masterofpuppets
03-25-2005, 09:17 PM
Introduction
This guide will teach you about the history of Linux, whether it is the right OS for you, which distribution to choose, and basic Linux stuff! It's still a work in progress, but I want to share it with everyone and get some feedback. Ok, first off.. History of Linux:
History
Linux is a highly POSIX compliant, SysV style, Unix clone written by a student named Linus Torvalds while he was studying computing at University in his native Finland. The whole project was under the GNU license and this started off the big distribution bomb! Many programmers were downloading Linus's Unix clone, modifying it, and distributing it with Unix software. Since Linux was highly compliant to the POSIX standard, a wide variety of Unix applications were suitable to be ported to this new OS. Since those days, Linux has come a long way, making up a large amount of web servers, home computers and workstations across the globe. There are many distributions to choose from, all suited to different purposes, which we will go over now.
Distributions
Linux actually refers to the kernel, the main piece of code that controls the whole OS. For example, it drives the hardware, controls the filesystems, etc etc. This is all well, but without software, it's not any use to most people. This is where distributions come in.
Distributions are collections of Unix software, a kernel, and usually an installer. They are an easy way to get a Linux system running, since alot of them require little knowledge to setup (but there are harder ones out there too, ahem Gentoo!). I will go over some of the more popular distributions now:
Fedora Core:
Fedora Core is the free version of Red Hat Linux. It features a nice installer, plenty of software, an X server and a desktop enviroment. One feature of interest is the RPM package system, which allows installation of binary packages with minimum effort. I haven't had much experience with this distribution yet, but I've heard some mixed feelings, so you may want to get more info before downloading. Although, most of the opinions are positive.
SuSE:
SuSE is a commercial distribution which contains a very shiny installer. It usually contains a ton of useful software including word processors, image manipulation programs, web browsers. A very nice little extra is the YaST2 control centre which gives you easy access to many system settings, and it is exceedingly easy to use. It also uses the aforementioned RPM package system. Recommended for home, office and other general applications.
Debian:
This is my personal favorite. Debian is split up into 3 releases, Stable, Testing and Unstable. Unstable features absolute cutting edge versions of packages. But don't be put off by the Unstable tag, quite alot of packages are just waiting to be tested. I have ran an Unstable release in a virtual machine before, there were a few bugs, but it worked reasonably fine. Testing releases usually have the odd few bugs which prevent them from being in the Stable tree, although, I run a Testing release as my main OS and it's fine. The current Stable release is very out of date (It uses an ancient 2.2 kernel by detault :eek: ) and should only be recommended to people who run critical systems such as servers, that should avoid errors at all costs. The installer is hell for newbies, but once the system is working, it's noob-friendly to an extent. The dpkg system is a very flexible and easy-to-use package system. There are many front ends to the dpkg system, my personal favorite (and the favorite of many other people) is the APT system. It uses a database of which packages are availible, what their dependencies are and much more info. The advantage of the APT system to RPM system is that dependencies are automaticly resolved. Unlike the RPM system which only warns you of dependencies, APT automaticly installs them. I would recommend Debian to people who can already confidently use a Linux system.
Gentoo:
Gentoo is a distribution for people lots of time on their hand. Gentoo doesn't feature an installer, instead, when you boot from the CD, you are presented with a shell. From this shell, you must create your filesystems, install your packages manually. I've used it a couple of times before, but I wouldn't recommend it to newbies, unless they have a Linux expert to help them or are feeling adventrous. Although, you can get installation scripts which make installation simple. Gentoo features a BSD-style port system, which is pretty cool.
Slackware:
Slackware is one of the oldest distributions. It tries to mimic Unix as much as possible. Slackware is usually very up-to-date, currently featuring X.org 6.8 as an X server. It doesn't feature an advanced package system such as APT or RPM, but instead it features packages in the form of TGZ (Gzipped Tar Archives) and usually must be compiled from source (except in the case of non-free software such as Cedega, which comes as a binary package) with the good old "./configure && make && make install". It's not the most noob-friendly distribution around, but it is a very nice distribution and should be recommended to either seasoned Linux users or newbies who wish to explore.
Linux from scratch:
Linux From Scratch is even more difficult than Gentoo. You must build a complete Linux system, including a kernel, X server and other software, from scratch. To install it, you can download the source-code to the software you want, download the kernel source, download the LFS live CD, boot from the CD, create your filesystem and kernel, and so on. It's a very useful learning tool and is an easy way to create a totally unique Linux system. It's impossible to recommend it to noobs, or anyone who doesn't know how to create filesystems, compile & configure a kernel, or install software from source confidently. I would recommend it to experienced Linux users who need a conveniant way to create a Linux system.
Ubuntu:
Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian based on the "Sid" release. It features pretty up-to-date packages including X.org 6.8, kernel 2.6.10, Firefox 1.0.1, and other reasonably recent releases. It's an easy way to use Debian without having to download the huge 14 disk set. Ubuntu comes as one CD, which is very time saving. Gnome is the only window manager supplied with this distribution, which is a very formidible desktop. Although, some may prefer KDE or XFCE. I would recommend this distribution to someone who wants a Debian derivative, but doesn't want to download the incredible number of 14 disks, or to those who want a solid desktop distribution with up-to-date software.
Live distros:
Live distributions are an easy way to try out Linux before deleting their existing OS. There are many live distros, one of the most popular is Knoppix, which is based on Debian. It has over 2gb of software compressed onto the 700mb ISO image. It has many window managers, including IceWM, XFCE and KDE, the latter being the default. There is also a Gnome-based Knoppix clone named Gnoppix, which is based on Ubuntu. Mepis is a live distribution that can also be installed the HDD using an exceedingly easy GUI installer. It features the KDE desktop, plus a whole load of software. It's increasing popularity shows that it is definately a distro to watch.
Linux basics
Once you have picked your distribution of choice, it's time to install it. I can't write an installation guide since most distributions have very distinct installation processes, although you should be able to find an installation guide on your distribution's home page (see URL's section at the end of the guide.
TO BE CONTINUED...
This guide will teach you about the history of Linux, whether it is the right OS for you, which distribution to choose, and basic Linux stuff! It's still a work in progress, but I want to share it with everyone and get some feedback. Ok, first off.. History of Linux:
History
Linux is a highly POSIX compliant, SysV style, Unix clone written by a student named Linus Torvalds while he was studying computing at University in his native Finland. The whole project was under the GNU license and this started off the big distribution bomb! Many programmers were downloading Linus's Unix clone, modifying it, and distributing it with Unix software. Since Linux was highly compliant to the POSIX standard, a wide variety of Unix applications were suitable to be ported to this new OS. Since those days, Linux has come a long way, making up a large amount of web servers, home computers and workstations across the globe. There are many distributions to choose from, all suited to different purposes, which we will go over now.
Distributions
Linux actually refers to the kernel, the main piece of code that controls the whole OS. For example, it drives the hardware, controls the filesystems, etc etc. This is all well, but without software, it's not any use to most people. This is where distributions come in.
Distributions are collections of Unix software, a kernel, and usually an installer. They are an easy way to get a Linux system running, since alot of them require little knowledge to setup (but there are harder ones out there too, ahem Gentoo!). I will go over some of the more popular distributions now:
Fedora Core:
Fedora Core is the free version of Red Hat Linux. It features a nice installer, plenty of software, an X server and a desktop enviroment. One feature of interest is the RPM package system, which allows installation of binary packages with minimum effort. I haven't had much experience with this distribution yet, but I've heard some mixed feelings, so you may want to get more info before downloading. Although, most of the opinions are positive.
SuSE:
SuSE is a commercial distribution which contains a very shiny installer. It usually contains a ton of useful software including word processors, image manipulation programs, web browsers. A very nice little extra is the YaST2 control centre which gives you easy access to many system settings, and it is exceedingly easy to use. It also uses the aforementioned RPM package system. Recommended for home, office and other general applications.
Debian:
This is my personal favorite. Debian is split up into 3 releases, Stable, Testing and Unstable. Unstable features absolute cutting edge versions of packages. But don't be put off by the Unstable tag, quite alot of packages are just waiting to be tested. I have ran an Unstable release in a virtual machine before, there were a few bugs, but it worked reasonably fine. Testing releases usually have the odd few bugs which prevent them from being in the Stable tree, although, I run a Testing release as my main OS and it's fine. The current Stable release is very out of date (It uses an ancient 2.2 kernel by detault :eek: ) and should only be recommended to people who run critical systems such as servers, that should avoid errors at all costs. The installer is hell for newbies, but once the system is working, it's noob-friendly to an extent. The dpkg system is a very flexible and easy-to-use package system. There are many front ends to the dpkg system, my personal favorite (and the favorite of many other people) is the APT system. It uses a database of which packages are availible, what their dependencies are and much more info. The advantage of the APT system to RPM system is that dependencies are automaticly resolved. Unlike the RPM system which only warns you of dependencies, APT automaticly installs them. I would recommend Debian to people who can already confidently use a Linux system.
Gentoo:
Gentoo is a distribution for people lots of time on their hand. Gentoo doesn't feature an installer, instead, when you boot from the CD, you are presented with a shell. From this shell, you must create your filesystems, install your packages manually. I've used it a couple of times before, but I wouldn't recommend it to newbies, unless they have a Linux expert to help them or are feeling adventrous. Although, you can get installation scripts which make installation simple. Gentoo features a BSD-style port system, which is pretty cool.
Slackware:
Slackware is one of the oldest distributions. It tries to mimic Unix as much as possible. Slackware is usually very up-to-date, currently featuring X.org 6.8 as an X server. It doesn't feature an advanced package system such as APT or RPM, but instead it features packages in the form of TGZ (Gzipped Tar Archives) and usually must be compiled from source (except in the case of non-free software such as Cedega, which comes as a binary package) with the good old "./configure && make && make install". It's not the most noob-friendly distribution around, but it is a very nice distribution and should be recommended to either seasoned Linux users or newbies who wish to explore.
Linux from scratch:
Linux From Scratch is even more difficult than Gentoo. You must build a complete Linux system, including a kernel, X server and other software, from scratch. To install it, you can download the source-code to the software you want, download the kernel source, download the LFS live CD, boot from the CD, create your filesystem and kernel, and so on. It's a very useful learning tool and is an easy way to create a totally unique Linux system. It's impossible to recommend it to noobs, or anyone who doesn't know how to create filesystems, compile & configure a kernel, or install software from source confidently. I would recommend it to experienced Linux users who need a conveniant way to create a Linux system.
Ubuntu:
Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian based on the "Sid" release. It features pretty up-to-date packages including X.org 6.8, kernel 2.6.10, Firefox 1.0.1, and other reasonably recent releases. It's an easy way to use Debian without having to download the huge 14 disk set. Ubuntu comes as one CD, which is very time saving. Gnome is the only window manager supplied with this distribution, which is a very formidible desktop. Although, some may prefer KDE or XFCE. I would recommend this distribution to someone who wants a Debian derivative, but doesn't want to download the incredible number of 14 disks, or to those who want a solid desktop distribution with up-to-date software.
Live distros:
Live distributions are an easy way to try out Linux before deleting their existing OS. There are many live distros, one of the most popular is Knoppix, which is based on Debian. It has over 2gb of software compressed onto the 700mb ISO image. It has many window managers, including IceWM, XFCE and KDE, the latter being the default. There is also a Gnome-based Knoppix clone named Gnoppix, which is based on Ubuntu. Mepis is a live distribution that can also be installed the HDD using an exceedingly easy GUI installer. It features the KDE desktop, plus a whole load of software. It's increasing popularity shows that it is definately a distro to watch.
Linux basics
Once you have picked your distribution of choice, it's time to install it. I can't write an installation guide since most distributions have very distinct installation processes, although you should be able to find an installation guide on your distribution's home page (see URL's section at the end of the guide.
TO BE CONTINUED...