Anti Virus install / other software install issues

If this is the wrong newsgroup please someone feel free to tell me where I would be better off to ask questions. Before I get into specific problems, I am what I consider to be a power user of computers, working on them since Commodore VIC 20 days. I grew up via the DOS / WINDOWS operating systems and have a diploma in robotics (so I understand and have done programing etc...). I have zero experience with the UNIX / LINUX world. I decided now that I am finished working (on disability), and have a few computers around, that I would free one up and install Linux. I downloaded and burned all 6 CD images for SUSE 10.2. I chose the Gnome desktop when asked during installation. Almost immediately I realized Dorthy wasn't in Kansas anymore. Everything looked similar, but different. I managed to open FireFox (my browser of choice for over 2 years now even on Windows platforms). The update to the latest version of FireFox seemed to go well too. My next challenge was to download Mozilla's Thunderbird as my News / Mail reader. I just feel comfortable with it. I got it downloaded and then went to install it, and found the install software app. It would not find the downloaded package, so finally I installed it manually using the 'setup' app that was in the Thunderbird package. It works, and I managed to produce a 'launcher' on my desktop. Next I downloaded Adobe Reader and again it would not install via install software so I went into the downloaded package and ran the setup. When it got to the "Browser plug in" it would not install. It seems to have a problem finding the FireFox folder (I don't recall the exact message right now).

Finally I downloaded Grisoft's AVG Free edition for Linux. The first download asked me if I wanted to run the download using Install Software and I did, but it failed to find the download package, so I downloaded a second time, saved to disk. I then put the download into the /USR/TMP folder and ran Install Software, it found the package, and I clicked install. It runs though quite a few minutes, and then I got "Cannot Resolve Dependencies" and a reference to some file of package I cannot find or identify.

I am obviously just learning, so be gentle with me, but I do want to learn about LINUX. It seems a bit slower than Windows 2000 on this same machine (Pentium III 450 with 512 meg Ram and 30 gig HDs). Still I want to learn about Linux for a personal challenge. Along with my specific problem with AVG (anti virus) can anyone recommend a good book for a neophyte Linux user? Like I say, I have worked professionally as a network administrator on Windows and DOS systems, so I am not learning about computers from the basic building blocks, but I find even using the Terminal to be so different than a DOS command line that I am like a person in a foreign country!

James Connelly
Hamilton, ON L8N 2V4
Canada
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