Linux From Scratch - A Technical Article

This is an article I wrote for a technical magazine that folded before its first issue printed. I guess it was for the best considering the editor/owner of the magazine was having trouble remembering his promise for payment even when confronted with emails sent containing said promise.

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Linux from Scratch

Round 1 - How to get started

So, you’ve decided you want to stick it to the man and go to Linux. You’ve made the right choice and not just because you won’t be funding Bill Gate’s new yacht. Linux is a pretty flexible operating system that can be run on low end systems (like the old clunker you still have lying around) and can do just about anything you could ever dream of doing with a computer. Now, I don’t claim to be an expert with Linux but I can get around with it so try not to feel intimidated. I promise I’m only a little more advanced than you.

The first thing you’re going to need to do in your quest for Linux mastery is understand how it’s packaged. Linux has different distributions that excel in different areas. These are commonly called flavors. Regardless of the bells and whistles each flavor has they all share at least one feature, the Linux kernel. The kernel is what runs your operating system and is supported by thousands of enthusiastic people mostly for free. We’ll probably talk about the kernel later but for now it’s good enough that you know why there are so many names for Linux operating systems and why they’re all Linux.

There are many flavors of Linux and we could spend weeks talking about each one. Basically a distribution is a collection of Linux applications bundled together. If you wanted, you could put several applications together with the core operating system, call it Big Munch Linux, and freely pass it on to anyone who would care to use it. You can imagine how confusing this can become over time so let’s take a look at four of the more widely used flavors and their differences.

SuSE Linux - The SuSE distribution is based in Germany and its strongest offerings come in its configuration tools like Yast. SuSE was just bought by Novell, which is a large networking company that develops NetWare. It has always been a good distribution for server installations and now that Novell has acquired them it will probably focus even more on this aspect. Personally, this is my favorite flavor.

Red Hat Linux - Red Hat is by far the best supported Linux operating system. When you see games and professional software in stores that says it will run on Linux, the chances are it was developed with Red Hat in mind. It has excellent hardware support and it’s fairly easy to use. Some of the generic Linux commands that work on most distributions have their own Red Hat implementation which can be confusing at times but the community support and help are very good. There are now two branches of Red Hat, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux which is now only available as a paid for system like Windows and Fedora Core X which is an experimental version of RHEL but is still free to the general public.

Mandrake Linux - For most Windows, Mandrake is the easiest distribution to make the transition with. It has a very easy installation, good support for hardware, and a very Windows like desktop interface. Community support for this is fairly good but Mandrake at times seems to hover on the brink of bankruptcy. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because most free support comes from the community at large but it is something you should take into consideration.

Debian Linux - This is the Linux user’s Linux. It hard to install and difficult to maintain although the distributors of this flavor have been working to make it more accessible to mortal men and women such as ourselves. If you’re feeling gutsy and have skin thick enough to navigate the support forums as a rank beginner, then this is the flavor for you. I’d highly recommend starting on another distribution to get your feet wet but choice is what Linux is all about so do whatever feels right.

As I said, this is only a drop of water in the ocean of Linux distributions. The most important thing to consider when choosing a flavor is to pick one that you feel comfortable with and that you’ll use. It won’t do you any good to install Debian if once you get it set up you never touch you computer again.

Now that you have an idea of what’s out there, you need to go get it. One way is to order it online from a reseller or pick up a copy at your local software shop. This may seem to defeat the purpose of freeware but true to the spirit of open source if you buy the CDs, you’ll also get expanded support options usually on a trial basis, lots of documentation, and some software that doesn’t come with the free distributions. Plus you get to know your money is going back to the same developers who provide the world with some of that freeware we all covet which isn’t half bad.

If you have a high speed internet connection or access to somewhere or someone that does, you can download the distributions from the internet. There are lots of places to go to do this but your best bets are either the distribution’s home site, like http://www.suse.org, or a respected hosting site. One of the best hosting sites and the one I use when downloading Linux operating systems is http://www.linuxiso.org. If you can, check the site out. Many distributions are hosted or linked here and most have descriptions of their particular strengths. You may find one that looks more suited for you than the four listed here.

Downloaded distributions come usually on several disc images called ISOs. When downloaded these can be burned to CD using most any burning software. Be sure to select to burn a disc image and not a data CD with the each file or you’re going to have a new coaster instead of the key to your freedom.

Once you have your chosen flavor on disc and in hand we can start the install process. In the next installment we’ll walk through the installation of the latest SuSE and Red Hat operating systems.

The Crystal and the Clearing

I particularly enjoy fantasy and science fiction writing. Here's a short piece I wrote that never really went anywhere but was a fun exercise nonetheless.

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Kanengar slid to a halt and looked over the edge of the precipice. It was much too far to jump. He was trapped. He turned to face the path he had used to flee the mining camp of Ashagar. Around the wooded bend some hundred paces back came the voices of his pursuit. Kanengar pulled the pouch with the light yellow orb from his belt and dropped the crystal in his hand. Its luminescence infused the clearing with a warmth that would touch all but the darkest of hearts. Into the clearing burst two men. Both wore the King’s livery.

“Halt! You’ve nowhere left to run.” the first guard commanded.

The second guard draw his sword and advanced, circling slowly to the right but still blocking access to the path. He said nothing. Kanengar saw in his eyes that there would be no quarter from this adversary.

Kanengar lifted the crystal above his head. “I will destroy this if you force me.”

The first guard raised his hands in a calming gesture. “That’s not necessary provided you agree to return with us. Come; we’ll speak of this on our return to the camp.”

The arrival of the rest of the squad, weapons drawn, along with the continued circling of the second guardsman confirmed Kanengar’s worst fear. Decision made, he brought the crystal down with all his might onto the hard rock beneath his feet.

Time seemed to slow. All of Kanengar’s attention was on the crystal, knowing he has failed. He saw the second guardsman running towards him from the corner of his eye, as if to intercept the crystal before it connected with the ground. As the crystal struck, the initial shock wave lifted every man in the clearing off his feet. Thousands of tiny beams of light shot from the point of impact, piercing men as they continued to arch through the air. In a final violent start, small shards of crystal sprayed from what remained, glittering brightly before slowly fading away.

The lifeless body that once was Kanenegar fell to the canyon floor below while at the clearing the King’s men lay where they were thrown, dead to a man. Of the crystal that was destroyed, there was no sign.

To Advertise or Not to Advertise...

I've been glancing over the settings for this site and found that I can sign up for the Google Adsense program. Apparently, with the click of a few buttons I can begin creating income for myself by displaying ads served up through this revered program. This places me in quite the quandry.

I personally hate ads when surfing the web. I've even gone so far as to edit the hosts file on my computer to redirect revolving ad sites to a bogus address so that I either get a blank space or possible a page can't be displayed message. This is infinitely preferable to some screaming Flash animation informing me how I can set up secret sex spy cameras or consolidate my mortgage in such a way as to actually generate income and increase the size of my manhood all at the same time. A bold claim to be sure, that latter one. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. I mean, I have a friend that was disappointed with the results...

So, the question I ask myself now is, is it worth the price of my moral convictions in order to become a paid writer, albeit only pennies at a time for pages views on a blog that most certainly will never become the hub or home page of anyone? Of all the ads I run across, the Adsense ones are the least offensive. Composed only with text, there's no flashy colors, blinking text, or obscene graphics to scar the psyches of old and young alike. I've heard it's cool to sell out for the most part but then I've never had the opportunity to sell out so how would I know until I've already done it? Once I step from the precipice, can I claw my way back again? Will my morality spiral down into the morass of mortgage consolidations and fantastically generous online gambling locations?

I sure hope not. Be sure to click on an Ad Link!

The First Post

After spending the last several months attempting to find someone, anyone, willing to pay me to write for them, I've come to the conclusion that there are too many people shilling their talents in this arena for me to have a shot at this. Or, possibly, I'm just a terrible writer. Therefore, I've decided to start this blog in the hopes of honing my craft while giving anonymous strangers the ability to lambast my every word. Enjoy!