i don't have commands like automake n autoconf. i've learnt that we need these commands to install softwares. is that true? i've got some tar files for the same. how do i incorporate these commands.
other thing that i want to install one more distribution of linux. presently i have XP n kubuntu. is there anything special i need to keep in mind. one of my friend told me i'll have to create partitions n something(i didn't really get him). do many OSs put stress on the machine?

Hi Paresh,
automake and autoconf are not shell commands but are programs used in the compilation of certain types of source code (one way of installing software - compiling it yourself). The "normal" way to install software is with a package manager (like synaptic) or apt-get, aptitude or wajig if you prefer a cli. Maybe you could be a bit more specific about what you are trying to do.
Cheers,
jdk

Automake and autoconf are not installed by default. As already mentioned by jdkaye use synaptic to install new packages and specifically search for autoconf and automake packages. As alternative, since you already know the name of the packages to install, you can open a terminal and issue the command
anyway, since you are new to linux, I'd stick with synaptic which is more user friendly and the most complete package manager for ubuntu. Regarding the dual-boot issue, in my opinion there is no additional stress to the system resources, since each operating system works alone and indipendent from each other.

Finally for the partition issue, maybe your friend talked about installing multiple OS on a single physical disk, that requires each OS be placed on its own partition. Partitioning is a way to divide the disk into different and indipendent sectors. Moreover inside each linux partition you can create other partitions (this is usually done during the OS installation) and store (that is mount) different parts of the filesystem on different partitions. This has its advantages but it is not mandatory. Read more about partitioning in Linux Partition HOWTO.

i am planning to buy a USB modem(idea) connection. it is compatible with XP but not with linux. i read in one of the magazines how to tweak it for linux. with it's help i installed the USB device.(there was this procedure he gave,which i didn't really follow.i did exactly as he said)
after installing he configured the KPPP dialer.(they showed this procedure on fedora).i have kubuntu. how do i configure the device on my machine?
2.is it really true that viruses don't affect linux. i heard someone say that there are different viruses for linux.

1. As you're using kubuntu which has kde, then you have kppp which should work just like it does in Fedora.
2. Linux viruses are a "theoretical" possibility. In practice, I have never heard of any normal system being infected by one. If you receive an infected file and pass it along to a Windows user then that machine could be infected but not your own. As long as you follow the normal linux security mesures (don't surf the net as root), you needn't worry about viruses.
cheers,
jdk

I find that one interesting! Does that mean e.g. starting your internet browser as superuser through the terminal?

this command will put everything on you need alt-f2 type

Using Linux you still need to be concerned about being attacked. Keep your system up to-date and don't have unnecessary services running and watch which ports are open in your computers firewall.

An attacker may try to gain access to your system and get root access to install a root kit. Many home users run an ssh server to allow remote access when they are away from home. You need to be careful that you secure any service you offer. There are also programs like rkhunter which will search for root kits.

The term "virus" is a bit outdated IMHO.

A number of factors need to be regarded to explain why there is so much malware for Windows machines:

• Many windows machines are run as admin.
• More windows computers attracts more attackers. That's where the money is to be made.
• A larger concentration of vulnerable windows computers makes replication possible.
• Windows users install unvetted binary programs. Linux users install vetted packages from their distro.
• Windows uses RPCs a lot more than Linux users. ( com, active x )
• Extensions determine whether a program is executable. On linux the user has to manually set the 'x' bit to launch an attachment.
• The registry is opaque and has numerous entries that can launch malware.
• Many windows machines aren't configured to deny writing to system directories by normal users.
• IE is too tightly integrated into the system. Server 2003 was fairly secure out of the box because it didn't install IE by default, however you need to install IE to update the system.
• The great variety of Linux distros make replication harder. ( Herd immunity)
• A new version of a distro will come out about every 6 mo. Many users will reinstall, deleting what was on a machine before, and in the process, getting newer patched versions the software they had before.

I'm sure I left out a lot. I don't want to make you complacent however. Your behavior on the net is the most important factor no matter which OS you use. During the CanSec West conference, it was the Mac which fell first. The Mac was the first one to fall, because Apple computer was tardy in issuing a patch for a known update. Vista fell because of an unknown flaw in flash. Flash, third party drivers, firmware, and codecs are about the only non-opensource items that are run on Linux. We may have vulnerabilities that we don't know about. Plus some distros for very old machines run as the root user. Puppy Linux is one example committing this transgression.

No, it means not running your browser in any other way than as an ordinary user. You don't need to be root nor use sudo to use a browser.
cheers,
jdk

jschiwal & jdkaye --- thanks for the detailed clarity on security matters. quite informative