If you are reading this then well done. You are already on your way towards doing something that you will not regret. Well you might, but only in the short term.

Linux is, as I expect you know, a free varient of UNIX. It is also quickly becoming Micrsoft's Windows operating system's major competitor, and because of this is receiving lots and lots of press. This is the first in a series of pages here on the Guide that will attempt to explain how to set up and use the Linux OS even if you've never written a programme in your life, or even if you don't know what C is.

It is our intention to create pages dealing with all aspects of using a Linux system in a clear concise manner. There are hundreds of pages on the web which cover these types of things, but usually in a manner which is difficult to understand. The main thing about Linux is not that it is hard to use, or even that it is difficult its just different, and with good reason. It is precisely these differences which make Linux Linux. It is non-patronising, it tells you exactly what is going on and because of its no frills principles runs efficiently and cleanly for months at a time. We are presuming no in depth knowledge of UNIX, C or even how computers work. However I would suggest that before you use or install Linux you do some background reading on how computer hardware works (things like what is a PCI card) because you will be much better off in the long run.

Skip to the end and see the contents/link section

The first thing to do is to install Linux, and therefore this introduction deals with preparing to install.

If you are new to Linux it is scary. The biggest thing about it is that, for the most part, it doesn't look or act like Windows. For people like me, computer enthusiasts who thought they knew lots about computers (but in fact knew lots about Windows) this can be demoralising. The first time I installed Linux (using a distribution called Debian) I was left without a GUI (graphical user interface) and no network connection. In short, I was screwed. The main reason for this is that I didn't know what I was doing.

First things first

The first rule of installing Linux should be know your hardware. Windows has a major advantage over all other operating systems as its features are extended without Microsoft ever having to lift a finger as manufacturers provide drivers with the hardware. This is not really the case with Linux, although it is becoming more common to find Linux directories on the CD-ROMs provided even if they don't say anything on the box. The good news is that if you have a new machine it is more than likely that you won't have any problems. There are a few things you should look out for, and a few bits of information that you should write down before you even put the install CD in your drive.

The first thing to know is that Linux works with the hardware in your machine in a very specific way. In fact the best way to have a stable operating system is to have stable hardware in the first place. This doesn't just mean having a brand new computer but making sure that the different componants inside your machine are set up properly. The following paragraphs detail some of the more usual pitfalls that can be easily avoided if you prepare yourself first. It may seem that Linux is fussy, and it is, but this is just because it is designed to be as reliable as possible, and eradicating any hardware issues is a good step towards that.

Find out exactly what your hardware is. Most modern distributions will just detect your hardware without any problems, but if you do have problems you will need to know what your card really is (Soundblaster 16 PCI rather than 16bit soundcard for example). This information should be readily available in the documentation that came with the hardware, if not you can look for writing on the largest chip on the board and web search to find out. Go to the web site of your distribution or the Linux Hardware Database and check that any unusual hardware is supported, and if so whether or not you need to specify any options for them to work properly.

ISA Cards

If you have any ISA cards (These are ones that have long connectors that plug into normally black slots on the motherboard) you may find that you will need to specify IO and IRQ settings during the installation. Getting these wrong won't damage your machine, but if they aren't right then it won't work and there are too many possible settings for you to just guess. If you have windows then the easiest thing to do is to go into "My Computer" properties (or System in the Control Panel) and have a look at the properties for your ISA cards. In there it will tell you all the different settings you will need.

IDE

If you run into problems at an early stage of the install you may have a problem with the way in which your IDE drives are connected. Normally an IDE channel has up to two drives on it, one of which is set to master and the other set to slave (If you look on the back of the drive you will see a plastic 'jumper' bridging two pins. This tells the drive whether it is master or slave). A lot of manufacturers, such as Dell, leave the drives in "Cable Select" position which can mean that Linux has difficulty in detecting which drive is which. If you do have problems check that your drives are setup correctly with one master and, optionally, one slave per IDE channel.

Some other things to take note of

Decide what you are going to primarily use the machine for, when you install Linux you don't just get a empty operating system like you do with Windows, you also get the chance to install possibly hundreds of add on programmes, all also covered by the General Public License (basically meaning that you can use it for free). Obviously you can still install new progammes after you have installed Linux, but it helps to know from the start. For example, you will probably want a web browser and an email client, some distributions install a variety of these so that you can choose one but also think about things like XMMS (the winamp equivelent), apache (a webserver) and The GIMP (graphics manipulation).

Make sure you have enough disk space! As well as this decide how you would you like to partition this space. Normally speaking you will be fine with something like 2Gb of disk space for the whole of the installation, including all the add on programmes with enough space to spare for normal usage. Remember that you will be able to access your windows drives (if you are installing this on a machine with windows) so the storage of things like MP3s can be handled in this way, especially as Windows will not be able to read the data on your linux partitions (expect possibly with a 3rd party reader). When you install linux you will be asked to set up new partitions. Exactly how you partition your drive is a contentious issue, and it is beyond the scope of this article to go into it in too much detail but I would recommend that you want at least one partition for root (known by the character "/") and one for home (/home). This will mean that if you re-install at any point your data and config files will remain even if you format the root partition. It also means that you can limit the amount of space that is taken up by any one part of the system.

Above all else you should remember that Linux is free and written by enthusiasts. Sometimes you will find strange bugs and wierd things that don't seem right. If this is the case, remember to report them to the person/people responsible otherwise they will never be fixed. Most development in Linux is user driven and most developers will be very grateful for feedback.

Ready to Go

Now that you have all this information to hand, and you are aware of what you are actually doing its time to start the installer. Put the CD in the drive and off you go. Each distribution has a different installer, and some are quite definitely better than others. As time goes on articles will be written on the different distributions as well as some of the more painful problems that can occur. One final thing: Good Luck!

The Rest of the Guide

Other pages that have be written for the New to Linux guide will be added here when they are written!
Things you can expect to see are:

Distributions, including a breakdown of specific distributions and how to set them up

X configuration, Window Managers and Desktop Environments (including KDE and GNOME)

Using bash and the command line

Differences between Windows and Linux, or how Linux does things

The Kernel

Compiling Progammes

Package Management

How to find Linux information on the Internet, or where to look

Also, if you are an experienced Linux User and you want to contribute or if you have input to make on what should be on here please go here

Some Useful Links