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* The [Linux] equivalent of MicrosoftWindows' <tt>ipconfig</tt> command is ifconfig(8). * Global system configuration files are in the <tt>/etc</tt> directory. * Under Debian-based distributions (such as Debian Sarge, Ubuntu, etc): ** Install [Deb] Packages using <tt>dpkg -i filename</tt>. See dpkg(8). ** To search for packages available on your distribution, use <tt>aptitude search name</tt> ** To install a package, and any other packages it depends on, use <tt>aptitude install name</tt> ** Note that names are case insensitive, and contain no spaces. Try doing a substring search if you can't find it at first. Debian has over 15000 packages, so there is a good chance it already has what you want. * Under RedHat-based distributions: ** Install [RPM] [Package]s using <tt>rpm -Uvh filename</tt>. See rpm(8). ** RedHat based systems now offer better PackageManagementTools such as AptForRpm or [Yum]. Use them instead of manually finding .rpms and installing them * Use <tt>tar xzvf filename</tt> to decompress a <tt>.tar.gz</tt> or <tt>.tgz</tt> file, otherwise known as a TarBall. See tar(1) * Use <tt>tar xjvf filename</tt> to decompress a <tt>.tar.bz2</tt> also known as a TarBall. See tar(1) * Don't get involved in emacs(1) vs. vi(1) arguments. Use nano(1), pico(1), joe(1), or jed(1) for your initial editing needs. Once you have gotten a little more comfortable with the system, however, be sure to revisit emacs(1) and vi(1) as they offer ''tons'' of power you will never get with the simple minded editors. For the latter, [Vim] is the suggested clone, which comes with a <tt>vimtutor</tt> program that should get your over the initial hurdles quickly. ''Does any equivalent for emacs(1) exist?'' * The cp(1) command copies files. The <tt>-a</tt> switch is for copying directories. * Before you ask for help online, be sure to read the documentation first. It is sometimes difficult to understand so don't feel bad if you don't get it, just make the attempt. It will either make any explanation you get from someone else clearer, or the explanation will help you understand the documentation. Next time you look at it, the documentation will be less puzzling. If you repeat this a couple times, then you'll soon be cruising along with the docs just fine. * If your desktop locks up, Ctrl-Alt-Backspace will kill the graphical environment (the [XServer], in technical terms) and drop you to the [Shell] (or your display manager) without having to reboot the system. * You don't have to worry about defragmenting your disks. * You don't have to worry about defragmenting your memory. * You don't have to worry about mail [Worm]s. * [Linux] will crash on you at some point. It happens, no matter what anybody says. However, it won't happen nearly as much as it does on MicrosoftWindows. * You don't have to shut down or restart every day. It's ok to leave a [Linux] system running for a week or more (some users have their system running for months at a time). You should still conserve electricity, tho. * There is no way to undelete a file in [Linux]. You deleted it, it's gone. See rm(1) * sudo(1) will let you execute a command with SuperUser (or any other) privileges; it may need to be configured, in that case, see SudoHowto. If you really need a root shell, you can use su(1): execute <tt>su -</tt> and type the root password. You should never log in as root (except if you managed to get the system so shot up that you can't log in as a user). * Installing a program from source is easier than you think. The sequence is usually along the lines of: <pre> tar xvzf ''filename''-''version''.tar.gz cd ''filename''-''version'' ./configure && make sudo make install </pre> Note you have to be root for the <tt>make install</tt> step if you are installing into system wide directories. You can always install to your home directory, of course -- which you need to indicate by saying <tt>./configure --prefix=$HOME</tt> on the relevant step. You can also pass many more options, to <tt>configure</tt>, most of which needn't concern you, except for the (usually few) <tt>--enable-''foo''</tt>/<tt>--disable-''foo''</tt> and <tt>--with-''bar''</tt>/<tt>--without-''bar''</tt> which let you hand-pick features to include or omit from the resultant build of the software. * Make sure you are working on the correct drive when doing any FileSystem level work -- nuking the wrong partition or disk is annoying to say the least. * Learn how to use redirection ("<tt><</tt>", "<tt>></tt>") and pipes ("<tt>|</tt>") in the [Shell]. See bash(1) * Your initial WindowManager settings are (generally) stored in the <tt>.xinitrc</tt> or <tt>.xsession</tt> file in your home. ** Note that this isn't so relevant any more with GNOME and KDE See also AdvancedUserTips ---- CategoryBeginners
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