Linux Distributions
Linux Distributions
Because Linux is freely available, any company (or individual) can take it, add
software to it, and offer the resulting compilation (either free or for sale) as a
Linux distribution. The result is a range of available distributions. Some of the
companies producing these distributions also make small modifications to the
Linux kernel and include their own software tools for managing and configuring
Linux in an effort to simplify installation and management. Although each distri-
bution varies in minor ways, most differ merely in the software they include.
The good news is that even if your distribution doesn’t include a tool or
application you want, it usually can be downloaded free from the Internet.
Ways of Communicating with Linux: Text and Graphical
One way to communicate with Linux is by typing text at a command line, similar
to the C prompt (C:>) for anyone used to working with DOS. A text- based inter-
face requires the user to type specific commands with a specific syntax that the
operating system understands. The computer displays a prompt letting the user
know it is ready to receive a command. The place where the command is typed is
known as the command line. Anyone who used a personal computer in the mid-
1980s or earlier is probably familiar with some kind of text- based user interface.
Many utilities, or programs, are command-line based. This means that
instead of using a mouse button to access the program, you type a word into
what is called a terminal window when the computer displays a prompt. This
book will not discuss these utilities until the final chapter. Chapter 13 discusses
the command-line interface and some of these utilities, but you can rest assured
that this chapter is optional.
The other method of communicating with Linux is by way of a graphical
user interface (GUI).
This is often called the desktop and consists of the icons,
windows, dialog boxes, toolbars, and panels that you see when using Linux as a
point-and- click operating system. This is considered more user-friendly because
it provides visual clues you can use to get the computer to do something, instead
of requiring that you memorize myriad commands.
Using the KDE GUI is the focus of this book. Though we introduce the
command line and some of the commands associated with it, you should be able
to do everything that you need to do with the KDE GUI.
