How To Get Started With Linux

By: phauly How To get started with Linux -- Entry by Wikihow 1. Research is key. Look into what distribution of GNU/Linux would be best for you. If you're new to the operating system, it's probably best to go for something like Ubuntu or Linspire - these distributions of Linux are aimed at inexperienced users and will help you along the way. The Ubuntu distribution will send you a set of CDs free of charge, there are other sites on the internet which charge a small fee for postage. 2. Try the "Live CD" versions first, assuming your computer will boot from the CD drive; most will. Most distributions offer Live CD ISOs on their website, which you can burn to CD. (non-DVD .ISO files are 700mb or less -- Puppy and Damn Small Linux (DSL) are only around 70 MB -- and require an application such as Nero to burn them to CD). A Live CD means that Linux will run entirely from a CD and will not touch your Windows installation - this allows you to test out some of the functionality Linux offers without wiping your existing Windows install. 3. Use Linux applications that have been ported over to Windows. Fine example are Inkscape and the GIMP. Using these will get you used to the kind of applications available on Linux (Although there is a school of thought to the effect that the GIMP is a bad piece of software). Using open source applications will be a real boost when you actually switch over, as it will be relatively painless for, say, an XChat user to use XChat on his new system, rather than a mIRC (Or other Windows-only IRC client) user having to learn an entirely new program. 4. Do day-to-day things with the Windows command line, when convenient. Use the move command to move files if Explorer isn't already in their directory. Using the command line isn't essential in Linux, but you may find that it's superior efficiency (For instance, using Wget to download a file rather than finding the file in Firefox and downloading it, provided you have the URL). Running Unix software such as shells, etc. under Windows may help to familiarise you with the commands and mannerisms of Unix and Unix-like systems. 5. Back up your important data before you do anything else. If you make a mistake while installing Linux, it's possible you'll have to format your hard drive to put things right. In which case, you will lose all data on it. It is very important you back up if you need to. 6. Get hold of a Linux install CD - when you boot from this, it will take you through the steps required to install Linux. Some distributions, like Ubuntu, actually install from the Live CD, so you do not need to download an additional CD image. 7. Partition your hard drive into two partitions, one containing your existing Windows install, the other containing the Linux installation. Under Windows, this can be easily done with various partitioning tools (Partition Magic, Paragon Partition Manager and others) preserving both Windows installation and existing data. 8. Choose which operating system to boot into when once the Linux installation has finished. This is called dual-booting. It is wise to do this before completely converting to Linux to give you something to fall back on if something goes wrong. 9. Get comfortable with Linux. As time goes on you will find you need to boot into Windows less and less. Using Linux is a learning experience, make sure you make the most of the "community" help which is available from most distributions of Linux. There is usually a wide community which you can ask questions and there will be people more than willing to help you out with any problems you've got. Make sure you use Google and the "search" functions on community websites because people may get irate at answering the same questions all the time in forums and on irc. Visit your distribution's support page or FAQ. 10. Wipe your Windows partition (devote your entire hard disk to Linux) once you're comfortable with Linux. You'll probably never look back!