Goal 2 satisfied

After $40 and 6 hours work I finally got my system set up. This includes a proper full install from beginning to end.

1. The first problem I encountered was that I did not have a network card to download the X Window System, GNOME, or KDE. To have these packages in Debian you must have an internet connection to download them from an http or ftp server. So I bought a network card for my ancient system and used a spare 50' network cable I had around.

2. After installing the network card I tried editing my BIOS setup to boot from cdrom. As it turns out, the battery that the BIOS runs off of had failed. So I went to RadioShack to purchase a new one. (A nice break from working as long as I had been at this point.) I installed it and immediately began a fresh installation of Debian.

3. The first problem I encountered was that the images included in Linux for Dummies did not follow the layout of the book. So I used a previous image I had that more closely resembled the layout in the book. At this point I began installing and let the disk setup my internet connection to download the additional packages I selected. The differences between the two disks at this point were quite different, the image I had was limited in choices of packages. There was of course the desktop environment but no mention of programming tools or different types of servers. The images with the book had much more to offer. Such as different server types and development tools for programming as well as the desktop environment.

4. After all was said and done the packages loaded and Linux began running with a GUI. I was very pleased at this point. Then I spent some time editing the themes and layout of my desktop. As well as downloading and installing Firefox because I did not like the Mozilla browser included with KDE. After that I set Firefox as my default internet browser and began surfing.

5. I also toyed with several settings in KDE and am still in the process of understanding the layout of KDE and where everything is located. More to follow at a later date.

Goals for this course

After discussing some possible goals with Dr. Piercy about the course I have decided to post the goals I would like to achieve while completing this course for review.

1. To write about my experience with Linux from a new user perspective so others who read this blog could gain insight and avoid the same pitfuls I have encountered or will encouter. (This includes installation of the Debian kernel and bundled programs with this distribution.)

2. Get my Linux machine running and fully operational as soon as possible.

3. Gain an overall understanding of the Debian distribution and understand the differences between Windows and Linux. (This may include file systems, operations, usability, and others.)

4. I would like to understand the compatibility issues that are becoming prevalent with most programs being written for Windows and with an immulator run these programs on a Linux machine.

5. Evaluate the current setup of Dr. Piercy's Linux machine and determine what programs are installed or should be installed. (This may include a reinstallation of Linux onto his machine.)

6. Eventually become comfortable enough to start basic programming within Linux and customize an image for my personal use.

Installing Debian

I began this course by installing the Debian kernel of Linux onto an old Pentium processor machine I had lying around. My first efforts worked after several tries though I ran into an issue with operating system setup. I only wanted a single operating system of Linux so I choose to only have Linux on the hard drive. After installing and playing with the file system with the command line I tried running X (a shell to start running a GUI to control the system). After discovering that the file was not present on my installation I began reading to discover my error.

After reading Linux for Dummies I discovered that Debian does not include X, GNOME, or KDE as a part of the standard installation disks. So in order to get these programs you must have a network card and a network for the computer to access the internet to download these files. This of course can be set up during or after installation but is probably easier to do during installation. So I will reinstall again to fix this issue. I will update as I continue to learn Debian.

My Introduction to Linux

This blog is for my independent study course in learning Linux. I am taking this course with Dr. Piercy who is a professor in the Management Information Systems department in the Terry College of Business at UGA.

There will be updates cataloging my journey through learning the Debian kernel of Linux.

Here we go....