Official

User Guide
Linux Mint
Cinnamon Edition
Page 1 of 46
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION TO LINUX MINT ......................................................................................... 4
HISTORY.......................................................................................................................................... 4
PURPOSE.......................................................................................................................................... 4
VERSION NUMBERS AND CODENAMES....................................................................................................5
EDITIONS......................................................................................................................................... 6
WHERE TO FIND HELP........................................................................................................................6
INSTALLATION OF LINUX MINT ........................................................................................... 7
DOWNLOAD THE ISO........................................................................................................................ 7
VIA TORRENT.................................................................................................................................... 8
Install a Torrent client....................................................................................................................8
Download the Torrent file..............................................................................................................8
VIA A DON!OAD "IRROR................................................................................................................... 8
READ THE RELEASE NOTES............................................................................................................... 9
CHECK THE MD5............................................................................................................................ 9
BURN THE ISO TO DVD................................................................................................................10
BOOT THE LIVEDVD...................................................................................................................... 11
INSTALL LINUX MINT ON YOUR HARD DRIVE....................................................................................1
THE BOOT SE!UENCE......................................................................................................................1"
INTRODUCTION TO THE DESKTOP ................................................................................... 19
THE CINNAMON DESKTOP................................................................................................................19
DE#$TOP #ETTIN%#.......................................................................................................................... 1&
%ETTIN% TO $NO T'E "EN(.............................................................................................................)*
The +Places, -en........................................................................................................................)*
The +#/ste-, -en......................................................................................................................))
The +A00lications, -en..............................................................................................................)1
The +#earch, field........................................................................................................................ )&
Define /o.r fa2orite a00lications.................................................................................................)&
"a3e /o.r own shortc.ts.............................................................................................................4*
5hange the a00earance of the -en..............................................................................................4*
Restore the defa.lt settings..........................................................................................................4*
!A(N5' APP!I5ATION# A(TO"ATI5A!!6 'EN 6O( !O% IN......................................................................41
SOFTWARE MANA#EMENT ................................................................................................. $1
PACKA#E MANA#EMENT IN LINUX MINT..........................................................................................$1
T'E #O7TARE "ANA%ER................................................................................................................ 46
#6NAPTI5 8 APT........................................................................................................................... 46
REMOVE APPLICATIONS.................................................................................................................... $7
Page ) of 46
(#IN% APT.................................................................................................................................... 48
#6NAPTI5....................................................................................................................................... 48
UPDATE YOUR SYSTEM AND YOUR APPLICATIONS..................................................................................$"
(#IN% T'E (PDATE "ANA%ER...........................................................................................................4&
TIPS AND TRICKS .................................................................................................................... 4$
COPY AND PASTE WITH THE MOUSE....................................................................................................4$
TAKE NOTES WITH TOMBOY.............................................................................................................44
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 45
Page 4 of 46
I%&'()*+&,(% &( L,%*- M,%&
!in.9 "int is a co-0.ter o0erating s/ste- designed to wor3 on -ost -odern s/ste-s:
incl.ding t/0ical 986 and 964 P5s.
!in.9 "int can ;e tho.ght of as filling the sa-e role as "icrosoft<s indows: A00le<s
"ac O#: and the free =#D O#. !in.9 "int is also designed to wor3 in con>.nction with
other o0erating s/ste-s ?incl.ding those listed a;o2e@: and can a.to-aticall/ set .0 a
+d.al ;oot, or +-.ltiA;oot, en2iron-ent ?where the .ser is 0ro-0ted as to which
o0erating s/ste- to start at each ;ootA.0@ d.ring its installation.
!in.9 "int is a great o0erating s/ste- for indi2id.als and for co-0anies.
H,.&('/
!in.9 "int is a 2er/ -odern o0erating s/ste-B Its de2elo0-ent started in )**6. It is:
howe2er: ;.ilt .0on 2er/ -at.re and 0ro2en software la/ers: incl.ding the !in.9 3ernel:
the %N( tools and the 5inna-on des3to0. It also relies on the (;.nt. and De;ian
0ro>ects and .ses their s/ste-s as a ;ase.
The !in.9 "int 0ro>ect foc.ses on -a3ing the des3to0 -ore .sa;le and -ore efficient
for e2er/da/ tas3s 0erfor-ed ;/ reg.lar .sers. (nderneath the des3to0 the o0erating
s/ste- also 0ro2ides a h.ge collection of a2aila;le software and a 2er/ well integrated
set of ser2ices.
!in.9 "int saw a ra0id rise in 0o0.larit/ and -ore and -ore 0eo0le .se it e2er/ da/.
P*'0(.1
The 0.r0ose of !in.9 "int is to 0ro2ide a des3to0 o0erating s/ste- that ho-e .sers and
co-0anies can .se at no cost and which is as efficient: eas/ to .se: and elegant as
0ossi;le.
One of the a-;itions of the !in.9 "int 0ro>ect is to ;eco-e the ;est o0erating s/ste-
a2aila;le ;/ -a3ing it eas/ for 0eo0le to get to .se ad2anced technologies: rather than ;/
si-0lif/ing the- ?and there;/ red.cing their ca0a;ilities@: or ;/ co0/ing the a00roaches
ta3en ;/ other de2elo0ers.
The goal is to de2elo0 o.r own idea of the ideal des3to0. e thin3 that it is ;est to -a3e
the -ost o.t of the -odern technologies that e9ist .nder !in.9 and -a3e it eas/ for
e2er/;od/ to .se its -ost ad2anced feat.res.
Page 4 of 46
V1'.,(% %*231'. 4%) +()1%421.
Version n.-;ers and codena-es follow a .niC.e logic in !in.9 "intD
5odena-es 0ro2ide a wa/ to refer to 2ersions of !in.9 "int that is -ore fa-iliar
than .sing a 2ersion n.-;er.
#ince 2ersion E: !in.9 "int has followed a 6 -onths release c/cle and .ses a
si-0lified 2ersion sche-e. The 2ersion n.-;er si-0l/ gets incre-ented e2er/ 6
-onths.
If re2isions are -ade to a 0artic.lar release ?a ;it li3e #er2ice Pac3s in indows@
its 2ersion n.-;er gets a -inor re2ision incre-ent. 7or instance +4, ;eco-es
+4.1,.
5odena-es in !in.9 "int are alwa/s fe-ale na-es ending with +a,. The/ follow
the al0ha;etical order and the first letter of the codena-e corres0onds to the inde9
of the 2ersion n.-;er in the al0ha;et.
#o far !in.9 "int has .sed the following codena-esD
V1'.,(% C()1%421
1.* Ada
).* =ar;ara
).1 =ea
).) =ianca
4.* 5assandra
4.1 5elena
4.* Dar/na
E El/ssa
6 7elicia
1 %loria
8 'elena
& Isadora
1* F.lia
11 $at/a
1) !isa
Page E of 46
14 "a/a
14 Nadia
1E Oli2ia
16 Petra
11 Giana
E),&,(%.
An Edition is a release of !in.9 "int which is c.sto-iHed to address a certain set of
needs. This g.ide co2ers the 5inna-on Edition. 'ere are so-e of the -ost 0o0.lar
editionsD
5inna-on Edition ?.ses a 5inna-on des3to0@
"ate Edition ?.ses a "ate des3to0@
$DE Edition ?.ses a $DE des3to0@
Ifce Edition ?.ses an Ifce des3to0@
If /o. don<t 3now which edition to .se: choose the "ATE Edition. It<s not as 0o0.lar as
the 5inna-on Edition ;.t it is co-0ati;le with a wider 2ariet/ of hardware
s0ecifications.
NoteD If /o. intend to redistri;.te or to -a3e co--ercial .se of !in.9 "int in the (#A
or in Fa0an and if /o.Jre not s.re a;o.t 0atent legislation /o. sho.ld .se the +No
5odecs, installation i-ages.
W51'1 &( 6,%) 5170
The !in.9 "int co--.nit/ is 2er/ hel0f.l and 2er/ acti2e. If /o. ha2e C.estions or a
0ro;le- related to !in.9 "int: /o. sho.ld ;e a;le to get hel0 fro- other .sers online.
7irst: -a3e s.re to register with the +!in.9 "int 7or.-s,. This is the 2er/ first 0lace
where /o. can find hel0D htt0DKKwww.lin.9-int.co-Kfor.-.
If /o. want to chat with other .sers /o. can connect to the IR5 chat roo-. (nder !in.9
"int si-0l/ la.nch +I5hat, fro- the -en.. If /o.Jre .sing another o0erating s/ste- or
another IR5 client -a3e s.re to connect to the +irc.s0otchat.org, ser2er and to >oin the
channels +Llin.9-intAhel0, and +Llin.9-intAchat,.
!in.9 "int .ses (;.nt. re0ositories ?-ore on what this -eans later@ and is f.ll/
co-0ati;le with it so -ost of the reso.rces: articles: t.torials: and software -ade for
Page 6 of 46
(;.nt. also wor3 for !in.9 "int. If /o. canJt find hel0 on a s0ecific s.;>ect: -a3e s.re
to search on the sa-e s.;>ect for (;.nt..
Note: Ubuntu is another operating system based on GNU/Linux.
Note: A repository is an online service by which software is stored and made available for the operating
system to install and update from. ost operating systems based on GNU/Linux use repositories and
connect to them via !""# or $"# to install and upgrade their software.
I%.&4774&,(% (6 L,%*- M,%&
6o. can download the !in.9 "int o0erating s/ste- for free. It co-es as an I#O file
which /o. need to ;.rn to a ;lan3 DVD. The li2eDVD is then ;oota;le and 0ro2ides a
f.ll/Af.nctional o0erating s/ste- which /o. can tr/ witho.t affecting /o.r P5. In
la/-an<s ter-s: when /o. 0.t !in.9 "int on a DVD and 0lace it into /o.r co-0.ter: /o.
can tr/ it o.t while lea2ing /o.r c.rrent s/ste- intact.
Note: %t is also possible to write the %&' image to a U&( stic) or other memory device and boot from that*
or to boot from the %&' image on the hard drive* but these options are somewhat more advanced and the
method presented here is recommended. $or help with alternative methods of installing and running Linux
int* please visit the forums.
If /o. li3e what /o. see when r.nning the li2eDVD /o. can decide to install the s/ste-
to /o.r hard dri2e. All the necessar/ tools ?0artitioning and installation tools@ are 0resent
on the DVD.
D(8%7(4) &51 ISO
NoteD If /o. don<t ha2e a ;road;and connection: or if /o.r Internet access is too slow /o.
can order the DVD fro- this we; siteD htt0DKKwww.osdisc.co-
Otherwise: /o. can 2isit the !in.9 "int download 0age hereD
htt0DKKwww.lin.9-int.co-Kdownload.0h0
Then choose the edition /o.<re interested in.
7ro- this 0age: /o. sho.ld ;e a;le to findD
an "DE signat.re
a torrent lin3
a list of download -irrors
The file /o. need to download is an I#O file. There are two wa/s to download this file:
;/ torrent ?a Peer to Peer 0rotocol@ or 2ia a download -irror ?'TTP or 7TP 0rotocol@.
Page 1 of 46
Once /o.r download is finished: /o. can ens.re /o.r I#O file isnJt corr.0ted ;/ chec3ing
its signat.re with the "DE.
V,4 T(''1%&
Torrent is a Peer to Peer ?P)P@ 0rotocol. =asicall/: instead of downloading fro- a central
location: a torrent lets /o. download the I#O file in 0arts fro- different 0eo0le across the
Internet.
The -ore 0eo0le who download the I#O file: the faster the download s0eed gets. This is
the 0referred and reco--ended wa/ to download !in.9 "int.
I%.&477 4 T(''1%& +7,1%&
6o. need a 0iece of software called a +torrent client, in order to download files 2ia
torrent.
If /o. r.n !in.9: /o. can install +Trans-ission,. If /o. r.n !in.9 "int: Trans-ission is
alread/ installed.
If /o. r.n indows: /o. can .se MTorrent.
D(8%7(4) &51 T(''1%& 6,71
The ne9t ste0 is to follow the torrent lin3 fro- the !in.9 "int we;site and to download
the .torrent file. This file is 2er/ s-all. After it downloads: /o. sho.ld o0en it with /o.r
torrent client.
The torrent client will 0ro;a;l/ as3 /o. where /o. want to sa2e the I#O. #elect a
destination and then wait for the download to co-0lete.
7or -ore infor-ation a;o.t the torrent 0rotocol: 2isitD
htt0DKKen.wi3i0edia.orgKwi3iK=itTorrent
V,4 4 )(8%7(4) 2,''('
If /o. canJt: or do not choose to .se the torrent 0rotocol: then loo3 at the list of download
-irrors and 0ic3 one of the-. The/Jll 0ro2ide a lin3 to the I#O file itself which /o. can
>.st clic3 to start the download.
NoteD Re-e-;er that ;andwidth is li-ited tho.gh and the -ore 0eo0le download fro- a
-irror: the slower the download s0eed gets for e2er/;od/ who is downloading fro- that
-irror. 7.rther-ore: if for so-e reason the download sho.ld ;e interr.0ted: it -a/ ;e
corr.0ted and the download -a/ ha2e to ;e restarted. 7or these reasons it -ight ;e
worthwhile .sing a download -anager: li3e for !in.9: or for indows: if ta3ing this
ro.te.
Page 8 of 46
R14) &51 R1714.1 N(&1.
6o.r download is 0ro;a;l/ going to last at least an ho.r: so now wo.ld ;e the 0erfect
ti-e for /o. to get fa-iliar with the new feat.res co-ing with the release /o.Jre
c.rrentl/ downloading.
The release notes are feat.red on the !in.9 "int we; 0age and answer the following
C.estionsD
hat are the new feat.res deli2ered in this releaseN
hat are the 3nown 0ro;le-s of this releaseN
'ow do I .0grade fro- the 0re2io.s releaseN
The/ also contain screenshots of the latest release. Of co.rse: /o. co.ld find o.t a;o.t
-ost feat.res highlighted in the release notes ;/ si-0l/ .sing the o0erating s/ste-: ;.t
/o. -ight -iss a few things: so it is -ost relia;le to read the release notes.
The release notes for !in.9 "int 11 Giana are a2aila;le hereD
htt0DKKwww.lin.9-int.co-KrelOCiana.0h0
C51+9 &51 MD5
6o.J2e read the release notes: /o. >.st canJt wait to 0la/ with the new feat.res or tr/
!in.9 "int: and /o.r download >.st finished s.ccessf.ll/. 6o.Jre read/ to ;.rn a DVD
and to ;oot on itP ;.t he/Q ait for a secondQ
If that DVD is fa.lt/ /o. will e90erience weird ;.gs and will ha2e a lot of tro.;le
finding hel0. The two -ost co--on reasons for a DVD to ;e fa.lt/ areD
An iss.e with the download ca.sing 0ro;le-s in /o.r I#O file
An error d.ring the ;.rn 0rocess that alters the contents of /o.r ;.rned li2eDVD
The "DE signat.re: which is 0resent on the download 0age: 0ro2ides a C.ic3 wa/ for
/o. to -a3e s.re that /o.r I#O file is e9actl/ li3e it sho.ld ;e. #o: letJs chec3 the I#O
file /o. >.st downloaded ;efore we ;.rn it and sa2e o.rsel2es fro- a lot of 0otential
0ro;le-s.
If /o. r.n an/ 2ersion of !in.9 /o. 0ro;a;l/ alread/ ha2e the -dEs.- 0rogra-
installed. O0en a ter-inal and +cd, to the director/ where /o.r I#O file is ?for instance: if
+lin.9-int.iso, is on the Des3to0@: o0en a ter-inal and t/0eD
cd ~/Desktop
Page & of 46
md5sum linuxmint.iso
This co--and sho.ld o.t0.t a series of n.-;ers and letters which co-0rise the "DE
s.-: or signat.re: of /o.r I#O file. =/ design: an/ s-all change to the I#O file will ca.se
this signat.re to ;e significantl/ different: allowing .s to 2erif/ that the file is e9actl/ as
it sho.ld ;e.
5o-0are that signat.re with the one on the download 0age of the !in.9 "int we;site. If
the two signat.res are the sa-e: then /o. 3now /o.r I#O file is e9actl/ the sa-e as the
original and /o. can now get read/ to ;.rn it on DVD
If /o. ha00en to r.n indows: chances are /o. donJt ha2e -dEs.- installed. 6o. can
get it fro- hereD htt0DKKwww.etree.orgK-dEco-.ht-l
Place the I#O file and the -dEs.-.e9e in the sa-e 0lace ?letJs sa/ in 5DR@ and r.n
+c-d.e9e,. In the co--and line en2iron-ent: t/0e the following co--andsD
C:
cd \
md5sum linuxmint.iso
Then co-0are the signat.re to the one 0resent on the we;site.
B*'% &51 ISO &( DVD
Now that /o. ha2e chec3ed the I#O file with "DE: /o. are read/ to ;.rn it to a DVD.
%et a ;lan3 DVDAR ?a DVDAR sho.ld wor3 as well: ;.t this t/0e of -edia is 3nown to
ha2e co-0ati;ilit/ iss.es@ and /o.r fa2orite -ar3er and la;el the DVD. Altho.gh
la;eling /o.r DVDs so.nds tri2ial: /o. sho.ld ;e s.re to do so: as /o. can easil/ end .0
with )* .nla;eled and .nidentifia;le discs on /o.r des3. D@
Insert the ;lan3 DVDAR in the dri2e and get read/ to ;.rn the I#O.
If /o.Jre r.nning !in.9 with 5inna-on rightAclic3 on the I#O file and selectD o0en withD
=rasero: choose +=.rn i-age, and follow the ste0s gi2en there.
If /o.Jre r.nning !in.9 with $DE: la.nch $4= and in the +Tools, -en. choose +rite
I#O I-age,.
If /o.<re r.nning !in.9 and wo.ld li3e to .se the ter-inal: fro- the director/ /o. ha2e
downloaded the i-age toD
cdrecord -v -dao dev=1,0,0 linuxmint.iso
Re0lacing the n.-;ers after de2S with the a00ro0riate de2ice n.-;er for /o.r disc dri2e
and .sing the 0ro0er isoAna-e. 6o. can r.n
Page 1* of 46
cdrecord -scanbus
to find this o.t. 6o. -a/ need to ;e root to r.n these co--ands.
If /o.Jre r.nning indows /o. can .se a 0rogra- li3e InfraRecorderD
htt0DKKinfrarecorder.so.rceforge.netKN0ageOidSE
Note: a)e sure to burn the %&' image to dis)* and not to write the %&' file to the dis). A very common
mista)e* especially for people using Nero* is to actually burn the %&' file on the dis) as a data file. "he %&'
file is an image of a dis) so it needs to be burnt not as a file which will appear on the dis)* but as an %&'
image which will be decompressed and whose content will be burnt onto the disc. After burning the +,+
you shouldn-t see the %&' file within the disc* but rather folders li)e .casper/ or .isolinux/. ost burning
software has a special option for this.
B((& &51 L,:1DVD
Place the DVD in the dri2e and restart the co-0.ter. 6o. sho.ld now see the following
screenD
Note: %f you don0t see this screen and your #1 boots as usual it0s probably because your (%'& is not set to
boot on +,+. 2estart the computer and press $3* $4* +elete* or 5scape 6or whatever )ey lets you enter the
(%'& configuration7 and change your (%'& settings to tell your computer to boot from its +,+ drive.
Page 11 of 46
I%.&477 L,%*- M,%& (% /(*' H4') D',:1
7ro- the first screen choose the defa.lt +#tart !in.9 "int, o0tion and 0ress Enter. After
a little while the li2e s/ste- sho.ld ;e read/ and /o. sho.ld see the des3to0.
At this stage !in.9 "int is not installed on /o.r co-0.ter: itJs si-0l/ r.nning fro- the
DVD. The s/ste- /o. ha2e in front of /o. is: howe2er: al-ost e9actl/ the sa-e as the
one /o. will ha2e on /o.r co-0.ter after the installation is finished.
'a2e f.n with it and see if /o. li3e it. =ear in -ind that when r.nning fro- the DVD:
!in.9 "int r.ns significantl/ slower than it does when it is installed on a hard dri2e:
since it has to read data fro- the DVD dri2e: which is a slower -edi.- than the hard
dri2e.
hen /o. are read/: do.;leAclic3 on the +Install !in.9 "int, icon located on the
des3to0. The Installer a00earsD
If /o. ha2enJt read the release notes /et: and /o. ha2e an Internet connection: then this
an ideal o00ort.nit/ to re2iew the-B si-0l/ clic3 on the .nderlined lin3. It is highl/
reco--ended that .sers read the release notes prior to installation in order to ad2ise
the-sel2es of new feat.res: as well as an/ iss.es that -ight affect their 0artic.lar
hardware config.ration.
#elect /o.r lang.age and 0ress the +5ontin.e, ;.tton.
Page 1) of 46
In the ne9t screen: -a3e s.re /o.<re connected to a 0ower so.rce ?if /o.<re .sing a
la0to0@: the Internet and that /o. ha2e the reco--ended a-o.nt of dis3 s0ace. Then
0ress the +5ontin.e, ;.tton.
In the ne9t screen /o. can assign /o.r entire hard dri2e to !in.9 "int or install it
alongside other o0erating s/ste-s. Alternati2el/: /o. can also define and assign the
0artitions -an.all/.
If /o. choose to .se the entire dis3: its content will ;e erased and !in.9 "int will
;e installed as the onl/ o0erating s/ste- on /o.r co-0.ter.
Page 14 of 46
If /o. choose to install it alongside other o0erating s/ste-s: the installer will .se
the free s0ace a2aila;le on other 0artitions to create a new one for !in.9 "int.
6o. will ;e as3ed how -.ch s0ace /o. want to allocate to it. The installer will
then shrin3 a 0artition and ta3e care of e2er/thing for /o.. PostAinstallation /o.r
co-0.ter will ha2e a ;oot screen fro- which /o.<ll ;e a;le to ;oot all /o.r
o0erating s/ste-s.
If /o. choose to s0ecif/ 0artitions -an.all/: a 0artition editor will a00ear: gi2ing
/o. f.ll control o2er the 0artitioning of /o.r hard dri2e. This is reco--ended
onl/ to ad2anced .sers who .nderstand how 0artitioning wor3s .nder !in.9. Note
that !in.9 "int reC.ires a 0artition of at least 6%= and that the reco--ended
siHe for a swa0 0artition is 1.E ti-es the a-o.nt of RA" a2aila;le on the
co-0.ter.
5hoose the a00ro0riate o0tion and clic3 on the +Install Now, ;.tton. At this stage: the
installation is going on in the ;ac3gro.nd and the installer as3s /o. set.0 C.estionsD
Page 14 of 46
5hoose /o.r location on the -a0 ;/ clic3ing on the cit/ which is the nearest to /o.. The
0.r0ose of this ste0 is to identif/ /o.r ti-e Hone. "a3e s.re the +5.rrent ti-e, a00ears
correctl/ and clic3 the +5ontin.e, ;.tton.
Note: &ometimes the installer doesn-t properly handle &ummer/8inter time ad9ustments* so even by
selecting the proper city you might see a difference of an hour or so with the correct time. &imply ignore
this at this stage and remember to ma)e sure that the time is correct after you reboot in your newly
installed Linux int des)top.
Page 1E of 46
#elect /o.r 3e/;oard la/o.t. If /o. are not s.re a;o.t e9actl/ which la/o.t -atches the
3e/;oard /o. ha2e: clic3 on the te9t field at the ;otto- of the screen and start t/0ing with
/o.r 3e/;oard. "a3e s.re the 3e/s /o. 0ress -atch the characters that a00ear in the te9t
field in order to ens.re /o. ha2e selected the right 3e/;oard la/o.t. #o-e la/o.ts onl/
differ with res0ect to accents: n.-;ers and 0.nct.ation signs: so -a3e s.re to test these
as well.
hen /o.Jre read/ clic3 the +5ontin.e, ;.tton.
Enter /o.r real na-e and a .serna-e and 0assword. E2er/ ti-e /o.Jll .se !in.9 "int
/o.Jll .se /o.r acco.nt with this .serna-e and 0assword. Once !in.9 "int is installed
/o.Jll ;e a;le to define other acco.nts if other 0eo0le are to .se this co-0.ter.
Also gi2e /o.r co-0.ter a na-e. This na-e will ;e .sed ;/ /o.r co-0.ter on the
networ3 or in 2ario.s 0laces of the s/ste-. If /o.J2e ne2er reall/ tho.ght a;o.t na-ing
/o.r co-0.ters: then now is the ti-e. Peo0le co--onl/ 0ic3 flower ?dahlia: rose: t.li0@
or 0lanet ?-ars: >.0iter: 0l.to@ na-es for the co-0.ters on their networ3. ItJs entirel/ .0
to /o. what /o. want to .se: ;.t -a3e s.re to 0ic3 a na-e /o. li3e and that /o. will
easil/ re-e-;er.
Note: 1apital letters* spaces and special characters are not permitted in the username or in the name of the
computer.
Page 16 of 46
If /o.<re the onl/ one .sing the co-0.ter and /o. want to ;/0ass the login screen: chec3
the o0tion +!og in a.to-aticall/,.
hen /o.Jre read/ clic3 on the +7orward, ;.tton.
The installer -ight detect other o0erating s/ste-s on /o.r co-0.ter and as3 /o. if /o.
want to -igrate so-e 0ersonal infor-ation. T/0icall/ this allows /o. to -igrate
;oo3-ar3s: contacts: fa2orites and other sorts of 0ersonal infor-ation fro- other
o0erating s/ste-s installed on /o.r hard dis3 dri2e into the newl/ installed !in.9 "int.
hen /o.Jre read/ clic3 on the +5ontin.e, ;.tton.
The installation sho.ld ta3e ;etween 1* and 1E -in.tes.
Page 11 of 46
Note: "he installer will download pac)ages from the %nternet to support the language you0ve selected. :our
computer needs to be connected to the %nternet for this to wor). 'therwise 9ust .s)ip/ that step and you0ll
be able to add support for your language after the installation is finished and you0ve rebooted into your
new system.
Once the installation is done clic3 the +Restart Now, ;.tton and the li2eDVD or
!i2e(#= en2iron-ent will sh.t down.
hen 0ro-0ted: re-o2e the DVD fro- the dri2e or re-o2e the (#= and 0ress Enter.
6o.r P5 is now read/ to ;oot !in.9 "int fro- the hard dri2e.
T51 B((& .1;*1%+1
(0on re;oot: if /o. ha2e -ore than one o0erating s/ste- installed: /o. sho.ld see a
+;oot -en.,. Once !in.9 "int is finished loading /o. sho.ld see a new screen in2iting
/o. to enter /o.r .serna-e and 0assword. This screen is the +"D" !ogin "anager, and
is co--onl/ called +"D",. Enter the 0assword /o. chose d.ring the installation.
Note: (y default* your .root/ password is the same as the password you chose during the installation. %f
you do not )now what this means* then don-t worry about it.
Page 18 of 46
I%&'()*+&,(% &( &51 D1.9&(0
This section of the g.ide will foc.s on the technologies and the tools that are s0ecific to
!in.9 "int and 0ro2ide infor-ation on so-e of the a00lications and technologies
incl.ded ;/ defa.lt in the 5inna-on Edition.
T51 C,%%42(% D1.9&(0
The +des3to0, is the co-0onent of the o0erating s/ste- which is res0onsi;le for the
ele-ents that a00ear on the des3to0D The Panel: the all0a0er: the 5ontrol 5enter: the
-en.sPetc.
The 5inna-on Edition of !in.9 "int .ses the +5inna-on, des3to0 which is ;oth
int.iti2e and 0owerf.l.
D1.9&(0 S1&&,%<.
+Des3to0, is a -en. which allows /o. to ra0idl/ config.re the as0ects of /o.r 5inna-on
Des3to0 that /o. will .se the -ost.
!a.nch it ;/ clic3ing on +"en., ?in the ;otto-Aleft corner of /o.r screen@: then select
+#/ste- #ettings, and clic3 on +Des3to0,.
Page 1& of 46
#1&&,%< &( 9%(8 &51 21%*
!in.9 "int co-es with the defa.lt 5inna-on -en..
To o0en the -en. clic3 on the +"en., ;.tton at the ;otto-Aleft corner of /o.r screen or
0ress 5TR!T#(PERO! ?+#.0erO!, is the left indows 3e/ on /o.r 3e/;oard@.
%etting to 3now the -en.
T51 =P74+1.> 21%*
hen /o. choose the section called +Places, then /o. will see fi2e entries. These entries
gi2e /o. C.ic3 access to the -ost i-0ortant 0laces within /o.r 5inna-on Des3to0.
Page )* of 46
The +5o-0.ter, Place shows /o. the storage 2ol.-es 0resent in /o.r co-0.ter. If /o.r
0artitions are alread/ -o.nted and +Des3to0 #ettings, is set to show +"o.nted Vol.-es,
on the des3to0: then /o. 0ro;a;l/ donJt need to access this Place 2er/ often. 'owe2er: if
/o. choose not to show the -o.nted 2ol.-es on /o.r des3to0: or if /o. need to -o.nt a
0artition which is not -o.nted ;/ defa.lt: this Place can 0ro2e 2er/ .sef.l.
Page )1 of 46
In contrast: the +'o-e, Place is one of the -en. ;.ttons /o.Jll 0ro;a;l/ .se the -ost. If
/o.J2e .sed 5inna-on ;efore: /o.Jre 0ro;a;l/ .sed to clic3ing on the +'o-e, icon
0laced on the des3to0. hen windows are o0ened and when the des3to0 is not
co-0letel/ 2isi;le: the -en. can 0ro2e .sef.l ;/ 0ro2iding /o. with a wa/ to C.ic3l/
access /o.r +'o-e,.
6o.r +'o-e, folder e9ists to gi2e /o. a 0lace to 0.t all of /o.r 0ersonal data.
The +Des3to0, folder corres0onds to what is shown on /o.r des3to0: so 0lacing a
file here will also 0lace it on /o.r des3to0. The sa-e effect can ;e achie2ed ;/
si-0l/ dragging the file onto the des3to0.
The +Networ3, Place si-0l/ shows /o. the other co-0.ters: shared ser2ices:
do-ains: and wor3gro.0s 0resent on /o.r networ3.
The +Trash, Place is where files end .0 after /o. delete the-.
hen /o. right clic3 on a file /o. can either +"o2e to Trash, or +Delete,. If /o. choose
to +Delete,: the file will ;e 0er-anentl/ deleted and /o. nor-all/ wonJt ;e a;le to
reco2er it. If /o. choose +"o2e to Trash, it will ;e -o2ed to the +Trash, Place: which is
accessi;le fro- the -en.. 7ro- there /o. will ;e a;le to drag and dro0 it so-ewhere
else if /o. want to restore it: 0er-anentl/ delete one or -ore files: or select +E-0t/
Trash, if /o. want to 0er-anentl/ delete all ite-s fro- the Trash.
T51 =S/.&12> 21%*
Page )) of 46
There are a n.-;er of s/ste-Achoices in the -en.. These 0ro2ide C.ic3 access to
i-0ortant feat.res of the s/ste-. Often /o. need to enter /o.r 0assword so .na.thoriHed
.se of these o0tions is not 0ossi;le.
The +#oftware "anager, ;.tton la.nches the !in.9 "int #oftware "anager. This
0rogra- is the reco--ended wa/ to install software in !in.9 "int. e will tal3 -ore
a;o.t this feat.re later onB for now: let<s e90lore the other o0tions. 7or sec.rit/ /o. ha2e
to enter /o.r 0assword in order to gain s/ste- rights.
Page )4 of 46
The +Pac3age "anager, ;.tton la.nches an a00lication called +#/na0tic,. The 0.r0ose
of this a00lication is to -anage the 0ac3ages that are installed on /o.r co-0.ter and the
0ac3ages that are a2aila;le in the re0ositories. If this doesnJt -a3e -.ch sense to /o. /et:
donJt worr/: we will tal3 a;o.t 0ac3ages and how the/ wor3 in greater detail later on.
Page )4 of 46
The +#/ste- #ettings, ;.tton la.nches the 5inna-on control center. This a00lication lets
/o. config.re e2er/ as0ect of the 5inna-on des3to0 and of the co-0.ter in general. e
will go thro.gh each ite- within this control center at a later ti-e.
Page )E of 46
The +Ter-inal, ;.tton la.nches an a00lication called +Ter-inal, which lets /o. enter
co--ands directl/ .sing the 3e/;oard. If /o.Jre .sed to "icrosoft indows /o. -a/
thin3 that this is old hat: ;eca.se in indows the co--and line hasn<t 0rogressed -.ch
f.rther than the +DO# 0ro-0t, and is hidden awa/ in an accessories -en.. One of the
wa/s in which !in.9 s/ste-s differ fro- indows s/ste-s is that the ter-inal is C.ite
i-0ortant in !in.9: as it is often .sed as a wa/ of getting -ore direct control o2er one<s
co-0.ter. eJd 0ro;a;l/ agree that the Ter-inal isnJt the -ost 2is.all/ a00ealing
a00lication incl.ded in !in.9 "int: ;.t it is worth 3nowing that it is ;/ far the -ost
0owerf.l: and once learned itJs act.all/ not 2er/ hard to .se.
In fact: it is worthwhile .nderstanding that every co--and that /o. e9ec.te .sing a
gra0hical des3to0 en2iron-ent goes thro.gh the Ter-inal. hen /o. clic3 on an icon on
the -en.: for e9a-0le: /o. are instr.cting 5inna-on to 0ass a te9t.al instr.ction to the
Ter-inal. As an instr.ctional e9ercise: if /o. right clic3 +"en., on the ;otto- left of the
des3to0: choose config.re: clic3 +O0en the -en. editor, and na2igate to an/ of the
a00lication -en.s: 0ic3 an a00lication: and clic3 on the 0ro0erties ;.tton: /o. will see in
the +5o--and, field the te9t co--and that is 0assed to the s/ste- when /o. clic3 on
that a00lication<s entr/ in the -en.. In other words: /o. ha2e alread/ ;een .sing the
Ter-inal for so-e ti-e: 0erha0s witho.t realiHing it. All that was different was that:
instead of /o. t/0ing o.t the co--ands: /o.r des3to0 ?5inna-on@ was doing it for /o.
?which is a good thing ;eca.se no;od/ wants to re-e-;er h.ndreds of a00lication
na-es all the ti-e@.
Page )6 of 46
#ooner or later: tho.gh: /o. will 0ro;a;l/ ha2e ;e in a sit.ation which ca.ses /o. to .se
the Ter-inal directl/: either to access co--ands that are not a2aila;le thro.gh an/ %(I:
or to get a >o; done -ore efficientl/. 6es: /o. read that rightQ It can ;e -ore efficient to
t/0e a single co--and: for certain tas3s: than to o0en .0 lots of windows to achie2e the
sa-e thing. The -ore /o. .se it: the -ore /o.Jll co-e to act.all/ li3e it. Re-e-;er
how /o. didnJt li3e certain things when /o. were a 3id and how /o. co.ldnJt do witho.t
the- nowN Ter-inal is one of these things. In a few wee3s: /o.Jll ;e co-0letel/ addicted
to it. 6o.<ll ;egin to feel in co-0lete control of /o.r co-0.ter. There will ;e ti-es when
/o. wonJt e2en ha2e to .se the Ter-inal: ;.t /o. will an/wa/: ;eca.se for so-e tas3s
itJs faster: -ore acc.rate: -ore 2ersatile and act.all/ si-0ler to .se than eC.i2alent
gra0hical interfaces. And an/one watching /o. will thin3 /o.<re a co-0lete 0ro.
The +!ogo.t, ;.tton la.nches a dialog which lets /o. logo.t or switch .sers.
The +G.it, ;.tton la.nches a dialog ;o9 which lets /o. choose what /o. want to doD
A +#.s0end, sa2es /o.r session to RA" and /o.r co-0.ter goes to slee0 .ntil /o.
0ress a 3e/.
A +'i;ernate, sa2es /o.r session to /o.r hard dri2e and /o.r co-0.ter sh.ts down.
A +Restart, restarts the co-0.ter.
A +#h.t Down, t.rns the co-0.ter off.
Note: %t is also possible to loc) the screen by pressing 1"2L;AL";L.
T51 =A007,+4&,(%.> 21%*
The !in.9 "int DVD is co-0ressed and act.all/ contains a;o.t 4%= of data. The
a00lications that are incl.ded ;/ defa.lt when /o. install !in.9 "int are said to ;e 0art
of the +Defa.lt #oftware #election,.
#ince one of the 0.r0oses of !in.9 "int is to ;e eas/ to .se and to wor3 o.t of the ;o9: a
collection of software is incl.ded ;/ defa.lt in order to let /o. achie2e co--onK
i-0ortant tas3s.
In the rightAhand section of the -en.: /o. can see all installed a00lications. The/ are
organiHed ;/ categories. The first categor/ is called +All a00lications, and: as /o.
0ro;a;l/ g.essed: it shows /o. a list of all installed a00lications.
The last two categories: +Preferences, and +Ad-inistration,: show /o. the tools and
a00lications 0ro2ided to config.re and ad-inistrate !in.9 "int. eJll foc.s on these
a00lications later on: as the/ are also 0resent in the +5onfig.ration center,.
The categories in the center 0ro2ide -ost of the a00lications /o.Jll .se on a dail/ ;asis.
As /o. install new software: new categories -ight a00ear.
Page )1 of 46
In +Accessories,: /o. can find the following softwareD
N421 D1.+',0&,(%
Archi2e "anager Tool to 2iew: create or e9tract archi2e files ?Hi0: tar: ...@
5alc.lator A calc.lator
5haracter "a0 A tool to easil/ co0/ and 0aste s0ecial characters
?accent.ation for instance@
Dis3s A tool which shows /o. how /o.r hard dri2es are
0artitioned.
Doc.-ent Viewer A tool for 2iewing PD7<s and other doc.-ents
7iles A lin3 to o0en the ho-e director/ in Ne-o
7ont Viewer A tool to loo3 at a2aila;le fonts
#creenshot A tool to ta3e screenshots. 6o. can also la.nch this with
the +Print #crn, 3e/ on /o.r 3e/;oard to ta3e screenshots
of the des3to0: or with +A!T,T,Print #crn, to ta3e
screenshots of the c.rrent window.
Ter-inal The Ter-inal
Te9t editor %edit: a te9t editor
To-;o/ Notes An a00lication to ta3e notes
(#= I-age riter A si-0le tool to write an iso to a .s; dri2e
(#= #tic3 7or-atter A si-0le tool to clean and for-at a .s; dri2e
In +%ra0hics, /o. can find the following softwareD
N421 D1.+',0&,(%
%I"P I-age Editor An a00lication that lets /o. -odif/: con2ert or e2en create
0ict.res. The ;est !in.9 eC.i2alent to Photosho0.
gTh.-; An a00lication to -anage /o.r 0hotos
I-age Viewer The %no-e I-age Viewer
!i;reOffice Draw Part of the !i;reOffice s.ite of a00lications.
#i-0le #can A tool to ca0t.re i-ages fro- a scanner
In +Internet, /o. can find the following softwareD
N421 D1.+',0&,(%
7irefo9 e; =rowser A e; ;rowser
'e9chat An IR5 chat 0rogra-. It is config.red ;/ defa.lt to
a.to-aticall/ connect /o. to the !in.9 "int chat roo-
?2er/ .sef.l if /o. want to tal3 to other !in.9 "int .sers@.
Pidgin Internet "essenger An Internet "essenger ?co-0ati;le with AI": =on>o.r:
%ad.A%ad.: %oogleATal3: %ro.0ise: I5G: IR5: "#N:
"/#0aceI": GG: #I"P!E: #a-eti-e: I"PP: 6ahoo and
Ue0h/r@
Th.nder;ird "ail An E-ail a00lication
Trans-ission A Torrent client.
Page )8 of 46
In +Office, /o. can find the following softwareD
N421 D1.+',0&,(%
!i;reOffice A general starter for this office s.ite
!i;reOffice 5alc A s0readsheet a00lication ?alternati2e to "icrosoft
E9cel and co-0ati;le with I!#@
!i;reOffice Draw Part of the !i;reOffice s.ite of a00lications.
!i;reOffice I-0ress A 0resentation a00lication to -a3e slides ?alternati2e
to "icrosoft Power0oint and co-0ati;le with PPT@
!i;reOffice "ath A tool to create and edit "ath for-.las
!i;reOffice riter A word 0rocessor ?alternati2e to "icrosoft ord and
co-0ati;le with DO5.@
In +#o.nd 8 Video, /o. can find the following softwareD
N421 D1.+',0&,(%
=anshee A -.sic a00lication to 0la/ online radio: strea-
-.sic fro- the Internet and online -.sic ser2ices
and to listen to /o.r collection of -.sic files
?alternati2e to iT.nes@. =anshee also -anages
0odcasts: 0orta;le 0la/ers and can ri0 5Ds.
=rasero A 5DKDVD ;.rning a00lication. =rasero can also
-a3e a.dio 5Ds fro- -.lti-edia files.
Videos Tote- 2ideo 0la/er
V!5 A 2ideo 0la/er: notorio.s for ;eing a;le to 0la/ -ost
2ideo files a2aila;le on the e;.
T51 =S14'+5> 6,17)
If /o. canJt re-e-;er how to find a 0artic.lar a00lication within the -en. or if /o. want
to get C.ic3er access to it /o. can .se the search feat.re. #i-0l/ clic3 on +"en., in the
;otto-Aleft corner of /o.r screen and start t/0ing the na-e or a descri0tion of the
a00lication /o.Jre loo3ing for.
As /o.Jre t/0ing: onl/ the a00lications -atching /o.r search will sta/ 2isi;le within the
-en..
D16,%1 /(*' 64:(',&1 4007,+4&,(%.
6o.Jll .se so-e a00lications -ore than others: so /o.Jll C.ic3l/ find that /o. want fast
access to the a00lications that /o.Jre .sing the -ost.
The -en. lets /o. define +fa2orite, a00lications and 3ee0 the- on a s0ecial -en. for
eas/ a2aila;ilit/.
Page )& of 46
Right clic3 on an a00lication of /o.r choice with the -en. and select +Add to fa2orites,.
In the sa-e wa/ /o. can also choose to +Re-o2e fro- fa2orites,. 6o.r fa2orites will ;e
shown in the left of the -en..
6o. can also reorganiHe these a00lications. =/ dragging and dro00ing /o. can change the
order.
M491 /(*' (8% .5('&+*&.
If /o. donJt li3e the idea of ha2ing +7a2orite, a00lications: /o. can si-0l/ .se /o.r
0anel or /o.r des3to0 to achie2e si-ilar res.lts: ?na-el/: gi2ing /o.rself C.ic3 access to
/o.r a00lications@. #i-0l/ right clic3 the a00lication of /o.r choice fro- the -en. to
and choose +Add to 0anel, or +Add to des3to0,.
C54%<1 &51 40014'4%+1 (6 &51 21%*
6o. can c.sto-iHe the -en. in -an/ wa/s. Right clic3 on +"en., and select
+5onfig.re,.
The config.ration tool for the -en. a00ears. 'ere: /o. can -odif/ so-e as0ects of the
5inna-on -en..
R1.&('1 &51 )164*7& .1&&,%<.
Page 4* of 46
If /o. want to re2ert to the defa.lt settings: in the config.reA-en. clic3 the ;.tton to the
right of +Re-o2e, and choose +Restore to defa.lts,.
L4*%+5 4007,+4&,(%. 4*&(24&,+477/ 851% /(* 7(< ,%
(nder Preferences /o. can find the a00lication +#tart.0 A00lications,. 6o. can add an
a00lication here. The right infor-ation for the a00lication /o. want to add can ;e fo.nd
in the -en. editor: which was -entioned ;efore when tal3ing a;o.t the ter-inal. The
a00lication will then ;e la.nched a.to-aticall/ each ti-e after /o. log in. This can ;e
disa;led ;/ deselecting the a00lication.
S(6&84'1 M4%4<121%&
P4+94<1 M4%4<121%& ,% L,%*- M,%&
If /o. ha2e installed !in.9 for the first ti-e: then /o. -a/ not ;e fa-iliar with the
conce0t of organiHing software into +0ac3ages,. 6o. will soon ;eco-e fa-iliar with
0ac3age -anage-ent and a00reciate the ad2antages it offers in ter-s of sec.rit/: control
and ease of .se.
e ha2e tried to -a3e it so that all or -ost of /o.r hardware was detected and dri2ers
were installed a.to-aticall/ so that /o.r co-0.ter wo.ld wor3 o.t of the ;o9. e ha2e
also tried to -a3e it so that /o. co.ld do -an/ of the things /o. want to witho.t ha2ing
to loo3 aro.nd for third 0art/ software on we;sites. 6o. -a/ ha2e noticed that /o.r
!in.9 "int installation alread/ has a f.ll office s.ite: a 0rofessionalAC.alit/ i-ageA
editing sol.tion: an I" and an IR5 client: a dis3 ;.rner: and se2eral -edia 0la/ers ?as
well as -an/ other ;asic accessories@. Rela9: it<s o3a/Q 6o. ha2en<t stolen an/thingQ This
is what free software is all a;o.tQ And the tr.l/ great thing a;o.t 0ac3age -anage-ent in
!in.9 "int and generall/ is that /o. sho.ld ne2er need to loo3 far and wide for e9tra
software: e2en when the ti-e co-es that /o. do want -ore f.nctionalit/ fro- /o.r
!in.9 "int s/ste-.
This section is intended to e90lain how this wor3s and the ad2antages that it can ;ring to
/o.. It<s a ;it long: ;.t ho0ef.ll/ it will 0ro2ide /o. with a good .nderstanding of the
0hiloso0h/ ;ehind 0ac3age -anage-ent and wh/ it is considered a %ood Thing ?a 0hrase
co--onl/ ca0italiHed ;/ !in.9 .sers to -ean that so-ething is sC.arel/ in the categor/
of good@. If /o.<re in a h.rr/: /o. can s3i0 to the ne9t section which will tell /o. how to
act.all/ .se the 0ac3age s/ste-.
The 0ro;le-s with ;rowsing software 2endors< we;sites and downloading and installing
the software the/ offer are -an/D
Page 41 of 46
It is diffic.lt or i-0ossi;le to find o.t if the software has ;een tested to wor3 with
/o.r o0erating s/ste-
It is diffic.lt or i-0ossi;le to 3now how this software will interact with the other
software installed on /o.r s/ste-
It is diffic.lt or i-0ossi;le to 3now if /o. can 0lace /o.r tr.st that software
fro- an .n3nown de2elo0er software will not ca.se an/ har-: willf.l or
negligent: to /o.r s/ste- 5ven if you )now about a specific piece of software and
its developer* you cannot be entirely sure that you are not downloading an
executable that has been swapped out by a malicious third party for some type of
malware.
7.rther-ore: a 0ro;le- with downloading and installing -.lti0le different 0rogra-s:
fro- -.lti0le different de2elo0ers: is that there is no -anagerial infrastr.ct.re. =efore
/o. sa/ +;ig deal,: consider how /o. are going to 3ee0 all these different 0ieces of
software .0 to date. If /o. get tired of a 0rogra- and want to re-o2e it: how do /o.
3now how to achie2e thatN The 0rogra- in C.estion -ight not ha2e co-e with a re-o2al
o0tion: and e2en if it did: -.ch of the ti-e this will fail to re-o2e the software cleanl/
and co-0letel/. In a 2er/ real sense: when /o. ran that installer 0rogra-: /o. ga2e .0
so-e of /o.r control of /o.r co-0.ter to a 0rogra- written entirel/ ;/ a co-0lete
stranger.
7inall/: software which is distri;.ted in this wa/ is often: ;/ 2irt.e of necessit/: +static,.
This -eans that not onl/ do /o. need to download the 0rogra- itself: ;.t also all of the
data li;raries that are reC.ired for it to r.n. #ince a thirdA0art/ software de2elo0er cannot
3now which data li;raries /o. -a/ alread/ ha2e a2aila;le on /o.r s/ste-: the onl/ wa/
that the/ can g.arantee it will r.n on /o.r s/ste- is ;/ s.00l/ing all of the data li;raries
it needs along with the 0rogra- itself. This -eans ;igger downloads: and it -eans that
when the ti-e co-es to .0date a gi2en li;rar/: it needs to ;e done se0aratel/ for all those
0rogra-s .sing it: instead of >.st once. In s.--ar/: the distri;.tion of static software
res.lts in the .nnecessar/ d.0lication of a lot of wor3.
Pac3age -anage-ent in !in.9 "int: and %N(K!in.9 o0erating s/ste-s in general: has
;een esta;lished for so-e ti-e and is the 0referred -ethod for -anaging software as it
a2oids all of these iss.es. e<2e ;een safel/ and a.to-aticall/ installing o.r software
since the earl/ 1&&*s.
#oftware is first written ;/ a de2elo0er: as /o. -ight e90ect: and this end of the
0rod.ction chain is 3nown as +.0strea-,. As a .ser of a !in.9 distri;.tion: /o. are
referred to as ;eing at the f.rthest 0oint +downstrea-, ?.nless /o.<re an ad-in: in which
case your .sers are the f.rthest 0oint downstrea-: ;.t /o. 3new that ;eca.se /o.<re an
ad-in@. Once the de2elo0er is ha00/ with the 0rogra- or the .0date to the 0rogra- the/
ha2e written: the/ will release the so.rce code for it. The/ will also co--.nicate in their
doc.-entation which data li;raries or other 0rogra-s the/ too3 ad2antage of when the/
Page 4) of 46
were writing the 0rogra-. The/ ha2e ;een doing this for so-e ti-e and there are
standardiHed and 2enera;le wa/s for the- to do this. Note that: with a few e9ce0tions
?.s.all/ either hardware -an.fact.rers who release dri2ers for !in.9: li3e nVidia or ATI:
or certain -a>or co-0anies li3e Ado;e: who we can tr.st@ the/ release the act.al source
code for the 0rogra-: that is: the list of instr.ctions in that 0rogra- in a h.-an reada;le
for-. This has a n.-;er of i-0lications: ;.t -ost i-0ortantl/ for this disc.ssion it
-eans that the/ are willing to ha2e their software 0eer re2iewed ;/ an/one and e2er/one
with an Internet connection. It<s awf.ll/ diffic.lt to snea3 s0/ware into /o.r 0rogra-
when /o.<re letting e2er/one see what /o.<2e writtenQ
The software now -o2es down the strea- to 0ac3age -aintainers: who are either
2ol.nteers or 0aid e-0lo/ees wor3ing for a !in.9 distri;.tion. It is their res0onsi;ilit/ to
co-0ile the so.rce code for the software: test it on the distri;.tion to -a3e s.re that it
wor3s: resol2e an/ 0ro;le-s that the/ enco.nter and finall/ pac)age the co-0iled ?i.e.:
-achineAreada;le@ software in a con2enient for-at. This 0ac3age contains the e9ec.ta;le
0rogra-?s@: their config.ration files: and the instr.ctions the 0ac3age -anage-ent
software needs to s.ccessf.ll/ install it. Note that it won<t ordinaril/ contain an/ static
li;raries: since it doesn<t need to V the li;raries are 0ro2ided ;/ other 0ac3ages: and are
therefore 3nown as shared li;raries. 6o.r 0ac3age -anage-ent software will 3now if
that a 0artic.lar 0ac3age reC.ires another 0ac3age to ;e installed first ?li3e a shared
li;rar/@: ;eca.se: as /o. will re-e-;er: the data li;raries and related 0ac3ages needed
for the software to wor3 were declared f.rther .0strea- and that infor-ation is incl.ded
in the 0ac3age. The instr.ctions are s.fficientl/ detailed that e2en s0ecific 2ersions of
other 0ac3ages can ;e reC.ested to ens.re intero0era;ilit/. The finished 0ac3age is then
.0loaded to a s0ecial file ser2er: which is called a software re0ositor/.
It is fro- that single location that /o. are a;le to download and install the software /o.
need. 6o. will 3now that the location is bona fide: ;eca.se it is signed with a certificate
that /o.r 0ac3age -anager will chec3. 6o. will also 3now that each indi2id.al 0ac3age
that /o. install is sec.re: ;eca.se each 0ac3age is itself signed ;/ a %P% 3e/: which /o.r
0ac3age -anager will also chec3. 6o.r 0ac3age -anager will e2en r.n an "DE s.- on
each 0ac3age to -a3e s.re that nothing went wrong when it was downloading: >.st li3e
we did ;efore with the !i2eDVD iso. Notice how it<s doing all of this for /o.. 6o.<re >.st
sitting ;ac3: si00ing a -artini: and chatting in Llin.9-int on 9chat. The 0ac3age -anager
has downloaded the 0ac3ages /o. ha2e selected: it will follow: to the letter ?co-0.ters
are fastidio.s in following instr.ctions@: the instr.ctions in the 0ac3age to 0erfectl/ install
/o.r software: and all of its de0endencies: in the right order. There is no s0ace for h.-an
error V if the 0ac3age wor3ed on the -aintainer<s co-0.ter: then it o.ght to on /o.rs
;eca.se the 0ac3age -anager will follow exactly the sa-e 0roced.re.
hen it co-es ti-e to chec3 for software .0dates: /o.r 0ac3age -anager will
a.to-aticall/ co-0are the software 2ersion that /o. ha2e against what is a2aila;le in the
re0ositor/: and do all the necessar/ wor3 to 3ee0 /o.r s/ste- r.nning s-oothl/ and
sec.rel/. #o: if 2ersion ).4 of =est#oft is .0loaded to the re0ositor/: and /o. ha2e
Page 44 of 46
2ersion ).4: the 0ac3age -anager will co-0are those 2ersion n.-;ers: and offer to install
the latest 2ersion: ta3ing care: of co.rse: of all the de0endencies for the newer 2ersion of
the software.
#o.nding good /etN It gets ;etter.
'.-ans err where co-0.ters don<t and fro- ti-e to ti-e so-ething -a/ go wrong in
this 0rocess. Perha0s /o. will: ;/ accident: install hardware dri2ers for the wrong 0iece
of hardware and this -ight ;rea3 so-ething. e<2e all done that. Or 0erha0s there<s a ;.g
or /o.r fa2orite feat.re was re-o2ed ;/ the 0rogra-<s de2elo0er for so-e reason. These
0ro;le-s de-onstrate: 0arado9icall/: the strength and sec.rit/ of 0ac3age -anage-ent.
=eca.se /o.r 0ac3age -anager 3ee0s fastidio.s records of e2er/thing it e2er does: it is
a;le to re2erse installations: cleanl/ and co-0letel/. It will -a3e s.re that re-o2ing one
0ac3age doesn<t ;rea3 an/ others: and /o. can e2en tell it s0ecificall/ to do things li3e
not a.to-aticall/ .0grade certain 0ac3ages: ;eca.se /o. li3e the- the wa/ the/ are: or to
re2ert to an earlier 2ersion. 7inall/: the whole 0rocess is very hea2il/ 0eerAre2iewed.
=eca.se /o. are 0art of a large co--.nit/ of !in.9 .sers: all .sing the sa-e re0ositories
to o;tain their software: if an/thing goes wrong /o. can ;e a;sol.tel/ s.re there will ;e a
;ig f.ss a;o.t it: and that the 0ro;le- will ;e resol2ed C.ic3l/Q In this wa/: software
distri;.tion in %N(K!in.9 distri;.tions is 2er/ -.ch ;ased on tr.st: fro- the -o-ent
the original de2elo0er dis0la/s their so.rce code for all to see: to the o0en disc.ssion on
the distri;.tion<s we;site. 6o. can ;e confident in the software /o. o;tain: not onl/
;eca.se of the sec.rit/ 0rotocols alread/ -entioned: ;.t ;eca.se if an/thing does go
wrong everyone will ;e tal3ing a;o.t itQ
!et<s loo3 again at o.r list of 0ro;le-s and see what we ha2e sol2edD
%t is difficult or impossible to find out if the software has been tested to wor) with
your operating system
6o. 3now that the software a2aila;le to /o. thro.gh the re0ositor/ has ;een
thoro.ghl/ tested ;/ the 0ac3age -aintainer and the testing tea- to wor3 with
/o.r o0erating s/ste-. The/ won<t want to get it wrong: -ostl/ on 0rinci0le:
;.t also ;eca.se if the/ do the/<ll soon ;e getting lots of e-ails.
%t is difficult or impossible to )now how this software will interact with the other
software installed on your system
#i-ilarl/: 0ac3age -aintainers tr/ their .t-ost to ens.re that 0ac3ages won<t
conflict with other 0ac3ages offered ;/ their distri;.tion. Of co.rse: the/
-ight not ha2e e2er/ last 0ac3age installed on their testing -achines ?in fact:
.s.all/ 0ac3age -aintainers ;.ild their 0ac3ages on clean installations to
ens.re that the/ are standard@: ;.t if a -e-;er of the .ser co--.nit/ finds
o.t that there is a 0ro;le-: the/ will no do.;t let the distri;.tion tea- 3now:
and the 0ro;le- will ;e fi9ed: or at least wor3ed on. (nless /o. are a ;eta
tester: then /o. are .nli3el/ to e2er see s.ch a conflict: ;eca.se that<s what
;eta testing is for.
Page 44 of 46
%t is difficult or impossible to )now if you can place your trust in the developer
that their software will not cause any harm* willful or negligent* to your system
Pac3age -aintainers are hardl/ li3el/ to 0ac3age software the/ 3now will
har- 0eo0le<s co-0.ters ?incl.ding their own@Q Onl/ software which is
3nown and tr.sted will e2er -a3e it to the re0ositor/.
5ven if you )now about a specific piece of software and its developer* you cannot be
entirely sure that you are not downloading an executable that has been swapped out by a
malicious third party for some type of malware.
In addition to the .s.al sec.rit/ -eas.res 0.t in 0lace ;/ the instit.tions who
own the ser2ers ?.s.all/ 0restigio.s acade-ic or research instit.tions: or large
co-0anies@: the re0ositor/ and 0ac3ages the-sel2es are sec.red ;/
certificates and %P% 3e/s. If so-ething<s gone wrong: /o.r 0ac3age -anager
will tell /o. a;o.t it. The 0resent a.thor: in ten /ears of .sing !in.9: has
ne2er once 3nown an/thing to go wrong in this res0ect.
%t is difficult to remove 6all traces of7 installed programs
=eca.se the 0ac3age -anage-ent software 3ee0s a co-0lete record of all of
its actions: it is C.ite ca0a;le of re2ersing an/ ste0s that it too3 in the 0ast:
while ens.ring that re-o2ing one 0ac3age will not ca.se an/ other 0ac3age to
fail.
&tatic pac)ages are big and clun)y
=eca.se /o.<re .sing 0ac3age -anage-ent: /o. will onl/ e2er download
static li;raries when there is no shared alternati2e. If /o. need new shared
data li;raries to install a gi2en 0rogra-: /o.r 0ac3age -anager will 3now this
and install the- for /o. a.to-aticall/. 6o. will onl/ e2er ha2e to download a
shared li;rar/ once ;eca.se: well: it<s shared ;/ all the 0rogra-s that need it.
If /o. end .0 re-o2ing the last 0ac3age that needs a shared li;rar/: then the
0ac3age -anage-ent software will re-o2e that too. (ut: if /o. decide that
/o. do want to 3ee0 the shared o;>ect an/wa/: 0erha0s ;eca.se /o. >.st 3now
/o.<ll need it later: then /o. can tell the 0ac3age -anage-ent software to do
that: too.
%-m still not convinced
%oodQ Post a -essage on the for.-s a;o.t it if /o. ha2e a gen.ine concern
a;o.t 0ac3age -anage-ent: or to as3 a;o.t other 0eo0le<s e90eriences. It
;ears re0eating that the 0ac3age -ethod of distri;.tion in %N(K!in.9 relies
on tr.st: so if there<s a 0ro;le-: we want to hear a;o.t itQ
A final word. 6o. -a/ ha2e ;een s.;>ected to r.-ors to the effect that !in.9 isn<t
finished /et: or that if /o. .se !in.9 then /o. are a ;etaAtester: or that !in.9 software is
.nsta;le. These are all half tr.ths. +!in.9, will ne2er ;e +finished,: an/ -ore than an/
other -a>or o0erating s/ste- can ;e considered +finished,. 7ro- the !in.9 3ernel to the
artwor3 on /o.r screen: all the ele-ents of /o.r o0erating s/ste- will always ;e .nder
so-e 3ind of de2elo0-ent. This is ;eca.se 0rogra--ers are wor3ing hard to 3ee0 .s .0
to date with the latest de2elo0-ents in 0rogra--ing and hardware technolog/. This does
not -ean that the software a2aila;le for /o. to .se is of ;ad C.alit/. The ;ase s/ste- at
Page 4E of 46
the core of !in.9 "int has ;een .nder hea2/ de2elo0-ent for a;o.t two decades now:
and is 2er/ -at.re: sta;le: and 0ro2en. hile there are definitel/ .nsta;le 2ersions of
-ost of the software on /o.r o0erating s/ste-: you won<t ;e .sing the- ;eca.se you-re
not a ;eta tester. 6o. 3now /o.<re not a ;eta tester: ;eca.se /o.<re reading this. The
software a2aila;le to /o. on the re0ositories /o. .se will always ;e sta;le and well
tested: .nless /o. change those re0ositories to the ones .sed ;/ the testers ?in which case
congrat.lations: /o.<2e >.st ;eco-e a tester@. It<s a ;it of a noA;rainer: reall/.
#o: to s.--ariHe with an e9a-0le: when /o. install O0era: Real Pla/er or %oogle Earth
in !in.9 "int: these a00lications do not co-e fro- their original de2elo0ers ?O0era:
Real and %oogle@. Of co.rse the .0strea- a00lication co-es fro- these de2elo0ers: ;.t
onl/ after the/J2e ;een 0ro0erl/ 0ac3aged and tested do the/ ;eco-e a2aila;le for /o..
#o: in other words: /o. sho.ld ne2er need to go and ;rowse the Internet to loo3 for
software: as e2er/thing /o. need is a2aila;le and alread/ tested for /o. and for /o.r
s/ste- ;/ the !in.9 "int and (;.nt. tea-s. All /o. need to do is choose what /o. want
to do.
!in.9 "int will .0date itself a.to-aticall/ thro.gh a tool called the (0date "anager:
which will .0date not onl/ the ;ase o0erating s/ste-: ;.t all the software installed on
/o.r -achine as well.
It<s that si-0le. hewQ
#o-e of the -ost 0o0.lar a00lications that are not installed ;/ defa.lt in !in.9 "int are
O0era: #3/0e: Acro;at Reader: %oogle Earth and Real Pla/er.
T51 S(6&84'1 M4%4<1'
The easiest wa/ to install software in !in.9 "int is to .se the #oftware "anager. It is
;.ilt on to0 of the 0ac3age technolog/ we disc.ssed earlier: ;.t -a3es things easier to
.nderstand: as it allows /o. to install programs rather than 0ac3ages ?tho.gh: re-e-;er:
it is still .sing the 0ac3age s/ste- in the ;ac3gro.nd: so it still has the sa-e ;enefits@.
O0en the -en. and select +#oftware "anager,.
The #oftware "anager lets /o. ;rowse the software -ade a2aila;le for !in.9 "int. 6o.
can ;rowse ;/ categor/: search ;/ 3e/word or sort the software ;/ rating and 0o0.larit/.
S/%40&,+ ? APT
If /o. want to install -ore than one a00lication or if /o.Jre loo3ing for so-ething which
is not in the #oftware Portal or in the #oftware "anager: !in.9 "int 0ro2ides two other
wa/s to install software. One is a gra0hical tool called +#/na0tic, and the other is a
co--and line tool called +APT,.
Page 46 of 46
!etJs see how we can install O0era ?an alternati2e to the 7irefo9 e; =rowser@ with these
tools insteadD
O0en the -en. and select +#/na0tic Pac3age "anager,.
5lic3 on the +#earch, ;.tton and t/0e +o0era,. Then go thro.gh the list of 0ac3ages and
find the one corres0onding to the O0era e; =rowser. Tic3 the ;o9 and select +"ar3 for
Installation, then clic3 on the +A00l/, ;.tton.
Now letJs see how we co.ld ha2e installed O0era .sing the APT co--and line tool.
O0en the -en. and select +Ter-inal,. Then t/0e the following co--andD
apt install opera
Note: a)e sure synaptic is closed before using A#". &ynaptic is using A#" in the bac)ground so both
can0t run at the same time. "he same goes for the &oftware anager.
As /o. can see APT is e9tre-el/ eas/ to .se ;.t itJs not gra0hical. ItJs O$. If /o.Jre
starting with !in.9 /o. 0ro;a;l/ 0refer to deal with a gra0hical interface ?that<s wh/
the/<re there@ ;.t as ti-e goes on /o.Jll 0refer things to ;e fast and efficient and as /o.
can see the fastest wa/ to install O0era is to t/0e +a0t install o0era,. It canJt ;e si-0ler
than that.
There is one i-0ortant difference ;etween the #oftware "anager and #/na0ticKAPT
tho.gh. ith #/na0tic and APT /o. ;asicall/ deal with 0ac3ages. In o.r e9a-0le the
O0era a00lication was 2er/ si-0le and was onl/ -ade of one 0ac3age which na-e was
also +o0era,: ;.t this will not alwa/s ;e the case: and so-eti-es /o. -ight not 3now
what the na-e of the 0ac3age is. #o-eti-es /o. -ight not e2en ha2e access to the
0ac3ages for a 0artic.lar a00lication.
The #oftware "anager is different ;eca.se it lets /o. install +a00lications, ;/ getting the
right +0ac3ages, for /o.: not onl/ fro- the re0ositories ?0ac3ages data;ases@ that
#/na0tic and APT ha2e access to: ;.t also fro- other 0laces on the Internet.
#o /o. -ight .se the #oftware "anager for two different reasonsD
A =eca.se /o.Jre not .sed to APTK#/na0tic
A =eca.se it can act.all/ install a00lications /o. donJt ha2e access to .sing other
tools.
R12(:1 4007,+4&,(%.
Page 41 of 46
U.,%< APT
One wa/ to re-o2e a00lications is ;/ .sing APT. Again: weJre tal3ing co--andAline
.tilit/ here: ;.t see how s.r0risingl/ eas/ this isD
O0en the -en. and select +Ter-inal,. Then t/0e the following co--andD
apt remove opera
Note: a)e sure synaptic is closed before using A#". &ynaptic is using A#" in the bac)ground so both
can0t run at the same time.
And thatJs it. ith one single co--and /o.J2e re-o2ed O0era fro- /o.r co-0.ter.
S/%40&,+
6o. can also .se #/na0tic to re-o2e 0ac3ages... !in.9 is all a;o.t choice so letJs see
how to do this.
O0en the -en. and select +Pac3age "anager,.
5lic3 on the +#earch, ;.tton and select +o0era,. Then go thro.gh the list of 0ac3ages and
find the one corres0onding to the O0era e; =rowser. Tic3 the ;o9 and select +"ar3 for
Re-o2al, then clic3 on the +A00l/, ;.tton.
U0)4&1 /(*' ./.&12 4%) /(*' 4007,+4&,(%.
If a new 2ersion of an/ 0ac3age installed on /o.r co-0.ter is -ade a2aila;le /o. can
.0grade to it. It -a/ ;e a sec.rit/ .0date for so-e co-0onent of the o0erating s/ste-: it
-a/ ;e an o0ti-iHation in one s0ecific li;rar/ or it -a/ e2en ;e a newer 2ersion of
7irefo9. =asicall/: /o.r s/ste- is -ade of 0ac3ages and an/ 0art of it can ;e .0dated ;/
.0dating so-e of those 0ac3ages. This -eans re0lacing the c.rrent 0ac3age with a newer
2ersion.
There are -an/ wa/s to do this ;.t onl/ one of the- is reco--ended.
6o. co.ld .se APT to .0grade all /o.r 0ac3ages with one si-0le co--and ?+a0t
.0grade,@ ;.t we strongl/ reco--end /o. donJt do so. The reason is that it doesn<t -a3e
an/ distinctions in selecting which .0dates to a00l/ and ass.-es that /o. want all of
the-.
#o-e 0arts of the s/ste- are safe to .0date and so-e others arenJt. 7or instance: ;/
.0dating /o.r 3ernel ?the 0art which is res0onsi;le a-ong other things for hardware
recognition@ /o. -ight ;rea3 /o.r so.nd s.00ort: /o.r wireless card s.00ort or e2en
so-e a00lications ?s.ch as V"are and Virt.al;o9@ which are closel/ lin3ed to the
3ernel.
Page 48 of 46
U.,%< &51 U0)4&1 M4%4<1'
!in.9 "int co-es with a tool called the (0date "anager. It gi2es -ore infor-ation
a;o.t .0dates and lets /o. define how safe an .0date -.st ;e ;efore /o. want to a00l/ it.
It loo3s li3e a shield and sits on the ;otto-Aright corner of /o.r screen.
If /o. 0lace /o.r -o.se 0ointer on to0 of it: it will tell /o. either that /o.r s/ste- is .0
to date or: if it isn<t: how -an/ .0dates are a2aila;le.
If /o. clic3 on the loc3 icon: the (0date "anager o0ens and shows /o. the .0dates that
are a2aila;le. The interface is 2er/ eas/ to .se. 7or each 0ac3age .0date /o. can read the
descri0tion: the changelog ?this is where de2elo0ers e90lain their changes when the/
-odif/ the 0ac3age@: and e2ent.all/ if !in.9 "int assigned warnings or e9tra
infor-ation a;o.t the .0dates. 6o. can also see which 2ersion is c.rrentl/ installed on
/o.r co-0.ter and which 2ersion is a2aila;le for /o. to .0date to. Also /o. ha2e a
s/-;ol showing if it<s a Pac3age .0date or a #ec.rit/ .0date.
7inall/: /o. can see the sta;ilit/ le2el assigned to the 0ac3age .0date. Each 0ac3age
.0date ;rings i-0ro2e-ents or fi9es sec.rit/ iss.es ;.t that doesnJt -ean the/Jre ris3A
free and canJt introd.ce new ;.gs. The sta;ilit/ le2el is assigned to each 0ac3age ;/
!in.9 "int and gi2es /o. an indication of how safe it is for /o. to a00l/ an .0date.
Page 4& of 46
Of co.rse /o. can clic3 on the col.-ns to sort ;/ sta;ilit/ le2el: stat.s: 0ac3age na-e or
;/ 2ersion. 6o. can select all .0dates or .nselect all of the- ;/ .sing the +5lear, and
+#elect All, ;.ttons.
!e2el 1 and !e2el ) .0dates are ris3Afree and /o. sho.ld alwa/s a00l/ the-. !e2el 4
.0dates +sho.ld ;e safe, ;.t: altho.gh we reco--end /o. ta3e the-: -a3e s.re /o.
loo3 o2er the- on the list of .0dates. If /o. e90erience a 0ro;le- with a 0artic.lar !e2el
4 .0date: tell the !in.9 "int de2elo0-ent tea- so the/ can ta3e -eas.res to -a3e that
.0date a !e2el 4 or a !e2el E so as to warn or e2en disco.rage others against a00l/ing it.
If /o. clic3 on the +Preferences, ;.tton /o. sho.ld see the screen a;o2e. =/ defa.lt the
(0date "anager tells /o. a;o.t !e2el 1: ) and 4 .0dates. 6o. can decide to -a3e !e2el
4 and E +2isi;le,. This will -a3e -ore .0dates a00ear in the list. If /o. want to /o. can
e2en -a3e !e2el 4 and E .0dates +safe, ?altho.gh this is %(& reco--ended@. This will
ca.se the- to ;e selected ;/ defa.lt within the (0date "anager.
The (0date "anager onl/ co.nts +safe, .0dates. #o when it tells /o. /o.r s/ste- is .0
to date: it -eans there are no .0dates a2aila;le assigned with a le2el that /o. defined as
;eing +safe,.
The (0date "anager onl/ shows +2isi;le, .0dates in the list.
7or e9a-0le: if /o. -ade all le2els +2isi;le, and onl/ !e2el 1 and ) +safe,: /o. wo.ld
see a lot of .0dates in the list: ;.t the (0date "anager wo.ld 0ro;a;l/ tell /o. that /o.r
s/ste- was .0 to date.
The +A.toARefresh, ta; allows /o. to define how often the (0date "anager chec3s for
.0dates.
The +(0date "ethod, ta; lets /o. define how the (0date "anager chec3s for new
.0dates.
Page 4* of 46
The +#tart.0 dela/, is the a-o.nt of ti-e the (0date "anager waits ;efore chec3ing for
an Internet connection. This dela/ is .sed to gi2e the Networ3 "anager an o00ort.nit/ to
esta;lish a connection when the co-0.ter starts.
6o. can also define which do-ain na-e is .sed ;/ the (0date "anager to chec3 the
connection to the Internet. The (0date "anager will tr/ to 0ing this do-ain ;efore
loo3ing for .0dates.
The +Incl.de distA.0grade 0ac3ages, o0tion allows /o. to define whether the (0date
"anager sho.ld install new de0endencies or not. 7or instance if 0ac3age A 2ersion 1 was
installed on /o.r co-0.ter and 0ac3age A 2ersion ) ;eca-e a2aila;le: ;.t 2ersion ) had
a new de0endenc/ on 0ac3age = which isnJt installed on /o.r co-0.terP what wo.ld
ha00enN
If /o. left this chec3;o9 .nchec3ed: 2ersion ) wo.ld not a00ear as an .0date in the list of
.0dates.
If /o. chec3ed this chec3;o9: it wo.ld: and if selected it wo.ld install 0ac3age = as a
de0endenc/.
=e caref.l with this o0tion as de0endenc/ can install new 0ac3ages on /o.r ;ehalf ;.t
the/ can also so-eti-es re-o2e 0ac3ages /o. alread/ ha2e installed.
In the +Ignored 0ac3ages, ta; /o. can define 0ac3ages for which /o. do not want to
recei2e .0dates. +N, and +W, wildcard characters are s.00orted.
The +Pro9/, ta; lets /o. define 0ro9/ settings.
The last ta; lets /o. change the icons .sed ;/ the (0date "anager in the s/ste- tra/.
If /o. get errors with the (0date "anager ?+5anJt refresh list of 0ac3ages, for instance@:
/o. can chec3 the logs. Right clic3 on the loc3 icon in the s/ste- tra/ and select
+Infor-ation,. The following screen a00earsD
Page 41 of 46
In this screen /o. can see the 0rocess ID of the (0date "anager: whether it<s r.nning
with .ser or root 0er-issions: and the content of its log file.
6o. can also re2iew the .0dates that were a00lied on /o.r s/ste- ?0ro2ided the/ were
a00lied 2ia the (0date "anager@ ;/ clic3ing on +ViewAX'istor/ of (0dates,.
Page 4) of 46
T,0. 4%) T',+9.
Are /o. -a3ing the -ost of /o.r des3to0N Do /o. .s.all/ 0ress +5TR!T5, on /o.r
3e/;oard to co0/ so-e te9tN Do /o. o0en a te9t editor to ta3e a C.ic3 noteN 'ow do /o.
share files with /o.r friendsN There are -an/ wa/s to 0erfor- si-0le tas3s: so-e -ore
efficient than others. This cha0ter is going to show /o. a few 0artic.larities of !in.9:
5inna-on: and the !in.9 "int des3to0: to -a3e s.re /o. -a3e the -ost of /o.r s/ste-.
C(0/ 4%) 04.&1 8,&5 &51 2(*.1
"ost 0eo0le are .sed to clic3ing on the +Edit, -en. or to right clic3ing on the content
the/ want to co0/. In !in.9 "int /o. can do this as well: ;.t -ost %N(K!in.9 o0erating
s/ste-s also let /o. co0/ and 0aste content fro- the co-fort of /o.r -o.se. 'ere<s how
it wor3sD The left ;.tton of the -o.se co0ies and the -iddle ;.tton 0astes. It<s as si-0le
as thatQ
!et<s gi2e it a tr/. !a.nch !i;reOffice riter or a te9t editor: or an/ a00lication of /o.r
choice that lets /o. in0.t te9t. Now t/0e a few sentences. #elect so-e of the te9t /o. >.st
t/0ed with the left ;.tton of /o.r -o.se. Thin3 /o. need to clic3 on the +Edit, -en. and
0ress +5o0/,N NoN =et /o.<re thin3ing /o. wo.ld .se a co-;ination of 3e/s on /o.r
3e/;oard s.ch as +5TR!T5,. In !in.9: it is -.ch si-0ler. F.st ;/ selecting the te9t:
/o.<2e alread/ co0ied it. That<s right... that te9t is now co0ied to /o.r +-o.se ;.ffer, and
/o. don<t need to 0ress an/thing else.
Page 44 of 46
Now clic3 on so-e other 0art of the doc.-ent to -o2e the c.rsor there and clic3 the
-iddle ;.tton of /o.r -o.se ?or the wheelAclic3 if /o. ha2e a -o.se with a wheel: or
;oth the left and right ;.ttons together if /o.r -o.se onl/ has two ;.ttons... e2er/thing<s
;een tho.ght of: a0art fro- those weird "ac -ice with onl/ one ;.tton@. As /o. can see
the te9t /o. 0re2io.sl/ selected has now ;een 0asted.
The -ore /o. get .sed to this the faster /o.<ll get at co0/ing and 0asting content. This
techniC.e also wor3s on -ost (ni9 and %N(K!in.9 o0erating s/ste-s.
Note: "he buffer used by the mouse is not the same as the one used by the 1innamon des)top. &o you can
actually copy something with your mouse and copy something else with .1"2L;1/ or with the .5dit/
menu. "han)s to this you can copy two elements at a time and depending on how you copied them you can
paste them with either the middle mouse button or with .1"2L;,/ or the .5dit/ menu.
T491 %(&1. 8,&5 T(23(/
e all ta3e notes. hether it<s an address gi2en ;/ so-eone o2er the 0hone: an e2erA
growing TODO list or so-e 0artic.lar thing to re-e-;er: we<re often faced with the
sit.ation where we need to ta3e a C.ic3 note. #o-e of .s ha2e a lot of written notes
aro.nd o.r co-0.ters and ne2er see- to find a wor3ing 0en when the sit.ation arises:
others waste ti-e in la.nching tools that are not s.ita;le for this 0artic.lar .se
?!i;reOffice riter for instance is not 2er/ hand/ to ta3e notes@ and 2er/ few 0eo0le
act.all/ .se software dedicated to noteAta3ing. !in.9 "int ha00ens to incl.de a dedicated
noteAta3ing tool. It is called To-;o/ Notes.
Page 44 of 46
To-;o/ Notes is a 2er/ eas/ tool to .se. =/ clic3ing on it /o. get a list of all /o.r notes.
6o. can create new notes ;/ clic3ing on +5reate New Note,.
A new note o0ens .0. =/ changing its title /o.<ll also change its na-e. 6o. can write
whate2er /o. want in the note and close it. The content /o. wrote in /o.r note will
alwa/s ;e accessi;le thro.gh To-;o/ NotesB 6o. don<t need to sa2e an/thing and /o.
can e2en re;oot or t.rn off the co-0.ter. Again: /o.r note is sa2ed a.to-aticall/ as
/o.<re writing it.
If /o. e2ent.all/ decide that /o. no longer need to 3ee0 a 0artic.lar note: /o. can o0en
that note and clic3 on the +Delete, ;.tton.
If /o. write down the na-e of another note<s title within /o.r note: To-;o/ will
a.to-aticall/ create a lin3 to that other note and /o.<ll ;e a;le to clic3 that lin3 to o0en
the other note.
6o. can also .se different for-atting o0tions within /o.r note and .se the -an/ feat.res
0ro2ided ;/ To-;o/ Notes ?s/nchroniHation: search feat.res: e90ort notes to
PD7K'T"!...etc@.
C(%+7*.,(%
There<s a lot -ore to learn a;o.t !in.9 "int and a;o.t !in.9 in general. This g.ide was
>.st an o2er2iew of so-e of the as0ects related to /o.r des3to0. =/ now /o. sho.ld feel
Page 4E of 46
-ore co-forta;le with .sing it and /o. sho.ld ha2e a ;etter .nderstanding of so-e of its
co-0onents. here are /o. going to go ne9tN ill /o. learn how to .se the ter-inalN
ill /o. gi2e other des3to0s a tr/ ?$DE: I75E: etc.@N It<s entirel/ .0 to /o.. Re-e-;er:
!in.9 is a;o.t f.n and the co--.nit/ is there to hel0. Ta3e /o.r ti-e and learn a little
;it e2er/ da/. There<s alwa/s so-ething new no -atter how -.ch /o. 3now alread/.
En>o/ !in.9 and than3 /o. for choosing !in.9 "int.
Page 46 of 46