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So You're Crazy?

Linux can be a bitch to set up. The first few weeks with Linux will probably be the hardest thing you've done on a computer. Simple things under windows, like configuring a printer, can take upwards of a week. This column is designed to step through the process of setting up Linux, this is not a column for how-to install Linux. Once you've installed Linux, then read this. . There are always two ways to do something in Linux, with a GUI (like control panel in Windows), or on the console (think dos) Here is a rough outline for what will be covered. Just because one section has more bullets then another, don't assume that topic is more complex, it means I had a better idea of how to write that section when I wrote this outline.

• The Ultimate Basics
  • What you can and can't do
  • cp, mv, rm, ls and other basic commands
  • The Shell
  • ftp and telnet
  • Mounting
  • emacs and vi
• Setting Up X
  
  
  • What is X?
  • Configuring X
    • xf86config and XF86Setup
  • Your Window Manager
  
  
• Connecting to the internet
  • Which modems do and don't work
  • getting a modem to work
  • Connecting to the 'Net
    • Doing it the easy way
    • Doing it the hard Way
• Mail & Web Browsing
  
  
  • The defacto: fetchmail
  • The GUI: Netscape Mail
  • The Console Readers: pinemutt
  • The GUI Readers: balsa, tkrat, and more
  
  
• Installing Binary Packages
  
  
  • What's a Binary Packge?
  • Why?
  • rpm & deb
  • Binaries In Tarballs
  
  
• Installing Source Packages
  
  
  • What's a Source Packge?
  • Why?
  • Source in tarballs
  • Making Them Work
  
  
• Printing
  • Why Printing in Linux Sucks
  • Printing in Redhat
  • Printing for everyone else
    • Filters!
  
  
• Reecompiling a Kernel
  
  
  • Why to recompile?
  • When to recompile?
  • How to recompile?
  
  
• Configuring Sound
  
  
  • Supported Cards
  • Kernel Support (OSS Free)
  • Alsa
  • Commercial Drivers: OSS
  
  
• Writing CDs
  
  
  • Unsupported CDRs
  • Getting IDE CDRs to work
  • On the console
    • mkisofs, cdrecord & cdrdao
  • In X
    • gnome toaster, kisocd, gcombust & X-Cd-Roast
  
  
• Syncing your PDA
  
  
  • The Palms ...
  • ...Everything Else
  
  
• Customizing Your Environment
  
  
  • Your Prompt
  • Your Desktop
  • Other Stuff
  
  
• Fun With Windows!
  
  
  • Emulating Windows - Wine
  • Emulating Dos - dosemu
  • Windows in Linux - Vmware
  
  
• Everything We Haven't Covered

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