Starting withLinuxIn your hands, you have a dozen Linux distributions (on CDand DVD), thousands of applications, and descriptions tolaunch and get started with it all. For you right now, theworldwide Linux phenomenon is just a reboot away.Linux is ready for prime time. Are you ready for Linux? Well,whether you know it or not, you probably run into Linux everyday. When you buy a book from Amazon.com or search theWeb with Google, you use Linux. You use Linux in your TiVowhen you record TV shows and Linux may be running the PDAin your pocket. Animations you saw in the movie Shrek 2 werecreated by hundreds of Linux workstations and rendered by aserver farm of hundreds of other Linux systems.Linux truly is everywhere.Big computer companies, such as IBM, Oracle, Novell, andRed Hat, are lining up their products behind Linux. After dis-missing it for years, companies such as Microsoft and SunMicrosystems are gathering their forces to deal with it. Whowould have thought that some of the world’s largest computercompanies would fear a computer system built from codenobody can own that is given away for free?But despite the fact that IBM featured Muhammad Ali in com-mercials for Linux during the Superbowl and that the meremention of “Linux” for a dot-com company sent its stockthrough the roof in the 1990s, most people don’t really knowwhat Linux is. As Linux continues to improve exponentially,that’s going to change.Linux Bible 2006 Edition brings you into the world of free andopen source software that, through some strange twists andturns, has fallen most publicly under the “Linux” banner.Through descriptions and procedures, this book helps you:11CHAPTER✦✦✦✦In This ChapterUnderstanding LinuxUsing LinuxLinux myths, legends,and FUD✦✦✦✦05_754897 ch01.qxp 12/19/05 8:54 PM Page 3COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL4Part I ✦ Linux First Steps✦ Understand what Linux is and where it comes from✦ Sort through the various distributions of Linux to choose one (or more) thatis right for you (you get several on this book’s CD and DVD)✦ Try out Linux as a desktop computer, server computer, or programmer’sworkstation✦ Become connected to the open source software movement, as well as manyseparate high-quality software projects that are included with LinuxWhether you are using Linux for the first time or just want to try out a new Linuxdistribution, Linux Bible 2006 Edition is your guide to using Linux and the latestopen source technology. While different Linux distributions vary in the exact soft-ware they include, this book describes the most popular software available forLinux to:✦ Manage your desktop (menus, icons, windows, and so on)✦ Listen to music and watch video✦ Use word processor, spreadsheet, and other office productivity applications✦ Browse the Web and send e-mail✦ Play games✦ Find thousands of other open source software packages you can get for freeBecause most Linux distributions also include features that let them act as servers(in fact, that’s what Linux has always been best at), you’ll also learn about softwareavailable for Linux that lets you do the following:✦ Connect to the Internet or other network✦ Use Linux as a firewall, router, and DHCP server to protect and manage yourprivate network✦ Run a Web server (using Apache, MySQL, and PHP)✦ Run a mail server (using exim or other mail transfer agent)✦ Run a print server (using Samba or CUPS)✦ Run a file server (using FTP or Samba)This book guides you through the basics of getting started with the Linux featuresjust mentioned, plus many more features that I’ll get to later. You’ll go through thefollowing basic steps:1. Understanding Linux. You need to know where Linux came from, how it isdeveloped, and how it’s ultimately packaged. This chapter describes the UNIXheritage on which Linux was founded, the free and open source softwaredevelopment efforts underway, and the organizations and individuals thatpackage and produce Linux distributions.05_754897 ch01.qxp 12/19/05 8:54 PM Page 45Chapter 1 ✦ Starting with Linux2. Trying Linux. In the past, an impediment to trying Linux was getting itinstalled on a computer that was devoted solely to Microsoft Windows. Withbootable Linux systems such as KNOPPIX (and others included with thisbook), you can boot a fully functioning Linux from DVD, CD, or floppy diskwithout disturbing the current contents of your computer.3. Installing Linux. You can install a fully functioning Linux system permanentlyon your hard disk. Disk space required varies from a few hundred megabytesfor a minimal installation to 6 gigabytes for a full range of desktop, server, andprogramming features. Chapters in Part III, “Choosing and Installing a LinuxDistribution,” describe how to install several different Linux distributions.4. Using Linux. You won’t know if Linux can be used to replace your currentdesktop or server system until you start using it. This book helps you tryOpenOffice.org software to write documents, create spreadsheets, and buildpresentations. It describes xmms and mplayer for playing your music andvideo content, respectively, and covers some of the best Linux tools availablefor Web browsing (for example, Firefox, Mozilla and Konqueror) and managingyour e-mail (such as Evolution and Thunderbird).5. Configuring Linux. Linux works very well as a desktop system, and it can alsobe configured to act as a router, a firewall, and a variety of server types. Whilethere are some excellent graphical tools for administering Linux systems,most Linux administrators edit configuration files and run commands to con-figure Linux. Part II, “Running the Show,” contains basic information foradministering Linux, and Part V, “Running Servers,” discusses procedures forsetting up various types of servers.Once you’ve been through the book, you should be proficient enough to track downyour more advanced questions through the volumes of man pages, FAQs, HOW-TOs,and forums that cover different aspects of the Linux operating system.Understanding LinuxPeople who don’t know what Linux is sometimes ask me if it’s a program that runson Microsoft Windows. When I tell them that Linux is, itself, an operating systemlike Windows and that they can remove (or never purchase) Windows, I sometimesget a surprised reaction: “A PC can run with nothing from Microsoft on it?”Yes, Linux is a full-blown operating system that is a free clone of the UNIX