Linux frequently asked questions for newbies. Many Linux users pride themselves on being highly technical geeks. And, while that's great for finding people to contribute code patches to projects, it means that a lot of first- time Linux users get branded a . If people have honest questions about Linux, we need to be helping them find answers, and we need to do so without sarcastic comments, without . We've taken the most common questions and printed them verbatim below, providing Plain English answers along the way, trying to simplify technical information as much as we can. We didn't write the questions, so more experienced users might look at them and think ! The permanent URL for this page is: http: //www. This answer is oriented towards learning if your Video card is supported, the difference between drivers (sources), what drivers to install and how to install them. For those who want to just install NVIDIA drivers as fast. I am a supporter of Ron Paul. I do enjoy his current position, and I do see him going further as time goes on. However, I have seen, both in this presidential run, and the last one, comments regarding a set of newsletters. Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) Also see info about the most recent LTS version, Precise Pangolin (12.04 LTS). On October 10, 2010, Ubuntu 10.10 was released. It is codenamed Maverick Meerkat and is the. To be blunt, that situation sucks. If people have honest questions about Linux, we need to be helping them find answers, and we need to do so without sarcastic comments, without 'RTFM' and without telling people 'just use Google.'. What is Linux? The name . But really, deep down, . It doesn't have a graphical user interface. It doesn't let you chat to your friends online. And it certainly won't open any Microsoft Office documents! Instead, all these services are provided by applications that are designed to run on top of Linux. Because just giving someone the Linux kernel is pretty much useless, a lot of people have taken the time to put it together with lots of other programs, utilities, tools and documentation to produce something that is useful. These combinations of software is called a Linux distribution (usually shortened to . Linux was originally written to work only on Intel CPUs, but since then has been made to work on dozens of different computer architectures - many phones run Linux, for example. Why is Linux free? Nearly all the Linux distributions in the world are free, meaning that they cost $0 to install and use on your computer. The reason for this is that all Linux distros take their software from the same pool - if one distro has a really awesome program, chances are 5. Linux people would just go elsewhere. The big upside to all this is that if you ever decide you don't like the direction one distro is taking, you can jump ship and try a different one - you'll find all the same software there ready for you. What's the difference between free software and open source? I am trying to boot Ubuntu on my computer. When I boot Ubuntu, it boots to a black screen. Table of Contents: If you are trying to install Ubuntu If you have a dual boot s. This list of Best Free Software for Linux now includes 155 apps in various categories. Among a plethora of freeware products, we have selected some gems in each category and added them to the list with clear and brief. Hello, I am running ubuntu 12.04 since it came out and have not had an issue that was not easily resolved. But now, when I try to update or install new packages it pops up an eror message telling me that the package catalog. The term Free Software was coined to mean software that came with freedoms that you otherwise would not have had. For example, if a program is Free Software it means you can download its source code, modify it, sell it and all sorts of other good things. But, a Free Software application doesn't necessarily have to have zero cost. This is where a lot of people get confused, so the most common explanation is . You have free speech in this world. That doesn't mean you pay $0 for the right to talk, instead it means that you have the freedom to say what you want. Conversely, if I give you a free can of beer, that beer does have zero cost - the beer doesn't have any freedoms to express its opinion! So when people say Free Software they mean . Yes, most Free Software does cost nothing, but it's not required. Because of this mixup between free speech and free beer, another group of people came up with the term . This was originally meant to have the same meaning - that someone could download the source code to a program and do what they want with it - but a lot of people have since misinterpreted that too! For most people, Free Software and Open Source mean exactly the same thing. Open source has slightly looser restrictions in its definition, which means that a Free Software program is also open source, but an open source program is not necessarily Free Software. Why is Linux open source? One of Linux's many advantages is that it is developed by thousands of programmers around the world. Intel, IBM, Oracle, Google, HP, AMD, Nvidia, Dell, Cisco, Nokia, Motorola and more all help contribute to Linux precisely because it is open. Intel wants its CPUs, its graphics chips and its network cards to work perfectly on Linux, so it writes the programming code itself and gives it away as part of Linux. As a result, you can be sure you're getting the fastest and most stable experience around! The other advantage to Linux being open is that no one vendor can control it - no one can pull it one direction, because everyone works together. Why is Linux popular? There are lots of reasons for Linux's popularity, but the main one is that it gives you a huge amount of software to work with completely free of charge. If you want to render 3. D models, Linux has a program for it. If you want to mix music or edit a podcast, Linux has a program for it. If you want to edit Microsoft Office documents, organise family photos, chat to your friends, burn CDs and DVDs, wawtch movies, edit images or do just about anything, Linux has a program for it. And it's almost certainly free! Linux is also very popular among people who need rock- solid stability no matter what. Linux is secure by default, which means it's very, very hard for someone else to damage your computer remotely. Most Linux users don't run virus checkers, because Linux is almost immune to these sorts of common problems. One area where Linux's stability is very highly valued is on servers, because these usually run for years at a time without being restarted. Finally, Linux is also extremely popular with computer programmers, because it comes with a huge range of tools for making your own programs. Most people don't need to worry about this, though! What is the GPL? GPL stands for . The GPL is the most common licence used on Linux, which is why you get all the software at no cost and also why you can install it on as many machines as you want. There are lots of other licences in use, but the GPL is by far the most popular. How does Linux make money? This is a very, very common question, but let us start by clarifying something: Linux is just some software - it won't make money all by itself. What the question really asks is . First, many companies pay developers to work on Free Software programs, and they do that because they make money from selling support to end users. So, while you get all the software for free, if you ever have a problem and want to pick up the phone and talk to someone, you can pay a company to provide that support to you. As you can imagine, this is most common in big companies that need 2. The other answer to the question is that a lot of Free Software developers don't make any money at all, at least not from their Free Software work. But that's OK, because nearly all of them do it for fun - often they work as computer programmers in their day job, and when they get back home they want to work on something they really enjoy. When these people get together, some really awesome software comes out! Why is Linux different? One of the big advantages to Linux is its openness. If you choose one distro and find it doesn't suit you in the future, you're not stuck with it. Or if the developers behind it try to make changes that no one else likes, the users can go somewhere else to get their software - it's all shared! This is very different to the traditional software model used by both Microsoft and Apple where they (and only they!) can provide upgrades to their operating system, and if you find the latest version of Windows runs slowly there's not much you can do! Why is Linux a penguin? Who is Tux? That penguin, called Tux, is the official mascot of Linux, after Linus Torvalds became fond of penguins after being bitten by one at a zoo. The name is quite fitting given the tuxedo- like appearance of the penguin's colours, but it also (retroactively) stands for Torvald's Uni. X. Why is Linux so hard? Why is Linux so complicated? Lots of newcomers to Linux find it very hard at first, but that's OK - it's OK to be a newbie, because everyone was there once and we're here to help you get up to speed. Linux certainly can't be described as . The reason it seems so complicated is because most people have learned how to use Windows previously, and Linux does many things differently from Windows which means you need to learn some of the basics again. The main problem people have when switching to Linux is learning how to install software. On Windows, people are very used to double- clicking setup. On Linux, this doesn't happen very often because most people install software using their package manager. The reason for this is simple: when you install a program through your package manager, it will automatically keep you to up to date with fixes and security updates as they are issued. It's quite like Windows Update, except it works for every program on your computer rather than just the operating system! Is Linux worth it? If you're asking, . If you want to run Linux on a brand- new, high- speed gaming system, it'll do that just fine. If you want to run it on a really old Pentium with 3. MB of RAM, it'll do that too. Thanks to having more developers than any other operating system in the world, Linux has the power to do just about anything you need. Everything you learn about Linux will be useful for years to come, and we think you'll feel very welcome in the Linux community! The nice thing about free software is that it doesn't hold you back from doing anything. If you want to learn something new, just look in your package manager and you'll find some world- class software in there ready for you to use and enjoy. The only thing holding you back from trying anything with your computer is your time! How can I make my own programs for Linux? We have written lots of tutorials to help people learn how to program in Linux, and there's something for all levels. Try one (or all!) of these: If you're a complete beginner, this tutorial teaches you coding from scratch by making a game. Why is Linux better than Windows? There are lots of reasons that Linux is better than Windows. Here are a few: Linux is free! It costs you $0 to install it on as many machines as you want. There's no Linux Home, Linux Premium and Linux Ultimate - it's all there for you to have.
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