Fedora Core

Debian

SuSE Linux

Mandriva (former MandrakeSoft)

Knoppix: an operating system that runs from your CD-ROM, you don't need to
install anything.

Downloadable ISO-images can be obtained from LinuxISO.org. The main distributions

can be purchased in any decent computer shop.
1.6. Summary

In this chapter, we learned that:

Linux is an implementation of UNIX.

The Linux operating system is written in the C programming language.

"De gustibus et coloribus non disputandum est": there's a Linux for everyone.

Linux uses GNU tools, a set of freely available standard tools for handling the
operating system.

1.7. Exercises

A practical exercise for starters: install Linux on your PC. Read the installation
manual for your distribution and/or the Installation HOWTO and do it.

Note Read the docs!

Most errors stem from not reading the information provided during the install.
Reading the installation messages carefully is the first step on the road to
success.

Things you must know BEFORE starting a Linux installation:

Will this distribution run on my hardware?

Check with http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/index.html when in doubt

about compatibility of your hardware.

What kind of keyboard do I have (number of keys, layout)? What kind of mouse
(serial/parallel, number of buttons)? How many MB of RAM?

Will I install a basic workstation or a server, or will I need to select

specific packages myself?

Will I install from my hard disk, from a CD-ROM, or using the network? Should I
adapt the BIOS for any of this? Does the installation method require a boot disk?

Will Linux be the only system on this computer, or will it be a dual boot
installation? Should I make a large partition in order to install virtual systems
later on, or is this a virtual installation itself?

Is this computer in a network? What is its hostname, IP address? Are there any
gateway servers or other important networked machines my box should communicate
with?

Caution Linux expects to be networked

Not using the network or configuring it incorrectly may result in slow startup.

Is this computer a gateway/router/firewall? (If you have to think about this

question, it probably isn't.)

Partitioning: let the installation program do it for you this time, we will
discuss partitions in detail in Chapter 3. There is system-specific documentation
available if you want to know everything about it. If your Linux distribution does
not offer default partitioning, that probably means it is not suited for beginners.

Will this machine start up in text mode or in graphical mode?

Think of a good password for the administrator of this machine (root). Create a
non-root user account (non-privileged access to the system).

Do I need a rescue disk? (recommended)

Which languages do I want?

The full checklist can be found at http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Installation-

HOWTO/index.html.

In the following chapters we will find out if the installation has been successful