The Real Linux Basics

A reader perused our review of Xandros Surfside Linux and wondered if it was: a) 64-bit processor compatible, and b) easier to understand than Red Hat and some other distributions. It seemed like a good opportunity to offer some basic key points. Here goes:

1. As far as we know, Xandros will run on any recent AMD or Intel x86 processor, 32 bit or 64 bit.
2. As for unpacking and setting up any Linux product, the process is simple these days when using almost any advanced Linux distribution (including Xandros SurfSide Linux). In fact, it's almost completely automated. However, you may have run into one of the many poorly designed Linux utilities which fails to install properly because the programmer assumed that everyone who might use his software would be a Linux expert.
3. If you're a computer hobbyist, Xandros is ideal because it comes with extensive documentation and lots of configuration options, two different desktop shells, and active online support and forums. But if you really want to get your hands on the guts of the OS, I suggest you pick up one of the excellent Linux books available right now such as Linux Made Easy—The Official Guide to Xandros Linux 3.
4. If program installation details elude you, fear not because you're in good company. Linux, like all operating systems, provides specific folders into which programs must place their files during installation. Basically, all Linux distributions use the exact same set of folders (names, locations, and so on).
5. Many Linux operating system files and programs files are actually text-based (not binaries), and contain information which configures the program being installed. The text files, installed in the correct operating system folders, contain information which the operating system reads in order to run the program properly. For a program to install properly, it must: a) place its own files in the correct locations, b) contain information and instructions in its configuration files which are compatible with the Linux OS kernel version installed on the PC, and c) be stable enough to run properly once installation is correctly completed.
6. If you learn a few command line instructions, you'll be able to unpack downloaded program files into a folder that you specify. Once that's done, you can examine the configuration (text) files to understand how a particular program will set itself up, or, if it requires manual installation, where you need to copy the various files. From time to time, a program will not unpack itself in the correct locations which means that you have to track down the program's configuration files and modify them to correct the problem. It's often easier to do this using the command line, but many people now do this sort of thing using the file management tools in the GUI.
7. Linux is far more easily configurable than Windows XP. The key word here is "easily". However, just as in Windows, it's possible to make configuration changes that will render the computer unbootable. This is why all PC owners (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, etc.) should always maintain an up-to-date bootable recovery CD.
8. 99% of the time Windows XP is far more secure than many people think. Ditto for Internet Explorer. Windows is also extremely configurable, but it's also ridiculously difficult to do because the main configuration instructions reside in the Windows System Registry, a format that for the most part is absurdly difficult to understand. Numerous Registry configuration tools which offer an incredible amount of system and program customization are available for Windows XP. One of the most powerful is Stardock's Object Desktop suite.
9. Despite the superb advances in Linux distributions, if you want to get the very best out of Xandros Linux (and any other Linux distribution), you have to spend a few days teaching yourself some basic command line instructions and studying how Linux is set up on a PC (common folders, standard names for different folders, the basic Linux OS and User folder structure and so on). If you're presently skittish about command line instructions, rest assured that once you've learned a few commands, learned the keyboard shortcut to call the command console, and how fast it can be to do certain things using the command line, you'll end up being much 'closer' to the operating system in addition to having lots of confidence about using it.