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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Manuel Ricart
ISBN: 078971826x
Publication Date: 12/22/98
Search this book:

1, 2, 3 Go!
About the Authors
Part 1—Working with Linux in a Graphical
Environment—The KDE Desktop
Chapter 1—The First Login on the KDE
Desktop
Logging In
The KDE Desktop
The Panel
The Taskbar
The Desktop
Applications
Using the Mouse
Basic Mouse Actions
Buttons, Menus, and Text Fields
Buttons
Lists and Menus

Working with Multiple Applications
Switching Between Applications
Hiding an Application
Virtual Desktops
Starting Applications Automatically
The KDE Workspace Auto-restore Feature
KDE Application Help: kdehelp
Exiting Applications
Chapter 5—Creating, Editing, and Saving Files
Creating and Saving Files
Creating a New File
Opening an Existing File
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Customizing the Open Panel
Open Panel Setting Customizations
Saving a New File
File Naming
Saving Changes to Your Documents
Saving a New Version
Text Editing Basics
Selecting Text
Copying and Moving Text
Chapter 6—Organizing Your Files
Getting Organized: Creating a Folder
Copying Files and Folders
Copying Files Using Drag and Drop
Copying Files Using the Clipboard
Moving Files and Folders
Linking Files and Folders

Chapter 9—Communication: Web, FTP, Email,
and News
Accessing the Web
FTP
Email
Configuring Your Identity for Netscape
Messenger
Configuring Your Mail Server
Reading Email
Composing an Email Message
News
Telnet
Chapter 10—Customizing KDE
Adding an Application to the Panel or Application
Launcher
Creating a Kdelnk File that Represents an
Application
Other KDE Options
The KDE Control Center
Part 2—Working on the Command Line
Chapter 11—Shells and Consoles
The UNIX Command Prompt
Shell Flavors
Graphic Consoles
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Logging in Through a Console
What Shell Are You Running?
Command Line Program Syntax
Navigating the File System

Other Stuff
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XEmacs
Starting XEmacs and the XEmacs Tutorial
Checking Your Spelling: Ispell
Chapter 14—Putting the Shell to Work
Using More Than One Command at a Time
Command Groups and Subshells
Redirection
STDOUT
STDERR
Command Groups and Redirection
Pipes: One Program’s Output Is Another’s Input
Getting the Needed Input: Input Redirection
Regular Expressions
Match Anything: *
Match Any Letter: ?
Match in a Range: []
Negating a Range: !
Command History
Jobs: Working on Multiple Things Using a Shell
Suspending a Job
Killing a Job
Chapter 15—Help Please
UNIX Manual Pages
Searching for a Tool: apropos
Getting a Brief Command Description: whatis
Searching Standard Locations: whereis
Built-in Command Information

Changing Your Shell: chsh
Changing Personal Information: chfn
Who’s on the System: who and w
Viewing and Setting the Date and Time: date
Getting a Calendar: cal
Finding Files
Finding Files by Name: find
Locating Files: locate
Finding Files that Contain a Word or Pattern:
grep
Text and File Utilities
Counting Lines, Words, and Characters: wc
Sorting Lines of Text: sort
Formatting Text: fmt
Splitting Files into Smaller Files: split
Accessing a Computer Through the Network: telnet
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Working on the Console: setfont
UNIX Printing Primer
UNIX Text Processing
Part 3—Essential System Tasks Under Linux
Chapter 18—Users, Groups, and Passwords
Adding Users
adduser
Useradd
Modifying Users: usermod
Moving a Home Directory
Changing a Login Name
Changing Secondary Group Memberships

Software
Installing
Upgrading
Downgrading
Uninstalling
A Database of Installed Software
Finding Information About the Package
Finding the Package that Owns a File
Finding Files that are Owned by a Package
Finding Documentation Related to a Package
Verifying Your System
Graphical Front Ends to RPM
Non-RPM Packages
Tar
UNIX Compressed Archives: Gzip and Compress
Windows Compressed Archives: Zip
Chapter 21—LISA: Linux Installation and
System Administration Utility
Basic Functions of LISA
Verbose System Analysis
Software Package Administration
System Configuration
Hardware Configuration Area
System Configuration Area
Network Configuration Area
Host Table Configuration
Network Access Configuration
General Network Services Configuration
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Customizing Your Linux Kernel with LISA
Customizing Your Linux Kernel by Recompiling
Getting Started
Configuring the New Kernel
Compiling the Kernel and Necessary Modules
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Installing the New Kernel
Installing the New Modules
Configuring LILO
Configuring the New Modules and Rebooting
Appendix A
Appendix B
Index
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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
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Author(s): Manuel Ricart

Keyword

Go!
So how is this book organized? Installation and first-time configuration
instructions are located in Appendix A, “Linux Installation.” Appendix B,
“OpenLinux Compatibility Guide,” provides you with an up-to-date list of the
ever-growing and ever-changing list of hardware that is known to be
compatible with Linux. While mapping your installation plan, you should
verify that your hardware is listed and known to be compatible with
OpenLinux.
After your initial Linux installation and configuration, start with Part 1,
“Working with Linux in a Graphical Environment—The KDE Desktop,” and
read the chapters in order. (We’ve structured the chapters counting on you
doing so.) Part 2, “Working on the Command Line,” introduces similar
concepts as Part I, this time using a shell instead of a graphical user interface.
Last, Part 3, “Essential System Tasks Under Linux,” focuses on various
administration tasks that you’ll need to do occasionally. Keep in mind that
while you are learning Linux, you are also learning UNIX. What you learn
here will transfer with little modification into other UNIX environments.
Have fun getting to know your new operating system!
Why Linux?
So why all the attention? UNIX has been around for a number of years, and
although believed by some to be the only choice among real OSs, it has
remained in the vertical market arena until very recently. But what does this
mean? UNIX (or Linux, which is based on UNIX) provides a very robust
environment in which to run and deploy applications. By design, it offers the
following features:
• Multiuser support
• Security
• Full multitasking

with better results than the original OS the hardware was designed for.
Many of today’s computers rely on a networked environment. “The network is
the computer”
SM
is the famous slogan for Sun Microsystems, a large UNIX
vendor. The network is indeed the computer. Information exchange via email,
the Web, and other mechanisms is an everyday fact. Linux can not only
participate as a client for such services, but it can also offer them to other PCs
and workstations. Linux, in fact, powers many Internet service providers
(ISPs) and the users who access the ISP’s services. It is well tested and
reliable.
Not many commercial environments provide the source code to how they
work, and then do so freely. That’s where Linux steps out from the crowd!
Having the source code allows information service (IS) departments, or
hackers as well, to customize the particular behavior of the OS or a program
distributed with it to fit a particular need. Companies concerned about security
issues can examine how the software really works and make their own
evaluations and adjustments. In the event of a problem, someone with the right
background can generate a fix, usually within hours of a problem or security
issue being discovered. Compare that to waiting for days, weeks, or months for
bug fixes—the norm that most of us have come to expect with other OSs. For
the student, having access to the source code provides insight into how
systems are made and built.
On the downside, UNIX and UNIX-like OSs have lacked ergonomics on the
surface, providing confusing interfaces that vary from program to program and
vendor to vendor, and generally aren’t intuitive for nonexpert-type users.
Mainstream application developers not seeing profitability with these
environments have chosen to keep their wares on other, more profitable OS
platforms. But that attitude is rapidly changing in the Linux market.
With its newfound popularity, Linux has encouraged big software developers

Linux is a new concept for UNIX. It is freely available and supports cutting
edge hardware, not to mention it’s much easier to use than the UNIX systems
that preceded it. That’s not saying that rough edges are not to be found,
however. Although Linux is not particularly difficult to learn, any difficulty
comes with the increase in functionality. All powerful and flexible things are
usually complicated; to say that Linux isn’t powerful would deny its flexibility
and complexity. New desktop environments, such as the K Desktop
Environment (or KDE for short), are promising high-quality user interfaces
that provide cutting-edge features previously unavailable to UNIX-like
systems. Revitalized ergonomics provide a price-feature comparison not
previously possible.
Included with this book is Caldera’s OpenLinux 1.3. Caldera has positioned its
Linux distribution as the commercial strength, reliable version of Linux. Some
of its features are very nice when compared with the other popular distribution
(RedHat). The additional add-ins provided by Caldera (Sybase, NetWare
support, and so on) make it easy for OpenLinux to migrate to your workplace.
Recently, the city of Medina, Washington (population 3,082) selected
OpenLinux to implement its document management system. The reason for
this move was related to the 40,000+ construction permits, blueprints, change
orders, and other documents related to the construction of the $53 million
home that Microsoft’s Bill Gates built there. The city’s choice came at the
realization that there was no more room for any future paperwork, and it would
be required either to build a new town hall or to install a document
management system. Naturally, Microsoft Windows NT was looked into as a
potential solution, but after realizing that the OpenLinux solution would cost
less than 10% of the NT solution, OpenLinux won the city’s business. Talk
Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux:1, 2, 3 Go!
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about irony!
After such a persuasive argument about Linux being an up-and-coming OS,

take a look at.
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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Manuel Ricart
ISBN: 078971826x
Publication Date: 12/22/98
Search this book:

Table of Contents
About the Author
Manuel Alberto Ricart is a trainer and engineer for Paradigm Research, Inc.
(), a Silicon Valley–based training company. Alberto
develops instructional materials for Java and Internet programming
technologies. Paradigm Research, Inc. delivers its training materials to a
number of Fortune 500 and notable high-tech companies, including
Hewlett-Packard, MCI, Ford, and Netscape Communications, Inc.

electronic publications relating to the RedHat LINUX OS.
Alberto can be reached at , where he can usually be
found tinkering with technologies all day long.
Dedication
To Diana, Julisa, Isabella, and Viviana: You make it all possible.
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is a monumental task that touches on the lives of many people.
As usual, my personal monumental tasks get in queue during those times I
tend to have more than enough to do. I am still trying to figure out a way of
making the process easy on me and my family. Ideals are nice things.
To my beautiful and wonderful wife, Diana, and my three beautiful girls,
Julisa, Isabella, and Viviana, this book is for you. I know I blew a summer for
the second time. I think I know how you feel.
Knowing that single individuals cannot accomplish monumental tasks, many
thanks are also needed for people whom I have never met in person, yet their
periodical emails and phone calls made them seem closer than they are:
Laura Bulcher for making sure that I wrote what I meant to say.
Grace Buechlein for facilitating the many opportunities and
making it all possible.
Aron Hsiao and Jeff Perkins for playing the reader’s role and
verifying that my writings are not fiction and that what I said
works exactly how I say it does. (Any discrepancies are their fault
and not mine A.)
All others, anonymous editors and formatters whose names I have
no idea of, for making the production of this book a reality.
And, finally, Mr. Zero, Stephen Asbury—a friend since the NeXT
days, with whom I share the unique pragmatic understanding of
the good and evil in technology—for patiently listening to my
colorful complaints while developing the “uphill” portion of this
book.

201 West 103rd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46290 USA
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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
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ISBN: 078971826x
Publication Date: 12/22/98
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Previous Table of Contents Next
Part 1
Working with Linux in a Graphical
Environment—The KDE Desktop
Okay, so you’ve installed Linux (Part 4 walks you through that), and you’re
ready to face the beast. Guess what: You’re in for a surprise! Part 1 gives you
a look at the kindler, gentler side of Linux—the K Desktop Environment, or

access your files. Linux is a multiuser operating system in which many users
can work at the same time. Login ensures that only authorized users are able to
work with the computer.
If you installed Caldera OpenLinux and KDE (which is installed by default
with the standard system install) as I suggest in Appendix A, your login
prompt will look similar to this:
Caldera OpenLinux(TM)
Version 1.3
Copyright 1996-1998 Caldera Systems, Inc.
login:
The login process is simple: You provide your username and password. Your
username and password are established when you install the system. If you are
using an already configured system, you will need to contact your system
administrator to find out what these are.
If you make a mistake while typing your username or password, you can press
the Backspace key to erase the characters you want to retype. Note that you
will not see your password on the screen as you type it. Not echoing your
password to the screen helps to protect you and your account from nearby
prying eyes.
After you have entered the correct information, the login panel will disappear,
and you’ll enter your desktop. If you made a mistake typing your password,
you will see a message telling you that your login was incorrect and that you
need to reenter your login and password again.
On a successful login, you will be let into the system. However you will be
facing a text interface. To start up the graphical interface type kde at the
prompt. (Note: Having to manually start the kde appears to be a bug with
Caldera OpenLinux 1.3 and may be fixed by future patches available at the
Caldera Web site.)
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The Taskbar
The bar at the top of the screen is called the taskbar. Whenever you start a new
application, a new button is displayed that’s named after the application. Each
of these buttons represents a task or application executing in the KDE
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environment. Clicking the mouse on a task button takes you to the application.
The button that looks pressed belongs to the currently active application. If the
application is hidden, its name is displayed in parenthesis. To show the
application, just click its button. Right-clicking a button displays a menu that
allows you to control some options of the application’s window.
Each button on the taskbar represents a running application.
Both the panel and taskbar are services provided by an application called
KPanel that runs whenever you log into your system and work under the KDE.
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Menus list commands that you can choose to make the application do
something.
Using the Mouse
The cursor is usually a small black arrow that moves when you move the
mouse. You use the cursor to point at objects. The appearance of the cursor
will change depending on what you are pointing at.
Other variations of the cursor include:
• I-beam for editing text
• X when your cursor is over the desktop
Other inhabitants of your desktop are icons. Icons are a graphic representation
of files, applications, or other things that live in your computer.
You can do almost everything on your computer using your mouse, with the
exception of typing text. The mouse controls the location of the cursor. You
slide the mouse to point at an object on the screen. If you run out of room
while sliding the mouse, you can just pick it up and put it back down
somewhere else on the mouse pad; the cursor won’t move while the mouse is
in the air. No matter how far you move the mouse, the cursor will stay on the
screen.
Basic Mouse Actions
When you get the mouse to point at something, an icon or a word, you use the
mouse button to perform one of these actions:
• Click: Without moving the mouse, press and release the left mouse
button.
• Right-click: Without moving the mouse, press and release the right
mouse button.
• Middle-click: Without moving the mouse, press and release the
middle mouse button. If your mouse has only two buttons, press them
both at the same time to simulate the middle button click. (This feels
better with a three button mouse, though.)
• Press: Without moving the mouse, press the left mouse button and