Linux Starter Guide

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

This is a compilation of various things I have found on the web to help you install Linux and get it working to maximum satisfaction, but first a short QnA
Note: Areas spoilered are just to save space and make it less cluttered

Q: What exactly is Linux?
A: Linux is an open source operating system that is free to download and with many distributions (distros) that are built for specific needs so you can get the best version for you.

Q: Does that mean I cannot play any of my games such as COD4 or Half Life 2 on it?
A: Not at all! A program for Linux, called Wine, allows you to run windows applications on virtually any distro of Linux with a frontend called PlayOnLinux, which makes running windows applications alot easier, and you don't have to have wine preinstalled to use it, it installs it for you!

Q: What programs come preinstalled with Linux?
A:
Note: Areas spoiler'd are just to save space and make it less cluttered
Accessories

Calculator
Character Map
Disk Usage Analyzer
Manager Print Jobs
Passwords and Encryption Keys
Take Screenshot
Terminal
Text Editor
Tomboy Notes
Tracker Search Tool
Games

AisleRot Solitaire
Blackjack
Chess
Five or More
Four in a row
Freecell Solitaire
Gnometris
Iango
Klotski
Mahjongg
Mines
Nibbles
Robots
Same Gnome
Sudoku
Tali
Tetravex
Graphics

F-Spot Photo Manager
Gimp Image Editor
OpenOffice.org Drawing
Xsane Image Scanner
Internet

Ekiga Softphone
Evolution Mail
Firefox Web Browser
Pidgin Internet Messenger
Remote Desktop Viewer
Terminal Server Client
Transmission BitTorrent Client
Office

Dictionary
Evolution Mail and Calender
OpenOffice.org Presentation
OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet
OpenOffice.org Word Processor
Sound and Video

Brasero Disc Burning
Movie Player
Rythmbbox Music Player
Sound Recorder

Q: Where can I get Linux?
A: You can get Ubuntu, the version I reccomend, from http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Q: What Version of Ubuntu should I get?
A: If you are using a home computer, get the desktop version, of the version numbered 8.10

Q: What are some other distros of Linux?
A: DamnSmallLinux, Fedora, FreeBSD, Gentoo, and Debian

Q: Why so many distros?
A: The reason there are so many distros, is because each version has its on specialities for your specific needs

Q: I'm not fully sure if I want Linux, can I test it without installing?
A: Yes, after the CD or DVD of Ubuntu is burnt, you can click the Try Ubuntu button, which will restart your machine, then have a special ubuntu menu come up allowing you to choose from the various options, including installation and trying it before you install it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::End Of QnA:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Tutorials:

Executing a .run File

Go to Applications > Accessories and click Terminal
Put the .run file onto your desktop
In terminal type "cd Desktop" and press enter
Afterwards type "sh ./filename.run" where filename is replaced with the name of the file and press enter
If it says you need to be a superuser to run it
Type "sudo" then a space then the command and press enter
Note: Most Drivers will require the sudo command to be used

Installing plugins and libraries

Most plugins and libraries, and some drivers are .deb files, just open the file and click install to use it

Running windows Applications

Go to www.playonlinux.com
Download the installer for the version of linux you are using
If you are using Ubuntu 8.04 or higher
in console type "sudo apt-get install envyng-qt" This will install an app called EnvyNG which will install various libraries and drivers which will enable 3d acceleration for applications
If you are not using ubuntu 8.04 or higher, download
http://albertomilone.com/ubuntu/nvidia/scripts/legacy/envy_0.9.10-0ubuntu10_all.deb and install it, this will install Envy Legacy
then follow the on screen guide to install EnvyNG or Envy Legacy
When finished either click run or install on playonlinux and then select your application and go!

Okay, thats it for now, I will update it in the future when I find new problems, or people request something
Good luck guys!

[ThePlague]

Wine doesn't exactly run EVERY program for windows, it has a lot of bugs in itself. The best way you can use windows apps is by booting windows inside of Linux using a program called VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/). That's about the only way to assure you can use 100% of windows programs. Plus, with VirtualBox you can add more than just windows, it is made so you can add pretty much any OS there is.

But, if you want to attempt to use Wine, you might just be able to get what you want working.

[Warsaw]

I could be wrong, but I thought VirtualBox didn't work with Direct X...

[Amit]

Can we get a list of what games work on Linux?

[klange]

Can we get a list of what games work on Linux?
I can tell you right off the bat that virtually every Source game runs great if you have a recent nVidia card, and it's been discussed here before that good ol' Halo will run on most systems. Check your game at the AppDB (http://appdb.winehq.org). If it's Platinum, you'll have a hard time getting it to not work, unless your hardware just doesn't support it. If it's Gold or Silver, it should work fine. If it's Bronze, it may work fine or may have lots of problems. You're all a bunch of real PC gamers, so your hardware shouldn't be an issue...

@Warsaw: While it doesn't support DirectX in an OpenGL-only host yet, it's being worked on (in fact, in the mean time, you can basically do exactly what's being integrated into VirtualBox and replace your DirectX libraries with the WineD3D compiled specially for real Windows installations, but it's no where near perfect; reinstall real DirectX to fix Windows if you break it.)

Regardless, if you're looking to play games, you'll want to use Wine (or one of the pay-for-service derivatives... but seriously, I've never heard of any major improvement with them), as it provides nearly complete DirectX, and will even support DX10 in the coming months.

@Pyong Kawaguchi: The only .run file I've ever had to use (and I've installed plenty of proprietary drivers, mind you) was for Google Earth (which could install to ~, so it didn't require root). This is definitely of note when just a few lines down you're telling people to use Envy: No need to run any .run's when you use the nice automated tools.

e: Also, I'd like to dispel a myth: There is a "Wine for Darwin" (OS X) and it has pretty much the same application support as Wine for Linux/BSD/Solaris.

[Warsaw]

Heh, I may have to reinstall Linux and give it another whirl, seeing how far Wine has come since I last used it...I've got a nice 40GB partition that I set aside for a Hackintosh setup, but I can't be assed to get that up and running.

[Cortexian]

Or you could just use Windows properly... It's a lot easier... :effort:

[Warsaw]

I only use Windows because I must. If I didn't enjoy playing games or dabbling in Photoshop, I'd use Linux exclusively.

[Rook]

Or you could just use Windows properly... It's a lot easier... :effort:
yess

[Heathen]

Anyone know if Jaunty will finally work with my x300?

I am PMing Bacon atm.

[Warsaw]

It's all up to whoever makes the drivers...at the moment, ATi doesn't have significant support for Linux, and even if they did, I don't think they'd put the X300 on the list given its age.

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

Drivers for my 4870 are great, so idk.

[Heathen]

It's all up to whoever makes the drivers...at the moment, ATi doesn't have significant support for Linux, and even if they did, I don't think they'd put the X300 on the list given its age.
balls :[

[Reaper Man]

Eh, you should also put that the first thing you should do when you install Linux (after setting up your repos) is open terminal and run:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

[klange]

The guide should be updated to reflect Jaunty's release yesterday. Trust me, you'll want to upgrade.

[Warsaw]

They added some stuff that wasn't on the last list I read for Jaunty...decreased boot times sound quite delectable to me.

[klange]

They added some stuff that wasn't on the last list I read for Jaunty...increased boot times sound quite delectable to me.
Decreased ;)
My old laptop boots in 20 seconds, 25 to desktop. My netbooks are a bit quicker...

[Warsaw]

Shaddap, I'm running on one doughnut and 50 minutes of sleep...D=