Learning Red Hat Linux, Second Edition

Preface

You’ve probably heard about Linux from a magazine, radio or TV program, or a friend. You’re wondering what Linux is about and whether you should give it a try. If so, particularly if you currently use Microsoft Windows, this book was written for you.

When the first edition of this book was being written, Linux was a much talked about novelty. Today, Linux has invaded corporate information technology departments, becoming a popular technology used by hobbyists and professionals alike.

As predicted in the first edition of this book, Linux is becoming easier to use. Every day brings a new tool or feature designed for ease of use. If you work with Microsoft Windows and have dabbled a bit in MS-DOS or are curious about what happens inside Windows, you can install and configure Linux. Thousands of people from all walks of life—even journalists, who are notorious for their technical ineptitude—have already done so.

This book is based on Red Hat Linux, the most popular Linux distribution. It includes two CDs that contain everything you need to install and configure your own Red Hat Linux system. This book will make your Linux journey easier by giving you the big picture, providing you with step-by-step procedures, and getting you started doing useful or fun activities, such as word processing or games. This book focuses on the needs of the new Linux user and on desktop Linux applications. You’ll learn about networks and servers, but the details of those topics are left for more advanced books.

Organization of This Book

This book contains 13 chapters and 5 appendixes:

Chapter 1

This chapter is designed to introduce you to Linux and help you determine whether Linux is appropriate for you.

Chapter 2

This chapter helps you understand what’s involved in installing Red Hat Linux and guides you through the process of gathering information about your system necessary to successfully install Linux.

Chapter 3

This chapter takes you step-by-step through the installation of Red Hat Linux.

Chapter 4

Before you can effectively use a desktop environment, you need to know some Linux fundamentals. This chapter explains basic Linux concepts that underlie graphical and nongraphical system use.

Chapter 5

This chapter explains how to configure and use the GNOME desktop environment and GNOME Office, GNOME’s desktop application suite.

Chapter 6

This chapter explains how to configure and use the K Desktop Environment (KDE) and introduces you to KOffice, KDE’s desktop application suite.

Chapter 7

This chapter digs deeper into the bash shell, the Linux command-line interface. You’ll learn how to use the Linux command-line interface, which resembles MS-DOS but is much more powerful and sophisticated. Here you’ll see firsthand just how powerful and easy to use Linux can be.

Chapter 8

This chapter explains the Red Hat Package Manager, which helps you manage programs and applications.

Chapter 9

Administering a multiuser operating system such as Linux is somewhat more complicated than administering a single-user operating system, but Linux includes tools that simplify the work. This chapter shows you how to configure your Linux system, including how to configure sound and printers.

Chapter 10

This chapter shows you how to connect to the Internet via your Internet service provider (ISP). Once connected, you can use your Linux system to surf the Web and access other familiar Internet services.

Chapter 11

This chapter shows you how to connect your Linux system to other systems on your Local-Area Network (LAN).

Chapter 12

This chapter shows you how to set up servers that users around the world can access via the Internet. For example, you’ll learn how to install and configure Apache, the world’s most popular web server.

Chapter 13

This chapter shows how to use advanced shell features and how to create shell scripts that extend the capabilities of Linux.

Appendixes to the book help you locate important files and directories, manage the way your system boots, and use common Linux commands. In particular, you may need Appendix D for instructions on what to do in case the X Window System doesn’t configure properly during the installation process.