part0009

We will continue to navigate the Ubuntu distro as we outline how to install and set up your operating system. Remember that one of the assets of any Linux OS is that you can customize it to work for you.

With the Desktop version, you will mostly find that most of it is plug and play. Graphics and text will guide you. Apps will allow you to navigate the functions that you need to do and to have, just as with Windows or MAC OS. Again, you will see icons, taskbars and menus that look familiar.

As mentioned earlier, although you are relying on the desktop version to provide a GUI, you will still have the ability to use the Command Line Interface (CLI) whenever you would like to do this. Different distros of Linux will have different ways of getting to these prompts. With Ubuntu in its various versions it may be some arrangement of clicking the Applications Menu, Accessories and finally, the Terminal which is where you can get the prompt to enter the Commands.

You may feel that you chose the GUI edition to get away from having to use a CLI at all. Some people really like having this combination of graphics and the prompt, however. Any future tutorials that you may watch or read may include some Commands that you may use at the prompts even with the desktop version. They may still apply to you. Some things to note about this are that it can be very useful to do things such as to automate tasks if you do the same things, often. It can also be very handy in times such as when your GUI crashes. It would be good to learn some of the basics, as you never know when you may need them!

Upon installation, your Ubuntu distro already comes with many pre-installed apps and programs. These may include: Firefox, OpenOffice, music and video players, social media and messaging tools, and some of the usual apps that help make things useful or fun.

The best part about Linux is customization. You should do a Google search for the best app, program or software for your needs if you are not sure what you should install, but the beauty is that you can customize, unlike preloaded systems with a lot of third parties or proprietary stuff that most of us are used to having. Many of these come from repositories. Linux Repositories are places that house many programs and Apps that you can tap into at any time. Most of these are also open source. Some may not be.

Fetching New Apps (www.webupd8.org ).

One quick and easy way to access the repositories is through what is called the Synaptic Package Manager. With this, you can access games to MS Office. To into your System file, then under Administration click on the Synaptic Package Manager. Look for “ubuntu-restricted-extras” and install that through the package manager. This will allow access to some proprietary applications. In general, from this manager, you can check what app you would like and install.

Another way to access the repository on the desktop version is to use the CLI Command. This will be outlined more in the Server section, where the CLI is essential, with the lack of the GUI. You will use Commands such as “apt-get-install” to fetch applications from the same repositories, but this will be text-based through the CLI interface. Again, there are lists at the end of the guide. You will see a beginner’s basic Command list that will be extremely helpful for navigating the CLI, even at the Desktop level. You will also see a more comprehensive list that will aid a beginner as well as move you into some intermediary learning.

Every Linux user or developer will advise you to do some very specific things before you go in and play or do too much at first installing your version of Ubuntu. Security and Stability are also key for maintaining your Linux and you will enjoy it for many years. Here is a top 10 list of things Linux users recommend to do after the install.

You can also use workspaces to really maximize your desktop Ubuntu, to get more out of it, and to multitask for fun or pleasure. Some versions won’t prominently display these options but they can be enabled in different distros, in different ways. You should check your distro and do a web search for how to activate Workspaces with your version. It usually just takes a few clicks.

Depending on the version of Ubuntu for example, in each of the environments you will need to click to either: Enable or Manage Workspaces, Add Applets, or Add Pager Widget to use these. Soon, you will have multiple workspaces that can help with organizing and separating your activities, assuming you have more than one at any time this will be quite useful. You should try and activate them, and test them out.

You should also probably learn some basic Commands that you could use at the Prompts, just in case (and, yes, that has been suggested a few times already!) You will find that if you go into Applications, then Accessories, then get to the Terminal you can access the CLI and you will see a prompt. This is where the Commands come into play. Some users really like having this additional way to customize what they would like the system to do, to automate things, to take shortcuts.

Additionally, if you move on to the Server version at some point in time, you will already have some appreciation and knowledge of the Commands, as well as a better understanding of the structure and location of the system files. As you will later read, everything in Linux is a file. They differ in structure from those of Windows for example. By using the GUI you will see this from one perspective. When you use the CLI you truly will better understand how the file trees and directories work with the hardware and software to make what is known as your operating system. This is also where Linux enthusiasts get the feeling of freedom that comes with not only the open sourcing of applications and other system resources but the freedom and flexibility to truly have your computer actively work for you.

Getting Around in the Server Version

Some time will need to be spent with the Server version however. It is not as straightforward and there are some particulars that will be very useful to know before, and during, exploring Linux in this way. If you know DOS it will be just a matter of learning Commands and code. If you do not, you will have a decent-sized learning curve ahead of you.

To begin, you will log in to your new Server Version, with the information you have provided. You will see just DOS screen with prompts at the Shell. You will not see the Graphic User Interface (GUI) as you would with the Desktop Version. You will now need to use commands to go anywhere at all within this new operating system. You should set up a very secure password and root (user) name. Make sure to document this exactly as is. Punctuation will matter very much with Linux. Different spelling equates to something entirely different. You will see this reminder again.

The word Root, in Linux, has a few meanings. The Root User is the Administrator (as the User name root) for the computer, which is the lightest level user, with full privileges.

Root also is the highest level, or core, of anything in Linux. It also is the location where it is installed, the equivalent to C:/Home in Windows. It’s the highest level of the file so to speak. All in Linux is either a directory or a file inside the directory, all within the Root directory.

The Command “sudo” means “Super User Do”. This signifies that you, the Root User (i.e., the Administrator), have full permission to access files and programs. In some distros, you will need to use this to preface some Commands.

As with most anything these days, you can do some simple research on Google to obtain large directories of Commands for Linux. And with these, you can navigate anywhere with Linux. You should not expect to memorize this list however, you should begin to get familiar with the language of Linux.

Some of the most important and useful Commands will get you in, out, and around. To stress and expand upon an earlier point, your use of capitalization in Commands matters. Commands are very specific in their spelling so be careful to use proper capitalization. Spacing and word order also matter. You may not get anywhere, or you may end up somewhere that you did not intend to go.

In the long list of Commands and combinations of commands for Linux, there are also some “builtin” commands. Just as it sounds, Builtin commands are already contained within the Bash shell itself. When the first word of a simple command is a builtin, the shell carries out that command without requiring another program.

As said before, each distro will have its strengths and challenges. Something to note is that Commands for each distro may or may not be the same. Given that the Commands are the only way to navigate this version of Linux, this is key. You should definitely have done some research not only on the distro that you have chosen, in regards to the compatibility and usage, but you also now want to research the specific Commands for that particular distro.

You will see there are some common roots to many of the Commands, and that you can build upon some with other Commands, keywords, file or program names. There are a few Commands that the beginner will need to use immediately. Follow along and try some out.

Here are a few simple things to know right off the bat. These may be your life jackets. “Man” pages are manual (as in instructional) pages. You will also, like the “sudo” Command, preface another Command with this Command. Using “man” opens up a screen with everything you need to know, as a digital manual page. Try these variations when in need. Knowing how to get somewhere, how to get out, and how to ask for help may seem very basic, but when you are learning the system these can be very frustrating.

“man” To Display help information.

“info” To Display help information (differently).

“whatis” To Display a description about a man page.

“whereis” To tell the location of a man page.

To Exit a man page, you type “Q” (Quit), to drop out. This is the only way to back out of the manual pages.

To Exit out of most other places, simply type “Exit”.

The Commands “more” and “less” are also useful for displaying showing files that go past the screen you are on. You may need to read more information than what you can see on one screen on the help pages. This is especially important for a beginner on the system. Simply scroll down by using the space bar after typing the Command.

You will soon learn that there are many directories in Linux, and you should get familiar with them. Although everything is a file Linux, a directory is a special type of file. Directories appear in lists, and related as a tree. Unlike OS that uses GUI, you will not see the extension file names. Therefore you need to know how to navigate, find and change them. You should do a Google search for a list of them in order to properly navigate your system.

Just as with Commands, directory spelling and symbols also matter. As another note, the space bar comes handy when you need a legitimate space between letters and slashes, or letters from other words. It saves time and strokes. Missing these small details can also result in your being somewhere you don’t need to or do not want to be. They can also dead-end you with an error message. In worst-case scenarios, mistakes in Linux could do some serious damage like deleting files. You should use underscore instead of spaces when setting up new file names. These small things will make a difference. A few directories and functions that beginners should become familiar with are:

Note that there are also hidden files that come with your home directory when the server account was configured. To see them listed, you must use a period character. For example, you would not just type “ls”, but you would type “ls –b” to see the hidden files.

You will also learn to combine Commands as with the ones prior. For example, to move to a sub-folder named “xyz”, you would preface the xyz as such, “cd xyz”.

To return back to the root directory, type “cd~”. An example of the same command used to navigate into the root directory is to type “cd /”. To go to the parent directory, just before your current one), you should type “cd..”

The Command “apt-get” gets and installs individual visual software packages. This is how you will create your server. You will manually pull in anything that you need to individualize your Linux server, using select Commands.

Repositories house many Linux programs that you can tap into at any time. These are also open source. You should do a Google search for the best software fit for your needs if you do not know what you need at this point.

The Command “tasksel” means task-select with Ubuntu. If you run this, a screen will appear that gives you a list of common server types, packages and tasks. You can select and install whatever you need for your server.

For example, you would say “sudo apt-get install tasksel” to get the tasksel function, and then use it by using “sudo apt-get install (then the name of the task you want, the server you want, etc.)”.

An example of an apt-get install (www.en.flossmanuals.net ).

To uninstall, you would simply type “apt-get remove (and the name of the server in this case)”. Use this Command for obtaining most of your software, and opting for the free, open source software to start.

After installation of your software, you can use the upgrade command “sudo apt-get upgrade”. Easy updates by way of the repository. It is easy to manually update them than to set automatic updates. You won’t need them that often due to Linux efficiency. It is also more secure.

Task Manager: The “top” prompt command is similar to the “task manager” to see processes and how much space each is taking, or to stop things from running.

Use Command “h” for a list of Commands you may need at any time.

Enter the Command “sudo top” (to access the task manager or the top), then the Command “K” (for kill) and then type the process ID number (called a PID) that you see next to the process that you want to kill.

To start/stop or restart you will type in the Command:

“sudo/etc/init.d/(name of the program) start” : (or stop or restart), to make changes, and go offline while you work on the changes, such as with a crash, or reconfiguring files.

Now that you have some basic knowledge of where you are, where to go, how to get, install, or remove things, take some time to test these out. A list of Common Commands follows, as well as a more Comprehensive (but not exclusive) list. This is in no way exhaustive, but it does show some of the tasks that you may be able to do right now, or that you may look forward to learning.

Linux is an evolving OS, and given the diversity of distros and environments, things will only continue to change. As we advanced technologically, there are more and more opportunities to improve upon and to utilize Linux systems.