If you're new to UNIX
and Linux, you may
be a bit intimidated by the size and apparent complexity
of the system before you. This chapter does not go into
great detail or cover advanced topics. Instead, we want
you to hit the ground running.
We assume very little here about your background, except
perhaps that you have some familiarity with personal
computer systems, and MS-DOS. However, even if you're
not an MS-DOS user, you should be able to understand
everything here. At first glance, Linux looks a lot
like MS-DOS--after all, parts of MS-DOS were modeled
on the CP/M operating system, which in turn was modeled
on UNIX. However, only the most superficial features
of Linux resemble MS-DOS. Even if you're completely
new to the PC world, this tutorial should help.
And, before we begin: Don't be afraid to experiment.
The system won't bite you. You can't destroy anything
by working on the system. Linux has built-in security
features to prevent ``normal'' users from damaging files
that are essential to the system. Even so, the worst
thing that can happen is that you may delete some or
all of your files and you'll have to re-install the
system. So, at this point, you have nothing to lose.
Basic Linux concepts.
Linux is a multitasking, multiuser operating system,
which means that many people can run many different
applications on one computer at the same time. This
differs from MS-DOS, where only one person can use the
system at any one time. Under Linux, to identify yourself
to the system, you must log in, which entails entering
your login name (the name the system uses to identify
you), and entering your password, which is your personal
key for logging in to your account. Because only you
know your password, no one else can log in to the system
under your user name.
On traditional UNIX systems, the system administrator
assigns you a user name and an initial password when
you are given an account on the system. However, because
in Linux tt you are the system administrator, you must
set up your own account before you can log in. For the
following discussions, we'll use the imaginary user
name, ``larry.''
In addition, each system has a host name assigned
to it. It is this host name that gives your machine
a name, gives it character and charm. The host name
is used to identify individual machines on a network,
but even if your machine isn't networked, it should
have a host name. For our examples below, the system's
host name is ``mousehouse''
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