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BOOK FEDORA BEGINNING

SUMMARY

532

Introduction
PART 1 n n n Introducing the World of Linux
CHAPTER 1 Welcome! 3
CHAPTER 2 A History and Politics Lesson 11
CHAPTER 3 The Realities of Running Linux 19
PART 2 n n n Installing Fedora
CHAPTER 4 Preinstallation Steps 25
CHAPTER 5 Installing Fedora 33
CHAPTER 6 Solving Installation Problems 57
PART 3 n n n The No-Nonsense
Getting Started Guide
CHAPTER 7 Booting Fedora for the First Time 69
CHAPTER 8 Getting Everything Up and Running 81
CHAPTER 9 How to Secure Your Computer 113
CHAPTER 10 Personalizing Fedora: Getting Everything Just Right 127
CHAPTER 11 Fedora Replacements for Windows Programs 147
CHAPTER 12 Managing Your Files 167
PART 4 n n n The Shell and Beyond
CHAPTER 13 Introducing the BASH Shell 183
CHAPTER 14 Understanding Linux Files and Users 197
CHAPTER 15 Working with Text Files 217
CHAPTER 16 Taking Control of the System 231
CHAPTER 17 Cool Shell Tricks 241
PART 5 n n n Multimedia
CHAPTER 18 Digital Music 249
CHAPTER 19 Movies and Multimedia 259
CHAPTER 20 Image Editing 269
PART 6 n n n Office Tasks
CHAPTER 21 Making the Move to OpenOffice.org 287
CHAPTER 22 OpenOffice.org Overview 295
CHAPTER 23 In Depth: Writer 309
CHAPTER 24 In Depth: Calc 319
CHAPTER 25 In Depth: Impress 327
CHAPTER 26 In Depth: Base 337
CHAPTER 27 In Depth: Evolution 345
PART 7 n n n Keeping Your System Running
CHAPTER 28 Installing and Removing Software 363
CHAPTER 29 Managing Users 391
CHAPTER 30 Optimizing Your System 399
CHAPTER 31 Backing Up Data 417
CHAPTER 32 Scheduling Tasks 427
CHAPTER 33 Accessing Computers Remotely 433
APPENDIX A Glossary of Linux Terms 447
APPENDIX B BASH Command Index 465
APPENDIX C Getting Further Help 475
nINDEX 483
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART 1 n n n Introducing the World of Linux
CHAPTER 1 Welcome! 3
What Is Linux? 3
The Age of Linux 5
The Problems with Windows 6
The Benefits of Linux 7
Crash-Free 7
Security 7
Free and Shareable 8
Compatible with Older Hardware 8
The Linux Community 8
Summary 9
CHAPTER 2 A History and Politics Lesson 11
In the Beginning 11
The GNU Project 13
Proprietary Software and the GPL 14
GNU and Linux Together 15
Different Flavors of Linux 15
Linux Today 16
Modern Linux Development 16
Summary 17
v
CHAPTER 3 The Realities of Running Linux 19
Learning to Use Linux 19
Who Uses Linux? 20
Getting Ahold of Linux 20
Using Fedora 21
Summary 22
PART 2 n n n Installing Fedora
CHAPTER 4 Preinstallation Steps 25
Understanding Partitioning 25
Freeing Up Space 27
Reclaiming Space 28
Removing Windows 28
Using Another Hard Disk 28
Backing Up Your Data 29
Backing Up E-mail Files 30
Making Notes 30
Summary 31
CHAPTER 5 Installing Fedora 33
An Overview of the Installation Process 33
Step-by-Step Guide 33
Step 1: Booting from the DVD-ROM 34
Step 2: Selecting Your Language 35
Step 3: Confirming Your Keyboard Layout 36
Step 4: Installing or Upgrading Fedora 36
Step 5: Partitioning the Disk 37
Step 6: Installing the GRUB Boot Loader 41
Step 7: Configuring Network Devices 42
Step 8: Setting the Time Zone 43
Step 9: Setting the Root Account Password 44
Step 10: Selecting Software to Install 45
Step 11: Waiting During Package Installation 48
Step 12: Postinstallation Configuration 50
Summary 55
CHAPTER 6 Solving Installation Problems 57
Preinstallation Problems 57
Problem 57
Solution 57
Problem 58
Solution 58
Problem 58
Solution 58
Problem 59
Solution 59
Problem 59
Solution 59
Installation Problems 59
Problem 59
Solution 59
Problem 59
Solution 59
Problem 60
Solution 60
Postinstallation Problems 60
Problem 60
Solution 60
Problem 60
Solution 60
Problem 61
Solution 61
Problem 61
Solution 61
Problem 62
Solution 62
Graphical Problems 62
Installing a Graphics Card 63
Monitor Configuration 63
Summary 65
PART 3 n n n The No-Nonsense
Getting Started Guide
CHAPTER 7 Booting Fedora for the First Time 69
Starting Up 69
Logging In 70
Exploring the Desktop 72
First Impressions 73
Desktop Elements 74
Quick Desktop Guides 75
Running Programs 77
Working with Virtual Desktops 77
Using the Mouse 79
Copying and Pasting Text 80
Summary 80
CHAPTER 8 Getting Everything Up and Running 81
Fedora Hardware Support 81
Proprietary vs. Open Source Drivers 82
Viewing Your Hardware 83
Getting Online 84
Using an Ethernet Card 85
Joining a Wireless Network 87
Using WEP or WPA Encryption 88
Configuring Dial-Up Internet Access 92
Using a USB-Based DSL Modem 93
Working with a Proxy Server 93
Setting Up Online Software Repositories 94
Configuring E-Mail and Instant Messaging 96
Configuring E-Mail Access 97
Setting Up Instant Messaging 98
Adding a Printer 100
Configuring a Local Printer 100
Configuring a Network Printer 102
Configuring a Windows/SMB Shared Printer 103
Setting Up Digital Imaging Devices 103
Transferring Photos from a Digital Camera 104
Configuring a Scanner 105
Using a USB Memory Stick 106
Installing 3D Graphics Card Drivers 107
Installing an NVIDIA Driver 107
Configuring Bluetooth 107
Pairing Bluetooth Devices 108
Transferring Files Between Bluetooth Devices 108
Using a Bluetooth Keyboard or Mouse 109
Configuring Sound Cards 110
Summary 111
CHAPTER 9 How to Secure Your Computer 113
Windows Security vs. Linux Security 113
Root and Ordinary Users 114
Common-Sense Security 116
Securing GRUB 117
Online Updates 119
The Fedora Firewall 120
Installing Firestarter 120
Configuring Firestarter 121
Setting Inbound Rules 122
Setting Outbound Rules 123
Turning Off Diagnostic Services 124
Summary 125
CHAPTER 10 Personalizing Fedora: Getting Everything Just Right 127
Changing the Look and Feel 127
Altering the Theme 127
Changing Individual Theme Components 128
Installing Additional Components 129
Changing the Wallpaper 131
Setting Font Preferences 132
Configuring Input Devices 133
Configuring Mouse Options 133
Changing Keyboard Settings 134
Creating Keyboard Shortcuts 135
Personalizing Login Options 136
Changing Your Login Picture 137
Adding and Removing Desktop Items 138
Adding a Shortcut 138
Creating a Launcher 138
Creating a Link 139
Adding and Removing Menus 140
Adding All the Menus to a Panel 140
Adding the Applications Menu to a Panel 140
Deleting a Menu 141
Personalizing the Panels 141
Working with Applets 142
Setting Power-Saving Features 143
Controlling Monitor Shutoff 143
Spinning Down the Hard Disk 144
Summary 145
CHAPTER 11 Fedora Replacements for Windows Programs 147
Available Software 147
A Quick Start with Common Linux Programs 149
Word Processing: OpenOffice.org Writer 149
Spreadsheet: OpenOffice.org Calc 151
Presentations: OpenOffice.org Impress 152
Database: OpenOffice.org Base 153
E-Mail/Personal Information Manager: Evolution 154
Web Browser: Firefox 155
Audio Playback: Rhythmbox and CD Player 156
Movie Playback: Totem Movie Player 158
CD/DVD Burning: Nautilus 159
Photo Editing: The GIMP 159
Other Handy Applications 160
Summary 166
CHAPTER 12 Managing Your Files 167
Understanding File System Concepts 167
Drive References 167
Case Sensitivity 167
File Access and Storage 168
Using Nautilus 169
File and Folder Icons 173
Special Nautilus Windows 174
Launching Files and Running Programs 175
Accessing Windows Files 177
Working with Files in Windows Partitions 177
Accessing Networked Files 178
Accessing Removable Storage Devices 178
Ejecting Media from Drives 179
Summary 180
PART 4 n n n The Shell and Beyond
CHAPTER 13 Introducing the BASH Shell 183
What Is the BASH Shell? 183
Why Bother with the Shell? 184
When Should You Use the Shell? 186
Getting Started with the Shell 186
Running Programs 187
Getting Help 188
Running the Shell via a Virtual Console 189
Working with Files 190
Listing Files 192
Copying Files 193
Moving Files 194
Deleting Files 195
Changing and Creating Directories 195
Summary 196
CHAPTER 14 Understanding Linux Files and Users 197
Real Files and Virtual Files 197
Users and File Permissions 199
Viewing Permissions 201
Typical Data File Permissions 203
Altering Permissions 204
The File System Explained 205
Mounting 208
Using the mount Command 208
Mounting a Drive Manually 209
Removing a Mounted System 211
File Searches 211
Using the find Command 211
Using the locate Command 212
Using the whereis Command 213
File Size and Free Space 213
Viewing File Sizes 213
Finding Out the Amount of Free Space 214
Summary 215
CHAPTER 15 Working with Text Files 217
Viewing Text Files 217
Using the cat Command 217
Using the less Command 217
Using the head and tail Commands 218
Using a Command-Line Text Editor 219
Understanding vi Modes 220
Using vi to Edit a File 224
Creating a New Text File Using vi 225
Searching Through Files 226
Using grep to Find Text 226
Using Regular Expressions 227
Comparing Text Files 229
Summary 229
CHAPTER 16 Taking Control of the System 231
Viewing Processes 231
Controlling Processes 234
Killing Processes 234
Controlling Zombie Processes 236
Using Other Commands to Control Processes 237
Controlling Jobs 238
Summary 239
CHAPTER 17 Cool Shell Tricks 241
Using Autocompletion 241
Autocompletion with Files and Paths 241
Viewing Available Options 242
Using Keyboard Shortcuts 243
Shortcuts for Working in BASH 243
Shortcuts for System Control 244
Using the Command History 244
Piping and Directing Output 245
Piping the Output of Commands 246
Redirecting Output 247
Summary 248
PART 5 n n n Multimedia
CHAPTER 18 Digital Music 249
Understanding the Legalities of Playback 249
Playing Music Files 250
Installing Codecs 250
Using Rhythmbox 251
Listening to Audio CDs 252
Tuning In to Online Radio Stations 253
Using Streamtuner 253
Ripping Music from CDs 254
Choosing a Format 254
Adding MP3 Support to Sound Juicer 255
Ripping Tracks 255
Creating Your Own CDs 257
Summary 257
CHAPTER 19 Movies and Multimedia 259
Watching Videos 259
Installing VLC Media Player 260
Installing Codecs 261
Installing RealPlayer 262
Playing Back Video 262
Watching DVDs 263
Playing Flash Animations 264
Installing Java 264
Watching TV 266
Checking for Video Input 266
Installing Tvtime 266
Summary 267
CHAPTER 20 Image Editing 269
Getting Pictures onto Your PC 269
Introducing The GIMP 270
Editing Images with The GIMP 274
Making Color Corrections 276
Cropping and Cloning 277
Sharpening 278
Applying Filters 279
Summary 283
PART 6 n n n Office Tasks
CHAPTER 21 Making the Move to OpenOffice.org 287
Office Similarities 287
OpenOffice.org Key Features 288
File Compatibility 289
The Right Fonts 291
Copying Windows Fonts 292
Installing TrueType Core Fonts 292
Summary 294
CHAPTER 22 OpenOffice.org Overview 295
Introducing the Interface 295
Customizing the Interface 296
Adding Functions to Toolbars 296
Adding a New Toolbar 299
Customizing Menus 299
Configuring OpenOffice.org Options 299
Using OpenOffice.org Core Functions 304
Using Wizards 304
Getting Help 304
Inserting Objects with Object Linking and Embedding 304
Creating Macros 305
Saving Files 306
Summary 307
CHAPTER 23 In Depth: Writer 309
Formatting Text 309
The Formatting Toolbar 309
The Context Menu 310
The Style and Formatting Palette 310
Spell-Checking 311
Inserting Pictures 312
Working with Tables 313
Mail Merging 314
Adding Headers and Footers 317
Summary 318
CHAPTER 24 In Depth: Calc 319
Entering and Formatting Data 319
Deleting and Inserting Data and Cells 320
Working with Formulas 320
Using the Function Wizard 321
Summing Figures 321
Sorting Data 322
Creating Charts 323
Using Filters 325
Summary 326
CHAPTER 25 In Depth: Impress 327
Creating a Quick Presentation 327
Working in Impress 328
Animating Slides 330
Applying Fontwork 331
Using 3D Effects 332
Exporting a Presentation As a Flash File 334
Summary 335
CHAPTER 26 In Depth: Base 337
Getting Started with Base 337
Creating a Database 339
Adding a Table 339
Creating a Form 341
Adding Controls to the Form Manually 342
Using the Database 343
Summary 344
CHAPTER 27 In Depth: Evolution 345
Evolution Modes 345
Basic E-Mail Tasks 347
Sending and Receiving E-Mail 347
Reading E-Mail 348
Deleting Messages 348
Flagging Messages 349
Composing a Message 350
Creating an E-Mail Signature 351
Advanced E-Mail Tasks 352
Creating New Folders 352
Dealing with Junk E-Mail 353
Sorting and Filtering Messages 353
Creating Search Folders 355
Contacts 355
Adding or Editing Contact Information 356
Creating a Contact List 357
Calendars 358
Specifying Appointment Types 358
Adding or Editing a Diary Entry 358
Tasks 359
Summary 360
PART 7 n n n Keeping Your System Running
CHAPTER 28 Installing and Removing Software 363
Software Installation Basics 363
Formats of Linux Installation Files 364
Package Management 365
Managing Software via the GUI 369
Using Pirut to Install Software 369
Using Pirut to Remove Software 372
Using Pirut to Search for Software 373
Applying Package Updates with Pup 374
Managing Software from the Shell 374
Using rpm to Install and Remove Software 375
Using Yum to Install and Remove Software 378
Adding Installation Sources 381
Compiling from Source 383
Summary 390
CHAPTER 29 Managing Users 391
Understanding User and Group Accounts 391
Users and Groups 391
Root User 392
UIDs and GIDs 392
Adding and Deleting Users and Groups 393
Adding and Deleting Users via the GUI 393
Creating and Deleting Groups via the GUI 395
Adding and Deleting Users and Groups at the Command Line 396
Adding and Changing Passwords 396
Summary 397
CHAPTER 30 Optimizing Your System 399
Speeding Up Booting 399
Understanding Bootup 399
Reducing the Boot Menu Delay 402
Optimizing Run-Level Services 403
Optimizing Hard Disk Settings 407
Benchmarking Your Hard Disk 407
Changing Hard Disk Settings 408
Making Disk Optimizations Permanent 409
Prelinking 410
Running Prelink 410
Deactivating Prelinking 410
Freeing Disk Space 412
Removing Unused Software 412
Adding Space to an Existing Logical Volume 413
Summary 415
CHAPTER 31 Backing Up Data 417
What Data Should You Back Up? 417
Using Pybackpack 418
Backing Up Data via Pybackpack 419
Including Files and Folders in the Backup Job 420
Excluding Files and Folders from the Backup Job 420
Restoring Data via Pybackpack 421
Burning a Backup File to CD/DVD 422
Burning a CD/DVD with GnomeBaker 422
Making Backups from the Command Line 423
Creating TAR Files 424
Compressing TAR Archives 424
Extracting Files from a TAR Archive 425
Viewing TAR Archive Information 425
Saving a TAR File to CD/DVD 425
Burning a CD/DVD with Nautilus 426
Summary 426
CHAPTER 32 Scheduling Tasks 427
Scheduling with crontab 427
Creating a Scheduled Task 427
Scheduling with anacron 429
Using at to Schedule One-Off Tasks 431
Summary 431
CHAPTER 33 Accessing Computers Remotely 433
Using Secure Shell 433
Logging Into a Remote Computer 434
Transferring Files Between Remote Computers 436
Accessing GUI Applications Remotely 438
Running X Applications on a Remote Computer 439
Running the GNOME Desktop Across a Remote Connection 439
Accessing Fedora via Remote Desktop 440
Connecting to Remote Windows Computers 443
Connecting to Windows XP Professional, 2000, and NT 443
Connecting to Other Windows Computers 445
Summary 446
APPENDIX A Glossary of Linux Terms 447
APPENDIX B BASH Command Index 465
APPENDIX C Getting Further Help 475
Read the Manual! 475
Man Pages 475
Info Pages 478
README Files and Other Documentation 478
Getting Help Online 479
Forums 479
Mailing Lists 480
Other Official Sites 481
IRC 481
Third-Party Sites 481