Beginner's guide to Linux: where to start. It's that time of year again, when lots of people set resolutions for themselves, trying to break bad habits and form a few good ones. Many aim to start exercising more or eat less junk food, but here at LXF towers, we think you should consider trying a new operating system. Unsurprisingly, this being a Linux magazine, we think that you should try Linux. That's why we've created this guide - to give you all the information you need to get started with Linux.
We'll begin by looking at what Linux is, and consider why you'd want to use it. We'll then show you how to get your feet wet in a risk- free way, before explaining how to install Linux and go about your day to day business with it. At the end of the article, we're also going to take a look at how you can begin learning what's happening behind the scenes. This final section isn't necessary for using Linux as a casual computing platform, but it's knowledge that is getting increasingly important as digital technologies are becoming more widespread. We also happen to think it's a lot of fun to learn how computers work, and a new hobby for a new year is never a bad thing! We hope that, with this guide in hand, you'll start using Linux, and keep using it long after you've started enjoying all those delicious pastries again. What is Linux? Linux is an operating system, in the same way that Windows, Mac OS X, i. OS and Android are all operating systems. Essentially, what an operating system does is provide a platform for everything else on your computer to run on top of. This platform is made up of lots of different parts. Some parts are responsible for making the hardware work, others for displaying the user interface, and still other parts for ensuring that applications can work with the hardware and each other. Just like Windows etc, Linux performs all of these functions. You may be asking, . Qubes is a security-oriented, free and open-source operating system for personal computers that allows you to securely compartmentalize your digital life.The answer is that Linux has its own way of doing things, and for some people, the Linux way suits them better. Secure, flexible, powerful. Out of the things that Linux does differently, two categories can be formed. The first one covers all the technical aspects that make Linux distinct from other operating systems. This includes, amongst other things: A radically- reduced risk of catching viruses - so much so that only very specialised users need to run anti- virus software. It's modular, and so infinitely flexible - for example, while Windows limits you to a single user interface (what the system looks like), on Linux you can choose from a dozen different options. It runs well on very old and slow hardware, as well as on super- computers and modern laptops (by some counts, 9. Nightingale is a free and powerfull music player for Linux, Windows and Mac. If you fancy seeing what this open-source malarkey is all about, take out hand as we walk you though the world of Linux. Curious about Ubuntu, but not sure where to start? Start here: “Ubuntu: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide” will teach you everything you need to know about Ubuntu in. Download Audacious. Looking for the Windows installer? Click here or scroll down for more info. Source code. The Audacious source is split into two packages. Linux). It's designed with security in mind, providing advanced features, such as strong encryption, as standard. One caveat that you'll want to keep in mind, with regard to Linux's technical differences, is that it has a completely different approach to making hardware work. This means that Linux's developers have to add support for hardware all by themselves. They do a remarkably good job of this, and you'll find that almost every piece of hardware imaginable works 'out of the box'. There are exceptions to this, though, particularly where hardware manufacturers keep the way their devices work a secret. On these occasions, the developers have to figure out how a device works for themselves, and then write the software to make it work - it's kind of like listening to a piece of music to figure out the score. This most often applies to graphics cards and wireless cards, although even these are almost universally supported these days. Later in the article, we'll show you how to check your hardware works, and how to get help if it doesn't. Freedom. The second category could broadly be called 'ideological'. Linux is what's known as free software. This doesn't necessarily mean that it's free of charge (although it often is), but that anybody can study how it works, share it with their friends, modify it, and use it for any purpose. This sounds a bit out there, but it's actually a very important aspect of Linux. For starters, it means that it's not developed by a single company or nation, but by a massive community that's spread around the world. This means you don't need to worry about a company going bust and taking your photos, documents and other data with them; neither do you need to worry that your computing activity is surreptitiously being recorded, or otherwise influenced, to advance some unknown group's interests. With free software, your computer works for you. When you combine this freedom with Linux's unique technical features, some interesting results emerge. For instance, since Linux works well on older hardware and can be shared for free, it's often used to provide low- cost but powerful computing solutions for developing nations, schools and charities. What's more, since the source code can be studied, it gives a valuable leg up to many students who wouldn't otherwise be able to get a quality technical education. How it works. Of course, some people don't use Linux because of any of these reasons - they just like the way it works. They don't care that they could use it to build the next Wikipedia, or that it makes a wonderful educational tool, and they have no interest in bundling up old computers for the developing world. They just find that, out of all the operating systems available, Linux works best for them. What's more, as we'll soon see, you can try Linux in a virtually risk- free way, without modifying the current contents of your computer. So, you should at least give Linux a try because, whatever you think of its other defining features, you might just find that it works right for you. Now that you've decided to give Linux a try, you must first back up your data. This isn't because using Linux is dangerous - in fact, as we've said, it's virtually risk- free - it's just that accidents do happen, and you should back up your data regularly anyway. Lord of the Jungle. If you don't yet have a backup solution, we think that Jungle Disk is a great option. It works with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and it has a basic monthly cost of just $2/month. More importantly, though, it uses Amazon's cloud storage to back up your files. This means that your files are kept in a different location from your computer, ensuring that they'll remain safe even in the event of a fire or any other physical disaster. Of course, if you're in a hurry or you have limited bandwidth, you could consider burning your data to a DVD, or putting it on a portable hard drive - just remember to keep it in a different location. Trying Linux. With your data safe, we're ready to get started and load Linux for the first time. For this we're going to use a version of Linux known as Ubuntu. This version of Linux, like many, is really clever, as you can use it as a live CD. This means that you can run the entire operating system from the disc without it making any changes to your computer. If you decide you like Linux, you can then install it using the same disc; if you don't, you can just reboot your computer, take out the disc and everything will be just as you left it. It's the perfect way to try Linux without risk. The only thing you need to bear in mind about live discs is that they're slower than if the operating system were installed on your hard drive. So, while it's a useful way to get a feel for what a system is like, don't think that Linux is always so slow! To use the live disc, you'll need to put the disc in your computer and then reboot. When the first screen appears, usually with your computer manufacturer's logo on it, you'll need to press a key to tell your computer to start from the disc, rather than your hard drive. This key is different on every PC, but it's usually one of F2, F1. DEL. The only way to be sure is to try the different buttons, one of which will display a boot menu. From this menu, you'll want to select whichever entry corresponds to your DVD drive. Shortly after making this selection, you'll be presented with another menu, this time with the Linux Format logo on it. You'll want to select the entry that reads 'Ubuntu with Gnome', after which your computer will load Linux and eventually leave you at the desktop - the main interface. This is so cool! Now what? Well, the first thing to do is get familiar with the interface. Before we show you around, remember Linux isn't Windows, and it isn't Mac OS X. As with the technical and ideological differences, Linux's interfaces are different from theirs. This means that it will take a while for you to get used to the way things work, but if you persevere with it, you'll be surprised at how quickly it becomes second nature. It helps that some of the most basic ideas, such as the mouse, work the same in Linux as in other operating systems. So, you use the left mouse button to select things, some of which require a double- click, and the right mouse button often pulls up a menu with further actions you can perform. That said, let's take a look around the desktop. As you hopefully noticed while exploring the Activities overview, as well as providing an attractive desktop, Linux comes with a great set of applications installed by default. This means you can get started working with your new operating system as soon as you've turned it on. A few of the applications will be familiar to users of other platforms, since they're available for all operating systems; some of the applications are Linux- specific, however, and aren't so well known (although they're just as good, if not better!). Getting to know you. To speed you on your way to familiarity, we've compiled the above table, which compares Ubuntu's default applications with their counterparts on other platforms. Most of the default applications are fairly self- explanatory, requiring little more than a bit of time playing with them to discover their essential functions.
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