Introduction to Linux

SkillSwap presentation
by Tristan Roddis (tristan@roddis.org)

2/2/2004

Contents

Overview

Linux as a desktop

Hands-on: the KDE desktop

Linux as a server

Hands-on: the command line

Conclusions, Q&A

What is Linux?

Technically: Linux is Unix

Philosophically: Linux is GNU

GNU project started 1984

Linux kernel started 1991

Free, Libre, Open Source Software (FLOSS)

What can you do?

Freedom to use

Freedom to examine

Freedom to redistribute

Freedom to modify

What can't you do?

Deny these freedoms to anyone else

Why use Linux?

Reliability

Scalability

Flexibility

Security

Price

The Unix 'onion'

The KDE Desktop

Desktop applications

Word processing (OpenOffice, AbiWord)

Programming (C, C++, Perl, Python, Java, PHP)

Graphics (GIMP, ImageMagick)

Web browsers (Mozilla, Konquerer)

Email (Evolution, Mozilla, KMail)

Audio (XMMS, Audacity)

Games (MAME)

Suggestions

Designers: create an image

HTMLers: check your sites in Mozilla/Konquerer

Programmers: create a GUI

Project managers: create a spreadsheet

PHBs: create a slideshow presentation

Musicians: remix an Ogg track

Slackers: play games

Linux Distributions

RedHat/Fedora

Market leader. Licensing changes mean this is a less obvious choice than before.

SuSE

Well-equiped. Recently acquired by Novell.

Mandrake

Friendly, slick.

Debian

Non-commercial, community-maintained. Tricky but powerful

Dealing with legacy applications

Same machine:

Dual-boot

Virtual machine (VMWare)

WINE, MOL

Different machines:

VNC

rdesktop

Desktop questions?

Otherwise, we'll stop for a break...

Server applications

Web servers (Apache, Tomcat)

Web programming (PHP, Perl, Zope, Java, etc.)

Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle)

File server (NFS, Samba)

Email server (sendmail, POP, IMAP)

Other (LDAP, newsgroups, terminal server)

The command line

Common tasks

(see separate sheet)

file stuff: ls -l, pwd, cd, cp, mv

user stuff: su, chmod, chown

text stuff: less, tail, grep, editing (vi, emacs, joe)

other: lynx, ncftp, scp

Suggestions

Copy the file /etc/passwd to your home directory

Edit it and save changes

Change ownership of the file to the superuser ('root')

Try to edit it again

Switch user to become the superuser

View the last 10 lines of the file /etc/passwd

Switch back to your normal user

Help and Support

RTFM (distro documentation)

Brighton Linux Users Group

Google(!)

Mailing lists (and archives)

www.linuxnewbies.org

Commercial support (e.g. LinuxIT)

Magazines (e.g. Linux Magazine)

Uses for a Linux PC

Arcade machine: AdvanceMAME (CD)

Radio station: Dynebolic (CD)

Edutainment: Freeduc (CD)

PVR: MythTV (install/CD)

SME office server: eSmith (install)

Firewall: SmoothWall (install)

Terminal server: LTSP (install)

(n.b. 'Linux' on Windows: cygwin, TheOpenCD)

Questions?

www.roddis.org/linux

Ask audience background, experience & aims

Free Software == Open Source

Licensing = opposite to most

This is the key differentiator for Linux and all software shown today

Reliable: BSOD (frequent) = kernal panic (infrequent)

Scalable: embedded devices to mainframes, to Googlecluster

Flexible: FLOSS licencing

Secure: no known viruses, multiuser since start

Price: no license fees, more control over cost. Added bonus: will make proprietary software cheaper due to competition!

Flexibility unfortunately means less standardisation.

MacOS X is now Unix.

Other free and commercial Unices

Boot into Knoppix (fiddle with BIOS settings first)

Configure network if required

Desktop takes features from Windows, Unix, Mac

Virtual desktops

Window dressing (antialiased fonts, transparent windows)

Konquerer (single click, preview)

Filesystem layout /bin, /home etc.

Let audience experiment with Knoppix, and wander around answering questions

Ogg track can be found by following the 'openmusic' link from the Knoppix welcome web page

Also mention Lindows, Gentoo

Rdesktop requires Windows Terminal Services – only available in later versions of Windows

At the moment, vast majority of Linux machines are servers rather than desktops

Complaint that 'Linux is too complex' is partly due to the large amount of server software that comes 'out-of-the-box'

Mention Linux Terminal Server Project as a cheap and maintainable alternative to a roomfull of high-specced Windows Pcs

Start an xterm, or switch to a virtual console (Ctrl+Shift+F2) to demonstrate command line

Point out that unlike Windows/Mac, almost all configuration, installation and maintenance can be carried out from the command line, hence remote maintenance.

Tell people to feel free to ignore this section if they don't wat to use Linux as a server. Suggest they explore the KDE games, or testdrive some other distro (Freeduc, Dynbolic, ActiveMAME, theOpenCD – bring these along!)

The above xould do with reworking to be more relevant and work better with Knoppix!

Demo remote graphical apps. E.g. VNC to another Knoppix distro (get someone to start the server, by typing 'vncserver' at a command prompt), then ssh -X to a remote server and launch an app such as xeyes

Google: paste in the most specific part of an error message

2004-01-20T18:15:47