Home  + JunoShield  + Blue Ice  + Linux © 1998 by Joel Dueck. All Rights Reserved Job 21:3

The Linux Experiment I have been running Linux for some months now, both as a workstation OS and as a server on our house's firewall. This little page is oriented towards those curious about the OS, how it works, and what the issues are. First things first: paradigm shift Long-time Windows users, people who have not used DOS since the early nineties, and people who have never used a command-line based system will undergo a kind of "culture shock" when switching to Linux. Especially if they do it the way I did it. (How did I do it? I was bored one day and installed Linux. Rather like jumping into an ice-fishing hole.) The major reason for this is the command line: typing in commands and configuration files by hand (Cue dramatic Bach organ tocatta). Most of us are used to wizards and dialog boxes that let us pick the options and do everything for us, and if you switch to Linux you're bound to get frustrated initially. It gets better though, read on. First, although the command line is not the paragon of UI design, it is really not hard to learn and use a few essential commands. Stigma is the key factor here, especially among us former DOS users, who think of text-mode console programs as inherently limited because the only ones we ran were in an inherently limited 16-bit operating system. Actually, however, text mode programs under Linux are small, fast, stable, multitasking, 32-bit and powerful. The only real difference between them and the graphical programs is that they don't look as nice. Secondly, your perspective changes when you realize the true flexibility and power of the command-line system. If you want them, graphical interfaces are available for most configuration files and utilities. However, if you don't have a graphical desktop environment installed, or are running into problems with it, you can edit the configuration files in any text editor. Compare this with any version of Windows, where all your user, system and software configuration is stored in a monolithic, multi-megabyte, binary object known as the Registry. Forget about finding and editing your network configuration options from a text editor. Installation Linux installation has really improved; on most computers you just boot from your Linux install CD and follow the steps. Hardware support is much better than it used to be, although not nearly as comprehensive as Windows. A great place to check is linuxhardware.net. Linux-Mandrake also has a comprehensive list. Dual booting with Windows is easy: when your computer starts, instead of seeing "Starting Windows 95..." you see "LILO boot:". Just type "windows" or "linux" and hit enter. The computer boots to the OS of your choice or to the default OS if you press nothing in five seconds. These options are usually set during installation. A note about distributions: Linux properly refers only to the kernel, the operating system itself. In order to have a useable system, you need software as well. The CD you install is actually a particular distribution of Linux, in which a company has packaged the Linux kernel, a big ol' slew of software & utilities, tested configuration files, and an installer. Red Hat, Debian, and Corel Linux are not different operating systems, just different distributions. Linux software will typically run on any distribution. I recommend Debian or Mandrake (Mandrake is based on Red Hat but has many advantages). If you are really into user-friendly, you might try Corel (See review here). I personally use Mandrake. Detailed reviews are available at CPUReview. You could buy the OS in a package with a manual for $30 to $80 at your local store, but I figure it's supposed to be free, so why pay more than necessary? At cheapbytes.com, you can order a CD for around $7 (including shipping!). Books A good book is literally indispensable when learning Linux. Here are some good starting-point books. I own both of them. Running Linux Running Linux is a very good book, giving a complete overview and general how-to. This should definitely be your starting point when beginning to figure Linux out. We at JIPW like their layout of the O'Reilly books. Linux Complete Despite the name and its 985-pages, Linux Complete is not "complete." It does have a lot of good information on installing Linux, X Windows, and also a lot of networking information and a good command reference in the back. It is mainly just a printout of the online documentation and some of the files on the how-to sites. If you are already getting along with Linux this book may be helpful to you. Stability I typically never reboot my Linux computer except to upgrade the operating system itself, which is rare for me. Unlike Windows 95, you do not have to reboot your computer after installing software or changing network settings. My Linux computer never crashes either. When I first installed Linux I was having some pretty wierd problems...but it turned out that my CD ROM had gone bad and scratched the install CD. I replaced both and had no problems. What does Linux look like? As far as look & feel, it can look like anything you want; Windows, BeOS, Classic X/Unix, even like the Mac OS 9 or the new OSX. This is primarily because of the "themes" feature of the graphical environments. For a good smorgasbord of screenshots, see themes.org, Linux-Mandrake screenshots, or screenshots of the GNOME and KDE graphical desktop environments. Links First of all take a look at linux.org. For news and discussion, a lot of Linux users camp out at slashdot.org. Coming soon... My favorite handy utilities and where to get them Replacing Windows applications with free Linux ones A Miscellaneous FAQ...Have any dumb questions about Linux? Send 'em to me and I'll try and answer them. There are a lot of little questions and misperceptions people have, but I can't remember many of them anymore since I became an expert :-) "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die? " - Ezekiel 33:11