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[tickmike]

Happy New Year To All.

I'm new to Linux has any one any good advice for me, eg. tips on how to install software onto the basic distro, tips on how to pick things up about using and learning about Linux ?.

I have downloaded and installed 'Ubuntu'  ( which is the one I'm trying on a spare machine.)

Also 'Mepis' &  'Knoppix' all for Desktops.

Michael

[roseway]

Most of the major Linux distros have good support forums which will help you with any problems you encounter. The one general bit of advice I would give is that you must try to be open-minded. Lots of people who've been using Windows for years try out a Linux distro and quickly get frustrated because it doesn't work the way they're familiar with, i.e. like Windows. You might have a look at http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm for a fairly comprehensive look at that issue.

You've started off with Ubuntu, which is a popular choice. You may or may not like the GUI which it uses (Gnome) which is very different from Windows. Kubuntu is a spinoff from Ubuntu and uses the KDE desktop, which is much more like Windows in style. I see that Mepis is on your list, and that uses KDE too, and is pretty user-friendly. Most friendly of the lot (IMO) is OpenSuse 10.2, which was recently released.

Installing hardware isn't the nightmare which it was a few years ago. Most printers, scanners, graphics cards, etc work straight out of the box, but avoid Windows-specific hardware like GDI printers and Winmodems.

The bottom line is that you need to spend some time learning things, because Linux is very different from Windows. If you're prepared to give it that time I think you'll find it a rewarding experience. Good luck!

Eric

[tickmike]

Hello Eric.
Thank you for your comments and the link,
Well I've been toying with the idea of trying Linux for some time, Now I'm on Broadband and downloaded some distro's I have no excuse now .
I have an open mind so we will take things as I find them.
Do you still need antivirus software (eg .ClamWin)  and anti spy/malware ?.
I've got a 'Smoothwall box' for my firewall.( I learnt a lot about Linux from building that ! )
I will try OpenSuse 10.2 some time.
Also I cannot get over how easy the distro loads on to a machine and configures every thing.
Regard Michael.

[roseway]

There is no known Linux malware in the wild, and the general concensus is that antivirus software is unnecessary, unless the Linux box is acting as a server for Windows machines. If you want belt and braces then ClamAV is well respected, and AVG is also available for Linux. If you're behind a Smoothwall box then you probably don't need to do anything else (only my opinion of course).

Yes, modern distros do usually make hardware installation easy, because all the hardware drivers are built into the kernel (or included as loadable kernel modules) so there's no messing about with third party CDs.

Eric

[tickmike]

Just using this one test machine for a 'desktop' not a server at the moment, but I may download and install AVG for Linux ( I've always used free AVG).
I reinstalled to firefox 2 last night (used a script off the ubuntu site ).
I am reading through the 'guide' for ubuntu but I cannot see how to install new software, found my update manager and done 65 updates ok .
Is it a similar job to do install software on all Linux distro's or are they all different.?

From Michael.

[roseway]

Ubuntu is a Debian derivative, and uses .deb software packages. These can be installed and uninstalled from the command line using the 'apt' programs, but the user-friendly way is to use a program called synaptic. This is probably already installed and available from the menu. When you run it you should hit the refresh button to get the current indexes from the software repositories, and then the various buttons give you different ways to view the list of packages - for example, you can see only only packages for which an update is available, or only those which are new in the repositories, etc. You'll soon get the hang of using it.

All Debian-derived distros, and several others too use apt/synaptic for package management, but there are other systems as well. Mandriva, Fedora and Suse use the RPM system (RedHat Package Manager) with their own custom friendly interfaces. With all distros you can also install programs by compiling them from source - easier than it sounds but not really for the beginner.

Eric