Linux For Dummies

Table of contents :
Table of Contents……Page 3
0.2 Is Linux for me?……Page 7
0.4 What are the benefits of Linux?……Page 8
0.7 I don’t believe in free software, etc…….Page 10
0.10 I need standards. Big software corporations (Microsoft) provide standards…….Page 11
0.13 But LINUX may fork into many different systems ………Page 12
0.16 Linux is idealistic “dreaming”; it is business that rules the world nowadays……Page 13
0.17 Linux sux etc…….Page 14
1.1 Which Linux distribution should I use?……Page 15
1.2 What are the Linux hardware requirements?……Page 17
1.3 Will my hardware work under Linux?……Page 18
1.6 I have Linux Installation CDs but no install floppy. What do I do?……Page 19
1.7 What do I need to read before installation?……Page 20
1.9 How do I partition my hard drive?……Page 21
1.13 Which packages should I install?……Page 24
1.16 How do I crash Linux?……Page 25
1.17 Can I use Graphical User Interface (GUI) all the time?……Page 26
1.18 How do I upgrade a Linux distribution?……Page 27
2.1 Any Linux reading materials?……Page 28
2.3 Any dictionary of terms?……Page 29
2.5 Newsgroups……Page 30
2.7 Source code–the ultimate resource……Page 31
3.1.1 Filenames……Page 33
3.1.2 What are the different directories for?……Page 35
3.1.3 How do I run a program?……Page 37
3.1.5 How can I shutdown my computer?……Page 38
3.1.6 How do I deal with a hanged program?……Page 40
3.1.7 Command options……Page 41
3.2.1 Home directories, root, adding users……Page 42
3.2.2 About password security……Page 43
3.2.3 I forgot the root password……Page 44
3.2.5 Disabling or removing a user account……Page 45
3.2.6 I have file permission problems. How do file ownership and permissions work?……Page 46
3.2.7 My mp3 player chokes. The sound is kind of interrupted (how to set suid)…….Page 48
3.3.2 How do I execute a command at specified time (using “at” or “batch”)?……Page 49
3.3.3 How do I set up cron?……Page 50
3.4.1 What is a shell and do I want to use a different one?……Page 51
3.4.2 How do I customize my shell prompt?……Page 52
3.4.3 Colour on text terminal……Page 53
3.4.5 How do I write a simple shell script?……Page 54
3.4.6 Meaning of quotes……Page 55
3.4.7 Input/output redirection……Page 56
3.4.8 Shell special characters (metacharacters)……Page 57
3.5.1 How do I install a program I downloaded from the Internet?……Page 58
4.1.0 LILO and GRUB……Page 61
4.1.2 LILO displays only LI (or LIL) and hangs……Page 62
4.1.3 How can I change the operating system that LILO boots on default?……Page 63
4.1.5 Uninstalling Linux……Page 64
4.2: Accessing my drives……Page 65
4.2.2 How can I access my CDROM?……Page 66
4.2.3 How to mount a floppy, zip drive, DOS/Windows partition, or a network drive?……Page 67
4.2.5 Any quick way to access a file on a DOS/Windows floppy?……Page 69
4.2.6 Mounting works when I am root. Can a normal user mount?……Page 70
4.2.8 Can I mount automatically?……Page 71
4.2.10 Can I set 32-bit hard drive I/O?……Page 72
4.2.11 I reached the limit on the number of opened files (error message)……Page 73
4.2.12. I attached a new hard drive. What do I do to start using it?……Page 74
4.2.13 Swap space……Page 76
4.3.1 How to switch between text and graphical consoles?……Page 77
4.3.3 Can I have a GUI login prompt?……Page 78
4.3.4 How do I install kde (e.g., on RedHat 5.2)?……Page 79
4.3.5 How can I change my default desktop to KDE (or Gnome or yet another)……Page 80
4.3.7 Can my sister have second GUI login prompt so she does not have to kill my X-session to start hers?……Page 81
4.3.8 How to X-window remotely?……Page 82
4.3.9 How do I install TrueType fonts from my MS Windows partition?……Page 83
4.3.11 How do I Display and Control a Remote Desktop using VNC……Page 84
4.4.1 How to setup my soundcard?……Page 86
4.4.2 How do I setup my printer?……Page 87
4.4 4 Where are the setup and configuration files?……Page 88
4.4.5 What are all the device files?……Page 89
Some Linux daemons……Page 90
4.5: Networking……Page 91
4.5.2 How to set up my home network?……Page 92
4.5.3 I have problems configuring my ppp dial out……Page 94
4.5.4 How to browse the net from my networked computer without a modem?……Page 96
4.5.5 How to use Samba?……Page 97
4.5.6 Sendmail……Page 98
4.5.7 Simple web server (running Apache)……Page 99
4.5.8 Simple ftp server……Page 100
4.5.10 Can my home computer get hacked?……Page 101
Part 5: Linux Shortcuts and Commands……Page 105
5.1 Linux essential keyboard shortcuts and sanity commands……Page 106
5.2 Help commands……Page 108
5.3 System info……Page 109
5.5 File management……Page 112
5.6 Viewing and editing files……Page 113
5.7 Finding files……Page 114
5.9 Network apps……Page 115
5.10 File (de)compression……Page 117
5.11 Process control……Page 118
5.12 Some administration commands……Page 119
5.13 Hard Drive/Floppy Disk Utilities……Page 123
5.14 Management of user accounts and files permissions……Page 124
5.15 Program installation……Page 126
5.16 Accessing drives/partitions……Page 127
5.17 Network administration tools……Page 128
5.18 Music-related commands……Page 129
5.19 Graphics-related commands……Page 130
5.20 Small games……Page 132
6.1.1 OpenOffice.org /StarOffice Suite……Page 133
6.1.3 kword……Page 136
6.1.4 lyx and latex……Page 137
6.2.2 kspread……Page 139
6.6 Writing CD-Rs: cdrecord and cdparanoia……Page 140
6.7 Automating creation of graphs with gnuplot……Page 145
7.1 Linux Advanced Text Processing Tools……Page 147
7.2 Simple Programming under Linux……Page 156
7.3 Math Tools……Page 164
Can I have a RAID if my computer has two or more IDE (or other) harddrives?……Page 166
Network traffic shaping using shapecfg……Page 167
Other Matters……Page 168
PdftkEmptyString……Page 169