LDP/LDP/retired/Deciding-Linux-HOWTO.xml

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<article>
<articleinfo>
<title>Deciding if Linux is Right for You</title>
<author>
      <firstname>Rahul</firstname>
      <surname>Sundaram</surname>
      <affiliation>
        <address>
<email>rahulsundaram AT yahoo.co.in</email>
        </address>
      </affiliation>
</author>
    
<pubdate>January 2003</pubdate>

<revhistory>
<revision>
<revnumber>1.0</revnumber>
<date>2003-04-22</date>
<authorinitials>RS</authorinitials>
<revremark>Initial release, reviewed by LDP.</revremark>
</revision>
</revhistory>

<abstract><para>This HOWTO to is meant for you if you are considering the Linux
operating system, or wondering whether Linux has what you want in comparison to what you are currently using.</para></abstract>
  
<legalnotice>
<para> Disclaimer:  I do not in anyway guarantee anything regarding this HOWTO. Whatever you do as a result of reading this HOWTO is at
your own risk and most of the opinions provided are my own and may not agree
with your ideas.You are free to choose whatever you like. I do not want
to  endorse any particular software over another.</para>

<para>
Copyright (c) by Rahul Sundaram (rahulsundaram AT yahoo.co.in).</para>

<para>
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
A copy of the license is located at <ulink url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html">www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html</ulink>, in the section entitled 
<quote>GNU Free Documentation License.</quote></para>

<para>If you have any doubts specifically pertaining to this HOWTO, you may 
contact me, Rahul <email>rahulsundaram AT yahoo.co.in</email>.</para>
    
</legalnotice>
</articleinfo>

<sect1 id="about"><title>About this document</title>
<para>

This HOWTO has been written with the goal of making Linux comfortable to users
accustomed to other operating systems like DOS or Windows. I have only tried to
give you an overview. Don't use this as a HOWTO for learning Linux. I have tried
to explain the Linux system relative to what you probably know in DOS and
Windows. I have also tried to teach those features of Linux that are new as well
as interesting.</para>


<sect2 id="newversions"><title>New versions of this HOWTO</title>
<para>Newer versions of this HOWTO as soon as they are written are
available from the <ulink url="http://www.tldp.org">Linux Document Project (LDP)</ulink>.  Please use this link to make sure that you are reading the latest version of this HOWTO.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="feedback"><title>Feedback and corrections</title>
<para>
This is the first public release version of this document and I may have made
some mistakes or left some things out. I would like to keep updating this document
periodically based on user feedback and suggestions. If
you have any ideas that you feel would improve this document in any way then
please email Rahul at <email>rahulsundaram AT yahoo.co.in</email>.</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="intro"><title>Introduction to Linux</title>
<para>
The Linux operating system is basically a variant of the UNIX operating
system, and Linux has probably all that UNIX offers and
more. It is a multi-user, multitasking, network operating system which also has
a user friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface). Linux is similar to
Windows in many features but it has many unique aspects too, which I will cover
shortly.
</para>

<para>
Linux is licensed under the GPL (General Public license) from the
<ulink url="http://www.gnu.org">GNU organisation</ulink>, under which the kernel
is provided with the source code, and is available for free. This is called 
Open Source software. As a result, Linux is considered to be more secure
and stable than closed source or proprietary systems like Windows because anyone
can analyse the source code written in the C language and find bugs or add new
features. One important point that should be noted is that even though the
source is free, anyone is allowed to sell it for profit. This is what helps Linux
in business areas.</para>

<para>Related Documents</para>
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/FAQ/LDP-FAQ/">Linux FAQ</ulink></para></listitem>
      <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Unix-and-Internet-Fundamentals-HOWTO/index.html">UNIX and Internet Fundamentals</ulink></para></listitem>
    </itemizedlist>  
    
<sect2 id="history"><title>History of Linux development</title>
<para>
Unlike many proprietary operating systems, like Windows, which are developed by a
single company, Linux is developed by programmers all over the world through the Internet. Technically Linux means the core of the operating system that is called the kernel.
This is available for free along with the source code written in C under the GPL 
(General Public License).
</para>

<para>
The kernel is capable of managing all the internal tasks such as allocating memory
and taking care of devices attached to your computer like your keyboard, mouse
and printer. It would not be possible to use the kernel independently without
the co-ordination of various other tools like the shell, which provides the
interface for the user and other utilities that you may use frequently. These
software tools are also usually provided for free like the kernel with Linux.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="rightforyou"><title>Is Linux Right for you</title>
<para>
It depends on who you are and what you would like to do.
I have to admit that Linux is not an all-purpose operating system and it would
probably be more suited for some people and not-so-pleasing for
others. If you are a person using your computer for some entertainment at
home and are satisfied with your Windows system there are no
compelling reasons for switching over to Linux, but you do have a choice now.
There are several reasons to consider Linux. If you are student, like me,
then you can use Linux at home and even in college to understand the commands
and even the internal workings of UNIX systems. In case you
want to see how Linux differs from your present DOS/Windows system I have
provided a comparison below.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="acquiring"><title>Acquiring the software</title>
<para>
If you have decided to install Linux you have a lot of choices on how to do
it. Please decide on how to proceed before actually trying
it out. For new users, buying a packaged CD is highly recommended
</para>

<sect3 id="building"><title>Build your own Linux system</title>
<para>
This one is a tough thing to do but if you are the adventurous type you may wish to
try building your own Linux system. If you have no prior
experience with UNIX systems, then this option is certainly not recommended.
Your best bet would be Linux From Scratch (LFS),
available from <ulink url="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org">Linux From Scratch</ulink>.
</para> 
</sect3>
      
<sect3 id="downloading"><title>Download a distribution of Linux for free</title>
<para>
I don't consider this to be a feasible option unless you have a very fast
connection. You may need to download the ISO images, which amount to a gigabyte
of files or even more. If you would like to try out Linux then you may wish to
download and try distributions that fit into a floppy or are really small.
</para>
</sect3>

<sect3 id="vendor"><title>Get a paid version from a vendor</title>
<para>
 This one would be your choice if you are new to Linux and don't know someone
who can install Linux for you. You get a lot of tools, manuals, service and
support.
</para></sect3>

<sect3 id="friends"><title> Get help from a friend of yours to install his copy on your machine (yes, its legal)</title>
<para>
Many new users do this. You can just try using the stuff without getting bogged
down with the dirty information about installation and all its hassles. Modern
installations like Mandrake and SuSe are as simple as Windows, but it is always
useful to have a Linux Guru by your side. You may need them at some point.
</para></sect3>
</sect2>
    
<sect2 id="distros"><title>Distributions</title>
<para>
When people use the name Linux they are probably referring to a particular
distribution of Linux. There are several software packages provided for Linux over the
Internet but selecting and downloading one is a complicated task not necessarily 
manageable for new users who want to try out Linux. This is exactly where a distribution kicks in.</para>

<para>
A distribution is a set of software packages
that are tested and provided on CD by a company for a small fee just like Windows. 
The advantages of using distributions are the support
and manuals, as well as the fact that Linux can be specialised for use in a
particular area. For example, if you would like using Linux for embedded
systems a distribution may offer just the right amount of required
software, leaving out optional things like the graphical user
interface. So you get what you want instead of a general package for all
users.</para>

<para>
So again we are left with a huge choice of
distributions (there were some 200 distributions listed recently but
many of them are for very specialised purposes). The mainstream
distributions, which are seemingly popular, are RedHat, SuSE, Caldera and
Debian. This may be dependent on your locality. Check out your favourite
computer stores nearby for more information. Among these distributions RedHat
seems to be most widespread.</para>

<para>
Caldera is probably more suited for those who are already using Windows. 
SuSE is a German based distribution known for
its large number of bundled packages and support. Debian is unique because its
not owned by a company and it's a non-profit volunteer-based distribution
developed solely by users.</para>

<para>
There are many others like the Mandrake
distribution that thrive to provide more user friendliness. Mandrake was
originally based on RedHat. Mklinux provides a very small distribution,
which can be used to try out Linux initially. There are also several
websites like <ulink url="http://www.linuxlinks.com">LinuxLinks.com</ulink>, 
which provide more current information.</para>

<para>Related Documents</para>

<para><ulink url="http://tldp.org/HOWTO/CD-Distributions-EN-HOWTO">CD-Distributions-EN-HOWTO</ulink></para>
</sect2>
    
<sect2 id="apps_tools"><title>Application,Tools and Utilities</title>

<para>File Browser - Windows Explorer</para>

<para>KDE has an integrated file manager called Konqueror, which also doubles as an
Internet browser. Most of the popular formats such as text files and images
have in-built support and open within Konqueror itself. Several of the features
are similar to Windows Explorer so you wouldn't be left out.</para>

<para>
Gnome has a simple yet powerful file manager called GNU
Midnight Commander (GMC). Newer distributions of Linux offer an alternative called
Nautilus which has a very impressive interface. It seems to have even
replaced the traditional Control Center bundled with Gnome.</para>

<para>Control Panel</para>

<para>Windows has a central resource for configuring the
Windows settings called the Control Panel, with several applets. Windows XP
has organised this into related tasks similar to the Nautilus file manager
in Linux. Both KDE and Gnome havesimilar Control Centers. Linuxconf is
another administrative tool, which helps to do some tasks in an easy
manner without relying on the command line for each and every thing.</para>

<para>Utilities</para>

<para>KDE and Gnome offer utilities similar to Notepad, Wordpad,
Calculator, Clock, Character Map, Resource Monitor, and so on. I prefer
using KWrite in comparison with Gedit. There are a number of other
miscellaneous tools and choices available.</para>

<para>System Tools - Scandisk and Disk defragmenter</para>

<para>The Linux file system is designed so as to reduce
fragmentation. You need not worry about your files getting fragmented due to
this feature. There are some defragmenters but they are definitely not meant for
casual use. When you do not shutdown the Linux system, Linux runs a program
called fsck (file system check) which is similar to Scandisk. You may also need
to run this manually if files get severely damaged. Look into the
tool's man (manual) page for more information.</para>

<para>Developers</para>

<para>Software developers and programmers will be comfortable with Linux. 
KDeveloper and Glade are useful as graphical development environments
with built-in help and other tools. Linux comes with compilers for every
language you could ever imagine from ADA to C, C++ and Java. KDE has an
IDE called KDEvelop, which offers an alternative to Windows IDEs. Gnome has
a visual interface for jumpstarting graphical applications. Klyx from
Borland is a multi-platform tool similar to Visual Basic which runs on
both Linux and Windows.</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="resources"><title>Additional Resources</title>
<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.Linux.org">www.linux.org</ulink> - A place to get yourself familiar with the operating system.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.Linux.com">www.linux.com</ulink> - The Linux equivalent to Microsoft.com.</para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.Linuxlinks.com">www.linuxlinks.com</ulink> - Could be referred to as the only Linux portal.</para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.tldp.org">www.tldp.org</ulink> - The Linux Documentation Project is the ultimate resource for all kinds of documentation, 
including this one.</para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.desktoplinux.com">www.desktoplinux.com</ulink> - Linux on the Desktop.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.linuxppc.com">www.linuxppc.com</ulink> - Linux for the Apple Macintosh systems.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.slashdot.org">www.slashdot.org</ulink> - The ultimate geek news site for Linux and open source software lovers.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.sourceforge.net">www.sourceforge.net</ulink> - This site hosts a lot of open source projects,most of them related to Linux.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.freshmeat.org">www.freshmeat.org</ulink> - This is the one you want if you love to get your hands on the latest and the greatest in Linux.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.transgaming.com">www.transgaming.com</ulink> - Windows games that run on Linux.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.linuxgames.com">www.linuxgames.com</ulink> - Linux games.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.happypenquin.org">www.happypenguin.org</ulink> - More Linux games.</para></listitem>
	  
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.gnu.org">www.gnu.org</ulink> - The GNU is Not UNIX (GNU) organisation that continues to develop many of the important tools for Linux. Linux is distributed under the GPL (GNU Public License), so it can be called the external affairs team for Linux.</para></listitem>
	      
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.google.com/linux">www.google.com/linux</ulink> - Google search engine for Linux.</para></listitem>
	      
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/LDP/gs/gs.html">www.tldp.org/LDP/gs/gs.html</ulink> - Linux Installation and Getting Started is a bit outdated but provides an excellent introduction and history.</para></listitem>
	      
<listitem><para><ulink url="http://sunsite.dk/linux-newbie/lnag_benefits.html">sunsite.dk/linux-newbie/lnag_benefits.html</ulink> - Linux Newbie Administrators Guide is an up-to-date reference for New Linux Users.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect2>
</sect1>
  
<sect1 id="windows_compare">
<title>Comparison of Linux with MS-DOS, Windows 9x and NT</title>
  
<sect2 id="dos_compare"><title>Linux Vs MS-DOS</title>
<para>
DOS was the first operating system I learned to use. I
remember a test by my tutor in which one had to create a hierarchical set
of directories. This probably sounds trivial to anyone familiar with
graphical user interfaces, but then the scenario was very different. It
even looks ancient by today's standards. Windows 95 hadn't been
released at that time, and Linux was unheard of in India. I liked DOS much
better than Windows 3.1, which looked quite flimsy and unstable, not to mention
that it was a big memory hog. DOS is quite different from Linux in many
ways.</para>

<para>
DOS does not provide any graphical user interface and you have to learn at least 
a dozen commands with its numerous options to do some basic tasks like copying a 
file or moving between the directories. Even a minor spelling mistake can result 
in a <quote>Bad command or file name</quote> error. </para>

<para>
DOS does not support the concept of multi-users; each and
every user has to customise the system according to his need every time
he wants to work on it. It was also not a multitasking system. This meant that
you could not check out the value of a calculation when typing a letter
without closing that application first.</para>

<para>
DOS also does not have any in built security features.
This was acceptable as long as you did not want a networking system. There
was other variants of MS-DOS, like PC-DOS from IBM and some others, which
tried to add the missing features. Some of the deficiencies have been
resolved using third party utilities but basic limitations like the arcane
640kb-memory limit and single-tasking were not acceptable to many.</para>

<para>
Now in case you are wondering why anyone would care to use DOS, I will point out
some advantages. Basically DOS has had very different goals from that of Linux. It
was a very cheap system (as far as cost is concerned) and it was quite usable
with its minimalist set of features. It was a simple system to work with. There
weren't too many complications to worry about if you didn't want to develop
anything on it. It  was arguably the world's most popular operating system and
it had a comfortable number of applications for common tasks.</para>

<sect3 id="files_dirs"><title>Files and directories</title>
<para>
The files in Linux can be very long, up-to 255 characters like Windows, and they
do not always have extensions. The executable files are identified through an
attribute rather than the extension. File extensions are less important to Linux
than for DOS and Windows, since Linux usually identifies files by a unique
identification code called the magic number that depends on the file type.</para>

<para>
Directories are similar to that of DOS and follow a
hierarchical structure. The path names are separated by forward slashes
(/)in Linux whereas DOS and Windows uses back slashes (\). For example:
<screen>
% cd /mnt/cdrom
</screen></para>

<para> A / denotes the root and .. stands for the parent directory, similar to DOS.</para>

<para>
In bash shells, the ~ symbol maybe used to jump to the home directory quickly. For
example:
<screen>
% cd ~ 
</screen></para>
</sect3>
      
<sect3 id="shell"><title>Linux shell</title>
<para>
Several of the DOS commands have Linux equivalents. The
Linux shell is similar to the DOS command line but is far more
powerful, and I found that it was also more workable with features like colour
highlighting and friendlier navigation capabilities, depending on the
particular shell you are using.</para>

<para>
Most Linux distributions come with the Bash (Bourne Again SHell) as the default. 
There are several others, like the Korn shell and the C shell. They are usually 
similar. It's recommended that you learn to work with one shell
completely before trying out the others. Things usually get complicated
if you want to run shell scripts, which are similar to batch files (files
with the .bat extension) under DOS.</para>
</sect3>

<sect3 id="dos_emulation"><title>Running DOS programs under Linux (DOS emulation)</title>
<para>
There is a DOS emulator called dosemu <ulink url="http://www.dosemu.org">www.dosemu.org</ulink> for Linux that is capable of running DOS programs under the 
Linux operating system. This software is still under development; 
you may wish to try it out though. It is known to be fairly usable at least 
for some applications. If you are looking for Linux just to use DOS programs 
for free then try using FreeDOS <ulink url="http://www.freedos.org">www.freedos.org</ulink>. That should be much better than Linux.</para>
</sect3>
</sect2>
    
<sect2 id="win_nt_compare"><title>Linux vs. Windows 9x and NT</title>
<para>
As I have said before Windows is more or less similar to Linux.
When people are introduced to Linux they are at first intimidated by
the system. It has different kinds of graphical interfaces and things
don't always work as they are expected to. When users look at me in a
puzzled manner I demonstrate in some easy ways how common tasks like
changing the desktop wallpaper or playing a song is similar to Windows.
The problem with this kind of approach is that the users complain very soon that
Linux doesn't offer them much more than Windows does :-).</para>

<para>
I agree with them to a certain extent on this.
There are some limitations to what you can expect from an operating
system. You just can't expect Linux to work like a 3D-shooter game or
something. Of course, there are many differences in the shell, the choice of
user interfaces and the philosophy and goals of the operating system. Linux
is developed as a open system in which the source code of the core Linux
system (kernel) is available for anyone for free but how this could
affect the end user is difficult to explain initially. </para>

<para>
The user interface is probably the first thing you notice when you begin to
use the Linux system. Windows offers a single, monolithic user interface, which
is more or less the same across all the versions. In contrast, Linux has two
major desktop environments called KDE (<ulink url="http://www.kde.org">www.kde.org</ulink>) and Gnome (<ulink url="http://www.gnome.org">www.gnome.org</ulink>). 
KDE has a built-in window manager, while Gnome is supported by many, such as 
Sawfish and Enlightenment.</para>

<para>
The decision of choosing one among the desktop environments and windows managers is left to you. Some of them can run efficiently in a system with low amounts of memory and some of them are designed to look like a game console. KDE would be more similar to Windows, and Gnome with the Enlightenment window manager was fancy enough for me. Try out some of the popular ones before making the decision.</para> 

<para>
Let's take a look at Windows in more detail so that you can clearly make out the differences.</para>


<sect3 id="windows_versions"><title>Versions of Windows</title>

<para>
Windows has two major series, a desktop oriented series
(Windows 9x) And a network oriented series (Windows NT).There are
also other versions like Windows CE for embedded systems. </para>

<para>Windows 9x series</para>

<para>Before Windows 95 was released, all versions of Windows until version 3.1
were graphical platforms on top of DOS. This offered limited
capability for multitasking and the Program Manager interface was cluttered with
no distinct hierarchy. Windows 95 was a 32-bit operating system and a major
improvement in user interface with its <quote>Desktop</quote> concept adapted from the
Macintosh user interface. It also offered limited compatibility with
previous versions of Windows and DOS. Stability was also improved Windows 98 and
Windows ME offered some more features though nothing major was added. The more
recent version called Windows XP is considerably more stable due to
incorporating the Windows 2000 kernel, and is comparatively friendlier and easier 
due to an attractive interface.</para>
	
<para>Windows NT series</para>

<para>Windows NT is considerably stable but demands more resources.
It supports the Intel architecture, and at one time the Digital alpha and 
MIPS processors, but I believe those have been dropped now. It managed
to replace UNIX in small-scale networks due to the similarity to the
popular Windows 95 interface. The latest incarnation called Windows 2000
provides a few more administrative utilities and services.</para>
</sect3>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="addl_resources"><title>Additional resources</title>

<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para>FreeBSD vs. Linux vs. Windows gives a side-by-side comparison at <ulink url="http://people.freebsd.org/~murray/bsd_flier.html" /></para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para>Information on the GNOME desktop project is available at
<ulink url="http://www.gnome.org" /></para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para>Information on the KDE desktop project is available at
<ulink url="http://www.kde.org" /></para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para>Linux Installation and Getting Started is a bit outdated, but
provides an excellent operating system comparisons, at 
<ulink url="http://www.tldp.org/LDP/gs/gs.html" /></para></listitem>
	
<listitem><para>LinuxWorld.com provides scenario comparisons of Windows
and UNIX type systems at <ulink url="http://www.linuxworld.com/site-stories/2001/1018.tco.html" /></para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>
</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="similar_apps"><title>Similar Windows and Linux Applications</title>

<para>It would be of no use if the operating system was a good one but didn't have
the necessary applications to perform your day-to-day activities, like sending an
email to your friend or listening to songs on your computer. I have provided a list
of common tasks and Linux applications for them along with their Windows
counterparts.
</para>

<sect2 id="internet_apps"><title>Internet Applications</title>

<para>
Accessing the Internet is as almost as simple as Windows.
Both KDE and Gnome provide integrated dial-up managers
similar to Windows. However, make sure that your modem is supported
before trying to access the net through Linux.</para>


<para>Browser - Internet Explorer (IE)</para>

<para>In Windows, Internet Explorer is usually pre-packed with
Windows. In Linux, you have many choices. You can use Konqueror,
Mozilla, Netscape, Opera or Galeon. Mozilla is the better alternative to Netscape, and
is bundled with almost all the distributions. Mozilla has made significant
improvements in stability and to the user interface.</para>


<para>E-Mail Client - Outlook Express, Eudora</para>

<para>For those familiar with Outlook and Outlook Express, an email client
that has a very similar interface and a good set of features called
Evolution <ulink url="http://www.ximian.com/products/ximian_evolution" /> is
available for free. Linux also supports many traditional UNIX email clients like 
pine, mutt and elm. In addition there are a number of email clients designed for
the graphical environments (KDE and Gnome). KDE has an integrated email
client called Kmail. Gnome users can be comfortable with Balsa.</para>
      
<para>Instant Messengers-AOL, Yahoo! and MSN</para>

<para>Yahoo! and America Online (AOL) provide Linux
and Windows versions of their instant messenger clients. I would very much
recommend a multi-instant messenger client called Gaim that has an AOL
interface and support for MSN as well as Yahoo! users. I have been
using the Yahoo! messenger in college for about a year and I found the chat
room feature and some other gimmicks to be missing, but overall it seems to
be good enough for a development release (version 0.99).</para>

<para>Download Manager - GetRight</para>

<para>Mget, which is a non graphical utility, can automatically
resume downloads when they are interrupted. Caitoo is a download
manager similar to GetRight. A better alternative would be Prozilla
<ulink url="http://www.prozilla.genesys.so" />, as it significantly improves 
the transfer speed by downloading the same file in four parts. It does not integrate with 
the browser but it is very much functional. If you are using a modern browser like 
Konqueror it takes care of resuming downloads by itself</para>
      
<para>Firewall - ZoneAlarm</para>

<para>Linux has long since come with built-in firewalls such as iptables and ipchains. 
The RedHat distributions usually have options for configuring the
firewall even during the setup. If you need more software like this
you can freely download them from the Internet.</para>

<para>FTP Clients and Telnet - Cuteftp, WsFTP</para>

<para>Linux supports FTP as well as Telnet from the command-line.
A better option would be the Midnight Commander (mc) which is similar to the
Norton editor. These are more intelligent than the versions supplied
with Windows NT and 2000. Gftp, with a graphical interface is also available.</para>

<para>IRC Client - mIRC</para>

<para>IRC is a form of chatting that is popular with the geeks
more than other instant messaging clients. Graphical front-ends are available in large
numbers. These may be complicated to use at first but are very much capable
of doing all that you want.</para>

<para>Newsgroup Reader - Outlook Express</para>
      
<para>I don't know how many people use these under Windows.
Linux development and usage is very much dependent on the coordination of
users over the Internet. Newsgroups form the basis for some of important
tasks. There are many such newsgroup readers for Linux. Pan is a
classical utility, very popular among UNIX and Linux users. A more modern
alternative would be Mozilla Mail or Ximian Evolution.</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="multimedia_apps"><title>Multimedia Applications and Games</title>

<para>
Multimedia is a specialised segment where users are mostly Apple Macintosh fans,
especially so with the release of OS X. Beos tried to position itself as a multimedia operating system based on the Intel platform, but has been acquired by Palm.</para>

<para>Music Player - Winamp</para>

<para>XMMS is a Winamp clone for Linux that has the same the look
and feel as well as the functionality. It even supports the Winamp plugins.
Both KDE and Gnome have a lot of other players available but I
have being only using XMMS. There are no shortage of command line players
either.</para>

<para>Movie Player - Windows Media Player</para>

<para>Gnome has a built-in player called GTV, and several others
are available depending on the particular format of the movie that you want
to play. Mplayer is used for viewing the Microsoft formats. With the
release of crossover office from <ulink url="http://www.codeweavers.com" />. 
Even support for the QuickTime movie format has been added.</para>

<para>CD Ripper and CD Burner - Nero</para>

<para>Cdparanoia is a good CD ripper for Linux. It seems to be
in the development stage yet though many people are using it on production
systems. It is known be to stable and robust. Cdrecord provides command-line CD
burning software for Linux. Problems with CD burning such as buffer under runs
have been dealt with and it's now a fast and effective task.</para>

<para>Image Browser- Acdsee32</para>

<para>Gqview is an excellent image browser for Linux,
built for the Gnome desktop, but nevertheless usable under KDE. There
are other image viewers also, namely KView, Electric Eyes, etc.</para>

<para>Image Editor - Adobe Photoshop</para>

<para>Gimp is a powerful image-editing software,
which comes for free, along with the source. It is considered as a
professional tool but lacks CYMK capability, which is used by the publishing
media.</para>

<para>Games</para>

<para>Quake 3,Unreal Tournament and Doom are some of the
popular 3D shooter games available for Linux. The number of games available for
Linux is usually way behind Windows. Several commercial solutions are
available from vendors such as Transgaming's WineX <ulink url="http://www.transgaming.com" /> which is capable of running Windows-based games on Linux.</para>

<para>
If you like board games and puzzles better, you will definitely not be disappointed. On average, over 50 such games are bundled with Linux. I like Tuxracer, a simple 2D race game and Sokoban, a simple yet appealing strategical game, to make the time pass.</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="misc_apps"><title>Miscellaneous applications.</title>

<para>Office Suites - Microsoft Office</para>

<para>StarOffice from Sun is the popular alternative. It has an integrated
interface that can act as a virtual desktop and includes a
word-processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, browser, as well as a e-mail client, 
rolled into a single application. One of the common complaints is that it is
slow to load. This office suite has become a paid version starting from
Staroffice 6.0. Sun now provides a open source (free) alternative called
Openoffice (<ulink url="http://www.openoffice.org" />). If you just require a 
word processor for typing out letters and stuff you can try using
Abiword (<ulink url="http://www.abiword.com" />).</para>

<para>Antivirus - Norton and Mcafee</para>

<para>Viruses are a much lesser threat to Linux. They are very
few in number and they cannot affect the system files unless in a well
configured system where you are not a root user (administrator). Linux is not
immune to viruses but you shouldn't be worried about them as they don't possess 
a significant threat. I've never required an antivirus program, and it will probably 
remain that way for some time.</para>

<para>Maintenance Utility - Norton Utilities</para>

<para>Administrative things such as setting up user accounts and
stuff is the only kind of maintenance required by Linux. Since Linux is
designed to run in a server-unattended mode for several weeks it does not
demand day-to-day attention like Windows. I am not aware of anything similar
to Norton Utilities for the simple reason that it is not at all needed.</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="more_addl_resources"><title>Additional resources</title>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>RPM Find provides a large variety of Linux software in RPM format at <ulink url="http://www.rpmfind.net" /></para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Sourceforge provides source code for upgrades and new Linux software projects at <ulink url="http://www.sourceforge.net" /></para></listitem>
	
</itemizedlist>
</sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="faq"><title>Frequently Asked Questions</title>

<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para>Is Linux harder to learn than Windows? / Is Linux
user-friendly?</para>

<para>Linux is a powerful and sophisticated operating system. If you just want to copy some files and watch movies (the latest versions are much better - KDE 3.01 and Gnome 2.0 as of this writing), then things would probably be at least as easy as Windows. Of course there are differences in the way files are displayed and some minor annoyances with the interface, and you have to be aware of that. However if you want to learn the internal details or improve the performance the system then the command line (terminal or shell) would be the only way out. People with some UNIX background would probably find everything similar. If you 
weren't that lucky then you would find the commands to be similar to DOS. The
command line is far more powerful and is capable of achieving things you can't
even dream up with a graphical interface. I would suggest that you stick
with the graphical interface and try the command line later when you start
feeling comfortable with the system. Dont let fear get into your way of exploring things. As a precautionary measure, backup critical files before changing them.</para></listitem>
      
<listitem><para>My favourite software/hardware doesn't work in Linux. What do I
do?</para>

<para>Make sure there isn't a Linux version of your software. If it's a really famous application then there may be similar clones. Contact the software developer to ask whether something will be developed soon. If not, I am sorry, I can't help but just email me and I will try to let you know what I can find. If it's hardware, then try going to the  hardware manufacturer's site to search for a Linux driver. Some manufacturers have started to
support Linux. There may be unofficial versions too. Try using a search engine
like <ulink url="http://www.google.com/linux" /> for the latest drivers. If your hardware is very new there may not be anything available in Linux and you may need to wait for things to settle a bit before you start inquiring. Newer kernels usually support more devices. If your hardware isn't supported by the manufacturer or anybody else then there is probably not much that you can do other than bugging your manufacturer or writing your own device driver (though I wouldn't consider that an option for most of the users out there).</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Is Linux virus-free?</para>

<para>No. Linux by itself is not immune to viruses, worms or
Trojan horses but it uses a strict security system which reduces the effect
of viruses unless you are running the system as a root user (which is never
recommended). Linux viruses are very few, and in
general you can be relatively sure that a virus won't attack your
system. You don't need to use antivirus software. This may change in
the near future when Linux becomes more popular, so you should be aware of
the security and other related stuff anyway.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Is Linux stable?</para>

<para>Yes, but not crash proof. Linux machines are usually used more as
servers than as desktop operating systems. It is known to be more
stable than Windows. Instability is probably not much more than an irritation
for desktop users, but can mean loss of productivity, money or even life for
mission critical usage to others. Linux is often used for Web-servers or file-servers. 
The uptime (the amount of time after the last reboot) of these
systems is usually in months or even years, and that by itself testifies
the stability of Linux systems. It usually has fewer bugs than Windows. Even if
an application crashes in Linux it probably won't bring the whole system down,
unlike Windows.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Is Linux secure?</para>

<para>Yes. It has fewer security related bugs than Windows. For
reasons similar to what's stated in the previous answer, we need to have
a secure system for servers. Linux was designed with security in mind
ever since development started, so you can be pretty sure of the security
under Linux. However you should be aware that no operating system is 100% bug
free or foolproof. If you are a system administrator you need to keep
track of the security related issues through administrator's magazines,
websites and newsletters.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>I know that Linux is free. Why should I pay to for it?</para>

<para>Linux is available for free on the Internet and in computer
magazine CDs. It is also usually legal to borrow a Linux CD from your
friend for installation, but you need to spend money to buy Linux
distributions like RedHat or Caldera. This makes sense because you get
a huge collection of software that is bundled and extensively tested by
these companies before distributing in CDs or over the Internet.
You also usually get printed manuals, service and support from these
companies (not available for free). You choose what you want. If you are
new to Linux without any friends around who has used Linux, I would
suggest getting a paid version.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>I am using my Linux system at home. Why can't I run the system as a root user?</para>

<para>No. Don't ever do it. Even when you are the only person
using the Linux system it is always better to create another normal user with
restricted rights. This is because the root user is an all-powerful person and
the chances of him/her damaging a critical file or doing anything similar
accidentally is very high (believe me, guys!!). Any mischievious program like a virus or 
trojan horse would not have any access to files that you do not, which ensures that the effect of the program would be minimal if any. Morever a cracker who manages to access 
your system through a network or the Internet would not be able to play with critical 
files. Unless you are installing software or doing anything else that requires you to 
be a root user don't do it. Even then its better to use the su(super user) command 
to do the task instead of logging in as root user.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>How do I maintain my Linux system?</para>

<para>You may have got used to running programs like Scandisk and performing 
disk defragmentation periodically with your Windows system. Linux native
file systems (usually ext2/ext3) have been designed to reduce fragmentation.
That means that you don't need to worry about the files getting fragmented in
your Linux system. There are defragmentation utilities for Linux but they are not
meant for casual usage unlike Disk defragmenter. Just like newer versions of
Windows, which forces scandisk to run everytime the system is not
shutdown properly, Linux uses a program called fsck (file system check) which you 
may or may not have the option to cancel during system startup (that depends on
your Linux distribution). RedHat version 7.2 and above ask your
confirmation before running fsck. You do not need to run any antivirus software
at all. So the amount of time you spend for maintenance is significantly less.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Why don't many Linux files have extensions?</para>

<para>The simple answer is that they are not really needed. In
Windows, file types are identified by their extensions (for example .exe
for executables and .doc for Word Documents). In Linux file types are
usually identified with a unique identity called the magic number. We may also
use file extensions. In Linux executable files are identified by a special flag, which is 
set for each and every file. In the command line, the <command>ls</command> command 
usually displays these files by a different colour. Under KDE or gnome use the file 
properties to identify the file type.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Why do we need both KDE and Gnome?</para>

<para>We don't. They are just alternative graphical interfaces. You can use any
one of them of your choice. A KDE application can be used in Gnome or vice versa, with
just a few basic files installed. Gnome development started after KDE
for historic reasons. They both offer many similar features and competition is
good for the end user (you). You can choose to run either of them as you
wish.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>I don't want to use Linux. How do I remove it?</para>

<para>Pretty easy. You have to perform two steps.</para>

<orderedlist>
   <listitem><para>Boot up in DOS using a boot disk/Startup disk (not the MS-DOS prompt/Command line provided by Windows) and then remove the Linux partitions
using fdisk.(they are indicated as NON-DOS partitions).Re-create new partitions to fill
up the free space.</para></listitem>

   <listitem><para>Run the <command>fdisk/mbr</command> command to remove the boot-up 
options.</para></listitem>
</orderedlist>

<para>You may also change the filesystem type or remove the partitions using
Linux fdisk but this is probably the easiest way.</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="newuser_resources"><title>Useful resources for New users</title>

<itemizedlist>

<listitem><para>Linux Distributions</para>

      <itemizedlist>
         <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.redhat.com" /></para></listitem>
         <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.mandrake-linux.com" /></para></listitem>
         <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.suse.de" /></para></listitem>
         <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.debian.org" /></para></listitem>
         <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.caldera.com" /></para></listitem>
         <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.distrowatch.com" /> - a bird's eye view of almost all the Linux distributions.</para></listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
</listitem>
    
<listitem><para>Linux Desktop Environments</para>

      <itemizedlist>
	  <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.kde.org" /></para></listitem>
	  <listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.gnome.org" /></para></listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
</listitem>
      
</itemizedlist>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="acknowledgements"><title>Acknowledgements</title>
<para>
I dedicate this HOWTO to my late parents
Mr.V.Sundaram and Mrs.Soundara Sundaram for their support and guidance.
I thank the people at LDP for their patient and quick responses to all my
silly questions and their help and guidance.I would like to thank in
particular Joy and Sharon, Linux information developers at IBM who
have been very helpful and responsive it getting this HOWTO improved in many
ways. I would like to thank all my friends and foes for whatever that
they continue doing to me. Thanks guys.</para>
</sect1>
  
</article>