Is it ok to use the root account, or should I make my own????

Also, what is a login shell?

root is equivalent to having the administrator rites on Windows machine...so its upto you whether you want to be a root or use a user account....

Ok, and what about the login shell? What is it?

You should not use root for day to day work. If you did not set up a user account while installing, do so after you login. The login shell is the shell assigned to you after you login.

quote:
root is equivalent to having the administrator rites on Windows machine...so its upto you whether you want to be a root or use a user account....

That is correct and is the reason why you should only be root or administrator only when you need to be. If you are always root and your system is compromised, then the game is over. If you are a user and get compromised, then for the most part, only the users account will be compromised, not the whole system.
Do not run a root.

Ok, I will make a user account, but I don't understand about login shells. I searched Google for it but I couldn't find an answer. You said that it is the shell that is assigned to you after you login. But what is a shell? what is it used for?

The login shell asks you for your username and once you type it in and hit enter it asks for your password. If you get that right you will enter the main shell. There are serval shells such as bash, ash, csh, or even sh. Bash is the most common.

Never use the root account for normal use. You should make a new account and use that for most things like email, games, web browsing, chatting, ext. It is a major security risk to use the root account for everything.

Make sure you use strong passwords with letters, numbers, and symbols at least 7 letters long. Anything less can be cracked quickly.

Hope this helps:
http://www.google.com/linux?hl=en&lr...=Google+Search

I think that is the login screen, check above.

mfo6463, check out the sites below for terminal and command info.

So when I make a user account, what will be the difference if I use bash, or ash, or whatever other ones?

There is little difference. Some variation in what CLI (command line) commands there are. For any command, type - man (command) - The shell (login shell) is just an area of operation, the entry to log on and run your system. Shell is just a cool word for login area I don't know how else to say it, but it makes nearly no difference if it's bash etc, just slightly different flavors. Bash is most likely the default and there is no reason to change it. But please never run on line as root! Make a separate user/password for that...

Here is another site to look at:
http://wwwacs.gantep.edu.tr/linux/un...ll/oview2.html

As witeshark said, you will probably be using bash, as it is the default shell on almost or all linux distros.
Here is another site that will help you search for info:
http://www.google.com/linux

Ok, I get it now. Thanks for all of your help.