Linuxtutorial: Installing Linux

Working with Linux - First Things First

When you work as root

You have now installed Linux and the first thing you did was login as 'root'. Then you provided a password so that you and ONLY you could login to the system as 'root'. When you decide to work as root, you had better go into a phone booth first and change into a blue suit with a big 'S' on the front because 'root' is known as the 'superuser' (you can skip the red tights if you want).

That's really not meant to be just a witty reference to the Man of Steel. Actually, it is much more glamorous to be 'Superman' but root is actually more like the 'janitor' of the Linux system. Root has the keys to everything. He can shut off the lights, shut off the heat, lock you out of the building; he has to clean up the system and in the end make sure everything runs. And the most important thing about being a janitor - he sees everything.

'root' is not for routine work

As I mentioned, Linux makes your computer a true multi-user system, which means that besides root, you can and should work as another person. I say 'should' because doing routine work as 'root' could be hazardous to your health. When I first started using Linux myself, information was not all that readily available and I still had that 'one computer- one user' concept in my brain. It was after I had trashed all of the files and programs that make Linux run that I realized that working regularly as root wasn't a good idea.

Frequently Used Shell Commands

cd' command

To show the student the basic uses of the 'cd' command The first command you'll use is 'cd'. We talked about this in a previous lesson, so let's review the basics.

'cd' means 'change directory'.

The 'ls' command

To show the student the various variations of the 'ls' command 'ls' is another command that we've discussed a bit before. Let's go into some more detail.

Typing 'ls' will list the contents of a directory with just information about file names.

You can use 'ls a*' to list the names of all the files that begin with the letter 'a' and so on down through the alphabet. Please do not use the cuneiform alphabet unless you're from ancient Mesopotamia.

more' and 'less'

To introduce the student to these commands 'more' is a command that you can use to read, for example, what's written in that 'stuff' file that Tony sent you.

You would type 'more stuff' to see the jokes.

Press the 'q' key to stop viewing the file

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Installing Linux

Some preliminary considerations.
There are many different versions of Linux. Unlike other commercial operating systems that are controlled by one company, Linux is free to distribute and use. So, in the Linux world, there is a situation unlike what occurs in the proprietary operating system world: a number of companies, organizations and individuals have developed their own "versions" of the Linux operating system, known as distributions. There are versions of Linux that were developed to be installed on computers that receive heavy traffic, so to speak, like webpage servers. Some were developed to be used in networks where security is a priority; where sensitive information should only be accessed by a privileged few. There are versions of Linux that are meant to be installed on top of an existing operating system like Windows so people can try out Linux under familiar conditions. There are versions of Linux that are designed to be installed on platforms like Macintosh. There are versions of Linux with funny names like "Chainsaw Linux" (no kidding) and "Tutti-Frutti Linux" (yes, it's a joke)
What Linux is right for me?

This is a very difficult question to answer. To use an analogy, if I were going mountain climbing, I would need specific clothes to protect me from scrapes, the cold, wind, rain and other adverse climactic conditions. If I were going to a formal dinner, I would need a tuxedo. If I were going about my daily routine, I would wear "normal" clothes. There are computer world equivalents of mountain climbing and formal dinners as well as just sitting around the house. Linux has been fit into all those environments and more. There is even the equivalent of a swimsuit in Linux - a very scaled down version - just to cover the essentials.

Most PC users probably just need the everyday version. This kind of Linux has been widely available for some time now. Since Microsoft makes its living selling people "ordinary" operating systems, they have a lot to lose if Linux ever gets popular with the masses. For this reason they have done everything in their power to "warn" the public that Linux is something that you probably don't want and don't need. But in reality, Linux is just as easily installed and supports just as wide a range of hardware as Microsoft Windows does. The PR department at Microsoft is coming up with fewer and fewer reasons not to use Linux.
Linux on PCs containing Intel-based CPUs
It would be impossible to cover all of the different types of Linux so this lesson will only deal with standard versions of Linux that are meant to be installed on PCs with Intel-based CPUs. You may have heard of some of the companies and organizations that have created distributions for this platform, like Debian, Mandrake, Red Hat and SuSE . There are others as well. There are even versions of Linux that offer documentation and install programs in languages other than English. We should say here that it is not our intention to endorse the products of the companies we have mentioned here nor do we want to slight those companies that we haven't mentioned.

Linux Online maintains a list of all kinds of distributions. We invite you to consult that list before deciding on installing any version of Linux.
Prepare your manuals
As we mentioned before, the major versions of Linux have perfected their products to such a degree that they are very easy to install. Well designed programs will take you through the process of installation step by step so that you will be able to get Linux up and running in a relatively short period of time without any headaches. But even commercial operating systems that are billed as being the most user-friendly in the world can't guarantee a 100% problem-free installation.

The best thing to do before attempting to install Linux is to get the manuals that came with your PC out of the closet and dust them off. Major distributions of Linux have taken into account most standard hardware such as video cards, modems and sound cards, but as we said before, nobody can guarantee a problem-free installation for any operating system. Though you probably won't need them, they may help to track down a problem or prevent a future one. Now, go get those manuals, and we'll meet you in the next lesson!

No comments:

'mv' command for renaming files

Let's go back yet again to Tony's file, 'stuff' again. 'stuff' is not a good name for a file just as 'book' isn't a good name for a book. Just imagine: "The number one bestselling book this week is 'Book' by John Author.

You should probably re-name this file to something meaningful. I would suggest doing something like this:

mv stuff tonys_jokes

The 'mkdir' command

mkdir' is the command for making directories. 'mkdir' may be familiar to MS-DOS users out there. As you have noticed, the people who wrote these programs tried to give them names that described what they do more or less, not as long as 'makemeadirectoryplease' and not too cryptic like 'xr77b'.

Using the 'mkdir' command

To create the directory 'my_friends' that we talked about in the last lesson, you would type:

mkdir my_friends

There are no whistles or buzzers. If you'd like some sort of acknowledgment, you could type

mkdir --verbose my_friends

and it will tell you that you created the directory.

The 'rm' command

cdrom	home	opt	tmp
dev	lib	proc	usr
bin	etc	lost+found		root	var
boot	floppy	mnt	sbin

Linuxtutorial

Working with Linux - First Things First

When you work as root

'root' is not for routine work

The basic directory structure in Linux

The /bin directory

The /etc directory

Frequently Used Shell Commands

cd' command

The 'ls' command

more' and 'less'

Blog Archive

About Me