How do you navigate Linux?
 

I have installed Redhat 9 on this PC as a dual boot machine sitting with Windows XP professional. I am new to Linux and want to get my hands dirty.

The installation has been nice and straight forward except that Linux does not pick up my USB wifi card. This is not a problem as I have located the drivers.

My problem is that I am unfamiliar with the file system of Linux and do not know where to start to begin navigating to find anything. The PC I am using has Windows XP on an NTFS partition, then a FAT32 partition which I believe Redhat 9 should be able to read and browse and an ext3 partition where Redhat 9 lives.

I am used to browsing through the directory structure of windows but haven't a clue where to look for things.

Can anyone help

TIA

Which Windows manager are you using?

check out this site , it will tell u everything u want to know about the linux filesystem

http://www.tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/...ect_03_01.html

Thanks heema. I have had a quick read and this is very useful material. Will read through thoroughly before returning.

The thing that really bugged me for a few days after switching was not having a program files directory. Then i realized the /bin meant BINARY. Doh. So anyway if you wanna know where most of your program binaries (.exe in windows) live its /bin for all intents and purposes.

Many programs you install go to /usr/bin.

i guess it depends on the prog and the distro. there's a /bin /usr/bin /usr/sbin /sbin its all too cofusing. alot of progs you compile from source dont make munu entrys but i found out you can run them from the terminal or run entry in menu.

And most people put their documents and pics they save in /home/$USERNAME. For example, my username is vicente, so my personal directory is /home/vicente

your home directory= /home/your username
programs go into your home directory for just you to use or into /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin.
libraries go into /lib
extra stuff goes into /etc
you should put source into your home directory or /usr/src. I prefer /usr/src for system wide things like libraries, kernel, guis.
documentation is in /usr/doc or /usr/docs or man.
boot configuration is in your /etc/lilo.conf for lilo (I don't know about grub) and in /boot...but you should change much in /boot just your kernel images and your System.map when upgrading kernels or recompliling them

I think the best way to learn about it is to start just looking around and see what is in different places. That will give the best idea about were things go.

For window managers they are all different to some extent. Gnome and kde are the most like windows with the menu button. Blackbox and its direvatives have a right click menu. Other windowmanagers are usually like one or the other or mixed. Experience and exploring are the best ways to discover window managers.