Beginning SUSE Linux: From Novice to Professional

Beginning SUSE Linuxndash;From Novice to Professional Keir Thomas Copyright copy; 2005 by Keir Thomas All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or me...

Linux has come a long way in a short time. Computing itself is still relatively young by any standard; if the era of modern computing started with the invention of the microchip, it's still less than 50 years old. But Linux...

Chapter 1: Welcome! Overview If you're an avid computer user, there's a good chance that you've heard of Linux. You might have read about it, or perhaps you've seen television ads that refer to it. One of the odd things a...

Chapter 2: A History and Politics Lesson Overview Linux is more than just software. It's an entire community of users, and as such, there's a detailed social history behind it. In this chapter, we'll look at the origins o...

Chapter 3: The Realities of Running Linux So now that you've learned about the politics, history, and personalities behind Linux, only one question remains: what's Linux actually like when used day to day? What should the a...

Chapter 4: Preinstallation Steps Overview The first part of this book discussed the pros and cons of using Linux as part of your day-today life. It was intended to help you evaluate Linux and understand what you're buying...

Chapter 5: Installing SUSE Linux Overview It's now time to install Linux. This chapter details how to install SUSE Linux, as supplied with this book. SUSE uses its own YaST2 program for this purpose. Installing Linux is...

Chapter 6: Solving Installation Problems Overview Chances are that your installation of SUSE Linux will complete without a hitch, and you'll find yourself with a new operating system up and running immediately. However, i...

Chapter 7: Booting Linux for the First Time Overview Now that you have SUSE Linux on your PC, you'll no doubt want to get started immediately, and that's what Part Three of this book is all about. In later chapters, we'll...

Chapter 8: Getting Hardware Up and Running Overview SUSE Linux is extremely good at setting up PC hardware. In fact, it's considered by many to be among the best Linux distributions in this regard. Usually, SUSE Linux aut...

Chapter 9: Securing Your System Overview Linux is widely considered to be one of the most secure operating systems around. SUSE Linux enhances this reputation by making some of the built-in Linux security tools easy to us...

Chapter 10: Personalizing SUSE Linux: Getting Everything Just Right Overview If you've read this book from Chapter 1, by this stage, you'll no doubt have become comfortable with SUSE Linux. You'll have started to realize...

Chapter 11: Using Linux Replacements for Windows Programs Overview SUSE Linux aims to be similar to Windows in order to ease the transition for Microsoft migrators. As such, it supplies a core collection of software that...

Chapter 12: Managing Your Files Overview Files are what make the world of SUSE Linux go round. They're the currency of any kind of operating system, because every time you use your computer, you generate new files, even i...

Chapter 13: Dealing with Problems Overview No doubt, you've heard wide-ranging claims about Linux being stable and secure, implying that it won't give you any problems. This is certainly true to an extent, but the reality...

Chapter 14: Introducing the BASH Shell Overview As you learned in Chapter 1, strictly speaking, the word Linux refers to just the kernel, which is the fundamental, invisible program that runs your PC and lets everything h...

Chapter 15: Understanding Linux Files and Users Overview Most of us are used to dealing with filesmdash;the things that live on our hard disks, floppies, and CD-ROMs, and contain data and program code. It should come as n...

Chapter 16: Working with Text Files Overview Windows views text files as just another file type, but to SUSE Linux, they can be essential system components that make the system work. Configuration files are stored as plai...

Chapter 17: Taking Control of the System Overview By now, you should be starting to realize that the shell offers an enormous amount of power when it comes to administering your PC. The commands it provides gives you quic...

Chapter 18: Cool Shell Tricks Overview The BASH shell is the product of many years of development work by a lot of people. It comes from the old days of Unix and was an important step in computer software evolution. It's...

Chapter 19: MP3s and CDs Overview SUSE Linux is a thoroughly modern operating system, loaded with tools for working with music, movies, and images. We will discuss all this over the next few chapters. You'll see how your...

Chapter 20: Viewing Movies and Video Overview Playing music files is only a part of SUSE Linux's abilities when it comes to multimedia. It's also a powerful movie player. It's capable of streaming video across the Interne...

Chapter 21: Image Editing Overview The PC has become increasingly useful in the field of photography. It's hard to imagine a professional photographer who doesn't use a computer in some way, either to download digital cam...

Chapter 22: Making the Move to OpenOffice.org Overview You might be willing to believe that you can get a complete operating system for no cost. You might even be able to accept that this offers everything Windows does an...

Chapter 23: OpenOffice.org Overview Overview All the programs in the OpenOffice.org suite rely on a common interface, and therefore look and operate in a similar way. They are also configured in an identical way, and all...

Chapter 24: In Depth: Writer Overview The word processor is arguably the most popular element within any office suite. You'll be happy to know that OpenOffice.org's Writer component doesn't skimp on features. It offers fu...

Chapter 25: In Depth: Calc Overview Calc is the spreadsheet component of OpenOffice.org. Like most modern spreadsheet programs, it contains hundreds of features, many of which few average users will ever use. However, it...

Chapter 26: In Depth: Impress Overview Impress is the presentations package within OpenOffice.org. At first glance, it appears to be the simplest of the key OpenOffice.org components, and also the one that borrows most th...

Chapter 27: In Depth: Rekall Overview OpenOffice.org includes a number of tools to both interface with database servers and perform tasks such as enter and edit data. However, for most day-to-day users who have humble nee...

Chapter 28: Running Microsoft Office under SUSE Linux Overview The title of this chapter might sound somewhat strange. How can a Windows program be run under SUSE Linux? The answer comes courtesy of the Wine project. Wine...

Chapter 29: Installing Software Overview One of the fun things about running any operating system is the ability to expand itmdash;to add in new software over time to improve your workflow or just for entertainment value....

Chapter 30: Managing Users Overview SUSE Linux was designed from the ground up to be a multiuser system. When it is deployed on huge mainframe computers, it's capable of serving hundreds, if not thousands, of users at the...

Chapter 31: Optimizing Your System Overview There's always some extra performance to be squeezed out of a computer, regardless of whether it's old or new. Because SUSE Linux offers a high degree of control over your hardw...

Chapter 32: Backing Up Data Overview Every computer user knows that backing up data is vital. This is usually because every computer user has lost data at some point, perhaps because of a corrupted file or accidental dele...

Chapter 33: Scheduling Tasks Overview In this book, you've learned about various tasks you can perform to keep SUSE Linux running smoothly. You may decide that you want some of these tasks to occur on a regular basis. For...

Chapter 34: Accessing Linux Remotely Overview One area where Linux particularly excels is in its support for networking, including the Internet. If you wish to learn about how networks operate on a fundamental level, then...