Adger Linux Beginner Linux Resource

Linux can seem heavy on the jargon – especially for beginners – with terms such as X Windows, desktop environments, file managers, X servers, and GUIs. While it is not essential to understand how all the components fit together, it is useful to be familiar with the basic terminology.

At the heart of Linux is the kernel. This is the code that is loaded before anything else when you launch Linux, and is unloaded last when you halt the system. On its own, the kernel doesn’t appear to do very much, but without it, nothing gets done. The kernel acts as the main link between your hardware and all the programs that run under Linux. It also handles crucial background tasks such as managing the memory and multitasking.

 

Tools. Linux tools are a group of programs between the kernel and the software that displays Linux on the desktop. One of the most important tools is the C/CO compiler. This tool compiles a program written in C++, and turns the code into an executable program that can be run by Linux.

 

Application Software. In this raw state, Linux does not need a GUI to enable it to work. Here, however, we concentrate on the graphical applications that enable Linux to run as a window-based operating environment.

 

X Windows. The X Window system is used to set up an “X server” on your computer. This holds information about the capabilities of your graphics card and display.

 

Window Manager. X-based desktop managers provide the graphical interface between your input (via keyboard/pointing device) and what happens on your monitor. Some window managers look and feel like Microsoft Windows and all are highly customizable. These programs manage the placement of windows including positioning, overlapping, and iconizing.

 

Desktop Manager. The two leading desktop environments are Gnome and KDE.

 

• Gnome (GNU Network Object Model Environment), which were developed as open source software.
• KDE (the K Desktop Environment) was built using a GUI toolkit called Qt and is also widely used.

Both desktop environments are supplied with Red Hat Linux. They are also available with most other popular distributions.Certain window managers are incompatible with some desktop environments, but the relevant sites will provide the necessary advice.

 

Red Hat Linux Deluxe Workstation

 

This is not one of the cheaper options available. However, a cheaper version of Red Hat is sold, and all the additional elements can be bought from the same source at a later date. The Deluxe version contains the kind of added software that may be bundled together to form a Linux distribution suitable for professional users.

 

History of Expansion

 

Red Hat was founded in 1994 as a developer and distributor of open source software. At that time, the number of Linux users was estimated to be 100,000. In the intervening period, Red Hat has expanded its activities through acquisitions and software development. Alongside this growth, the number of Linux users is estimated by some to have risen to about 15,000,000.

 

 To see Red Hat’s range of products, visit the company’s website and click on Home/Small Business. You can then scroll down through the page that appears and select Red Hat Deluxe Workstation from the list of software.

 

What It Contains

 

Red hat Linux Deluxe Workstation arrives on 10 CDs, which includes more than 5Gb of a variety of software including:

- Red Hat-tested 2.4 kernel

- Gnome and KDE desktop environments

- Support for USB devices and recordable CD-ROMs

- XFree86 4.0.3, an implementation of the X Windows System.

- StarOffice 5.2

- Demo version of Anyware 2.0 that includes the Anyware Desktop, which is an office program suite

- Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.05

- Special Red Hat edition of Yahoo! Messenger

- Game demos from Loki, Alpha Centauri, and SimCity3000

- Over 300 PowerTools applications, including Zope, Gnucash, Openmotif, Exim, Faxmail, and Postfix

- Red Hat Network Software Manager

- Multiple Programming languages

- Netscape Navigator.

 

The Gnome Desktop

 

Logging On and Off

 

When you start your PC with Linux as the operating system (rather than Windows ME, for example) you will see the screen fill with lines of text that contain information indicating that Linux is checking , enabling, and starting all the software that will drive your system – each followed by OK if the check is passed.

 

• Enter User Name and Password

 Your exact log- in procedure will have been defined by whoever installed Linux on your computer.  If a graphical interface has been chosen, you will see the Gnome log-in screen. If not, you will see a text prompt asking you for your user name and then your password.  In either case, supply your user name and password (not the root user name and password) when prompted. If you are using a graphical interface, you will usually boot straight into the Gnome desktop environment.

 

• Typing at the Prompt

 If a graphical interface is not being used, you will see a text prompt similar to this example (where your password replaces alba) at the localhost login prompt.  To start GNOME, type startx and press ENTER

 

• Logging Off

 To log off from GNOME, choose Log out from the Main GNOME Menu. This displays a dialog box with up to three options:

-LOGOUT to end the Gnome session

-HALT to shut down the computer

-REBOOT to reboot

 

Using the Root Password

 

If you are a user of a standalone PC, you may find that Linux places more emphasis on user names, passwords, and security than you are used. If you attempt to take any action that will make system- level changes to your PC, you will be required to enter the root password because the changes will affect all users of the computer, not merely you. If you are the only user of the computer, this may seem unnecessary. However, if you share your computer with others, the importance of limiting these controls to one “superuser” soon becomes apparent.

 

• The Need for the Password

 If you do not have access to the root password- probably because someone else has installed Linux you will need either to ask them for the password or to log in each time that any system-level changes are required.

 

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