Installing and running programs

Is Linux any different when it comes to running programs.

The answer is no.  Same double click, single click or right click and then click open runs the program just like Windows.  Nothing traumatic about that.

There is a but to this.

In Windows if you wish to install a program you download the desired program or place a disk in the cd tray and click install, or double click on the .exe and Windows takes care of the rest. Simple, easy and non time consuming.

Linux however is a bit different.  Although it is capable of doing that through the Ubuntu Software Center located in the  “Applications” menu or Synaptic Package Manager located in system>administration menu, because both those utilities download and install from the repository.

What is a repository?

A software repository is a storage location from which software packages may be retrieved and installed on a computer. Many software publishers and other organisations maintain servers on the Internet for this purpose, either free of charge or for a subscription fee.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Linux_repository
There is no subscription fee.

Ubuntu Software Center

The Ubuntu–in my case–software center makes it easier to find and install programs instead of searching the web, downloading and installing.  The program does it for you.  Not that sometimes the program in the repository is out of date and hasn’t updated the programs yet.  The bright side.  Those programs are tested for viruses before they are even deposited in the repository.  Theoretically speaking but more on viruses later.  Thats the top reason I installed Linux on my laptop in the first place, WINDOWS ATTRACTS VIRUSES.
The Ubuntu Software Center has categories to make it easier to choose which programs you want to try out.  So if you want a utility such as p7zip just look under utilities, another way is the search engine.
Say you’re looking for–I don’t know–an irc clien, there are many to choose from but you’ve got your heart set on Xchat because your heard wonderful things about it–MIRC does not make a client for Linux, however if you love that program so much you can’t live with out it, there is a work around and we’ll get to that later–in the search engine you would type Xchat and the software center will find it.  Then click install and its down. Yay easy.   Now say you don’t want to do xchat anymore, you want to try something else, go to the same software center, search xchat, it will tell you its already installed on your computer, click remove, wham its off.

In Windows you have to go to start, control panel, add/remove programs to uninstall a program you don’t want anymore.The synaptic package manager does virtually the same thing. Search for a program or utility you want then the program does the rest.  Don’t want it anymore or have no further use for it.  Go back to synaptic, search for the program and check remove or uninstall.

The difference between the two is minimal from what I gather reading the forums.
Apparently, to make the switch from Windows easier, the Software Center has win users in mind.  It tends to hold to the popular programs that everyone enjoys and to make it easier.
The Synoptic Package Manager has everything you can want.  Its just as easy to use but shows you more options.  When first starting out, its best to first use the software center then when you feel a bit more comfortable to use Synotpic.
Then there is use of the terminal

The terminal is very much like the command terminal in Windows.  Go into start, click on run and type cmd and you get a text screen.
Yeah, my real name is Ken and you see my computer is my laptop so Linux knows my user name and the computer I’m on is my laptop. How do you do.
This is where you type commands very much like Windows.
Unlike Windows, the terminal is used quite often. C’mon don’t be afraid of little terminal. It took me a while to get used to myself.  The command to get applications is apt-get and looks something like this.

sudo apt-get<program>

There is another command called aptitude. I’ll get to that one later as I’ve not used it yet.
I’m discovering more and more about Linux. So far I have no regrets. So far. We’ll see.

First Impressions of the Gnome Desktop

For Window’s user’s the Gnome desktop will be very familiar. You have task bars – in Gnome-Linux speak, they’re called panels.  You can place those panels anywhere you like.

In the screen shot, I have chosen to auto-hide the panels just like I chose the task bar to hide automatically in Windows.

This theme is called Fire Dragon

There are many themes to choose from just as in Windows.  Linux also has special 3D effects that make the desktop interesting. But I’ll get to that in a later post.

If you’re like me, you’ll change your theme everyday to find one that suits your personality.

And if you’re creative you can create you’re own themes.  I for one am not gifted in that area.        Same as Windows.

As you can see its all familiar and nothing to fear yet.  In the next few posts I’ll talk about the menu system again similar to Windows.

So you may ask. If this is all very much like Windows, why even switch to Linux?  Which is a very good question one that I wrestled with myself.

Many users have what is called a dual boot system.

A dual boot system is having two operating systems on one hard driving or if you have two or more hard drives, one on each hard drive.  When you start your computer,  instead of  booting right into Windows or Linux, there is a choice, either Windows or Linux and you have a few seconds to make that choice or its chosen for you.  Some keep Windows around for gaming.  I’ll get to that too.

Someone told me on irc chat–yes they still use irc–that the difference between Windows and Linux is the difference between ignorance and knowledge.

The founder of Microsoft even said that Linux was the best Os, that he never liked Windows with all the crashing and rebooting.

http://www.bbspot.com/news/2001/06/gates.html

So he didn’t like his companies product.  If not why wasn’t he more pro-active and just rewrite Windows totally from the ground up instead of just building upon last years model?

I’ll take a moment to spend a few words on Linux’s support system.  There is ton’s of it.  And by tons I don’t mean dialing an 800# getting someone from India after being on hold for hours, who when you explain your problem to them will read from their script even if it doesn’t pertain to your individual problem. (I’ve never called the tech support, I’m just speculating here)

If you have a problem or questions there are many avenues you can go to, depending on the “flavor” of Linux you choose, Ubuntu, Debian, PcLinuxOs, Fedora etc, there is ton’s of support by the Linux community.

Irc or Inter Relay Chat

Freenode.net is where you’ll find many channels my favorites are

#Ubuntu, #Ubuntu-Beginners

In those channels you’ll find the help you need or answers to your questions. But be patient and wait your turn, there will be others in there too.

http://www.ubuntuforms.org

Feel free to post your questions and someone will post an answer well many will post an answer.

Youtube has many Linux tutorials.  Some good and some not so much.

I had to play with the desktop to convince myself that I made the right choice.  And I think I’m coming to the conclusion that I am, but there is still that nagging doubt that I’m doing the right thing.

It’ll take time and I comfort myself with the fact that my desktop  is still  Windows. One day at a time.

I ditched Microsoft Windows for Linux!

Well on my laptop anyway.

I stood in shock as I saw my laptop go from the familiar Windows desktop to the Gnome–I’ll get to that–desktop.

Regret ensued.  What have I done, I must be insane!

I thought to myself staring at the screen.  “You can always revert back.”  I comforted myself.  “Its not permanent.”

I mourned my crowded windows desktop with all the pdfs, folders, icons etc.  Will I recover from my dependency on Microsoft Windows?  Can I cope and get used to my new chosen os.  Most definitely.

What about Outlook, Word, Excel?  What about Photoshop?  Are there just about as many equivalent programs?  Oh what have I done?

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, counted to ten and let out a sigh.  I am now a Linux newb or noob.

Its really hard to let go once you are used to Windows for as long as we have been. Its on every computer  we purchase .  From Desktops to netbooks. Whether the new computers come with WindowsXP, Vista or the new Windows 7.  Its the only os we know, unless we go Mac, then its OSX.

So what made me change from Windows to Linux?  The simple answer is Viruses, malware that comes in a lot of forms, key loggers, trojans, worms etc. Always having to have a virus scan updated and running because they come from any where.  In emails, surfing the web, downloading programs or holes those virus programmers find in the Windows OS.

The best reason of all.  Linux is free.

Thats right.  Free. That means you pay nothing, nada, zilch, no dineros.  Your wallet is safe.  You don’t believe me?  Nothing is free in the world?
I assure you, I speak the absolute truth.  Linux is free.

OK, Some Linux distributions cost a nominal fee, but thats for tech support and only if you buy the boxed set, they do have to watch their overhead, advertising and those pretty boxes cost money, not to mention the cost of the dvds or cds, print manual and those behind the scenes who burned the dvds, or cds, typed in the text for the manual and those who man the phones need to get paid.

You can download Linux and burn it to your own cds or better yet dvds.  Then install it from there.

Whereas the cost of MS Windows can be prohibitive or just a waste. Remember Vista, the embarrassment of Microsoft.  Now there is Windows 7.  Cost ranging from $89 for upgrade to almost $300 for full retail.  Then there are home, pro and ultimate.

Linux does the same exact thing or more than Ultimate Win7.  In fact if you’re not familiar with Linux, but you are, I assure you, you are.  In fact you’re on it now, right at this very minute.  Linux is the driving force of the Internet.

The closest commercial equivalent based on Linux’s grandpappy, Unix is Mac’s OsX.

So what about Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other Office programs?  There is a suite just as good if not better its called Open Office.  Put out by Solaris now Oracle. There is a free version for Windows too btw. And for Outlook there is Evolution.

Evolution has your appointment calendar, email, contacts just like Outlook. Only its free.

Windows has one desktop only one. Thats it.  You can change themes, and personalize it but its only one.

Linux has three or more.  The two I’m most familiar with are Gnome, the desk top I’m using now and Kde.  There is XFCE and LXDE but I”m not familiar with those yet.

Linux comes with any program you need, dvd burners, players, tv recorders, screen recorders, sound devices you name it.  Thousands and thousands of programs for you to choose at no cost to you.  FREE!

Let me just a a few words about the word free, free as in meaning no cost, the cost of man power behind the programs well not so much.  Free also means if you are a programmer, you are free to change the program anyway you like, you just have to put it  back into the world and share it with others. Free also means you can take one Linux disk and install it on as many computers as you like.

Now, as for Microsoft, I really don’t think they care, if you take one disk of Windows and install it on all your home computers, If you were in a business then you’d have to purchase many licenses for each computer you install the Os on but as to the home computer, I’ve heard nothing about that.

Convinced yet?

If I hadn’t wet your whistle or made you just a wee bit curious, then maybe the next few suggestions will help.

My chosen distribution is Ubuntu Linux.

There are many distributions in the Linux world.

Ubuntu is based on the distribution known as Debian.  Ubuntu isn’t the only one based on Debian there are others.

Then there is Red Hat Linux.  Fedora and Mandriva or two distros based on Red Hat.

Then there is Slackware.  I’ll get to the different distributions in a future post.

I chose Ubuntu.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu offered a definition in a 1999 book:^[3]

A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.

Ubuntu is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other.

I went to http://www.unbuntu.org and downloaded the .iso of Ubuntu Linux.  Its about 700mbs and burned it to a cd.

What now I thought to myself, staring at the cd.   Should I install it?  My trepidation lingered, get rid of Windows?

I ran around the room with my hands holding my head, screaming OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG.

Not really.

You can actually test Linux out by putting the cd in the tray and rebooting the machine. Its called a live cd meaning you can actually use a working copy of Linux on your screen, without changing a thing to your harddrive.

So put cd in tray, reboot machine.  The cd will boot and on the screen you will see two choices try Linux or install linux.  Click on try Linux and the cd will boot into the Os. Now you can play, search the web with Firefox–no IE, 6, 7, or 8 I’m afraid–check your email with Evolution or just explore the desktop and see if its for you. There is a second choice not on the cd when you boot.

You can actually install Linux in Windows to try it out on your disk.  There are limitations but it’ll give you a bit more freedom to actually see what its like to have it on your computer.  Its a program called Wubi, damned if I know what it means.   While in Windows, you load the cd onto the tray and once it autoruns the Wubi program will take over.  Just select install and follow the prompts.

There is an alternative way.

You can also download a program called virtual box.   http://www.virtualbox.org

Which acts like a computer within a computer. It free.  I installed two distributions that way on my windows desktop–helps make withdrawals go easier–Debian and Ubuntu.

I used the Wubi install on my laptop first before I did what is called a clean install. That is wiping Windows totally from my laptop and installing a fresh copy of Ubuntu.

In further posts, I’ll delve deeper into the world of Linux.

Still not convinced?

After watching many Youtube videos, I came across this person who I think put it the most eloquently.

or this one.