Linux

[purple_goat]

I was a Branes and Noble and I saw this Linux guide that came with an Install disk!
I bought it.
(my comp blew out XP and I can't buy another copy because MS took back all the existing copies, and I HATE vista)
now it's installed and I love it but I know nothing.. :blink:

so can anyone give me the rundown of linux (including where to get software etc.)
(please?)


Thanks

 

[DemonStar55]

what distro?

 

[Nova]

Bet it's either debian or damn small.




And you can probably get another copy of XP on ebay if it was really neccesary.

 

[DemonStar55]

Bet it's either debian or damn small.




And you can probably get another copy of XP on ebay if it was really neccesary.

I've seen SuSE, Red hat, Gentoo, and many others, so small chance it's deb or dsl

 

[purple_goat]

openSUSE..

 

[nickspoon]

Frankly I prefer Ubuntu, but here's a quick rundown on Linux stuff.

Software is obtained from trusted repositories. Software that goes into them has been tested for bugs and malicious content. Every so often (maybe a few times a week) your computer will tell you there are updates for software from the repository. It will automatically update software if you tell it to (no need to restart unless there's a kernel update, and if there is, no fucking nag boxes). I'm not aware of the details with OpenSUSE, but you can probably enable extra repositories for more software - you'll have to refer to OpenSUSE guides for that.

The chance of getting a virus is practically nil due to how the system is managed. You log in as a user. When you want to change something system-wise (like install software) you need to become the 'root' or administrator user. The graphical tools will usually prompt you for a password. On Ubuntu, you enter your own password. Again, no idea for OpenSUSE.

Umm... not sure what else to explain really...

 

[moz]

linux is a kernel, so many distros which to choose?
run an unbuntu Live CD, its a complete Linux Distro on a CD that you can use of the CD

if you like it you can install to hard disk.

 

[purple_goat]

howwa about freeware games/apps?
where should I get those?

 

[Ravnos]

Google. I found this in just seconds.

http://en.opensuse.org/Add_Packages_Repositories_to_Yast
http://en.opensuse.org/Additional_YaST_Package_Repositories

Start with this page if you have any questions: http://en.opensuse.org/Documentation
If you can't find the answer there, google it. If you still can't find the answer, then ask.

 

[purple_goat]

thanks but I meant progs:
for example:
for palm: freewarepalm.com..

 

[nickspoon]

You get programs from the repository. It's quite simple, really. You open up YaST (which will be in the SuSE menu somewhere), search for what you want, and install a package that does what you need to do. For example, say you want to install a first-person shooter. You search for 'first person shooter', and get a list of results. One of those may be Nexuiz. You can then install Nexuiz through the packages manager.

 

[TelcoLou]

thanks but I meant progs:
for example:
for palm: freewarepalm.com.. I'm too lazy to do any research myself.

Really now, maybe you need help on how to use google first ...

 

[purple_goat]

I did google!
I've used windows forever (starting at '95)
so I'm very confused/happy about linux :blink:

 

[Ravnos]

Well, the first thing to do would be to read the links I provided. As Nick said, Linux software is usually installed via repositories. You would want to add a few of those repositories based on what it is they offer, then use YaST to search for the specific things you want to install.

If you're after a website that keeps track of all Linux apps and what they do, I don't know of any website that tracks that sort of thing for all cases. I think softpedia keeps track of some apps but I don't know how extensive it is for Linux apps. Basically, figure out what exactly you need to do, then google for that with the word "linux" in your query, that will usually help you find what you're after. Like "dvd rip linux" or "audio player linux" or whatever. When you find something you like, search YaST and see if you can install through that (which will make things easier for you.)

If you're just after Linux games, the best site to check is http://www.happypenguin.org. It keeps track of just about every game for Linux and tells you where to find them if it's not in any of your repositories.

 

[purple_goat]

TGFR

thank god for ravnos

 

[DemonStar55]

I use to use SuSe, then I switched to Ubuntu and now I use Gentoo

http://susewiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page that's the SuSe wiki, it has lots of information
check there first on how to do anything, simply because it's the wiki for your distribution

I know there are some good repos such as Packman (http://packman.links2linux.org/) and Guru (http://linux01.gwdg.de/~pbleser/) for SuSe, I remember these two sites have basically everything you will need

http://susewiki.org/index.php?title=Adding_YaST_Sources that's the wiki article describing how to add sources and at the bottom of the page it has a link to sources (such as Packman and Guru)

some programs I would recommend:
Music: Amarok (if you use KDE)
Listen (basically any other, http://www.listen-project.org/)
Exaile (basically any other)

Tag editing: EasyTag

Movies: MPlayer, simply the best
or if you're use to VLC on windows you can use VLC on linux

and make sure you enable multimedia to get MP3 support etc and more video codec support

edit: http://linux.strangegamer.com/index.php?title=Main_Page that's another nice linux games site, http://linux-gamers.net/ another good site, and for emulators, http://linuxemu.retrofaction.com/ (I've actually seen updates for some GP2x emus on here before GP32x... kind of strange)

also if you don't like SuSE too much, I would recommend Ubuntu, it's kind of slower compared to other distros but it has great support and I prefer deb over rpm anyways

also, it seems a lot of Linux users will just say RTFM (Read The F-ing Manual) to you if you ask a question that's easy to find the answer for, which would be the equivalent of use yelling use the search function

I just found this http://reallylinux.com/docs/choosinglinux.shtml which gives hints to choosing a distro http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/ this is also helpful, I would recommend sticking with SuSE for a while tho, unless you really don't like it

 

[Goemon4]

ahh suse! i got the suse box set and was impressed at first, but when it came down to software, finding suse RPM's and messing with the repos was a pain, its a good Distro tho once you get it working but for future tries try debian, alot more software (just about everything comes as a .deb) or try ubuntu (even tho i dont rly like it) its very good for beginners and helps you pick up the basics of how to use linux

but personally id dont use linux to much, its to much of a hassle for me... mabey if i was really into it, but from pst experiences, id spend more time compiling something than using it (or id get pwnd trying to remember commands adn accidentally enter something i shouldnt) but if your good ate remembering stuff, and if you liek a more "hands on" approach then yeah linux is for you


(yeah i was a horrible linux user )

 

[Nova]

I'm with goemon on this, I had Ubuntu for just over 2 years, and only really wanted to use it for simple things, but to do so much just to surf the net for instance annoyed me, so I fresh installed Win 98SE last week. Lovely.

 

[purple_goat]

big thanks to DemonStar55

 

[DemonStar55]

big thanks to DemonStar55

you're welcome, hope you have an as pleasant experience on Linux that I have had. You'll get the most out of it if you enjoy fixing things when they do break, usually you can find help online.

Oh, and this is pretty much a must, especially if you're x-server dies somehow, install links, it's a web browser for the terminal, so if you're x-server gets messed up you can just use links to google for help.