Linux 101

B

bullzeye.za

Expert Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Messages
1,823
Reaction score
50
Linux 101

So! You're looking to try out that Linux thing that people talk about. How do you get started? Where do you look?

Well, I'm going to try and give everyone a nice base to work from.

First off, you need to make a decision. If you're new to Linux, then Ubuntu is probably your best bet, but there are a few other really nice alternatives. Linux Lite, Debian, Linux Mint, and if you really want to get tossed into the deep end, Arch Linux.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive guide, but should be enough for the interested newcomer to be able to make an informed decision about where to start.

Post 1 is an introduction. This post.
Post 2 is a short overview of each distro. This is not a full list, just a handpicked few.
Post 3 is all about the interfaces that you're able to install.
Post 4 is an introduction to package managers. This is how you install applications.
Post 5 is about system updates, frequencies, and troubleshooting.
Post 6 gives a brief overview of what a newbie should do if (s)he runs into trouble that (s)he can't resolve alone.
 
Last edited:
Distributions

Ubuntu

Ubuntu-Ubunity-Screenshot-3.jpg

Ubuntu is the staple Desktop OS of many Linux enthusiasts, and for good reason. It is based off of the rock solid Debian distro, with a whack of interface and usability enhancements. There's a reason that a large chunk of people suggest it as your starter distro. Support is easy to find, and the forums are friendly.

Pros: Easy to pick up and learn, Well supported, Commonly used, Simplified Installation, Easy Package Manger.
Cons: Starting to become commercial ( Amazon bloatware ), Designed for mobile use more and more with recent versions, Some proprietry code - Not entirely opensource anymore.

Linux Lite

Linux-Lite-1-0-4-Community-Feedback-Version-Released-into-the-Wild-2.jpg

Linux Lite is based off of Ubuntu. So you get all the advantages, while gaining another few. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as sleek or as toyish, but you gain performance and decreased memory usage.

Pros: Based on Ubuntu, so most support articles for Ubuntu will apply, Lighter on CPU and Memory, Incredibly sleek, Amazing stock wallpaper package, Entirely opensource
Cons: Still relatively new, Not as pretty as Ubuntu

Debian

debian_7_desktop.png

Debian, for the most part, is aimed at the more technical users. Still not someone who can go without a GUI entirely, but is comfortable in a terminal, and able to troubleshoot. It's rock solid, and supported at least as well as Ubuntu.

Pros: Entrely opensource, solid as a rock, works with everything, light on memory, secure
Cons: Not pretty at all, very little commercial support/software, can be hard to configure at first.

Linux Mint

Linux-Mint-15-Cinnamon-quot-Olivia-quot-Is-Almost-Flawless-Screenshot-Tour-7.jpg

Mint is sort of the precursor to Linux Lite. It comes packaged with a productivity suite, and appears to be aimed at companies that want a solid operating system with an office suite preinstalled ( LibreOffice ), and that they don't have to upgrade their old computers in order to use. It's based off of Ubuntu ( The LMDE releases were based off of Ubuntu ), and support is just as bountiful as it's ancestors.

Pros: Comes with lots of preinstalled apps, stable, Updates infrequently, "Just Works"
Cons: Comes with lots of preinstalled apps, not as light as Linux Lite

Arch Linux

MZeQD.jpg

Arch Linux is aimed at those who know what they're doing. It doesn't make an easy entry to the Linux world, and will probably won't be easy to get into the community if you're not a seasoned Linux user. It doesn't require you to know the inner workings of a Linux kernel, but that certainly helps.

Pros: Solid, Gets up and running very quickly, Fast, Huge Package Repository, Powerful, Geek Cred(tm)
Cons: Unfriendly to beginners, Support is technical, Need to be comfortable in a terminal

Fedora

View attachment 95635

Fedora is another distro aimed at power users, and users familiar with Linux. It focuses on security and flexibility with it's "Fedora Spin" releases, which are built on the same base, but are packaged with different end users in mind. An example would be Fedora with Cinnamon as the Desktop Environment, rather than the default GNOME.

Pros: Fedora puts out stable releases every six months, Very community driven, Focused on freedom and choice
Cons: A release every 6 months means you only ever have 13 months of support unless you keep up to date
 
Last edited:
Desktop Environments

Your desktop environment is the face of your Linux installation. It's important to pick one that you like, or you might find yourself bored by the interface, or frustrated by the lack of a feature. Here are the most popular few, but the list is not exhaustive.

Unity

image110.png

Unity is a great interface. It is Ubuntu's default, and if you've used Ubuntu since 11.10, you will probably have seen this. For most users, it's associated with Ubuntu, but it can be built and installed on any of the other distributions, and most have a prepackaged install option.

GNOME 3

ubuntu-gnome-remix-12.10.png

GNOME has historically been the go-to desktop environment for users. It was similar enough to Windows for people to be familiar, and packed enough extra features to hook in those who were interested. Since GNOME 3 though, people have started moving away from it, calling it "simplistic". I must agree, as by default, there isn't even a taskbar. It does have a great extension system, which can easily bring features in/back.

KDE

kubuntu-12.104.png

KDE and GNOME were the two rivals, at one point. KDE focused more on making things bigger and more recognisable, while GNOME was all about making it sleek. Form over Function was KDE's motto, and while it was a little slower, it was immensely popular. It came with it's own suite of basic desktop apps too. File managers, text editors, and image viewers. Many apps still have a "K" previx, to denote their origin.

Xfce

xubuntu-12.10.png

Xfce is to many users what GNOME 3 should have been. It's lightweight, and follows on after GNOME 2's design. It's a traditional desktop environment, without special effects and widgets for your desktop. It's perfect for aging PCs that you just want to use as a workstation or desktop. It comes with it's own lightweight file managers, text editors, and image viewers as well.

Cinnamon

full-cinnamon-desktop.jpg

Cinnamon was built for Linux Mint, but is opensource, so can be used anywhere. It's based off of GNOME 3, but goes in another direction again. It's another traditional desktop environment, and is packaged with most of GNOME 3's tools and features, just laid out in a more recognisable manner.

As of version 2.0, Cinnamon no longer depends on GNOME 3 to be installed, though still contains some GNOME roots. It is an "entire desktop environment"

MATE

image293.png

MATE is a fork of GNOME 2 which focuses on bringing the basic design of GNOME 2 into the modern age. It's aimed at people who miss GNOME 2, but are moving along to more recent Linux distributions. Linux Mint officially supports it, and with a few clicks, you can be using MATE in Linux Mint, should you so desire.
 
Last edited:
Package Managers

Package Managers all work the same, at a basic level. They connect to a repository ( or reposatories ) of prebuilt applications which promise to work on your system. They download the application, as well as it's dependencies, and install it for you.

The two I'll cover here ( Because there are only two different ones for the flavors of Linux I've listed above ) are command line driven. Don't worry! There are GUI based ones that I'll cover too.

Apt

Probably the most user friendly package manager that you can get from a command line. Most users will never need to know anything more than one or two basic commands. It exists in all Debian or Ubuntu based distributions, and applies to everything I've mentioned except for Arch Linux.

All you need to know is the package name. This is the name given by the developer, which must be unique in the repository. So, for example, should you want to install firefox, the command would simply be:

Code: 
	apt-get install firefox

The above is the same for if you wanted to update firefox. A little confusing at first.

Similarly, to remove it, you'd need

Code: 
	apt-get remove firefox

If you wanted to find other versions, or do a search, you'd use the apt-cache command.

Code: 
	apt-cache search firefox

And that would return you a list of all packages that contain "firefox" in the name, or in the description. This is very useful for browsing addons or extensions.


Pacman

Pacman is Arch Linux's package manager. It works very similarly to Apt, but since it's more power user focused, it uses switches ( letters and symbols that trail the command ) to make decisions. This is partly because it's quicker to type commands in switches than with full words, but some suspect the "geek cred" aspect plays a role too.

Similar to Apt, Pacman supports installing, updating, and searching.

To install or update, you use

Code: 
	pacman -S firefox

Removing an application is accomplished by

Code: 
	pacman -R firefox

And searching is managed by

Code: 
	pacman -Ss firefox

Rpm

Rpm is used by a wide selection of Linux distributions. The particular commands vary slightly between some of them. Fedora, for example uses yum. It handles very similarly to Apt, in that it doesn't use switches for common commands.

Installing a package

Code: 
	yum install firefox

Removing something

Code: 
	yum erase firefox

And to search

Code: 
	yum search firefox

GUI Package Managers

I'm going to cover Synaptic Package Manager, because it's closely integrated with Apt. Ubuntu does have it's own GUI package manager, which is prettier than Synaptic, but works in the same basic way.

0.53-main.jpg

Synaptic looks like this. It has a searchable index of applications, which you can sort by a few things, including name, category, and size. It's very easy for the Linux newbie to get used to, but it will be a gateway into using command line Apt, because once you are familiar with it, it will save you time and effort.

0.53-properties.png

Synaptic allows you to add new repositories, update them, and remove ones that you do not like. Most people won't have to touch the options though.
 
Last edited:
Updates!

Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu updates every six months. They release a new update, and name it for the year and the month. So the 2014 April release was called 12.04. This confuses users because they might think the update from 12.04 to 12.10 is minor ( 0.06! ) but it was a considerably major release in terms of UI change and features.

In the case of Ubuntu, every second .04 release is considered "Long Term Support". This means that it will receive support from the Ubuntu team themselves for the next 5 years. This might not come in the form of package updates ( Ubuntu 8.04 for example never got a recent update of Firefox ), but it does mean that security and stability fixes will come out a long time after you do your initial install.

Linux Lite

Because Linux Lite is still relatively new, updates are coming out frequently. This is not because it's unstable or buggy however, but because it's trying to pick up the pace of Linux rollouts. New features are frequent, but testing might not be entirely complete when they push them out. I'd suggest giving updates a week before you accept them.

Debian

Debian's key is stability. It's been around the block, and the developers know how to make sure that something is entirely ready before they release it into the wild. When a debian update comes up, ( And they can be years apart ) you can quite comfortably just hit the accept button, and you will not have to worry about anything.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint has gotten to version 13 in very little time. It only makes use of stable packages on top of it's new Debian roots, so you can expect good stability from it. The interface might change slightly with each bump, but do not expect any issues with updates.

Arch Linux

Most people who run Arch like to live on the bleeding edge. They are used to things not working, and they know how to fix them when they break. That said, the stable updates are pretty darn stable, owing to the low amount of energy spent on making a flashy frontend. Get used to weekly changes though.

When things go wrong

Most of the time, when an update fails, it's for one of two reasons.

Unsupported Hardware

If you had to install special drivers for a piece of hardware ( Graphics card, Sound card ), there is a small chance that in the next release, it might prevent the system from booting. This happens more often for graphics cards than for anything else. The best solution is to pop in a Live CD ( The one you installed from should work ), and see if that boots. If it does, then hop back over to your regular system install, and hit Ctrl + Alt + F2.

From there, you should be presented with a flashing login prompt. Enter your usual user name and password, and then visit your graphics card manufacturer's site on another PC to find instructions on how to install the updated drivers. Most commonly you'll need to run a handful of commands, but none of them are complex. Expect to have to "wget" a file, then "tar" it, and then run the included install script.

Filesystem Damage

Occasionally during an update, your filesystem may become corrupt. This is not a cause for panic, as it could be on Windows. Nine times out of ten, rebooting and letting the system "fsck" itself should resolve the issue. Otherwise, pop in your Live CD ( The same one you installed from ), and run the repair tool.

If all else fails, googling for whatever error message you get, or just a few keywords explaining your symptoms will lead to a result. Linux is common, and other people have had the same issue as you, and have solved it before. You are not alone.
 
Last edited:
When things stop working

When an installation breaks between one boot and another

This happens rarely. I've run Linux on four computers for years at a time, and I've only had this happen twice.

Step 1: Do not panic. Your data is not gone, it's just locked inside a computer that won't boot, and doesn't respond to your input. ( Yeah, I know - That's not helpful )

Step 2: Realise that someone else has most certainly dealt with the same problem you are experiencing, and has solved it before. Find that person, and your problems are solved.

Step 3: Check up on your distribution of choice's forums. Every distro under the sun has one. Let's use http://ubuntuforums.org/ as the example.

Step 4: Search! Try and use words that describe your issue in laymans terms. "not booting" "black screen" "flashing cursor" are good bets. Don't try and get technical, 90% of the people asking questions that get help on the forums don't know the technical terms.

Step 5: If you've found a thread that looks like it's solving the same problem that you have, read it. Try and read the whole thing but there is usually one highlighted post that contains the solution. Read that at least, and if it works, give the guy a thanks, and go back to using your Linux machine.

Step 6: If you've searched and found nothing, don't be afraid of starting a new thread. Ubuntu has a very friendly community, and don't be offended if someone answers your question with a simple link that points to an answer. He's put in effort to helping, and not just ignored the thread. Thank him, and if that didn't help, say so. They might ask you questions, or ask you to run commands to test things. Give them the output, and they will be able to help you more.

Step 7: If the worst comes to the worst ( I've never been here ), pop in a Live disk, an external hard drive, and Back Up your data. Sometimes a fresh install is the best solution. Back up, reinstall, and go on happily, knowing that you'll probably never have to deal with that issue again.
 
Last edited:
Fedora is pretty neat, and if you are looking at corporate CentOS is a good bet...

Do not want to complicate things, great idea for a thread...
 
herbertk said:
Fedora is pretty neat, and if you are looking at corporate CentOS is a good bet...

Do not want to complicate things, great idea for a thread...
Click to expand...

I'll stick to the chosen few for now, but I'll add more as people request and suggest them :)
 
Last edited:
Post 2 is not showing the attachments properly for me. Anyone else?
Hmm. Looks like myBB is deleting attachments.. Fixed, for now.
 
Last edited:
This is a great thread. I have lived bullzeye.za introduction to Linux Ubuntu and it has made me grow stronger as an IT consultant!

I would recommend anyone who wants to make it strong in their respective IT field to broaden themselves especially into Linux. It won't kill you...
 
Useful thread indeed. After the comp is over it should be pinned in the Linux section. Thanks.
 
aptitude ≠ apt-get

Edit: Also -
" It ( until recently ) was based off of the rock solid Debian distro"

This statement is false. Ubuntu is still very much based upon Debian, they even have a couple of people of the developers board. I appreciate your article, but it's moot without proper guidance.
 
Last edited:
bullzeye.za said:
Ubuntu updates every six months. They release a new update, and name it for the year and the month. So the 2014 April release was called 12.04. This confuses users because they might think the update from 12.04 to 12.10 is minor ( 0.06! ) but it was a considerably major release in terms of UI change and features.
Click to expand...

Something else that should be added:
All even .04 versions of Ubuntu are LTS versions, or Long Term Support.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS
 
Drake2007 said:
Useful 101. I've never played with Arch, but I'm pretty sure Gentoo is a bit more hardcore.

here's some informative twitter acc.'s to follow.
https://twitter.com/LinuxPower
https://twitter.com/unixlinux
Click to expand...

Arch and Gentoo are very similar on a conceptual level, but Gentoo is considered "Over-Engineered" by the Arch community. I guess that does indeed make it more hardcore :P

On another note though, I think I might have to merge posts 5 and 6, and reclassify 6 as a "Good places to look for more information" type of post. Thoughts?
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
No RPM love? Where is Centos? :)
Click to expand...

CentOS will come in revision 2! I was aiming at Desktop friendly OSes here. CentOS, I'm sure you'll agree is more focused at servers.

Do love me come CentOS though :)

EDIT: Maybe we need a "Linux 201" thread sometime. I'm not experienced enough to write that though, at least not without a little help. Anyone keen to collaborate?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X