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This page is designed for anyone interested in switching to GNU/Linux. I will attempt to pool together some helpful information so that all decisions are made wisely. Its not finished and probably never will be. My next aim is to provide some screenshots etc. Last Update: 21/AUG/2006
Contents
- Pre-Ramble
- Different Distributions
- Different User Levels
- Installation
- Linux IS NOT Windows
- Music and Video Codecs
- WINE
- Gaming
- Linux is FAST!
- Software!
- Programing
- Distribution Reviews
- Terminal
- File Directory Setup
- Vmware
Linux is Open Source Software (OSS), which means you are allowed to copy, edit and distribute it anyway you like. Essentially this is free but there is sometimes money involved, Also some people value their time ;). Free when used with Linux, while most of the time meaning no cost too, actually means free as in freedom.
Different Distributions: For those that don't know, there are many different Linux distributions. All of these serve different purposes and are designed for different user levels. You may have noticed GNU/Linux. This is a more correct way of referring to to the operating system commonly known as Linux. Why? Because Linux is just the kernel. GNU is the Free Software group who manage the develop most of the tools which make Linux what it is. A kernel is a significant bit of programming though, it what has given Linux's stable reputation and acts to interact between user/software and the machine. Each Linux distribution uses a Linux kernel (maybe different versions of this) what changes is the software they use to make the machine run. A good example of this is the GNOME and KDE desktop enviroments. Different distributions include (A-Z): Damn Small Linux, Debian, Fedora Core, Gentoo, Knoppix, Linspire, Mandrake, Mepis, Redhat, Slackware, Slax, Ubuntu, Xandros
Different User Levels: I will focus on the Newbie here. I'm no Linux expert myself so i will try to explain things as clearly and accurately as possible. Linux has traditionally been the domain of the self-confessed geek/nerd, slowly as it gains market share the user base is becoming more main stream. (This is good and bad for Linux, more on this at a later point though). If you intend to just surf the internet and use the built in software that comes on install Linux could be very easy for you to use. As soon as you need to begin actually installing software etc. Linux can get a little harder. Of course there are very good programs such as synaptic, a gui for apt-get that make installations even easier than windows!.
Installation: If you have ever installed windows before on most of the user friendly distributions, such as Ubuntu, Linspire and Xandros should be easy. As a caution, although i have never had any problems, always use a live CD for the first time using Linux to make sure your hardware is supported!. If you have never done an installation before please make sure you read more information about this. If you do mess up an installation just start again, Make sure you are aware of partitions etc.
Linux IS NOT Windows: Please be prepared for this. Linux is very different to windows. Most things you will use will be similar or the same, but do not try to compare the two as exacts. If you wanted something that was just like windows why bother using Linux? Linux has been designed to be functional over pretty too. It is very easy to make your box look nice of course (easy than windows i must say). Before using Linux please be prepared that problems do happened Things sometimes break and take time to fix. This is usually the users fault, not Linux itself. In my first week i formatted Linux 3 times. This was a good thing as i learnt a lot about the OS.
Music and Video Codecs: Most Linux distributions do not come installed with proprietary formats. This includes MP3 WMA/V MPEG and AVI. Unless you get a Paid-for Distribution such as Linspire or Xandros, you will need to install these yourself.
WINE: You may want to check out the WINE project too. This is attempting to allow windows programs to run on Linux and is doing a pretty good job. I know for a fact that the Xandros distribution (costs money though) comes with wines commercial version Cross Over Office pre-installed. Plain free wine DOES run War Craft 3, Half-Life, Jedi Knight and Unreal Tournament as well as many other great games and programs.. The WINE project is also distantly related to an interesting project called ReactOS which is attempting to clean room reverse engineer the whole windows operating system
Gaming: To play windows games in Linux you need to use a program called Cedega, which provides direct X support to wine. It costs money though, Fortunately there are emulators for every gaming system available for Linux, Hundreds of great games are available that will raise your abilities in the classical sense, backports of Wolfenstein for example. Snake, Reversi, Connect four, Minesweeper etc. are also available. But you shouldn't ever be that bored on Linux :D
Linux is FAST!: Not only does Linux really extend the life of an old system by allowing it to run smoother and with good secure software, The installation process can be far faster than windows. Ubuntu takes about 40-50 minutes to install and have a complete working system with compatible hardware. Windows, after security updates and installing Office Software/ 3rd party Apps etc. takes well over that time.
SOFTWARE!: Linux systems usually come pre-installed with a plethora of excellent software. Gaim for instant messaging to Google Talk,Yahoo, AIM and MSN etc. The GIMP for creating images, this program is as functional as Photoshop. Every Linux distribution comes with office software, Usually OpenOffice.org (OOo). gFTP for FTP, Evolution or Thunderbird for Email, and Firefox (You better already be using this! lol) just to name a few. Also Google has ported Google Earth and Picasa to Linux, Blender is available as a 3d Modeller, QCad for CAD in .dxf format. Plus of course thousands of programming languages and tools. There are obviously many many more Programs than I have listed, these are just ones I use.
Programming: Linux boxes are arguably the best systems for programming in. There is easily access to a wide variety of languages including perl, python, ruby, C, PHP, Java etc. There are many great IDE's available and since most of the Linux community is programmers to some degree, there's always someone to help you if you a learning. In the future i may add some more about programming to this page (or pages ;) )
On to the Distributions! These are the different distributions covered so far:
And theres hundreds more distros where those came from!.
Ubuntu (6.06)
Also known as Kubuntu (KDE) and Xubuntu (XFCE). Ubuntu is free... and always will be free... that's what they tell us... and it sounds great! In fact Ubuntu is so free that they will even send you the install CD free! That means means you don't even have to download it (you can if you want though). It took about 6 weeks for the CD to come in the mail... some places maybe faster than others. Ubuntu uses the Gnome desktop by default, which is considered faster but is also less windows-like. KDE, an alternative to Gnome will probably be enjoyed more by fresh converts. XFCE is also available for Low-spec systems. Ubuntu can be run in pure terminal mode or with other desktop window managers installed after installing the terminal (server) mode. Ubuntu is fast, reliable and has a really friendly community. The install is fast although some people may find this a little harder than say windows. Because Ubuntu is based on Debian, it allows you to download software from repositories, meaning you can search through thousands of programs and download them (fully self installing) to your computer in minutes... setting up a L.A.M.P (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) is extremely fast and easy. Because Ubuntu is free, it does not ship with some things we take for granted. For example there are no mp3 codecs by default. This can be solved by installing XMMS media player or by installing the win32 codec packs (a little more complicated, requiring terminal... all info in Ubuntu wiki). Another Fix is to download G streamer Codecs which don't work as well as the win32 ones but do the job :). Ubuntu is up to version 6.06 (dapper drake), The Update from version 5.10 to 6.06 was incredibly easy and all automated. Ubuntu seriously looks beautiful now.
The Pros of Ubuntu:
- FREE!
- They send you the CD FREE!
- Live Cd
- Easy to use
- Heaps of great software easily available
- IMO The best Linux Distribution
- Choice of GNOME/KDE/XFCE
The Cons of Ubuntu:
- No media codecs by default
Linspire (5.0.59)
Linspire is another Debian based Linux This means it began as a fork from the Debian Linux project. Debian is generally considered one of the better Linux distributions and is in the top 3 for user base. Other Debian based Linux's include Ubuntu.
Linspire has been designed with ease of use as the foremost important part of the OS. It has been made for users of other operating systems to easily switch over to Linux Linspire has a service called Click and Run (CNR) which allows you to search through a list of available programs and download most of them for free (unless they a professional editions etc.) this is basically the same as Ubuntu's synaptic (which is free in Ubuntu) except that you can buy programs through it too. This is very good for a new Linux user. Linspire has great support, not only via email etc. but also through their forums where heaps of experienced Linspire users and builders can help you. Linspire is also live CD enabled which means you can run it straight from CD with out installing... great for making sure you hardware works, repairing things... recovering broken windows files. etc.
The problem with Linspire though is that it also costs US$50 to buy... and that's just for the download. The CNR service then costs an extra $20 per year (although you can get Gold service which is $50 and gives you updates of the OS too). It cheap compared to windows but if you are able to use the same thing for free you'd choose the free one right? CNR also has very slow updates on some programs ... some over 2 years old!. Because its Debian based it isn't fully Debian either. Linspire is minor distribution (some say a fast growing one though) and so not everything is made to work with it. That means unless you get CNR you can't be guaranteed things will work (well you never are 100% anyway are you)... also installing non CNR software can break CNR and the only way to fix that is by reinstalling/repairing from CD. Linspire came default with mp3 codecs and easily recognised NTFS drives etc. If you're willing to pay the money and want an easy transition it is a good option... Their primary market is pre-installed systems though.
The Pros of Linspire
- It easy to use
- CNR
- Very good support
- Music and Video Codecs!
- Live CD
The Cons of Linspire
- Not Free
- Not always compatible
- Restrictive
- CNR Breaks, no synaptic (Ubuntu) type replacement.
Mandrake (10.1)
Ok I haven't used this one much but here's what I have found, I'm not a power Linux user and I found this one quite hard...This was the first "easy to use" distribution and was easy to install and use what's installed (which is probably all what most people need :P) but Mandrake has been discontinued and there is no support for it now. I do think this was the last version of Mandrake released... it is now named Mandriva and costs money (although I think there could be a community version too). I tried to install an RPM file with the package manager (AVG Anti-virus Mandrake rpm) and this didn't work. The online updates for packages have been discontinued from the Mandrake website (which doesn't exist any more) so the only way you can get programs is by installing RPM's. If a RPM for Mandrake doesn't work what does! I am guessing that Mandriva has changed quite a lot since it was Mandrake and so not everything will work on it these days.
I need to test Mandrake more before I can make a better decision on it... but so far I think its more for experienced Linux users... it is apparently a very stable secure system, personally I like Ubuntu...
Slax
Slax is designed primarily as a live CD boot. This is pretty cool. it can fit in a 256mb USB flash drive (or pen drive or key or what ever you want to call the awesome device). The Slax site lets you download additional modules so that you can make your Live CD better. This is a truly brilliant idea... add the programs you need... keep the ones you don't need out... now that really makes it your OS! This means you can choose Gnome, KDE, XFCE etc. You can run it with the win32 Codecs, WINE etc.
Slax is very good for new Linux users wanting to test Linux out and they don't even have to install! Live CD booting obviously takes a fair bit of memory though. The name would suggest it is Slackware based... I haven't tried this system much only downloaded it cos it was small and looked fun.
The Pros of Slax
- Live CD
- CD can be customised (as iso)
- Easy to use
- Small
The Cons of Slax
- Not as easy to install on HDD infact Hard and Dangerous
There are more distributions I have tested, but I would like to focus on getting these ones finished first as I think they are good for new users to read. But now you're through all that let continue.
Terminal
Similar to Command Prompt or DOS, some new users to Linux are daunted by the thought of using the terminal command line to do certain tasks... some even complain of it being primitive and unnecessary. This is interesting because terminal allows you to setup a whole system with out having to think, just copy and paste... Now tell me what is easier having to read 50 different messages and click yes or no etc. to install a program or to copy and paste 4 lines of commands from a website? If modifying the system or doing things considered administrative you will have to use this. Don't be daunted, it is powerful and actually faster than gui (for example instead of having to click through 10 folders to get to a file you can open it directly with its path etc.). As Linux becomes more Mainstream more and more utilities are getting GUI's. In fact nearly everything has a gui. But just for the sake of it i will list some commands below you will find useful and explain them.
--help - type --help after any command to learn more about it.
pwd - pwd lets you find what directory you are in. when you open terminal this will usually be /home/username.
cd - cd basically can be explained as change directory, its the same in dos. format is cd directory_name. cd .. goes back a dir.
ls - ls basically can be explained as list directory, its the same as dir in dos.
mv - mv basically means move. you can use this to make backups, copy files, move them etc.
cp - cp basically means copy. similar to the above.
su - su basically means super user, or admin. usually this will need to to enter a password. This command gives you all rights and can be dangerous is you dont know what you are doing. You should never log in as root unless you have to. On Ubuntu systems you can not log in as root by default. su has been replaced with sudo. to get terminal access to su you would type sudo su. Most system files are owned by root so that you as a user can not do anything stupid to them by default.
chmod - chmod is a fantastic command that lets you set the permissions of files and directories. chmod 777 file_name will allow read write executable privileges to everyone. the 777 can also be replaced with rwxrwxrwx leave a - if you don't want something allowed. the first 3 rwx are the user/owner the second 3 are the group and the third 3 is everyone else.
chown - chown is as fanastic as chmod. basically change owner. format is chown username file_name.
File Directory Setup
Many new Linux users are often overwhelmed or confused by how Linux's files and directories are organised. I will attempt to explain why Linux is set up like this. A default system is usually set up in to these directories (it looks like alot doesnt it!).
/ - This is the root directory
/bin - this is where system programs are kept.. basically the ones you use in terminal such as cd, ls, etc.
/boot - This is where all the information for loading the OS is kept. The kernel vmlinuz is kept here too
/dev - contains no real files more like actual devices. dev/hda1 is the master hard drive dev/fd0 is floppy disk
/lib - libraries.. just like .dlls in windows.
/etc - contains system config files, etc/fstab lets you specify what devices are mounted at boot.
/home - This is the home directory, like documents and settings in windows
/mnt - default mount points for usb and hard drives etc.
/opt - exists but i dont quite know how to explain it yet.
/proc - proc is a special directory that contains parts of the kernel. best not to go there if you're new.
/root - this is the root accounts home directory
/sys - is similar to /proc
/sbin - same as bin except only commands for the super user.
/tmp - temporary files go here.
/usr - around here is where most programs are installed. How they are changes through distributions.
/var - contains files that change while the system is running... var/www contains the apache server once you have installed it.
Well you can see each directory has a specific use and function, but why so many? well basically this keeps the system save and stable, you can also mount each directory on a separate partition or hard drive! for example having your /home on a separate partition means that when you re-install or format you can keep all your files! keeping /boot separate makes it easier to boot multiple operating systems and means if you ruin say the grub boot loader, its easier to fix. I have 3 hard drives and unlike windows where you have to recognise them as separate drives, mine are all blended in the system so I have 40GB for Linux to run on, 80GB for my /Home directory and a spare one mounted in /home/ext3 which I can load new operating systems I want to test and keep back ups of files. Once you get used to all this its fantastic!
VMware.
VMware is a truly amazing tool. I used to display a VMware hack to get VMware images for free so you could play them on VMware... but now i don't have to as VMware server is now free! Any Operating System enthusiast must have this! VMware emulates hardware and allows you install multiple operating systems on your computer without having to play with partitioning etc. If you just want to try Linux, i recommend you download VMware and try running a Linux iso through VMware. Alternatively you can install Windows through VMware on your Linux Distribution for when you feel you need to use a windows app (good for testing stuff in IE too lol) ... There is WINE and i recommend giving that a go too but wine doesn't work for everything.
On windows i suppose the install is fairly easy and graphical as most windows things are... on Linux its still easy just command line (which in many respects is easier!)... First make sure that you have a C compiler (e.g. gcc) and the Linux kernel headers on your system. They are located in /usr/src/ either in that folder (Debian/based) or /usr/src/Linux/include/ in others... If that is done VMware should basically autodetect the settings... run the script vmware-install.pl as root/su (sudo command in Ubuntu). You can of course change the settings if you wish to. Only the 100mb tar.gz is needed.
I have tested Windows on this, Aswell as many Linux distros... Visit the ReactOS website to download a virtual image of the operating system too. its about 60mb when i last updated to v.30a rc2. This Operating System is unstable and in alpha mode, so please be careful... but good if you want to test VMware without having to install an OS too..
Qemu is another emulator, it is opensource too.
