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The Answer Gang 77: linux questions
By Jim Dennis, Ben Okopnik, Dan Wilder, Breen, Chris, and...
(meet the Gang) ...
the Editors of Linux Gazette...
and You!
Send questions (or interesting answers) to
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 linux questions
From zen maiku
Answered By Breen Mullins, mike martin, Ben Okopnik, Robos, Mike "Iron" Orr, Thomas Adam, Dan Wilder, Heather Stern
Dear The Answer Gang,
Hi, I just did a search on the Internet for a problem I was having, and
I was led to a site with an answer by "The Answerman" on it, and I
immediately thought he was great! Short, straightforward answers; to the
point, simple, and very helpful!
So, naturally, right away, I decided to come to him with my own
questions, and that's when I discovered that his E-mail may no longer exist.
So now I am coming to you, The Answer Gang, who were mentioned as a
soon-to-be organized group of people, at the time of the article I was at.
(Linux Gazette Issue 55)
So, if you would please, I have some questions for you. I looked in
The Answer Gang Knowledge Base, but it didn't really give me the simple,
short and succinct answers I was looking for. There was some help in there,
but it was accompanied by a LOT of extra stuff. I'm writing in the hopes
that you can deliver as well as The Answerman did.
 [Breen]
Well, The Answer Guy is still here. We'll try to help though. Jim may
even toss in a suggestion or two.
The reason you're not finding simple answers is that you're not asking
simple questions.
I'm thinking about switching over to Linux on my personal computer to
replace Windows.
[Breen]
Good!
I am not a seasoned Linux user, so I have encountered some
difficulty with a few aspects of its use.
[Breen]
This is pretty common for newish Linux users.
Since it turns out that I have 12 questions total, and they are all
multi-part, AND because these questions are a serious impediment to my Linux
use, I have named them "The Linux Deadly Dozen". My questions, because I
can't seem to find too many straight answers online, are:
1. I'm a home user who uses the Internet a lot, plays games, works with
music, and other average activities, and I have above-average computer
literacy - Which Linux distribution is the best choice for me? What are the
major differences between Mandrake, Red Hat and Best Linux? Are they the
three best distributions out there?
[Breen]
I'm not familiar with Best. I use Red Hat; others here prefer Debian
(which is probably NOT the best distribution for a new user). Mandrake
has a reputation for being easier on the new user. S.U.s.E is also very
well regarded. Other members of the Gang may have other favorites. The
best distro is the one that works for you. (I know, you wanted a simple
answer. There isn't one to this question.)
[mike]
Not heard of Best, I use RH myself but for a newbie Mandrake is probably
good, SuSE is also fairly good
2. Does Mandrake, Red Hat, or Best Linux support USB ports? Is support
built in, or do I have to download a patch or something? If the ports
themselves work fine with Linux, then is it simply a matter of getting Linux
drivers for specific USB devices?
[Breen]
USB support is pretty good with 2.4 kernels, which you'll get with a
recent distribution.
[mike]
Current versions have support built in
[Heather] SuSE has had working USB support since kernel revision 2.2.14 or so.
Both 2.2.x and 2.4.x kernels will have USB support. There will be lots
of modules, but usbmgr should deal with all that under the hood stuff
for you...
3. Can I get Linux to support my Rockwell HCF 56k winmodem?
[mike]
Check on www.linmodems.org - Ithink they arenow supported
How about my
GeForce2 MX400 AGP video card, and my Soundblaster Live! Value sound card?
[Heather] Yes albeit weird (nVidia has two modules to add, one for the kernel and one
for X, but they are good), and probably. Creative Labs has been directly
on the bandwagon for awhile now.
How about cable modems?
[Iron]
linmodems.org is all for analog modems. A cable "modem" isn't really a modem.
External ones that connect to the computer via an ordinary Ethernet card have
a better chance of being Linux compatible than internal or USB ones. It all
depends on whether the modem requires a proprietary driver, and whether such
a driver exists for Linux.
[Breen]
You should search Google for hardware compatibility information. (I'd
advise getting a real modem if you're even halfway serious about Linux.
Or even halfway serious about The Other System for that matter.)
4. What are the differences between KDE and Gnome,
[mike]
various but not that apparent to a convert
and why would I want to
use one over the other?
[mike]
Personal preference
Do they both contain office suites?
[mike]
KDE does and gnome contains some very classy apps, gnumeric (excel)
evolution (what outlook should be), and galeon (web browser)
Are they good,
or should I go with StarOffice? I want an office suite for word processing,
spreadsheets, and possibly web page building.
[Breen]
This is a matter of personal preference. You should install both and try
them; then you'll know which is better for you from the strength of your
own experience.
5. Should (can) I use Wine to run Windows programs like messengers and
games, or are there Linux versions of these things? I want to be able to
communicate with people on MSN Messenger and AIM,
[mike]
Use everybuddy or gaim or AOL linux client
[Breen]
Messenger clients are a dime a dozen in Linux. You don't need an
emulator.
and I want to play some of
the current popular games. What can Wine do for me that makes it a
must-have? (or is it a must-have?)
[Breen]
I'm not a gamer so I won't comment on whether emulation is
likely to be any good for your games.
[mike]
games are a problem
[Ben]
Let's see - I just finished a rousing round of Quake2, and was running
Heretic yesterday - and I'm not a big-time game maven. Admittedly, there
are not nearly as many games for Linux as there are for Wind*ws (although
that's changing fairly quickly), but dismissing it with "games are a
problem" is rather simplistic. Take a look at the "Linux games" section at
Tucows; I think you'll be amazed at what's available. Trust me, I'm not_
talking about yet another version of Tetris here. As well, take a look at
some of the stuff currently in development at Freshmeat/SourceForge; people
are coming up with distributed game systems that will make Wind*ws stuff
look totally passe within a year or so.
[Heather] See another thread on that topic, this issue.
6. What are the most common Linux file types, and what are their Windows
counterparts? I notice Linux doesn't use .exe files? When I click on
certain files in Linux, it asks what I want to use to open them, but I have
no idea what to choose. Also, what are, and how do I use, RPM packages?
[Breen]
I'm going to skip this one right now. I think you'll do better to
concentrate on some of your other questions first.
[mike]
linux does not have file types like in the windows world. Files are
ssociated with mime-types although there some conventions
.sh shell scripts
.pl perl scripts
[Ben]
That's incorrect. Wind*ws does not have file types - its associations are
based on the extension that a file has (which can lead to some rather funny
situations.) Files under Linux are not associated with mime-types - that's
a purely optional mechanism that is often used by mail clients and browsers
(and a few other odd things) - but the only way a file is going to _have a
mime-type is if one has been _assigned to it by a mail client, etc. Under
Unix in general, files are recognized by their "magic", usually the first
few bytes with which a file begins.
These extensions are conventions "more honored in the breach than the
observance". I usually tell my students that unless they're writing Perl
on a Wind*ws platform, they should not use the ".pl" extensions - and
if they are, to use ".plx", since ".pl" is the correct extension for a
Perl _library._ Under Linux, it doesn't matter whether you use the
extension or not.
[Iron]
... unless the program itself requires them. For instance, top-level Python
scripts that you run from the shell or by clicking an icon may have the .py or
not--it doesn't matter. But if it's a Python module you want to import from
inside another Python program, it better have the .py extension or it won't
work.
[Thomas]
Ben, surely file "extensions" are depreciated
nowadays, since what is the purpose of the she-bang
line??? -- of course as mike said, some languages do
need the extension.
[Ben]
You're confusing filetype checking within the OS and filename usage in a
programming context. The OS, as per my earlier statement, does not care
about what extension you give the file - period. The fact that you can't,
for example, rename "/etc/resolv.conf" to "my_favorite_DNS_servers.really"
and have it work has nothing to do with this.
[Dan]
Python compiles and saves modules at import time, and wants to
see the compiled module stored beside the source code, as file.py
and file.pyc.
Not having to wildcard the name or do a search possibly
shortens the "shall I compile this now" decision.
[Ben]
I can't see how that bears on the issue at all. Libraries and modules in
Perl are also required to have extensions that identify them within Perl,
but this has nothing to do with file identification within the OS itself.
Baldur:/tmp$ cp /usr/lib/python2.1/uu.py .
Baldur:/tmp$ file uu.py
uu.py: a /usr/bin/python script text executable
Baldur:/tmp$ mv uu.py uu
Baldur:/tmp$ file uu
uu: a /usr/bin/python script text executable
Baldur:/tmp$
As far as identifying the file goes, the extension makes no difference.
[Thomas]
Ultimately though the colour options passed to "ls -l"
make it much easier for me to identify a file type...
[Ben]
This _still does not use extensions. Actually, given the limited action of
the way it works, I suspect it just sets the colors based on the data in
the inode.
[Heather] Well, my set of /etc/DIR_COLORS definitely uses extensions; I like to see
that .jpg (and various permutations) .gif (likewise) .png (and so on) in a
given color to tell me that they are images, various permutations of tarball
(e.g. .tgz, .tar.bz2, .zip and its permutations, .deb, .rpm...) are packages,
and so on.
I have a limited number of colors to play with but it's very helpful anyway.
If ls knows how to read by magic rather than extensions it's news to me.
Of course it is useful to tell at a glance that I have the exec bit set,
or that a given item is a symlink and not a real directory.
7. Where can I get great Linux freeware, like the great freeware I use on
Windows; to handle picture viewing and editing, compressed files, music and
video files, and other such things? What are the best programs?
[mike]
dont need it, most of the freeware programs for windows are either core
parts of the OS, and otherwise the web - loads of programs
[Breen]
http://sourceforge.net will give you a list of more free programs than
you can shake a stick at.
Oh. The best? The usual answer: try some out. Start with the ones that
come with your distribution. My opinions won't match others anyway.
8. Will a computer that's running Mandrake, Red Hat, or Best Linux with a
GUI like KDE or Gnome on it, be faster, slower, or about the same speed as a
computer running Windows 95? What about Windows 98, ME, XP? Will programs
and games load and run comparably?
[Breen]
Too many variables here; I don't think there's a meaningful answer. I
haven't used Windows in years anyway.
[mike]
difficult to say, probably slower than w95 but comparable with full GUI
to others (but nicer)
[Heather] variable 1: linux native binaries may run much faster. variable 2: our GUI
is not just X itself but the Window Manager too. We have more major Window
Managers than fingers, and a lot of minor ones too. That's wihout counting
the desktop environments. variable 3: different apps need different
resources, and as we're multiuser you can run lots of apps at once. There's
more tools to look at resources than you can shake a stick at too.
I could go on...
9. What are the GPL, GNU, and Freeware Licenses about? What are the
differences between them? Are there other similar licenses I am unaware of?
My interest is in ad-free, popup free, commercial free freeware only. I
do not like shareware, commercial software (some exceptions), or adware,
since the (best) freeware out there has often been superior anyway.
[mike]
Use the term Free software - big subject, pop into www.slashdot.org to
get a feel of the subject
[Breen]
What, in 50 words or less? Rivers of ink have been spilled over
licensing issues. I'm not going to even attempt to summarize. (Besides,
this is yet another way to start a flame war and I didn't wear my
asbestos undies today.)
[Heather] I wrote an editorial ranting a bit on this subject awhile back, easy to
find if you type "kosher" into the LG Search page.
10. What's the deal with compiling libraries? What does it mean to do that,
why is it necessary, and how is it done? What is a compiler, and which one
is the best?
[Breen]
Don't worry about this. You probably won't need to compile anything at
all for at least six months after you move into your Linux system.
[mike]
When you are starting it is NOT neccesary, but has dvatages when you get
into it. Most programs are available as rpm's
11. What is X Windows? Is it part of Linux or KDE or Gnome or something?
Is it a must-have component, or built-in one, or neither, or both?
[Breen]
X is the underpinning of the graphical interface you're going to want to
use. Your distribution will install it; you probably won't need to worry
about it for, oh, six months.
[mike]
For all practical purposes a built in. gnome/kde run on top of X which
runs on top of Linux
[Heather] From an end user view, it's the GUI. You don't need a GUI to do cool
things in Linux... but lots of people like to have one. As opposed to
MSwin, where the GUI cannot be reasonably removed and even if you thought
you wanted that (?!) there are so very few decent console mode apps.
12. What is the best web browser to use on Linux? Do KDE and/or Gnome have
built-in web browsers? If so, are they good enough for most general purpose
Internet use, and eliminate the need to download anything else?
[Breen]
Boy, you're just trying to start a fight, aren't you? This is yet
another question without an answer. KDE and/or Gnome will install a
browser for you. Try one. Try several. Decide which one is best for you.
(I use and like one called Galeon. Another member of the Answer Gang
foams at the mouth when it's mentioned.)
[mike]
Galeon (gnome app), have heard konquerer and Opera are OK
[Heather] I use lynx, it may be text mode but it's the fastest thing on the planet...
some who also like text consoles may prefer links, or w3m. All these have
SSL support available too.
You said you hate adware so I dunno if there's an Opera version you'll
like yet...
Thank you in advance for any help, and thank you for your time and effort.
[Robos]
Hi!
Lots of questions there, and a tremendous amount of answers in the
net. Therefore I give you some pointers where to start
reading. Because this is in my opinion the main difference between win
and linux: you have to actually read stuff! Lots of stuff. But as a
consequence - you learn something
(had this with a friend of mine and me (both quite good in
linux-matters) when he bought a mac with OSX: we simply pushed buttons
- without reading the manual - because you're supposed to do this if
you have a gui, aren't you?)
So, the list:
I think with these you will be happy for the next month or two,
[Ben]
Robos is The Man.
I think that's one point that everybody, including me, forgot to make - and
it's possibly the most important one there is. Linux is not free. Oh, it
doesn't have to cost anything money-wise - you can download the complete
install, or borrow a CD from a friend (unlike dealing with Wind*ws, this is
actually _encouraged ) - but where it does cost is in the time invested in
learning it. Some people, however, see that as a very good thing indeed
(and I'm among them): not only do you get to have this nifty OS, but you
also get to understand it, woohoo! The thing is, you don't get to just lean
back and click on icons (unless you want just the basic functionality). As
soon as you want to get hold of some of the serious power that's available
with Linux, you've got to open the hood, reach under, grrrab those
high-voltage wires, and feel the power of Linux!... Oh, sorry - got a
little carried away there.
Anyway, that's the big difference. When you want more out of Wind*ws,
well... you can pay lots of money and get, uh, something real pretty and
with lots of flash and neat sound-effects and stuff (functionality will be
included in the next release - no, REALLY!) With Linux, there's (usually)
no money involved and the power is available right now - but you do need
to sit down and study. If that trade-off sounds good to you... welcome to
Linux. You're in for a fun time.
Oh, and do be careful - those numbers on the speedometer are exponential
values.
This page edited and maintained by the Editors
of Linux Gazette
Copyright © 2002
Published in issue 77 of Linux Gazette April 2002
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