treb0r.net: Linux Lib Chapter 1 - Access to Tools

Linux Lib Chapter 1 - Access to Tools

“I was captivated by the idea that computers offered a technology that could finally underwrite the kinds of power tools for human minds that motors have provided for our hands¹.”

In the heady days of the 1970’s counterculture, ‘Access to Tools’ was a common cry. From 1968 to 1972, Stewart Brand published “The Whole Earth Catalog” in order to:

“provide education and access to tools in order that the reader could find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested².”

In those days, the idea that ‘normal people’ could access computer technology for their own purposes was nothing more than a dream. Today, a combination of Free Software and commodity hardware offers those humans living in ‘developed’ nations unparalleled access to a dizzying variety of tools. The problem is that most people no longer perceive computers to be the tools of liberation as they once did. Instead, computers are now seen as rather boring at best, and as a tool of big brother at worst. Thanks to the victory of Microsoft in the personal computer business, computers are now seen as very much part of the established order.

With the powerful combination of free software and commodity hardware it is possible to assemble many kinds of information technology infrastructure. Most commonly, people assemble and configure machines that they can use to communicate with the rest of the world via the Internet, publish web pages and use as a general purpose appliance for storing and organising email, photos and music. As the importance of digital communications increases, so does the importance of learning and understanding the basic tools you need to interact effectively with the Internet (and therefore the world). As we gradually start to use our computers for daily but important tasks such as shopping and banking, the importance of having confidence in the machinery that supports such tasks increases. As the evil forces of DRM³ and ‘Trusted Computing⁴’ loom on the horizon, we all owe it to ourselves to seek a better way.

The interesting fact is this: you can have access to a cornucopia of software tools for the price of a very cheap computer. The real cost is the time and effort required to both understand what tools you have available, and how to use them.

To learn about free software you need to be motivated enough for things to sink in. To find the required motivation, I believe that the best way to look at free software in general, and GNU/Linux in particular, is ‘wholefood for your hard drive’.

There is a certain sense of achievement to be gained from learning to use your computer properly. Especially for people who like to take responsibility for themselves and their interaction with others and the environment. To many people, using an Operating System from a very large, well known American supplier of computer software is akin to eating burgers from a very large, well known, American supplier of hamburgers. The choice is yours – freedom or big business.

Until recently, there was no such choice for most people – everybody had to use a limited, closed source operating system as there was no practical alternative. ‘Professional’ Operating Systems like UNIX would only run on expensive hardware, and came with price tags way beyond the average means. All that has now changed for the better. The task at hand now is to spread the word so that people outside of the traditional ‘geek’ circles can begin to learn and use Linux for themselves.

Choose your weapon

The first question you need to ask yourself is ‘which Linux is for me’. There is no definitive answer to this question until you have at least some experience of actually using Linux. There are basically two approaches that you may take.

1) Accept that GNU/Linux is the future of computing and invest in a new machine.

2) Partition an existing machine and run Linux side by side with your existing OS.

Of the two choices, the former is by far the most desirable. Having a new computer system will allow you to relax into the new environment, safe in the knowledge that your existing infrastructure is still available. A third choice is to not actually install Linux at all, and instead dip you toe into the Linux water by having a look at a ‘Live’ CD distribution such as Knoppix, which will allow you to boot from the CD and have a look at Linux without doing an installation. This is OK as far as it goes, but you won’t be able to save anything, and the OS will feel slow.

If the former is difficult or impossible for financial reasons, the latter provides a practical alternative. Once you have decided which technique you wish to use, the next step is to visit http://distrowatch.com. Distro Watch does exactly what it says – it keeps tabs on the bewildering array of Linux distibutions and runs an informal chart that attempts to measure the relative popularity of each one. For the purposes of this blook, we will be discussing only general concepts that can be applied to all mainstream desktop distributions.

Popular Distributions

I’ve just had a look at Distro Watch, and this their current top 10:

1 Ubuntu
2 SUSE
3 Mandriva
4 Fedora
5 MEPIS
6 Damn Small
7 Debian
8 KNOPPIX
9 Gentoo
10 Slackware

Of the ten listed here, Ubuntu, SUSE, Mandriva, Fedora and Mepis can be thought of as particularly beginner friendly distributions. KNOPPIX is a ‘Live’ distribution that runs off the CDROM. Gentoo and Slackware are both powerful distributions that are aimed at more experienced users. Debian is interesting in that it’s creators have a much more political outlook than the others, and they even adhere to the ‘Debian Social Contract⁵’. Several of the beginner friendly distributions listed above are actually derived from Debian. Debian is a good choice if you wish to become involved with the free software world on more than a practical level, and the distribution itself sits somewhere between beginner friendly distributions such as Ubuntu, and more powerful and difficult systems such as slackware and Gentoo.

Before you make your final choice, I’d like to go through the various tasks that we will cover in the blook, just so you know what to expect.

1) Installation

Getting GNU/Linux onto your machines

2) Command Line Basics

Learning and befriending the dreaded CLI

3) Configuration and Customisation

Adjusting your system for a comfortable fit

4) Choosing A Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Making a choice for your desktop

5) Email and Web

Setting up your system for surfing the web and using email

6) Multimedia