Linux Newbie
 

I am starting new with Linux.

Is "guide to linux installation and administration by Nick Wells isbn: 0-619-13095-4, an appropiate self study book for a newbie?

It does not come with software. I plan on beginning with Red Hat. Can I download a copy or must I purchase it? Any recommendations,

Also, I have a compaq/deskpro, PII, 233MHz, 3Gig HD, 64kRAM which I purchased at a computer show. The problem is it has WIN98.

Is dual boot ok? Should I use partition magic?

Any suggestions/advice is appreciated

Thank You
Demetrio

redhat has a easy to install installer and should be quite self-explanitory, i didnt use a book when i first started, after the install the man pages tell you most and failing that then google will tell you the rest.

The problem with linux books is they go out of date so quickly.

Most distributions of Linux let you download cd images of their products. Red Hat Linux is now called Fedora Core. However, since your computer is pretty old, you may want an older version of Red Hat (v7.3?) or some other distribution.
See:
www.distrowatch.org
www.linuxiso.org

Dual boot is feasible. Use Partition Magic to resize the Windows partitions, but don't use it to create the Linux partitions. The installers for most Linux distributions are better at this.

I wouldn't dual boot it, make it a linux box and be done with it, then you
dont have to partition anything other then the main drive. I'm assuming that you have a pretty small hd in the system, so it's possible that you couldn't partition it and have both os's running.

There are alot of good books for learning about linux, oreilly books
are pretty good, im not sure if they have a intro to linux. I would surf
around for some tutorials on linux that have been made by recient newbs
that have been inlightened they are so much better cause they come from
people being frusterated, and trustme if you are frusterated, it's a good
sign.

linux is like that, it bugs you to know end at the beginning, but you love
it soooooo much :)

From newbie (not at all in all IT fields though:-) : I would suggest you Running Linux from O'REILLY wich is quite a good one - Fourth Edition (2002).
More than 600 pages and perhaps you can get in as an occasion at amazon (new : $44.95).

Others are probably very good but for advanced users or nerds (OK I also have most of them : I like reading and comps that's all!).

And yes the help you have on CD is useful of course but for some people (like me) it is better to have a book they can read without needing a screen for that.

Oh and if you want to start using Linux without headaches or without partitioning and so on, I would suggest you to simply use a distro you can run from the CD -I found AUROX very nice- (no HD installation needed).

http://www.aurox.org/pl/index.php?page=download

There are plenty you can find (knoppix is one), just search gogle for some of them you will then just have to download and burn on a CD (ISOs).


Hope this helps

Hey! How's life down there in the NW 'burbs? :-)

Your computer is old enough that I'm doubting that it has a CD-R/RW drive in it which would make downloading a distribution somewhat useless. Therefore purchasing a copy of Linux may be your best bet. (You might see if that Best Buy over on Golf Rd. still has copies of RH 9.0 :-) ). One nice thing about the boxed version is that it has a manuals in it. They aren't going to be the only thing you'll want on hand as you're leaning Linux, though. If you are leaning toward Red Hat, some of the books on, say, RH 8 or RH 9 had CDs in the back. That could be a good way to get started: a book and the CDs all in one package.

Someone else mentioned that your hard disk may be too small to try loading Linux and Windows. You can get 40GB drives for around 65 dollars that you might be able to install in the system and load Linus on that leaving Windows alone. The trouble is that a PC of that vintage may not be able to use a disk of that size as the BIOS might not recognize it. You could, next time the computer show hits town, see if you can pick up another 3GB disk to dedicate for Linux. (BTW, there's one up in Gurnee on 03/07.)

Reply to linux books
 

Thank You for your comments and reply. You are correct, computer technology is always changing it appears faster than a wink!!

comments
 

Thank you very much for the distrowatch.org and comments. I am learning new terminology with these first emails like INSTALLERS. So many choices and reading to get into that comfort zone of Linux.

Have a great day!

comments
 

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I feel more over whelmed with making a decision about installing Linux!! I know it will take some time to get into the groove, but all this new terminology!!
I enjoy reading so getting a book that can help me is something I enjoy. However, utilizing this post has given me immediate dividends in the sharing of information. I can't wait until my sons and I are
loving it soooooooooooooooooo much!!!

Thank You
have a great day!!

comments
 

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I enjoy reading so this is why I want to go in this direction. I will check out amazon. However, I don't know if my system is compatible with this book and CD? I believe my system might be too old to run?

I will see about the distro. So many new terms to learn, but I appreciate the help and thank you!

comments
 

Your comments were very thoughtful and helpful for me, especially about the BIOS AND HARD DRIVE CONSIDERATIONS. I will be spending some time getting familiar with the BISTRO then deciding which version to copy.
There is a used store down the street from me and he has said he can get another HD for the compaq deskpro system which I want to use to start with Linux.
I was very impressed with the help and comments from people. However, it seems I will have to learn a whole new brand of terminology, OS, DEVICES AND plenty of reading for this new world of computer technolgy.

Now, Linux is considered an OS, but not in the same sense as MS?
Thank You for your help and have a great day!!!

Re: Linux Newbie
 

be sure to check out some of the documentation available online - there's a TON of it, and much of it is excellent. here's some general stuff for starters:

http://www.icon.co.za/~psheer/book/rute.html.gz
http://www.tldp.org/
https://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/
http://linux-newbie.sunsite.dk/index.html
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/fdoc.php3

Compaq Deskpro
 

Just seen this post, and a quick word of warning. I have a Compaq Deskpro running various versions of linux at one time or another. I have found major problems in the BIOS Compaq use and getting into it. I tried a 20G hard disk in it and it failed to detect it. 6.3G was ok though.

I agree with the other posts here. Go straight for a Linux box and be prepared for lots of reading.

Good luck!

Take a look at "Linux in a nutshell, 4th Ed." It's an O'Reilly book and I find it very useful, particularly because it lists every Linux command (chmod, ls, etc. etc.) and all their options.

Of course, you can get all that from the man pages, but this has examples, etc. Not necessary, but nice to have handy

I would recommend a separate computer for linux if that's doable for you. The nice thing is that you can experiment and learn while you still have a back-up computer.

Regarding books, I have about a half dozen really recent ones that I refer to. Try to locate books that are not too advanced if you are just starting out. I went to Barnes & Noble and Borders and spent time reading through a number of books to see what was at my level. Yes, Running Linux is a great book, I have it. However, you'll want a couple others because sometimes a topic is covered better in one book rather than another.

Very best,
Nick