Jonathan Moeller - The Linux Mint Beginners Guide

THE LINUX MINTBEGINNER'S GUIDE - SECOND EDITION

Jonathan Moeller

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The Linux MintBeginner's Guide will show you how to get the most out of LinuxMint, from using the Cinnamon desktop environment to advancedcommand-line tasks. In the Guide, you will learn how to:

-Install LinuxMint.

-Use the desktopenvironment.

-Manage files andfolders.

-Manage users,groups, and file permissions.

-Install software ona Linux Mint system, both from the command line and the GUI.

-Configure networksettings.

-Use the vi editor toedit system configuration files.

-Install andconfigure a Samba server for file sharing.

-Install SSH forremote system control using public key/private key encryption.

-Install a LAMPserver.

-Install webapplications like WordPress.

-Configure an FTPserver.

-Manage ebooks.

-Convert digitalmedia.

-And many othertopics.

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The Linux Mint Beginner'sGuide

Copyright 2012 by JonathanMoeller

Second Edition publishedAugust 2017

Cover image copyright andresrImaging | istockphoto.com

Published by Azure FlameMedia, LLC

All Rights Reserved.

Trademarked names may appearin this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with everyappearance of a trademarked name, this book uses the names only inan editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner,with no intention of infringement of the trademark.

The information in this bookis distributed on an "as is" basis without warranty. Although everyprecaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neitherthe author nor the publishers shall have any liability to anyperson or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused oralleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the informationcontained in this work.

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Welcome to the second editionof The Linux Mint Beginner's Guide. If you are a new Linux Mintuser, you've come to the right place. Linux Mint is a powerful andversatile modern operating system, and you can use its desktopedition to perform a wide variety of tasks, ranging from officework and Internet browsing to listening to music and playing games.In this book, we'll introduce you to the basics of using Linux Mintand working with its interface.

WHAT IS LINXMINT?

What exactly is Linux Mint,though?

Linux refers generally to afamily of free operating systems based upon the Linux kernel (akernel is the core component of any operating system). The historyof Linux is long and complex, but we can provide a brief sketchhere. In the late 1960s and 1970s, AT&Ts Bell Labs developedthe UNIX operating system, which was soon used in universitycomputer labs across the United States.

However, AT&T retainedthe rights to the UNIX code, which meant that people could notfreely alter or distribute it. In response to this, computerprogrammer Richard Stallman launched the GNU Project in 1983. (GNUstands for "GNUs Not Unix.") Stallmans goal with the GNU Projectwas to create a UNIX-like operating system that was nonethelessfree to alter and distribute under the principle of FreeSoftware, a philosophical position which argued that softwareshould be free to distribute and alter without legal restrictions.The GNU Project and Stallman himself produced a large number ofsoftware tools and programs. Unfortunately, the GNU Project lackeda viable kernel, the necessary core of any operating system.

This changed in 1991 when aFinnish university student named Linus Torvald became frustratedwith the academic licensing for Minix, a UNIX-like operating systemrestricted to educational use. Torvalds wrote his own kernel, namedit Linux, and released it under the GNU free license. Combined withthe GNU project, the Linux kernel provided a freely availableoperating system an operating system that people could modify anddistribute however they saw fit.

Linux had been born.

(Many people insist that theproper name of Linux should in fact be GNU\Linux, in recognition ofGNUs vital role, and many GNU programs are used in Linux to thisday.)

Under the terms of GNUsGeneral Public License (GPL), anyone could modify and distributeLinux. Today, Linux and Linux variants run on every differentcomputing platform, from smartphones to desktop computers tohigh-end server systems. (Even Amazon's Kindle and Barnes &Noble's Nook e-reader devices are powered by custom versions ofAndroid, a version of Linux designed for smartphones and tablets.)These different flavors of Linux are called Linux distributions.Some distributions are commercially supported endeavors, like RedHat Linux or SuSE Linux, while others are free andcommunity-supported, like Knoppix or Fedora.

One of the more venerabledistributions is Debian, started in 1993 by a German programmernamed Ian Murdock. Debian is well-known for its stability and itsstrong devotion to free software principles. Unfortunately, Debianalso has a famously slow release cycle. Because of this, Debian isfrequently forked a fork is when the code of an open-sourceproject (which is free to share and distribute) is used as thefoundation for another open-source project.

Linux Mint is derived fromUbuntu, one of these forks. Started by South African entrepreneurMark Shuttleworth through his company Canonical, Ubuntu focused onproviding a smooth experience for the end users, offering a versionof Linux for people with little experience with Linux or even withcomputers in general.

Linux Mint began as a fork ofUbuntu in 2006, founded by a developer named Clement Lefebvre. AsUbuntu made some controversial design decisions in 2011 and 2012,more and more users began migrating to Linux Mint. Currently, LinuxMint is one of the most popular Linux desktop distributions, andreleases a new update twice a year.

THE PURPOSE OF THISBOOK

The purpose of this book isto give the reader a basic introduction to using the Linux Mintoperating system. This book is not intending as a comprehensiveoverview, but as an introduction to Linux Mint enough informationto get you started and to get you comfortable using Linux. In thisbook, we'll focus first on using the graphical interface, and thenthe command line itself.

If you have more interest inlearning the command line itself, you can check out my other book THE LINUX COMMAND LINE BEGINNER'S GUIDE.

(As an aside, Linux Mint isclosely based on Ubuntu, which means many of the command-lineoperations described in this book will also work on most versionsof Ubuntu.)

ERRATA

I have done my best to makesure all the information in this book is accurate and timely, andtested every command and procedure described in the followingchapters. However, I am only mortal, and undoubtedly I have mademistakes. If you notice any errors, you can email me at jmcontact @jonathanmoeller.com to let me know. The advantage of ebooks overpaper books is that ebooks are vastly easier to update and revise,and I can quickly introduce a revised and updated edition tocorrect any mistakes. (Another advantage of an ebook is that youcan have it open on your computer screen as you work, rather thanhaving to look down at a paper book on your desk.)

A NOTE ONSCREENSHOTS

Since Linux Mint is agraphical operating system, this book includes many screenshots toillustrate the descriptions of the graphical user interface.However, if you are using a grayscale eInk reader, the screenshotsmay not be easy to view. If you have difficulty viewing thescreenshots, I suggest reading the book on a tablet device, or on aPC screen using an ebook reading application.

NOTES ON THE SECONDEDITION

After five years, Iam pleased to issue the second edition of the Linux Mint Beginner'sGuide! Several chapters have been added, dealing with ebooks,media, and gaming, and all the existing chapters have beenupdated.