (http://www.tldp.org/mirrors.html#australia) are also available

2. Want some Linux gear (books, T-shirts, mugs, application software or even Tux!) or just buy some ISOs instead of waiting for them to download? Try Everything Linux (http://www.everythinglinux.com.au)or Linux System Labs (http://www.lsl.com.au) (LSL)

3. User Groups are an excellent way to learn with others about Linux. It's like a hobby club that meets regularly to discuss Linux and things you can do with it. A good list of Linux User Groups (LUGs) can be [found here] (http://twiki.linux.org.au/twiki/bin/view/Main/UserGroups)

4. Look through the support pages on your Distro... each distro normally has a good range of documentation and assistance up there.

5. Many distros install documentation not just the software. Take a look in /usr/doc, /usr/share/doc and other similar directories and you'll find a swag of information.

6. Linux comes with manual pages. Type man command in a terminal to read up on a command. Additionally you can type man -k keyword|less to get a list of manual pages relating to the keyword.

7. Many programs have help built in. Add an argument behind the program such as --help or help or even -h or -?

8. Google has a dedicated Linux search engine! Good to the Google Linux Search (http://www.google.com/linux)

9. Logfiles for most programs are normally located in the /var/log directory. Become familar with the log files in there.. .you can learn a lot reading these logs!

10. Most files store their configuration files in the directory /etc This is one of your most important directories... so become familar with it. Many programs can have their settings changed to suit their needs. A handy text editor (pico or nano is good for newbies) will let you do your thing!

11. Another handy site for newbies is Linux Help (http://www.linuxhelp.net) and Linux Forums (http://www.linuxforums.org). Many resources and available and many helpful folks can be found there.

12. IRC is also a great way to get 'real-time' support. Some distros have IRC specific help channels for their distribution... so check with your Distro website... If you are after general Linux help.. you can always try these IRC resources (http://www.linux.org/docs/irc.html).

13. Looking for cool new software to play with? Try Freshmeat.net (http://www.freshmeat.net)

14. If you are having problems with a particular application, visit the website for the application, many apps have support forums, documentation and FAQs available.


This is a starting point... There are literally millions of places out there... Just build up a list of your favourite sites/help and support areas.

Also be patient... it's like learning to walk all over again! It does take time so don't be hard on yourself... Rome wasn't built in a day, and you won't be a Linux God/Godess in that time either... However persistance will pay off.... you'll find your efforts will be rewarded.

Axcairns, "Many distros have a great community of users and forums where users help each other. Gentoo has one of the best I have seen. 9 times out of 10 a quick search on the gentoo forums will find I am not the first to have a particular problem."

[Fraser]

Answer; by Axcairns

Most distros have a tool that allows you to browse packages that have been tailored/certified for that distro. Distrowatch has links to some good overview sites. Freshmeat and Sourceforge are also good sources

[Fraser]

Answer by Axcairns (edited by Fraser)

The package management thing tends to vary from distro to distro. There are a few different camps -

- RPM's - this was pioneered by Red Hat and is used by the majority of distros (RH, Suse, Mandrake etc). Ubiquitous so finding packages is easier but has criticisms on how it handles dependencies (how Linux modules inteact with each other).

- DEB packages - the Debian format. Great package management tools including dependency checking. To install a package, just select it from a list or type 'apt-get packagename' at the command line and it will automatically determine what other packages are required and install the lot in the appropriate order. Very popular with a growing list of Debian based distros (including knoppix, xandros and linspire)

- Automated source packages - Gentoo and some other source based distros such as sourcemage and sourceror use source code packages but wrap scripts around it to handle the download, compile and install. Gentoo also has great tools similar to Debian for installing packages and handling dependencies ('emerge packagename').

- 'Roll your own' source packages - Linux From Scratch (and Slackware?) tends to leave you to your own devices. Locate and download the source code for a program from the author and compile it yourself (make && make install). For gurus only

Most distro's provide some layer of GUI tools on top of the native package management to allow you to select and install stuff. The differences between the package managers are getting narrower as different distro's address the weakness of each.

[Fraser]

Answer by rbirdman


Tar is short for tape archive. It was commonly used for backing up a number of files and directories by collecting them into a single ‘tarball’. Tarball’s have the extension .tar and are created with the tar command line tool.

Files with the .gz extension have been compressed with the gzip command line tool.
Linux software is commonly distributed as source code in .tar.gz files which can be extracted and compiled.

Commonly used switch are
1) –c to create a tarball
2) –v to display the progress (verbose)
3) –f use the file name given
4) –x extract the files
5) –t to list the files in a tarball

To extract a compressed tarball run the following at a command line
tar –zxvf filetoextract.tar.gz

Programs extracted can be compiled by changing in to the newly created directory and running some variation of
1) ./configure
2) make
3) make install
Details of the steps for a particular program can usually be found in a README file contained in the directory.


Follow-up question Is there a Linux tool similat to "winzip" that will do this for me?

Answer by rbirdman and Axcairns

Double clicking a compressed file in Nautilus, the Windows Explorer equivalent in the Gnome Desktop, will launch the file-roller which is similar to WinZip. It can also be found under the menu Applications -> System Tools -> Archive Manager. It won’t compile programs for you though.

Similar functionality would be found in Kde as well.

There are utilities called unzip and unrar available for Linux. Whether they are included by default and what package they are part of depends on the distro

[Fraser]

This question has answers at multiple levels, depending on what you want or need to do with your home network.

Answers

Axcairns:

My home network consists of -
- Linux (SME Server) web/mail/file server and primary domain controller (controls logins to the network). Will also convert it into a firewall when I figure out what I am doing wrong.
- Linux (SME Server) file server - all my movies and music
- XP Desktop - my wife's computer and our games machine
- Linux (Gentoo) laptop. Sits by the tv and used for browsing the net. Going to stick a wireless card in it soon.
- Dual Boot (XP/Gentoo) Desktop - my playpen. Tends to get all sorts of distros installed on it over time.
- Linux (Geexbox) Home Entertainment PC - Under construction

All of these share drives via SMB/Samba, whereby you specify the drives/directories to share and what users groups can access it. Users are then required to provide username and password to access. To the XP desktop (for example), all the other boxes are indistinguishable from windows boxes. Linux boxes can also share between each other using NFS (forget what the acronym stands for) but this is less secure than Samba.

[Fraser]

The answer here is a definite YES!

The preferred package seems to be SAMBA

Answer courtesy of ZDNet website

Samba is a file sharing and print service for Windows desktop PCs from Linux or Unix servers. The software offers a freely available alternative to a Windows server.

The latest Samba softwareis shipped with several Linux Distros.

Samba 3.0 introduces features to allow companies to migrate from Windows NT networks to Samba's file and print services. The update now allows administrators to use Samba software with existing directories, including Microsoft's Active Directory or LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to store user information.

The updated version also uses Microsoft Windows' security system, which is based on Kerberos 5 authentication. Samba 3.0, which is a global open-source project, also extends support for Unicode, which allows a person to save file names with native language character sets.

[Fraser]

Again, a definite YES!

There are multiple packages available for use as web-servers, the most common of which appear to be SME server 9formerly known as (e-smith) and APACHE.

Answer: Axcairns

SME Server is a great out of the box web/mail/file/PDC server. Installs in minutes, runs on crappy hardware (both my servers are celeron 400) and dead easy to configure. Includes Apache, PHP (for server side scripting) and MySQL (for database driven web apps).

[Fraser]

Answer by rbirdman

My tip for someone thinking of swapping to Linux is to assess what app’s you currently use, check for the Linux equivalents and where possibly run them on Windows to check how well they work for you. For instance OpenOffice do a version for windows so you can install it, try it out and see if it suits your needs.

If you use Outlook for your email client you will have no difficulty adjusting to Evolution.

[Fraser]

Answer: Compiled from several sources, supplemented by Axcairns

Yes... If you really want to!

You can run many of the common Windows programs by installing a Windows emulator into Linux. the most commonly used 'emulater' is a package called "Wine".

The big letdown is games which tend to talk to very low level windows and hardware layers that are not easily emulated in Linux.

MS-Office actually works very well in Linux with Crossover Office (a commercial variant of Wine specifically for MS Office).

[Fraser]

Answer by Matt Bottrell and ZDnet website

Five words sum it up: "Wine is not an emulator." This is also a clever acronym for the program Wine, which can help you run your Windows programs under Linux. Wine is an implementation of the Windows API that allows programs using the API to run on an operating system that doesn't natively support the application. It's important to note that Wine doesn't emulate a full x86 system but rather provides the software APIs that make it possible to run Windows programs. This allows a program to run at full speed, since no emulation is taking place. (Emulation generally slows down software. Wine, apparently, doesn't)

Try looking in the Wine HQ website (http://www.winehq.com)

Where can I learn more?

Take a look in Franks Corner (http://frankscorner.org/)

He's got lots of examples and walks you through how to do it.

I would get a check-list of apps I considered MUST HAVE from Windows... and then see if :

1. The app isn't already ported to Linux.
2. There is another Linux app that does it already.
3. You can run it under Wine.

You'll find almost everything will fall in one of the 3 categories... There isn't much these days you CANNOT do in Linux that you can do on Windows.

[Fraser]

Q26: How is Linux Organised

Answer courtesy of Bell-Labs, supplemented by Axcairns

The Linux system is functionally organized at three levels:

The kernel, which schedules tasks and manages storage;
The shell, which connects and interprets users' commands, calls programs from memory, and executes them; and
The tools and applications that offer additional functionality to the operating system


The kernel
The heart of the operating system, the kernel controls the hardware and turns part of the system on and off at the programer's command. If you ask the computer to list (ls) all the files in a directory, the kernel tells the computer to read all the files in that directory from the disk and display them on your screen.

The shell
There are several types of shell, most notably the command driven Bourne Shell and the C Shell (no pun intended), and menu-driven shells that make it easier for beginners to use. Whatever shell is used, its purpose remains the same -- to act as an interpreter between the user and the computer.

The shell also provides the functionality of "pipes," whereby a number of commands can be linked together by a user, permitting the output of one program to become the input to another program.

Tools and applications
There are hundreds of tools available to Linux users, although some have been written by third party vendors for specific applications. Typically, tools are grouped into categories for certain functions, such as word processing, business applications, or programming.

The Linux file system structure is radically different from Windows.

The more commonly seen structures incorporate:

/ - the root directory
boot - where the kernel and boot manager reside.
bin - main system binaries
etc - configuration files
home - home directories for each user - equivalent to my documents

[Fraser]

Q27: What does a typical Linux Directory Structure look like?

Answer:[/B] by Axcairns, courtesy of the CompTechDoc Website (http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/usersguide/)

Note: Files are grouped according to purpose. Ex: commands, data files, documentation.

Parts of a Unix directory tree. See the FSSTND standard (Filesystem standard)

/ Root
|---root The home directory for the root user
|---home Contains the user's home directories
| |----ftp Users include many services as listed here
| |----httpd
| |----samba
| |----user1
| |----user2
|---bin Commands needed during bootup that might be needed by normal users
|---sbin Like bin but commands are not intended for normal users. Commands run by LINUX.
|---proc This filesystem is not on a disk. Exists in the kernels imagination (virtual). This directory
| | Holds information about kernel parameters and system configuration.
| |----1 A directory with info about process number 1. Each process
| has a directory below proc.
|---usr Contains all commands, libraries, man pages, games and static files for normal
| | operation.
| |----bin Almost all user commands. some commands are in /bin or /usr/local/bin.
| |----sbin System admin commands not needed on the root filesystem. e.g., most server
| | programs.
| |----include Header files for the C programming language. Should be below /user/lib for
| | consistency.
| |----lib Unchanging data files for programs and subsystems
| |----local The place for locally installed software and other files.
| |----man Manual pages
| |----info Info documents
| |----doc Documentation for various packages
| |----tmp
| |----X11R6 The X windows system files. There is a directory similar to usr below this
| | directory.
| |----X386 Like X11R6 but for X11 release 5
|---boot Files used by the bootstrap loader, LILO. Kernel images are often kept here.
|---lib Shared libraries needed by the programs on the root filesystem
| |----modules Loadable kernel modules, especially those needed to boot the system after
| disasters.
|---dev Device files for devices such as disk drives, serial ports, etc.
|---etc Configuration files specific to the machine.
| |----skel When a home directory is created it is initialized with files from this directory
| |----sysconfig Files that configure the linux system for networking, keyboard, time, and more.
|---var Contains files that change for mail, news, printers log files, man pages, temp files
| |----file
| |----lib Files that change while the system is running normally
| |----local Variable data for programs installed in /usr/local.
| |----lock Lock files. Used by a program to indicate it is using a particular device or file
| |----log Log files from programs such as login and syslog which logs all logins,
| | logouts, and other system messages.
| |----run Files that contain information about the system that is valid until the system is
| | next booted
| |----spool Directories for mail, printer spools, news and other spooled work.
| |----tmp Temporary files that are large or need to exist for longer than they should in
| | /tmp.
| |----catman A cache for man pages that are formatted on demand
|---mnt Mount points for temporary mounts by the system administrator.
|---tmp Temporary files. Programs running after bootup should use /var/tmp.

[Fraser]

Answer: Fraser, supplemneted by Grahame Kelly

Yes you can easily set up a dual-boot system... and this is how... and the same goes for any flavour of Windows and Linux.

Can you use fdisk? ...If so, do the following...

Set up two primary partitions on a hard drive (apparently the hard-drive will take up to 4 primaries , or which only one can be active at a time) ... and still leave some space.

(I have a 17gb hard drive, I set up two x 5500 partitions and left the balance empty.)

Win XP needs about 3gb as does Linux.... before you start adding data or additional programs.

Install Win XP. Boot direct from the CD if you can. When it asks, select the first partition and make it format as NTFS.

Complete the WinXP installation.

EDIT----------- Right now Fedora Core 2 has a bug that sometimes (but not always) causes an issue with dual boot with Windows XP. Try RedHat 9 instead ...failing that, after the installtion is complete, if XP will not boot, try going into your bios and changing your hard-disk from "Auto" to "Large"
------------------

Now install Linux. Again boot from CD. It will ask if you want it to auto-format. Say yes. it will then give options, one of which is to install on free space. Choose yes to that one.

The Linux install process is very straightforward. Just accept the defaults (except for location) and you will be okay.

After the linux install is done you will find that you will boot into a boot-loader that gives you the choice of Windows or Linux.

As to that third partition... format that as FAT32, and you will find that both Linux and Windows can read it. that way you can store data there and access it from either boot-up.

EDIT -------- Suggestion by Grahame Kelly, on 19 Sept 2004 regarding Dual Booting Linux / Win 2000 & Win 2003 Pro-----

If you use the standard boot on Linux after installing these win products you'll probably end up with the GRUB screen which is hard to understand and knowing how to boot another system unless your a bit of an expert.

A better way is to ensure that you make Linux install a seperate /boot partition (ext2 format only) together with the other partitions included in a new installation. This way /boot doesn't worry about the MBR - master boot record, and the /boot images will not interfere at all with the newer win OS's. I would allocate only say +300MB for /boot so its a very little price to pay (disk space wise) for faultless booting.

-----CLOSE EDIT

[Grahame Kelly]

If you use the standard boot on Linux after installing these win products you'll probably end up with the GRUB screen which is hard to understand and knowing how to boot another system unless your a bit of an expert.

A better way is to ensure that you make Linux install a seperate /boot partition (ext2 format only) together with the other partitions included in a new installation. This way /boot doesn't worry about the MBR - master boot record, and the /boot images will not interfere at all with the newer win OS's. I would allocate only say +300MB for /boot so its a very little price to pay (disk space wise) for faultless booting.

Hope this assists.
Cheers. Grahame