Debian GNU/Linux For Dummies

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Who Should Read This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Typing commands

Keystrokes with less hassle

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Up and Running with Debian

Part II: Interfacing with Debian

Part III: Using Debian as Your Workstation

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Part V: Appendixes

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Up and Running with Debian

Chapter 1: Meet Debian GNU/Linux: Operating System on the Move

Linux's Big Brother: Unix

Linux: The Choice of a GNU Generation

Linux today

Checking out what Linux can do for you

Why Debian?

Who supports Debian?

Understanding free software

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: But Why?

Chapter 2: Discovering Your Hardware

Knowing Your Hardware

Dealing with networking hardware

Figuring out if your hardware can handle Debian

Finding Out What Hardware You Have

Getting hardware information from Windows 95/98

Getting hardware information from MS-DOS or Windows 3.1

Chapter 3: Preparing to Install Debian

Making Boot Disks

Skipping all this boot disk gibberish and booting from the CD

Making an installation boot disk with Windows or MS-DOS

Making a boot disk without Windows or MS-DOS

Prepping Your Hard Drive for a Debian Installation

Defragging your hard drive

Using FIPS when you want to keep another operating system

Chapter 4: Installing Debian

What's Involved: The Big List o' Steps

Stage 1: Getting Started with Installation

Booting from the installation media

Selecting your display type

Configuring your keyboard

Stage 2: Partitioning Your Hard Drive with cfdisk

Choosing a hard drive to partition

Partitioning your hard drive for Debian

Setting up a swap partition

Initializing and mounting partitions

Stage 3: Installing Debian

Installing the Linux kernel

Configuring device driver modules

Configuring a network

Installing the base system

Chapter 5: Configuring Debian

Setting the Root Password and Settling Accounts

Choosing a Software Profile

Installing Applications

Getting access

Switching consoles to mount CD-ROMs

Updating, selecting, and installing

Configuring Debian for Printing

There's no winning with Winprinters

Adding a printer to your system

Part II: Interfacing with Debian

Chapter 6: Boot Problems, Logging In, and Root (Oh, My!)

Dealing with Boot-up Problems

Driver loading errors

Installation media error

Log in, Log out, Shut down

Logging in

Logging out

Shutting down

Understanding the Root Account

What's mine is mine: Root ownership

Becoming superuser (or root) when there are no telephone booths handy

Chapter 7: Using Debian from the Command Line

The Debian CLI: Less GUI, and It Won't Stick to Your Teeth

Getting to Know bash

Commanding a presence at the command line

Comprehending the command prompt

Checking out command options

Checking Out Some Basic bash Commands

Getting funky with files

Dealing with directories

Finding files with the find command

Getting wise with the history command

It's in the "man"ual: The man command

Process manipulation commands

Getting wacky with wildcards

Executing Commands Remotely
Chapter 8: File This: Checking Out Debian's File System

Dealing with the Directory Tree

The root (/) directory

There's no place like /home

Following in the footsteps of Linux: The path

Mucking about with File Systems

Saddle up your file systems with mount

Viewing mounted file systems

Unmounting a file system with umount

fsck: Mr. Fixit for file systems

Chapter 9: Configuring (and Fixing) X Windows

Setting Up X

Configuring X with xf86config

Starting X

Shutting X Down

Bashing X into Shape if It Doesn't Work
Chapter 10: There's No Business Like GNOME Business

Setting Up GNOME

Checking Out the GNOME Desktop

The desktop

The Home directory

The Panel

Navigating GNOME with the Main Menu Button

Getting to Know the GNOME Windowing System

Coming to Xterms with your Debian terminals

Comprehending active windows

Checking out the Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons

Reducing windows to title bars

Getting Help in GNOME

Navigating the Help toolbar

Using the Help Index hyperlinks

Managing Files with the File Manager

Viewing file properties

The file system setup

Browsing the file system in the GNOME File Manager

Creating new directories in the File Manager

Copying and moving files

Renaming files

Deleting files and directories

Configuring GNOME with the GNOME Control Center

Desktop configuration

Configuring your screen saver

Selecting a desktop theme

Configuring Your Window Manager

Working with GNOME Applets

An applet a day keeps the doctor away: The Clock applet

Print me an applet: The Printer applet

Part III: Using Debian as Your Workstation

Chapter 11: Working with Text: vi and gnotepad+

vi: Your One-Stop for Text Editing and Scripting

Starting vi and creating a new file

Moving around in vi

Editing text

Saving and quitting

Bang, banging around

Printing documents

Going with gnotepad+

Starting gnotepad+

Creating a new document

Opening an existing document

Cutting, copying, and pasting

Undo and Redo

Finding stuff

Saving a document

Printing a document

Exiting gnotepad+

Chapter 12: Connecting Debian to the Internet

Getting an ISP

Setting up the PPP Connection in GNOME

Making the Connection to Your ISP

Setting Up the PPP Connection in the Linux Terminal

Starting, Verifying, and Ending Your PPP Connection

Browsing the Web. . .
Chapter 13: Web Browsing, E-Mail, and Newsgroups

Setting Up Your Web Surfboard

Starting Netscape Communicator

Starting Netscape Communicator from GNOME

Starting Netscape Communicator from the Command Line

The Mysterious URL

How Can I Find Stuff on the Web?

The Postman Always Rings Three Times: Sending E-Mail in Debian

Configuring Netscape Communicator to Use Your ISP's Mail Server

Using Netscape Messenger to Send and Receive E-Mail

Using mailx to Send E-Mail

Using mutt to Send and Receive E-Mail

Reading News over the Internet

This just in . . . newsgroup postings

Configuring Netscape to handle news

Subscribing to newsgroups

Chapter 14: Securing Your Debian System

Getting Physical: Your Debian System's Physical Security

Physical locks

Screen locks

Setting Up a Secure Password System

Tales from the Encrypt, or how automatic encryption works in Debian

Me and my shadow file

Choosing uncrackable passwords

Editing passwords

Changing passwords

Handling File Permissions: Keeping Others In or Out

Changing file permissions

Changing a file's owner

Changing a file's group ownership

Viewing file permissions and ownership in GNOME

Changing file permissions in GNOME

Changing the file's user and group ownership in GNOME

Haggling with User Accounts

Comprehending the shadow (or passwd) file

Adding user accounts

Deleting an account versus disabling an account

Grouping users

Adding a user to, or removing a user from, a group

Creating or deleting groups

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Chapter 15 : Ten Troubleshooting Tips

Dealing with Hanging Programs in the Linux Terminal

Dealing with Hanging Programs on the GNOME Desktop

Killing Hung Linux Terminals

Killing Spawning Telnet Sessions

Removing Cores (and I Don't Mean from Apples)

Reading Microsoft Word Files in Linux

What to Do if You Can't Eject the Floppy Disk

The Dreaded Media Error

What to Do if a User Forgets Her Password

Finding Disk Space Hogs
Chapter 16: Ten Really Cool Web Sites for Debian Users

Debian.org: The Mother of all Debian Sites

Visiting the Corel Community

Storming into Stormix

RedHat.com

Newbie Administrator Guide

Linux Online

LinuxStart.com

Cut! Print it!

Linux in the Public Eye

We're DOOMed, DOOMed, I Tell You!
Chapter 17: Ten Places to Get More Software or Information

When the Writing Is on the Wall: Get a Better Word Processor!

Applixware

WordPerfect Office 8 for Linux

StarOffice Suite

When You Need a Program That Does Julienne Fries . . .

Like, let's totally go to the mall!

The Sunsite Directory

When You're Just Looking for Some Helpful Linux Information

Linux.com

LinuxToday.com

Slashdot: News for Nerds

Asking "How do I . . . ?" at Tucows.com

The GNOME Project

Chapter 18: Ten Programs That Every GNOME User Can Use

The GNOME CD Player

XPaint

Calendar

GnomeCard

gnotepad+

gEdit

GIMP

Gnumeric Spreadsheet

GHex

Netscape Communicator

Part V: Appendixes

Appendix A: A Summary of Linux Terms and Commands

Some Basic Linux Terms

Linux Commands

Your most basic operational commands

Common Linux commands

Process control commands

Basic administrative commands

Appendix B: The Most-Requested vi Commands

Appendix C: GNU/Linux System Components and Applications

Appendix D: About the CD

System Requirements

Using the CDs

Linux

Windows 95 or 98

What You'll Find on the CDs

The Debian/GNU Linux OS

Applications

Security

Games

If You've Got Problems (of the CD Kind)

Index

IDG Books Worldwide End-User License Agreement

GNU License Agreement

Installation Instructions

Book Registration Information