I thought I would write a guide for people totally new to Linux who need a few pointers to get started. I will divide it into 5 sections.

Section 1: URPMI
Section 2: DVD and Movies
Section 3: Quick Browser
Section 4: Text Editing
Section 5: Miscellaneous

Section 1:

The first thing I would do once Mandriva is installed is to set up sources. What this means is to add additional repositories to your system in order to increase the amount of available software. As a brief note, Mandriva uses a package manager called 'urpmi' to install software to your system, which is an rpm (redhat package management) based system. With a new install of Mandriva you will currently have your dvd (or cd's) as your only source for software. Therefore go to http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/ in order to add these additional sources. (NOTE: If you are on a dial-up connection, before proceeding to step 3 below, check the box 'use compressed index', which will give you a much smaller download).

Step 1 is to simply select your version of Mandriva. If you have the latest version, that will be displayed. Otherwise select the appropriate version from the drop-down box. Click 'proceed to step 2'.

Step 2 is to select which repositories you would like to add to your system. You have 6 choices. You will need both 'plf' sources, plus 'contrib', and 'updates'. Personally I get everything except 'jpackage', which is java related. So tick the boxes down the left hand side for each source you would like to add. In each case select a mirror (by clicking on the drop-down boxes) which is geographically close to you. Having selected your sources click 'proceed to step 3'.

Step 3. This will give you a printout. Simply copy this, open up a console (the black screen on your taskbar), and sign in as root. Type 'su' at the console prompt, hit <return>, give your root password, hit <return> again. You are now signed in as root user. The $ symbol at the prompt will have changed to a #. So now simply paste what you previously copied into the console, and the download will begin. Depending on what you selected, and the speed of your connection, this might, for example, take 30 minutes (for contrib, main, updates, plf-free and non-free, on a 512kb/s connection). You may also need to prompt it part way through. It often stalls after 'main'. Just hit return.

Once the download is complete you should have added a lot more to your list of available software. If you go into 'configure your computer' (the blue screen on the taskbar) and click on 'rpm' (the software media manager) on the first screen (software management), you will see a list of your sources. So you now have dvd (or cd's) plus what you have just added.

If you now go into 'install software' via 'configure your computer' you can install anything you want.

Section 2:

There are a number of files which you will need to install which do not come with Mandriva for legal reasons (unless you have bought the commercial version). For example to play dvd's and watch online movies you will need to do the following.

1. Go to 'install software' and in the search box type 'libdvdcss'. You will probably get 2 files, 'libdvdcss2', and 'libdvdcss2-devel'. Don't worry about the -devel version for now. That is a development file. So install 'libdvdcss2'. You will now be able to play dvd's on your system, regardless of region.

2. You may also need to install various codecs packages, for example, if you want to play online movies or clips which are in Windows or Realplayer format. Therefore type 'codecs' into the search box and look for the following:

1.wincodecs
2.realcodecs
3.xanimcodecs

Install these 3 packages. You should now be good to go as far as dvd and movies are concerned. As a note, the default movie player in Mandriva is Kaffeine, which I don't particularly like, and it will launch itself by default every time you put a dvd in your drive. I would uninstall it and instead use Mplayer, which you will find in your available software.

Section 3:

The third part here is very small but in my opinion saves a lot of time and effort. On a lot of distros you will notice something called the 'quick browser' which is extremely useful. Unaccountably it is not on the menu by default under Mandriva. You therefore have to put it there. It is very simple.

Click on menu->system->configuration->kde->looknfeel->panels, and select this. In 'panels' select 'menus'. Here you can add or remove whatever you want from the 'menu' list. So select 'quick browser', click 'apply' and then 'ok'. You now have a very useful button in your menu.

Section 4:

Acquaint yourself with a text editor. This is very useful, you will need it at some point, and works from the command line or gui. The two best known editors are 'Vi' (now known as vim - vi improved) and 'Emacs'. Simply run the tutorials for both and decide which you like best. ( There are of course other editors you could try).

To run the vi tutorial, open a console and type 'vimtutor'.

To run the emacs tutorial open a console and type 'emacs'. When it launches type 'control-h' and then 't'.

Another editor to try is mcedit. If, for example, you needed to edit your xorg.conf file, you would type:

mcedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

mcedit has a help file which you might need to look through.

If using a text editor is just too scary, then you can always use one of the X based editors such as kwrite or kate.

Section 5:

The above should be enough to get you started. You may need to tweak your system to get your mouse working properly etc. One thing you might want to do is install proprietory drivers for your graphics card, which wont have come with the 'free' version of Mandriva. For nVidia drivers go here: http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html. Unless you have a 64bit system select IA32, and download the drivers. You will need to read the 'readme' file here to find out exactly what you need to do. But firstly you will need to install your kernel source which will be on your dvd/cd's. I won't go into detail on this as I'm trying to keep it basic. But you might find your text editing skills handy here as you will need to shut down 'X' (the graphical user interface) in order to install the new graphics drivers.

I hope this is of some use to the absolute beginner, which it is aimed at.

thanks but im having sometroble with my source file... wheni type in the verison that uname-a returns it says not found?

Are you talking about the kernel? If you just search for 'kernel' in 'install software' it should return at least one called 'kernel-source' with the version number after it. For example my kernel is 2.6.11-6mdk. Therefore the file I need to install is:

kernel-source-2.6-2.6.11-6mdk.

2.6-2.6.11-12mdk is also there.

i installed one, it didint work so installed the other kernel sources as well. still getting an error from the setup...

uname -a returned
Linux localhost 2.6.11-6mdk #1 Tue Mar 22 16:04:32 CET 2005 i686 AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+ unknown GNU/Linux

Something you could add to your how-to

1.
how to install a simple rpm from
http://rpm.pbone.net/
like the libdvdcss rpm
or the tuxtype rpm

2.
a simple how-to set up a internet
via dial-up
via a network

floppy

Johndavid, only install the kernel source for your kernel. Uninstall any other kernel sources you have installed. I presume you are trying to install the nvidia drivers for your graphics card. Please let me know what you've done so far, and which version of mandriva you're using.

Wow, this is a great tutorial for newbies. It is much appreciated that you took the time to work all of this out step-by-step. I'm putting a page together to help those new to linux get their wireless cards installed with ndiswrapper. If you don't mind, I might add a link to this page so new mandriva users can see your wonderful advice. What do you say?

Yes, no problem.

No offence but I'd cut that whole section out and replace it with:

"To edit a config file open a terminal, type su and enter the root password when prompted, and then type kwrite /etc/path/to/file.config"

I don't see any reason why you'd want to try and teach newbies how to use vi or emacs because I can't think of anything more likely to turn someone (esp. a previous Win or Mac user) off Linux than vi or emacs (I use vi a lot myself because its quicker than opening kwrite all the time, but I don't think the average user needs to learn to use it unless they were aiming for a career in systems admin).

I agree that vi and emacs are both very overkill for someone who is new or even someone with experience who just wants to use Linux for a regular old graphical desktop computer. You just don't need any of the extra bells and whistles they include. The obvious alternative is something much simpler like nano. It has all of the power you need to edit files from a console (which can be necessary if you manage to break x... it happens a lot) and is very intuitive as far as editing files is concerned (controls are basically the same as kwrite or wordpad). The only command that you need to memorize to use it is control+x to exit the program (it automatically prompts you if you want to save and what you want to save as) and control+x is even listed at the bottom of the screen in case you forget.

The thing that I think you might want to talk about is the trick of using su to use a graphical program with root priveledges. i.e. su -> kwrite like tkedwards mentioned or su -> konqueror in order to delete or add files to folders that are owned by root.

One of the other big things that questions come up about for any Linux newbie is, "What program will do this?". A quick list of those sorts of things is always a welcome addition to a new user guide I believe. Even if that information is available on other sites it's still hard to sift through the websites sometimes.

A newbies life on CLI can be much easier if he knows about Midnight Commander. It's installed default on Mandriva and just type "mc" if he had seen Norton or Volkov Commander in DOS he knows what to do with it. It also can be used for text editing (mcedit), and far more user friendly than vi or emacs.

If you run through the tutorials for vi or emacs you should then have the basics under your belt. Also you might need to use it without X, so that's why I used them.

Also the link in my signature is an excellent place for a newbie to linux to start. Obviously when you start out there's a lot of things you won't know, and people will have all sorts of opinions about what should, and shouldn't, be included. The brief guide I wrote is simply intended to give a few pointers. It isn't meant to be comprehensive. There are all sorts of things which could be added. If anybody feels like it they could add some more info and add it to the LQ Tutorials.

I'd still give them a quick guide to using nano or pico for if X isn't working and for everything else use kwrite or gedit. As springshades said with nano all you have to tell them is I think most average users would baulk at something as strange and arcane as vi or emacs.

Vi or emacs are essential to develop true geek credentials. No harm in showing the newcomer some arcana to tweak their interest and lets face it if the newbie is ready for CLI they are ready for vi. I learned editing files with Kate and Kwrite and that's where the newbie should learn. When they are ready for tweaking a system that can't start X or doesn't have a desktop installed they'll learn what everyone else uses and that is vi or emacs. My preference is vi.