Linux for Dummies (ISBN - 0470467010)

459 Pages·2021·12.03 MB·English

Richard Blum

Learn to:
• Install open-source software with Synaptic
or Fedora PackageKit package managers

• Browse the Web, listen to music, use
e-mail, and edit photos with free
software

• Work productively with OpenOffice

• Start using Ubuntu® 9.04 or Fedora® 11
Preview Edition from ISO images on
the DVD

Linux

®

9th Edition

Making Everything Easier!™

Bonus DVD Includes

ISOs of Ubuntu Linux 9.04 and Fedora Core 11 Preview Edition
for you to try

Please see the DVD appendix for details and complete system
requirements.

Open the book and find:

• What “open source” means and
how it works

• When to consider a dual boot
installation

• An overview of different Linux
distributions

• How to use the Linux filesystem

• Tips for adding software to Linux

• Troubleshooting advice

• How to burn CDs and listen to
Internet radio

• Cool Google Gadgets™ and how to
add them to your desktop

Richard Blum has been both a systems and network administrator over
the past 20 years. He has administered UNIX, Linux, Novell, and Microsoft
servers, and has helped design and maintain a 3,500-user network. Richard
is an expert in working with and programming Linux.

Operating Systems/Linux

$34.99 US / $41.99 CN / £24.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-46701-5

Go to Dummies.com®

for videos, step-by-step examples,
how-to articles, or to shop!

Feature-rich, fast, and
free — what’s not to love
about Linux?

You’re going to love Linux, the open-source operating system
that lets you create documents, browse the Web, work with
audio and video files, and everything else you need without
tossing your wallet out the windows. This easy-to-use guide
tells you what you need to know to get a Linux desktop
system installed, personalized, and working just for you!

• Start here — if you’re new to Linux, learn what it is, how it works,
and how to install it on your computer

• Get to know the GNOME® — and the KDE®, the two Linux desktops

• Now the fun begins — enjoy music, video, and games; use the
GIMP image editor; explore the Internet; and make Skype™
phone calls

• Got work to do? — use the word processing, spreadsheet, and
presentation software suite from OpenOffice.org®

• A teeny bit techie — discover how to handle file formats, create
and manage user accounts, secure your system, and use virtual
servers

Ubuntu 9.04
& Fedora
Core 11 PE
on DVD

Linux

®

Blum

9th Edition

spine=.912"

by Richard Blum
and
Dee-Ann LeBlanc

Linux
®

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

9TH EDITION

Linux® For Dummies®, 9th Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009931457

ISBN: 978-0-470-46701-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Richard Blum has worked in the IT industry for more than 20 years as a
network and systems administrator. During that time, he’s had the opportu-
nity to work with lots of different computer products, including Windows,
Netware, Cisco, Avaya, different fl avors of UNIX, and of course, Linux. Over
the years, he’s also volunteered for several nonprofi t organizations to help
support small networks that had little fi nancial support. Rich is the author
of several Linux-based books for total Linux geeks, and a couple of Windows-
based books for programmers.

When he’s not being a computer nerd, Rich plays the electric bass in a
church worship band, and enjoys spending time with his wife, Barbara, and
their two daughters, Katie Jane and Jessica.

Dedication

To my daughters, Katie Jane and Jessica. Remember: It’s always a good time
to learn new things (even when you’re not in school).

Author’s Acknowledgments

First, all praise and glory go to God, who through His Son makes all things
possible, and gives us the gift of eternal life.

A special thanks to Dee-Ann LeBlanc for passing the baton of this series to
me. It’s amazing to think of the great authors who’ve been involved with guid-
ing this series from the start. I’m glad to be able to build off of that tradition,
and all your hard work.

Many thanks go to the great people at Wiley Publishing for their help and
guidance in writing this. Thanks to Kyle Looper, the acquisitions editor, for
offering me this opportunity, and Rebecca Senninger, the project editor,
for helping keep the project focused and on track. Many thanks to Michael
Wessler, the technical editor, for his tireless efforts at trying to make sure
everything presented here was accurate and actually worked! Thanks also go
to Carole McClendon at Waterside Productions for arranging this gig.

Finally, I’d like to thank my parents, Mike and Joyce Blum, for constantly
stressing education over goofi ng off, and wife Barbara and two daughters
Katie Jane and Jessica for their love and support, especially while working on
this project.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form
located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media
Development

Project Editor: Rebecca Senninger
(Previous Edition: Linda Morris)

Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper

Senior Copy Editor: Barry Childs-Helton

Technical Editor: Michael Wessler

Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron

Media Development Project Manager:
Laura Moss-Hollister

Media Development Assistant Project
Manager: Jenny Swisher

Media Development Associate Producer:
Shawn Patrick

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Samantha Allen,
Reuben W. Davis, Timothy C. Detrick,
Andrea Hornberger, Ronald Terry

Proofreaders: Laura Bowman,
Amanda Graham, Jessica Kramer

Indexer: Palmer Publishing Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................. 1

About This Book ..............................................................................................2
How to Use This Book .....................................................................................2
Three Presumptuous Assumptions ...............................................................3
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................4
Part I: Getting Your Feet Wet ................................................................4
Part II: Getting Up to Speed with Linux ...............................................4
Part III: Getting Things Done ................................................................5
Part IV: Junior Administrator Boot Camp ...........................................5
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................5
Part VI: Appendixes ...............................................................................5
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................6
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................6

Part I: Getting Your Feet Wet ........................................ 7

Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted with Linux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Is Free Really Free? ..........................................................................................9
Linux: Revolution or Just Another Operating System? .............................10
Anatomy of an Open-Source Software Project ...........................................13
GNU who? ..............................................................................................13
Who’s in charge of Linux anyway? ....................................................15
Einstein was a volunteer .....................................................................15
Packaging Linux: The Distribution ..............................................................16
Core Linux distributions .....................................................................16
The Linux LiveCD .................................................................................17
Specialized Linux distributions ..........................................................19

Chapter 2: Prepping Your Computer for Linux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Choosing the Right Installation Approach .................................................21
Replacing an existing operating system ...........................................22
Using a second hard drive or partitioning a hard drive .................22
Other installing scenarios ...................................................................23
Preparing to Use Linux and Microsoft Windows Together ......................24
Installing a second hard drive ............................................................24
Partitioning from scratch for a dual boot .........................................26
Partitioning an existing hard drive for a dual boot .........................26
Double-Checking Hardware Compatibility .................................................34
Finally, Before You Get Started ....................................................................38

Linux For Dummies, 9th Edition
vi

Chapter 3: Installing Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Things to Consider Before You Begin Installation ....................................42
Installing from an Ubuntu LiveCD ...............................................................43
Installing Fedora ............................................................................................54
Your First Fedora Boot .................................................................................62

Chapter 4: Examining the GNOME Desktop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Breaking Down the GNOME Desktop ..........................................................65
The menus ............................................................................................67
Playing with GNOME desktop icons ..................................................73
Customizing Your Panels ..............................................................................74
Adding an applet to the panel ............................................................75
Confi guring an applet ..........................................................................75
Ditching an applet ................................................................................76
Adding a program to the panel or the desktop ................................76
Removing a program from the desktop or the panel ......................77
Confi guring Your Desktop Appearance ......................................................78
The desktop theme ..............................................................................79
The background ...................................................................................82
Fonts ......................................................................................................83
Interface ................................................................................................84
Visual Effects ........................................................................................84
Enabling Accessibility Features ...................................................................85

Chapter 5: Examining the KDE Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

The KDE Desktop Basics ...............................................................................87
Menu, please! ........................................................................................89
The panel ..............................................................................................92
The desktop ..........................................................................................94
Using Widgets ................................................................................................95
Adding widgets .....................................................................................95
Getting more widgets ..........................................................................98
Adjusting the Desktop Settings ....................................................................99
Look & Feel .........................................................................................100
Personal ..............................................................................................101
Network & Connectivity ....................................................................102
Computer Administration .................................................................102

Part II: Getting Up to Speed with Linux ..................... 105

Chapter 6: Getting to Know the Linux Filesystem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Putting Together the Pieces of the Puzzle ...............................................107
Touring the Linux Filesystem .....................................................................108
The root of the tree ...........................................................................108
The importance of being /etc ...........................................................110

vii
Table of Contents

Where temporary media lives ..........................................................110
Where the computer is the /usr .......................................................111
Managing Your Filesystem without a Net (Or Mouse) ............................111
Viewing information about fi les on the command line .................112
Understanding fi le listing information ............................................114
A permissions primer ........................................................................115

Chapter 7: Using the Filesystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Choosing a File Manager .............................................................................119
Sailin’ through Folders with Nautilus ........................................................120
Setting how much detail you see in a folder ..................................122
Creating fi les and folders ..................................................................123
Opening fi les and running programs ...............................................124
Copying and moving fi les ..................................................................125
Deleting fi les and folders ..................................................................126
Taking out the trash ..........................................................................126
Viewing and changing permissions .................................................127
Swimming with Dolphin ..............................................................................128
All Hail the Konqueror ................................................................................130
Using CDs and Other Removable Media ...................................................132
CDs, DVDs, and USB fl ash drives .....................................................132
Floppy drives ......................................................................................133
Accessing Windows Drives on This Computer ........................................133
Accessing Network Drives ..........................................................................134
Burning Data CDs and DVDs ......................................................................135
The K3b package ................................................................................135
Our friend, Nautilus ...........................................................................137
Brasero ................................................................................................138
Finding Things ..............................................................................................139
KFind....................................................................................................139
File Searcher .......................................................................................140

Chapter 8: Connecting to the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Getting Information You Need from Your ISP ..........................................141
Confi guring Your Connection ....................................................................142
Dialin’ out ............................................................................................143
Network Manager ...............................................................................147
It’s All Fun and Games Until Something Doesn’t Work ...........................152

Part III: Getting Things Done .................................... 155

Chapter 9: Using the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Browsing the Web with Firefox ..................................................................157
Confi guring Firefox ............................................................................158
Expanding your universe with add-ons ..........................................164
Surfi ng the Web ..................................................................................165

Linux For Dummies, 9th Edition
viii

Taking Advantage of Instant Messaging ...................................................167
Using the Pidgin Instant Messenger ................................................167
Checkin’ out Kopete ..........................................................................170
Troubleshooting your IM connections ...........................................172
Downloading with BitTorrent ....................................................................173
Dealing with Old-Fashioned File Transfers ...............................................175
Talkin’ on the Phone ...................................................................................177
Using the default: Ekiga .....................................................................177
Talking with Skype .............................................................................179
Working with Other Internet Tools ...........................................................181

Chapter 10: E-Mailing the World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Looking Before You Leap ............................................................................183
Evolving into E-Mail: Evolution ..................................................................184
Setting up Evolution ..........................................................................185
Sending and checking e-mail ............................................................190
Working with KMail .....................................................................................193
Setting up KMail .................................................................................193
Customizing KMail .............................................................................196
Eating spam ........................................................................................199

Chapter 11: Putting the X in Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Going with gedit ...........................................................................................201
Entering and editing text in gedit ....................................................202
Saving your work ...............................................................................202
Setting preferences ............................................................................203
Editing Text in the KDE Desktop: KWrite .................................................207

Chapter 12: Word Processing and More with OpenOffi ce.org . . . . .213

Installing the OpenOffi ce.org Suite ............................................................214
Word Processing with OpenOffi ce.Org Writer .........................................215
Taking a tour of OpenOffi ce.org Writer ..........................................215
Working with Writer fi les ..................................................................218
Spreadsheets with OpenOffi ce.Org Calc ...................................................219
Taking a tour of OpenOffi ce.org Calc ..............................................220
Working with Calc fi les ......................................................................223
Presentations with OpenOffi ce.Org Impress ............................................224
Using the Presentation Wizard.........................................................224
Taking a tour of OpenOffi ce.org Impress ........................................227
Working with Impress fi les ...............................................................230
Fine Art with OpenOffi ce.Org Draw ...........................................................231
Taking a tour of OpenOffi ce.org Draw.............................................231
Working with Draw fi les ....................................................................234
Managing Data with OpenOffi ce.org Base ................................................235
Getting help from the wizard............................................................235
Taking a tour of OpenOffi ce.org base..............................................238
Sitting down at the table ...................................................................239