Linux

Welcome to Linux for Windows® Addicts. If you are just making the transition, or are considering making the transition to Linux, this page is for you. I will cover the basics, from selecting a distribution (distro), to setting up your system and performing the basic tasks needed to successfully get your Linux system up and running.

Most of what I cover here will be based on Debian Linux, because that is the distro I use. The pre-install planning and post-install configuration issues are the same, regardless. I won't get into the debate about which is the best distro. They all run the same kernel and have the same basic Unix® utilities. The differences lie in the philosophies behind them and the methods they use to install and maintain various packages.

In presenting the material that follows, I am going to make three assumptions:

You have some experience installing and running programs under Windows;
you want Linux to do some serious work;
and, you can identify a PC two times out of three without prompting.

You are getting ready to move into a totally new environment. It isn't harder than Windows, just different. Where Windows may give you one way to do something, preset at Redmond because "they" know best, Linux will give you three, four, often more options. You can try them out and pick for yourself what works best.

That's why I don't push any particular methodology, for the most part. I will discuss the result we want to see, and describe how I got there. If I promote one piece of software over another, it is because that is the one that works for me. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Why does there seem to be so much more involved in setting up a Linux system than Windows? With Windows, most of the system administration decisions were made for you by the boys at Redmond. You don't get any say about the critical parts of the installation. So, you wound up with an insecure OS, ready, willing, and able to broadcast your inner-most secrets to the world. Linux can change that, if you're prepared to do a lot of reading and a little work.

With all that in mind, let's begin this adventure by breaking the basic process into three parts:

Pre-installation planning. This is most important. A little extra time spent here can save you many headaches later;
Installation. Some nuts and bolts and decisions to be made while Linux is setting up. Establish your basic security parameters;
Post-installation configuration. Tidy up loose ends and handle things that couldn't be set up during the install.

When we're finished, you will have a happily functional, reasonably secure system. I say reasonably, because the only way to have a completely secure system is to rip out the modem and/or NIC and keep the computer isolated in a lead-lined vault to which you alone have the combination. Since that isn't practical, we'll settle for throwing up barriers to script-kiddies and crackers that are tough enough to encourage them to go looking for easier prey.