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First discover Linux without installation
It is possible to run a complete GNU/Linux system without instally anything on your hard drive : everything comes from a Linux CD from which the computer starts up. The Knoppix and Morphix projects are committed to providing extremely high quality Linux distributions that can be run fom a CD-ROM drive. It will auto-detect your hardware and you will be able to run over 2 GB of software from a normal CD-ROM, as well as access your hard drive.
Knoppix is perfect for discovering Linux without the hassle of repartitioning your hard drive, and running the risk of losing data. It is also perfectly suitable as a rescue operating system. Furthermore, it is possible to actually install Knoppix on your hard drive, if you want to use it as your main or alternate operating system.
There is alot of choice with Free Software. Try at least all of them before you talk about one in general or start publicly comparing to others.
Knoppix is KDE
Morphix has a GNOME version (but also KDE)
GNUstep Live CD is GNUstep
Then obtaining Linux
Linux comes packaged in distributions. There are dozens of different distributions; amongst them, we can cite :
- Debian
Debian is the official distribution of the GNU project. It comes in several flavours, and is ported to most computer architectures (PC, Macintosh, Sun workstations, SGI, ...). It is extremely stable and secure. Its packaging system is arguably the best in the world.
- Mandrake
Mandrake is a distribution aimed at being as easy as possible to install and use for a new user. It comes with a convenient graphical installer, featuring a remarkable partitioning utility.
- SuSE
SuSE is a commercial distribution that provides high quality administrative tools. It is well integrated and its stability approaches
Debian
- Red Hat
Red Hat is a commercial distribution that is popular in the business environment. It offers lots of side-products, such as certifications, support contracts, etc.
Installing Linux
In order to actually install Linux, you will need to go though the following steps :
Partitioning your harddrive
Linux uses a far more advanced filesystem than Windows. In order to install system files on your hard drive, you will need to create a Linux partition. Your Linux installation CD will take care of creating the partition, but you will need some free space on your hard drive.
Beware: deleting your main partition to create smaller partitions will destroy all data on the partition. You need advanced tools to actually resize the partition. Mandrake Linux, for instance, offers tools able to resize most partitions. You will need to :
- Boot on Windows; defrag your hard drive; back up your data.
- Use a partition resizing tool to resize your partition, or delete and create new ones. You can also add a new hard drive.
Boot on your Linux CD
Most modern Linux distributions will automatically boot from the CD-ROM. Reboot your computer. In the BIOS prompt, make sure that the boot order of your computer puts the CD-ROM before the main hard drive. Put the Linux installation CD-ROM in your drive, and boot up your machine. The Linux installation program will automatically take over and guide you through the required steps.
First contact
When you're done with installing, you can start using your brand new operating system. Don't forget that Linux is a multi-user system : you will need to enter your username and password (which you defined during the installation) to access the system. Never log in as root unless strictly necessary.
You might want to choose a graphical desktop that will suit you best; we recommend trying KDE for a start. You will find a "K" button similar to the "Start" button on Windows. If you have been using GNUWIn software previously, you will find yourself comfortable with Open Office, Mozilla, Gimp, and lots of other software which you'll also find on Linux.
Find additional documentation
The most central place to find tips and hints is the Linux Documentation Project.
Alternatively, you might want to search Google, or ask questions on specialised channels of IRC.
Join a Linux user group
There are lots of Linux Users Groups committed to helping new users and welcoming people in the Free Software community. Wherever you are from, there must be one near your home ! See Linux Online for more. And...
... Welcome to the Free Software Community !
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