Copyright © 2002 - 2012 John F. Moore
Lessons in Linux
Hello
The lessons contained in this series are designed to introduce
Linux to an audience of new users. They will concentrate on what
make Linux different than Windows or the Mac.
Linux is more that just an Operating System, it is a tool box.
One of it's strengths is that it gives you the user everything
you need to create new programs, or just customize what you have,
to your likes.
Linux has flourished because it allowed programmers, or literally
anyone who is willing to write computer code, to create and use
computer programs which are under their control. At their day
jobs, many programmers are hobbled in trying to build elegant
programs by marketing pressures. The phrase It's good enough,
ship it. does not resonate with people who like to take
pride in what they build. Much like the painter who is never
satisfied with his/her work, these are people who enjoy creating
and working on elegant software programs.
Have you ever used a computer program that just doesn't work the
way you want it to? Do you wish you could open up the covers and
fix the problem? Well Linux allows you to do that by giving you
both the source code to the programs, and the tools to rebuild
them.
Have you ever wished that you could teach the computer a new
trick? Well, in Linux you can. Because it gives you all the tools
you need.
Another strength of Linux is that it encourages you to share you
ideas, and your source code. The process of looking over
another's work is one of the foundation principles in Science.
Each researcher publishes his/her findings and methods. Before
their work is accepted as fact, others look over their work and
review the findings. Only after other researchers have reproduced
the results and understood the findings is the principle
accepted. This protects science from people making false claims.
For background information on John F. Moore take a look at this
Who is John F Moore page.
This section will be a series of topics discussing different
aspects of Linux and how to make use of them. This is not in any
specific order or theme. You can jump in anywhere, so read
through all the topics before starting. Select what is of
interest to you and enjoy.
Advanced Linux
This is a new sub section of the WPCUG dedicated to more
advanced topics in linux.
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Linux From
Scratch, The Beginning In this sesion of the
WPCUG Linux group we are going to learn how to build a Linux
installation by making our own distribution. We will learn how
to boot strap a system. How to create a system using the scripts
and methods created for Gentoo.
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Linux From
Scratch, Configuring Gentoo In this meeting we
will be continuing the install of
gentoo on the machine. We will learn more about
configuration for the kernel and finalizing the
system.
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Linux From
Scratch, Gentoo Finish Install, and examine Portage and Init
In this meeting we will finish the Gentoo install. Then we
will look at how the Gentoo package
management, Portage, works. Then we will look at how a Linux
system initializes.
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Linux From
Scratch, Core Tools
Tonight we are going to discuss the tools/applications
which make up the core applications as defined by LFS (Linux
From Scratch), and a couple other small distributions.
Next we will look at how the system boots and what happens
before the boot prompt.
Lastly, time permitting, we will discuss shell scripts. These
scripts and the shell that supports them are what make many of
the operations of Linux useful.
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Linux From
Scratch, What is a Personal Computer
Before we start to setup our Linux From Scratch system I
would like to discuss what is a personal computer. Having an
understanding of what makes a computer, and how it operates at
a hardware level will help understanding why software works
the way it does.
Before we end we will discuss how to get started with the
Linux From Scratch setup.
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Where to Start
- If you have never heard about Linux before you might want
to try Why not Choose Linux to get an
idea about why someone would choose Linux. If you want to
learn more about the creator of Linux you might check your
local library for the movie Revolution
OS .
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- If you are interested in exploring the power of Linux,
but are not ready to install a new Operating System, you might
have a look at Cygwin for a Linux like
environment under Windows. You can then follow the Lessons to get a taste of the power of the
Command line in Linux.
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- If you are thinking about how to transition from Windows
to Linux, have a look at How to Transition
from Windows to Linux . Or if you are considering what
distribution to install, try What to
consider when picking a Linux distribution
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- You finally took the plunge and installed Linux on a
computer. Now what? You could consider creating a network in
your home by reading Home Network .
Or if you are looking for help with a problem consider How to find HELP or even
Documentation Galore . Of course you could consult the References below for some of the best
documentation I have found available on-line.
If you are already a Linux user, I have several articles on
what you can do with Linux. As a tinkerer myself, I keep finding
new things to do with Linux. But the thing I like to stress the
most about Linux is roll up your sleeves explore.
If you are interested in Computers, think of Linux as a well
spring of knowledge. You can dive in and NEVER hit bottom.
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Compile Your own Application
from Source This talk is about how to add
applications to your distribution of Linux which were NOT part
of the original package.
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Emacs, the Swiss army
knife of Linux This is a discussion about one
application and how it can be used to perform a multitude of
tasks in Linux.
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Desktop Publishing,
Linux style The Linux system supports a number of
tools to allow you to publish your own work professionally or
just for fun. This is an overview of the types of word
processing and publishing tools available as well as a
comparison of their strengths and weaknesses.
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Documentation
Galore Windows provides a help system for the
user, but Linux provides man pages, info help, release notes,
and Howtos in addition to help. How can you use all these
different sources of information? You can even convert one into
another.
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How to find
HELP One of the real strengths of Linux is the
help available. This goes beyond documentation to enable users
to help one another. The Linux community contains a wealth of
information, advice, and even lessons to rival the best
universities. Where is this information, and how can I learn
from it.
In addition to the topic of Finding Help, I will answer some
questions about backups and how to Virus check and recover
files from a Windows computer.
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How to Transition from
Windows to Linux So you are tired of fighting
Viruses, Adware, Sypware, and programs which think they know
how to use a computer better than you do. Have you heard about
Linux in the News and wondering what is this new beast? Well
here is your chance to make a change. Follow along as we
discuss a strategy for converting your Desktop from Windows to
Linux.
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Install Decisions /
Postscript and Printers Today we will discuss some
more options involved in a Linux install. First the difference
between Linux Servers and Workstations and then Package
selection both during install and later. Following this
information on installs and packages we will explore
Postscript, and it's relationship to printers.
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Linux and Home
Automation This talk will focus on how to use
Linux for Automation around your home. We will focus mostly on
how to use the computer to take care of some routine tasks.
Some of the automation will be focused on providing information
to the home owners. Other parts will look at some ways of using
the computer to make the home more information friendly.
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What to consider when
picking a Linux distribution In this talk we will discuss
how to distinguish the different Linux distributions. Even
though it seems like a beauty contest between distributions,
there are some real differences. When you decide to install
Linux on your computer, it is best to pick a distribution which
suits your needs. We will discuss several differences in an
attempt at differentiating them.
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Why not Choose
Linux Today we will talk about why Linux is not
the first choice of many computer users. We will explore the
reasons commercial software is often chosen over open source
software. This is not an attack upon any particular brand or
type of software, but an exploration of what appears to drive
the choices.
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Customize
Linux OK you just finished installing Linux on
your computer, so now you are done. Not really, now it is time
to consider how you can tune the system to make it fit your
needs and wants. We will discuss how to go about customizing
your system.
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What's inside your
Computer We are going to discuss what hardware is
inside your computer. We will be explaining what it is and how
it words at a layman's level.
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Dual Booting with
Windows and Linux This talk will show how to
start with a Windows install on a computer, and create a
dual booting system of Windows and Linux.
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Window Managers on Linux
Tonight we are going to have a little fun.
On this laptop I will demonstrate 4 different window
managers all running under Debian. We will try to
configure each of them using the documentation and tools
provided.
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Remote Control over an Intranet
This discussion will describe several methods
of using one computer from another. Now since this is a
Linux group, I will focus of using Linux over a network. I
will try to be clear on what techniques are for use behind
a firewall and which can be used over the Internet.
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Beginner's Linux Intro
People often believe that Linux is only for
advanced computer users. I will attempt to disprove this
assumption tonight. Lets take a few minutes to have a look
at what runs a Personal Computer, then Linux as a new user
sees it.
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Beginner's Linux
Applications Most users don't see the
operating system, only applications. So for our second
session, lets compare application on Windows and Linux.
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Let the Penguin help
you What do you do when your computer won't
boot? How do you remove a file which keep reappearing? How
do you recover files when your operating system has crashed?
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Linux Backup for Windows
When it comes to backup, most of us don't do enough. But
suppose it was as easy as running a script? Would you do
it more often? Lets look at how a dual boot computer can
use Linux to backup windows.
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Dual Boot a new Computer Many new computers
come with windows installed on the whole disk drive. How can
you take this and convert it into a dual booting machine with
Windows and Ubuntu?
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Welcome to Ubuntu Your new Ubuntu is fresh from
the box and you are dying to use it.
But where do you start? We will hitting
some of the highlights of the Jaunty Jackalope (9.04).
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Welcome to Ubuntu File Managers When it comes
to files and directories in Linux many people have trouble
without windows explorer. Since the ability to handle files
is critical to commputers we are going to review a few file
managers for Linux.
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Welcome to a Fresh Ubuntu Install You are ready
to start using Ubuntu, but you don't know what configurations
are needed. Since this is new install you are not sure what
needs to be done so you can use your system. Today we are
going to review what needs to be done to a fresh install. This
is picking where the install fest in January 2010 left off.
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Windows and Open Source Myth or Reality?
When
the IBM PC first came on the market, it opened up
the hardware and software to non-IBM companies. The hardware
world exploded with many different brands of computers. Before
the IBM PC, much of the software on computers was created by the
users and often shared. The original OpenSource movement came
from MIT and a group called the Free Software Foundation.
OpenSource exists because people like to create neat
applications. Computers allow you to create programs with little
cost, distribute them almost free, and contribute to them over
time and space. So this freedom is expressed by people
creating pet projects and sharing them with the world through
the Internet.
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Netbook Computers and Linux
Tonight we are going to explore the netbook and linux. I
will be using this Lenovo Ideapad S10-3T to demonstrate 6
different versions of Linux. I will also discuss how to go
about installing these distributions on a Netbook which has no
CD drive.
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Creating a Web at Home
Have you ever noticed how useful web pages are? Have you
ever thought about how you could use the web at home to find
information, share ideas, or just play? Well we are going to
learn how to make web pages, and serve them at home.
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Exploring Microcontrollers
Today may of our appliances come with displays and
buttons. Instead of motors and gears, many household items
today have embedded Microcontrollers. We are going to explore how
we can experiment with Microcontrollers at home.
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Welcome to Ubuntu
You just brought home your new Ubuntu system, so where do
you start to make it your own? Let look at some common
configuration and setup steps you should make.
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The GUI
The Graphical User Interface (GUI) has become the
default interface for personal computers. Lets take a
look at how we got to the GUI, some of it's components,
and variations on how it looks and works. I will be
focusing on the Linux implementation of X Windows and the
linux display managers.
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The Command Line is Dead, Long live the Command Line
The command line is the original type of interactive input to
every computer system. Even though the graphical user interface
has taken over most peoples interaction with the computer, there
is still many valuable uses for the command line, provided you
are willing to spend the time needed to learn the
commands.
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In this section we will be creating a network for use in a Home.
The basis is a Linux server and windows/linux clients.
Questions and Answers
Since this is a user group, sometime the meetings will be defined
by the questions asked by the group. Since there is no global
heading for this type of question and answer sessions, I thought
I would give it it's own section. I will list the question and
answer sessions by Date so they are easier to find.
This class will discuss how to configure your home network to
download and play music both through your computers, and through
your sound system. Linux the
music server for you home.
We saw the movie Revolution OS in the meeting. This movie
describes the background behind Open Source, the Free Software
Movement, and Linux. I collected a set of web links to the people
and ideas discussed in the movie. They are available here. If you liked the movie, consider
getting your own copy at
Revolution OS from Amazon.
Digital Rights Management
Here is a web page pointing you toward more information on
DRM and it's impact on the world of
Linux and Home Computing. If you do nothing else in Linux, please
get involved in this discussion.
As promised during the second lesson, here are instructions on
how to install cygwin
locally under windows.
The following lessons are aimed at teaching shell programming to
a group of software testers. They were part of a series I
created for windows users who wanted to learn about Unix. They
are a little old, but still valid.
Here are some references which I have come across. Enjoy them.
Written by John F.
Moore
$Revision: 2 $
Last modified: Tue Jan 17 14:50:39 EST 2012
This work is licensed under a
Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5
License.