What should a Windows user know about GNU / Linux?

Many of the ones we use GNU / Linux we go around evangelizing our Operating system and generally we always talk about the same thing: What if viruses, what if it is free, what if it is open ... etc

Is this just what a user should really know about? Windows or from any other OS? Partly yes, but it is not everything. Let's see some things that I consider, should learn all the user who come new to GNU / Linux.

What is GNU / Linux?

Already our friend perseus wrote an excellent article generally speaking what is GNU / Linux. But beware, many times we say: "I use Linux", when in fact it should be: "I use GNU / Linux". When we use any distribution, we are using the Kernel (Linux) and many other applications of the project GNU. Nobody uses only Linux (the Kernel).

There is something for everyone

Distributions of GNU / Linux there is something for all tastes and all flavors. We can find from the easiest in terms of installation and configuration (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, openSUSE, Debian) some more complex (Archlinux, Chakra, Slitaz) even the most complicated (Gentoo, Slackware).

We also have many options depending on the Hardware we have. There are very slight distributions that can vary depending on the Desktop Environment that we use.

File System and Partitions

I think the most critical point when using GNU / Linux It is at the time of installing and partitioning the disks, and knowing how the File system. perseus once again gave us a brilliant article on this topic, but we could summarize that a Windows user must know that "generally" in GNU / Linux 3 partitions are used:

<° - The first partition for the root (/) which is equivalent to disk C:
<° - The second partition for the home (/ home) which is equivalent to disk D:
<° - The third partition for the swap which is equivalent to virtual memory.

You should also know that for these partitions not used NTFS o fat32 (although partitions of this type can be accessed). We use "generally": Ext2, Ext3 and Ext4, and it is valid to clarify that they are not the only options we have.

Terminal? How awful!!!

Despite the fact that many users fear the terminal, we all know that it does not bite, on the contrary, it often makes life easier. A distribution of GNU / Linux without a Terminal Emulator. Once you learn to use it, we cannot be without it.

Everything we can do in the terminal "generally" can be done with graphic applications or vice versa and it is vitally important to use it to debug errors or obtain information from the System. When a program does not want to start, a good practice is to run it or call it from a terminal to see the error that it returns.

Logs What are they? What are they for?

One of the differences between GNU / Linux y Windows, which we always list, is that we have control over our Operating system. What do I call control? Well, simply that we can know what our system is doing on different occasions, or better, that in case of an error we can see what the cause is. How? Well with the System Logs.

Trust me, when I learned what logs were, 90% of my problems were solved. The logs are, let's say, a kind of record or history that shows us what is happening with certain applications or the system per se.

The simple fact of connecting a network cable or disconnecting it for example, is recorded in a log. The start of our Operating system it is recorded in a log, and many applications record their actions in logs. These files are "generally" stored in the directory / var / log and there we can consult them if we have a problem.

More than one Desktop Environment

Unlike Windows, riding a GNU / Linux we can use more than one Desktop Environmenteven have them installed without one affecting the other. But it is good to clarify that We don't need a Desktop to work with GNU / Linux.

El Desktop Environment has nothing to do with the correct operation of the Operating system. It is simply a "graphical" way of managing it, so to speak. Now to have a Desktop Environment it is necessary to have installed a Graphic Server, which is generally Xorg.

For new users to understand this a bit, let's look at the following graph:

Following the order shown in the graph:

  1. Start the Kernel, which is responsible for managing, among other things, the available Hardware and peripherals (Mouse, Keyboard ... etc). This entails bookstores and so on.
  2. Then the Services start (Ex: Database server, application daemons and others).
  3. Later the Graphic Server. Without this server, we will not be able to see windows or menus on the monitor ... etc.
  4. Finally starts the Session manager (optional if we use startx) that will take us to Graphic Environment that we have installed when we put username and password.

El Operating system and Desktop EnvironmentAlthough they are related, they are separate things. That is why if an error occurs with the Desktop Environment, normally this does not affect the Kernel and just by restarting the Graphic Server (in some cases) we can fix it.

Repositories and dependencies: Look mom I don't have .EXE

En GNU / Linux it is very common to make use of package repositories -which is nothing more than gigs of software organized, structured and gathered on a server- to install our applications What is shocking about this method for new users? That Windows users are adapted to install binaries (.exe) and this has "generally" everything necessary for the software to work.

In the case of GNU / Linux there are packages that yes, they can be installed by themselves and nothing happens, but in general, most need other packages (bookstores and things like that) which become its dependencies. That is why if someone wants for example, LibreOffice for Windows, you only have to download a .exe and voila, but if you want it to Debian, I would have to download a tarball loaded with .deb, or download each package from the repository with its dependencies. Not that this is complicated by any means, but let's just say it's a bit more cumbersome.

En GNU / Linux we have binaries similar to the .exe, even applications that allow you to install these binaries with a simple double click. Here I show you several examples of how we could find these binaries:

  • bluefish.deb - For distributions based on Debian (Ubuntu, LinuxMint, Dreamlinux ... etc)
  • bluefish. Rpm - For distributions based on RedHat or its package system (Fedora, openSUSE ... etc)
  • bluefish.pkg.tar.xz - For distributions based on Archlinux (Chakra, ArchBang ... etc)
  • bluefish.tar.gz or bluefish.tar.bz2 - It generally works in any distribution since we must compile it.

Where are my settings?

When we configure the mail client or the browser, all those user configurations are saved in our / Home (equivalent to disk D :) or as some of us call it, our Personal folder. Contrary to what happens in Windows, this type of thing is saved on Disk C: (Documents and Settings ..).

The settings are saved in hidden folders within our / Home They are usually named after the application. For example, the settings of Thunderbird, received emails, contact lists and others, are saved in /home/user/.thunderbird.

This brings many advantages, since if we need to reinstall our OS, we only have to format the root partition, leaving the / Home intact, and when we're done we'll have our preferences intact. This I explain in more detail in this article.

Can I do the same as in Windows?

The answer is SI and even much more. We can perform the same tasks that we are used to doing normally: Browse, Chat, Write a document, Play, Listen to music, Watch a video, Edit images, Work with our computer.

They are the same keyboard shortcuts for most things: [Ctrl] + [C] to copy, [Ctrl] + [V] to paste ... etc. All in GNU / Linux it's highly customizable, from keyboard shortcuts to desktop appearance.

You are not the Administrator (If you don't want to.)

That of working with the Windows XP Administrator account: forget it !!! It is not that it cannot, but by default it is not like that. Users have their accounts with limitations for Administration tasks (according to the distro because Ubuntu…. well ..) and generally, to affect something in the system you need credentials with administrative permissions.

Share it, give it away.

Forget the evil EULAs. You can take your iso from Ubuntu or any other distro and lend it, give it away, or install the same copy on all the machines you want. Or if you want not to install, you just have to load with a LiveCD or a Flash Memory.

Install and you will see that everything works.

Generally, you can forget about the driver disk for your motherboard or any other hardware. It is install and start using. GNU / Linux manages your PC hardware amazingly (unless what happens in the next point).

But not everithing that shines is gold.

Despite that GNU / Linux it has many good things, it also has some very bad. It is not the fault of the System as such, in this aspect many factors come into play that we could summarize in the marked interests of some Companies: Money, Monopoly and their little friends. That is why we may find, in some cases, problems with certain Hardware or that there are no applications widely used in the professional or business field. But outside of this, we can always find an alternative or solution to our problems.

The learning curve isn't very low either, but it's certainly not high at all. There are tons of documentation, help forums, IRC channels, blogs, sites and more, full of users willing to help.

Conclusions.

I think that the best way to know GNU / Linux it is entering their world. All these things that I have just said are learned over time. I have been using it for more than 5 years and I have not died, on the contrary, I have learned and grown as a computer scientist. The key is not to resist change, to try new things and learn from them.

What else do Windows users need to know?

strong / li Install it and you will see that everything works.


37 comments, leave yours

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  1.   proper said

    Wooow, you've been on linux for a long time, I've only been here for a year and a half.
    Very good article, congratulations!

    1.    elav <° Linux said

      Thank you 😀 Well yes, I've been with the penguin for a long time 😀

    2.    Courage said

      A year and a half and with Slackware? Fuck I have 3 and I got through Slackware

      1.    moskosov said

        Slackware was one of the first distros I installed, it was difficult and frustrating but it was also a shock treatment, after that I lost my fear of the console and everything LOL

  2.   perseus said

    Congratulations friend O_O ', it was great that you released what was in your hoarse chest XD, don't stop doing it 😉

    1.    elav <° Linux said

      Thank you .. But you do not stay behind 😀

  3.   atreuskorb said

    The first GNU / Linux distribution I tried was Mandrake 8.1 (today Mandriva), it was the year 2001 and it worked quite well on an old Pentium with 133 Mh and 32 Mb of RAM. If someone had explained and summarized all this to me in the masterful way you have done, I would have saved many hours of diving among the manuals of the time. Despite its stability, at that time there was still little hardware support and few applications, but I was fascinated by its stability, and although necessity forced me to use the damn XP for a while, I always kept a partition with some interesting distribution.
    Congratulations on your article, if I still used the other system I would switch to linux after reading it.
    A greeting.

    1.    elav <° Linux said

      OO A Pentium with 133 Mhz and 32 Mb of RAM? Wow. I want my linux to run again in that smoothly 😀

      Thanks for the comment 😀

  4.   David Segura M. said

    As always, a very good article, it is always good to remember the reasons why we use Linux, the truth of the ones that tends to hook people the best is the issue of drivers, the fact that most distros immediately detect all your hardware is of the best thing to mention, especially if the user does not find the subject of free software a sufficient reason or is not a priority.

  5.   VaryHeavy said

    As a note, I would not have put Chakra in the "some more complex" section, I find it as easy to install and configure as Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Mandriva, Mint or Fedora, in fact that is its purpose.

    1.    elav <° Linux said

      It is that I am not only referring to the installation, but to the configuration .. 😀

    2.    KZKG ^ Gaara said

      The problem is that as far as I understand the Chakra installer (specifically the partitioning and HDDs section) is not the simplest in the world. It may not be true, I don't know, it's what I read 🙂

      1.    pandev92 said

        Choosing the partitions is the simplest thing in the world, in fact it is easier than in Ubuntu, the problem comes when you want to partition, and is that tribe still does not have a partitioner, that's why the crap of kpartition manager opens, which is miles away be like gparted, in fact sometimes it partitions sometimes not, it goes crazy LOL

  6.   ren said

    Fabulous I loved the article and that the first thing to teach a user when migrating to GNU / Linux is to pronounce it, I totally agree.
    sincerely a gem your article as well as that of all the writers of this site. 😉
    greetings.

    1.    elav <° Linux said

      Thanks ren ^^

    2.    perseus said

      Thank you very much friend, I am very happy to see that our efforts pay off 😉

  7.   Courage said

    But not everithing that shines is gold.

    You are missing a very important one in that section: Ubuntu

    For the rest, whoever wants something costs something, if they do not want to learn then to fuck

  8.   Leonardo said

    Excellent information, I have only been with my laptop for 3 months for Ogareño use

  9.   Lucas Matthias said

    excellent report Elav, you even put feeling 😀

    1.    Courage said

      He did it thinking about his little friend

  10.   Hugo said

    Good post, Elav.

    By the way, I downloaded the last Chakra, so if you are interested in trying it and want to save the download delay, you just have to jump through the work and copy it.

    1.    elav <° Linux said

      Greetings Hugo:
      The problem is that Chakra uses KDE and I am not very interested in this desktop environment now, so I will leave it for another time. However, thank you 😀

      1.    Courage said

        Try it on LiveCD

  11.   Wilber Rivas said

    Hello, look, I wanted to dabble in linux, but generally for one reason or another I return to windows imperialism, for example the last time I had to return because in my work I use Skype but I could not make it run on Ubuntu 11.04 every time I entered and tried to use it, it would freeze, could you help me with that error ………… oh I am a quake live user and neither, I would greatly appreciate your help

    1.    KZKG ^ Gaara said

      Try Ubuntu 10.04, or LinuxMint 12.
      regards

  12.   Wilber Rivas said

    Sorry it was with ubuntu 11.10

  13.   Alf said

    What should a Windows user know about GNU / Linux?

    First, what is ANOTHER operating system.
    Second, that you need to read in order to use and resolve what is presented to you.

    I have talked that I use GNU / Linux, and most people expect it to be the same as windows, and to be able to use the same programs or tools that they use.

    But, in the vast majority of comments to "evangelize", I have not read in any that mention what I am saying.

    regards

  14.   Bayron ortiz said

    Excellent post gives me very good information. I really switched to GNU / Linux 5 months ago and I'm doing great.

  15.   Edgar kchaz said

    5 años!! Mamma mía… Apenas llevo un mes en él!! Que increible cuanto se puede aprender «desde linux»… Waooo, gracias por el aporte 😀

  16.   Edgar kchaz said

    Waooo 5 años y yo emocionado con mi primer mes!! Es increible cuanto se puede aprender y avanzar con este sistema…. Maravilloso… Y lo mejor que es «desde linux» 😉 … Gracias por el aporte…

  17.   zal75 said

    Very good post; I see that you wrote it more than a year ago, however I have not wanted to miss the opportunity to congratulate you on it.

    It has been several months since I decided to try an OS based on GNU / Linux, and the truth is that after overcoming the fear or reluctance that gave me that step, I am delighted with the experience. He had been mulling over the subject for a long time; At first, what motivated me was the philosophy of free software, but I thought (of course, everything is prejudice in this world) that the user experience was going to be laborious and somewhat difficult. In reality, it has been the opposite, the learning process (and what remains for me!) Has been very rewarding.

    Most of the aspects that have been discussed in this post are familiar to me (beware! The topic of logs has been a small discovery) and they have been the first things that I have learned about GNU / Linux, that is why I think that the article is very suitable for all those who are undecided to make the move to free software and free OS.

    Greetings,

  18.   Greck said

    I do not want to seem pessimistic, but I sincerely believe that whoever wants to use GNU / Linux does not need to be "evangelized" and that others should refrain from using it, I have listened to all the pretexts and I have also tried to understand their reasons. And I don't know about you guys but I started using it due to the hunger to know more and ended up loving it for its freedom to be able to do everything my imagination dictated.
    it certainly didn't take long to use. continuously only 3 years and 4 without daily use. I am not as experienced as many either. most of it on debian and ubuntu in various versions, as well as various other distributions.

  19.   John Paul Lozano said

    «Not all that glitters is gold», it can also be a diamond <- Hahahaha good article 🙂

  20.   Hernando said

    The operating system based on GNU / Linux distros is like other systems: It has many successes, advantages and very good things, but it also has errors, disadvantages and problems. I have been a tester and admirer of the most common linux distros, for about seven years now and I do not complain about the services and benefits that I have received, especially because of the free software and free applications that they still offer. Sincerely thanks to the developers of the various GNU / Linux distro. In the last year I have tried Mageia, Ubuntu, Deeping Linux, Fedora and currently I am with Linux Mint 15 and I live happy, although from time to time I use Windows 7.

  21.   desikoder said

    I have sent a link to this article by email to a friend to read

  22.   Janik Ramirez said

    Excellent article. I just have one question:

    The Linux kernel is supposed to be used by Android. Does Android also use the GNU tools? I say this because I have seen that in many places, they mention that the Google OS is only "part of the Linux family".

    1.    joakoej said

      No, it does not use GNU tools. Also, Android I think uses the original version of Linux, which has proprietary parts. Instead, Gnu / Linux uses a modified linux kernel to be totally free.