Re: used to windows
From: Jimmy Dubke (jdubk164_at_aol.com)
Date: 12/10/03
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Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 09:11:03 GMT
"Eli Aran" <eli_yardena@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:br4fas$fca$1@news.iucc.ac.il...
> now that i installed red hat 9
> what do i do next?
> where and how?
> do i need to download programs and patches like i did in windows?
> how do i develope the habit of using Linux?
> note: for starters i would rather use linux as a simple home user, not as
a
> programer or web site admin
>
A few basics to get you started.
0. Start by logging in, then enter: 'man man', without the quotes. This
will describe how to use the man facility. The info, man facility, and
google will become your closest friend's. How to do many things will be
tersely described in an info or man page, while many error's may be pasted
into a google search box and an error's meaning found.
1. Mandatory reading, man pages for: ls - directory list, and more; info
pages - frequently man pages, and info pages are the same but not always -
for tar - an archive format used for obtaining compressed software
distributions; mount - how you attach storage devices to Unix's unified file
system. Terminology will be your first problem. You will read these
informative man pages and, indeed, they are written in English, yet you will
have no idea what has been said, as all the terminology is completely
different from the MS stuff. You just have to continue to read until some
if it gradually becomes clear. Read, then play, read, then play some more.
Linux is a study in doing.
2. Unix has a unified file system structure, un-like MS stuff. No a:, c:,
d: disk designations in Unix. All storage devices are added to Linux at,
what is referred to as, a mount point. A mount point is a directory where
the device will appear once logically attached to the system once you have
entered a mount command. All Unix file systems start at /, which is
referred to as the file system's root directory . It's important that you
don't confuse the root - superuser - user with the files system's root
directory - it's a context thing. The root user is special in that he has
total control over a Unix system, unlike MS this user's capability is
protected and restricted in Linux. The file system's root directory is /.
All files and storage devices that contain them are logically attached to
the file system at a specific, user defined, attachment point underneath /.
New storage devices before they may be mounted - logically attached - are
first defined in the file /etc/fstab - read man fstab. Once a storage entry
is present for a device in /etc/fstab, then the device may be attached to
the system with a mount command. Before a device is mounted it's mount
point directory is present, but is, when viewed, empty; once the mount
command has been given then the mount point directory will show the files
contained on the mounted device.
3. Unix was developed by literally thousands of programmers over 35 years.
Many utilities - much of the underlying power of Unix is found in it's
diverse, and large number of utilities - have many, many options. There is
also a decided lack unity, or coherence in what any given option may mean
when considered across the spectrum of the numerous Unix utilities - this
can frustrate. Further Linux is a voluntary effort - there are bugs. Most
bugs are found in the desk tops: Gnome, and KDE. Most bugs are more of an
irritant than a serious problem, but they do exist.
4. Just finding stuff on Linux can be a task. Learn to use the find
utility, and the grep utility - noting like grep in MS, they are a bit more
difficult than the utilities noted above, but you are going to spend a good
deal of time looking for stuff, among the several thousands of files in your
Linux system - you learn sooner, or you learn later.
5 www.gnu.org www.tldp.org dsl.org/cookbook/are good start documentation
places. Welcome to real computing.
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