Dear jossychina,
All distributions of Linux use the same kernels, so all versions using the
same version of the kernel are just about equally fast and reliable. The
differences from one distribution to the next lie in the selection of
software bundled with the kernel and in the design of the software used
to install and configure the system.
The general features you can expect from Linux, in addition to speed and
reliability, are a vast selection of free software and a powerful platform
for software development and for serving various kinds of content. In
addition to many different programming tools, there are web browsers
(Mozilla, konqueror), graphics software (GIMP), productivity software
(OpenOffice), and many other packages available to download for Linux
at no cost.
The one thing you should not expect from Linux is a wide variety of
games. Almost all PC games are made for Windows, and very few are
ported to Linux or made specifically for it. Among the exceptions, I
can mention TuxRacer, which is a Linux original, and UnReal Tournament,
a port of the popular PC game. Another weakness in the past has been the
lack of driver modules for computer hardware, but this has been rapidly
changing. If some piece of hardware you own is not already supported
by a Linux distribution, odds are it won't be difficult to download and
install the necessary patch.
The most popular Linux distribution at present is Fedora, the
public-domain version of Red Hat. I myself use Fedora at home and Debian
in the workplace. I recommend Fedora because it is not restricted to
bundling open-source software, as Debian is, but includes zero-cost
proprietary software as well. It is also reputed to be much easier than
Debian to install and maintain for users who are not experienced system
administrators. A further good reason to opt for Fedora is its strong
hardware support. I have had no trouble getting Fedora, or Red Hat in
the past, to recognize all my equipment and peripherals.
The latest stable version of Fedora is called Core Two. General
downloading and installation instructions are available on the following
page.
Fedora Project: Download
http://fedora.redhat.com/download/
You will need four blank CDs on which to burn the Fedora Core Two
distribution. Download the files
FC2-i386-disc1.iso
FC2-i386-disc2.iso
FC2-i386-disc3.iso
FC2-i386-disc4.iso
from
http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/2/i386/iso/
and burn them to disc using your current CD-writing software.
Then place Disc 1 into the CD-ROM drive and reboot your computer. If
necessary, you should configure the BIOS so that it tries to boot
from the CD-ROM before the hard drive. To do this, press Esc, F1, F4,
or F10 at startup, depending on your model, to enter BIOS configuration
mode. Navigate to Boot Order or a similarly named screen and select the
CD-ROM drive as the first drive to access. In most cases, it has already
been set this way, so you won't need to adjust anything to boot from a CD.
When the CD boots, the Fedora installer starts by asking whether you
want to check all the Fedora discs for correctness. You should answer
"Yes". It takes a while to check all four discs, but you do want to make
absolutely sure that all the data are perfect.
Once you are done checking the discs, choose the graphical installation
option. The Fedora installer will now lead you through a series of
interactive setup screens. It should recognize your monitor, hard drives,
and other devices. In most cases, it will make a sensible default choice,
which you need only confirm before moving on.
The three areas where you do want to exercise some discretion are the
installation type, disk partitioning, and security. The installation type
decides whether you want to make your system run Linux only, wiping out
any previous Windows installations. As an alternative, you can opt for a
dual-boot system, which will preserve the Windows setup but add to it the
Linux system as well as a new boot loader that will ask you, each time
you start up your computer, whether you'd like to choose Linux or Windows.
If the hard disk on which you are installing Linux already has some
important data on it, you will want to act carefully when you reach the
disk-partitioning stage of the installation process. The intelligent
disk partitioner will usually do a good job of selecting a place for
Linux, as long as you have free partitions available. If you do not,
you should go back to Windows and use something like Partition Magic
to rearrange your hard drive to make one free partition of at least 5 GB
near the center of your disk and another twice the size of your RAM
at the outside of the disk. Then, when the Fedora installer reaches the
partitioning phase, you can select the 5 GB partition for Linux data and
the smaller one at the outside as "swap" space. Whatever you do, make
sure you heed the warnings and look over the partitions the installer
proposes to format, checking to see whether any of them contain Windows
directories you want to preserve.
If you are on a broadband connection such as DSL or cable, Fedora will
be able to set up networking automatically. If you have a conventional
internal modem, you should make sure that your particular model is
supported by a Linux driver. Most of them are, but some require additional
downloading and configuration to get working. If this is the case, tell
me exactly what kind of modem you have so that I can give you further
guidance specific to your situation. Otherwise, for a DSL or cable modem,
you can select automatic network configuration by DHCP. Fedora will talk
to the modem, arrange a connection, and inform you of its success.
Finally, when you reach the security configuration screen, you will want
to select High Security. This blocks off every port with a firewall,
fending off all known attacks. Even if a hacker randomly generates an
IP address that corresponds to the one currently assigned to you from a
DHCP address pool, he won't be able to get into your computer because
the firewall prevents your system from responding through the network
access ports. When it comes time for you to run a web server or some other
kind of server from your home computer, should you ever want to do so,
you can reconfigure the firewall to allow access through the specific
port you want to serve.
I wish you much joy and productivity with your Linux system.
If you feel that my answer is incomplete or inaccurate in any way,
don't hesitate to post a Clarification Request so that I can meet all
your needs before you assign a rating.
Regards,
leapinglizard |
Clarification of Answer by
leapinglizard-ga
on
14 Oct 2004 09:31 PDT
If you don't want anyone to know your IP address, you won't be able to
use the Internet. In order to use any Internet service at all, the
underlying protocol requires that the server with which you are
communicating have an address to which it can send data packets. Thus,
the only true way to hide your IP is to unplug your modem.
However, there are several facts that work in your favor.
First of all, it doesn't matter if someone knows your IP, since the
hardware firewall in your router and the software firewall in Linux
will give you very good protection. I have been running several
different servers from my home computer for five years now without
being the subject of a successful attack.
Second, even if your IP were somehow secret, a hacker would be able to
guess it on the basis of the address block of your Internet Service
Provider (ISP). You see, hackers run automatic port scanning programs
that take an address block and generate all possible IP numbers from
it, probing the machine at each one. Your machine would be one of 128
being scanned at the same time. Obscurity is no protection.
Third, it is highly unlikely that you have a static IP address. Your
ISP most probably uses an automatic network service configurator such
as DHCP, which randomly assigns each user an IP address from an
available pool. On my own DSL line, my IP address changes several
times a day. This is the norm.
To reiterate: you cannot use the Internet if you want your IP address
hidden. In any case, hiding your IP address would do nothing to
prevent its being randomly scanned by hackers. Furthermore, it is
likely that your IP address changes frequently. Finally, what protects
you on the Internet is not anonymity but a good firewall such as the
one that comes with Linux, properly configured.
leapinglizard
|
