Richard Blum - Linux For Dummies

Linux For Dummies, 10th Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020943580

ISBN 978-1-119-70425-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-70426-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-70427-0 (ebk)

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 6
5. Chapter 7
6. Chapter 9
7. Chapter 11
8. Chapter 12
9. Chapter 15
10. Chapter 16
11. Chapter 17
12. Chapter 19
13. Chapter 21
14. Appendix A

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 4
4. Chapter 5
5. Chapter 6
6. Chapter 7
7. Chapter 8
8. Chapter 9
9. Chapter 10
10. Chapter 11
11. Chapter 12
12. Chapter 13
13. Chapter 14
14. Chapter 15
15. Chapter 16
16. Chapter 17
17. Chapter 18
18. Chapter 20
19. Chapter 21
20. Chapter 22

Welcome to the fascinating world of open source software that is Linux. In this book, I introduce you to the wonders of the Linux operating system, originally created as a labor of love by Linus Torvalds in the early 1990s. My goal is to initiate you into the rapidly growing ranks of Linux users and enthusiasts busily rewriting the rules for the operating system marketplace.

If youve contemplated switching to Linux but find the prospect too forbidding, you can relax. If you can boil water or set your alarm clock, you too can become a Linux user. (No kidding!)

When this book appeared in its first edition, Linux was an emerging phenomenon that was neither terribly well known nor understood. In this edition for a new generation of Linux users so much material is available that I've steered this particular title toward what Linux is and how you can make the best use of it on your desktop. To that end, these pages contain various online resources, tips, and tricks, as well as more general instruction. If youre looking for material on servers, Linux All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies by Emmett Dulaney (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) can serve your needs.

In this book, I keep the amount of technobabble to a minimum and stick with plain English as much as possible. Besides plain talk about Linux installation, boot up, configuration, and software, I include many examples, plus lots of detailed instructions to help you set up and use your very own Linux machine with a minimum of stress or confusion.

Think of this book as a friendly, approachable guide to tackling terminology and the Linux collection of tools, utilities, and widgets. Although Linux isnt terribly hard to figure out, it does pack a boatload of details, parameters, and administrivia (administrative trivia, in UNIX-speak). You need to wrestle those details into shape while you install, configure, manage, and troubleshoot a Linux-based computer. Some sample topics you find in this book include the following:

• Understanding where Linux comes from and what it can do for you
• Installing the Linux operating system
• Working with a Linux system to manage files and add software
• Setting up Internet access and surfing the web
• Customizing your Linux desktop
• Managing Linux system security and resources

Although it may seem, at first glance, that working with Linux requires years of hands-on experience, tons of trial and error, advanced computer science training, and intense dedication, take heart! Its not true! If you can tell somebody how to find your office, you can certainly build a Linux system that does what you want. The purpose of this book isnt to turn you into a full-blown Linux geek (thats the ultimate state of Linux enlightenment, of course); its to show you the ins and outs that you need to master to build a smoothly functioning Linux system and to give you the know-how and confidence to use it.

This book tells you how to install, configure, and customize a Linux desktop system. Although you can do most things in Linux these days by pointing and clicking, you still may want to try using Linux at the command prompt where you type detailed instructions to load or configure software, access files, and do other tasks. In this book, input appears in monospace type like this: