Want Linux
From PrincetonUnixFAQ
This page is meant to guide you from not having Linux to having more Linux than you know what to do with. Be sure to read this page from top to bottom so that you are clear about every step of the way. Following many of the instructions on this page without the prerequisites completed can damage your system or delete your data. Using Linux is safe, but changing the way your computer is set up is not. Just be careful.
| Table of contents |
Cluster Computers
You may already have access to a computer with Linux that you can experiment with. Ask around. I don't know where they are, but I hear there are some.
If you find a cluster computer you can use, then you can stop here, skipping to the Newbie Help page if you're new to Linux, or Linux Usage for more advanced documentation.
If you're adamant about using Linux on your own computer, then read on.
No-Install Demonstration
If you are interested in trying Linux without changing anything on your computer (so you don't have to back up data, repartition your hard drive, etc.), then you can do this with what is called a "Live CD."
There are many different Live CDs available. One of the easiest is the Ubuntu Live CD. If you don't mind waiting several weeks, you can order a free CD (https://shipit.ubuntu.com/) from their site. You could also e-mail the [Mailing list] to ask for a copy of this CD. It doubles as the install CD, so many people have it.
If you can burn CDs with your computer, you could also download the CD and make your own copy. You can download the Ubuntu CD image from their download page (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download). Some instructions on how to burn CDs would be nice here.
Whatever you do, make sure that you are getting the CD appropriate for your computer. Computers which run Windows are x86, but some are 32-bit while others are 64-bit. Apple laptops and desktops before the switch to Intel processors were PowerPC. Order or download the CD which is appropriate for your computer. If you need help with this, ask on the [Mailing list].
Using a Live CD
Put the CD in your CD drive. Your computer probably needs to be on for this step, and it's okay to do this while another operating system is running. Once it is inserted, restart the computer. If your computer starts up just like it normally does, then it will take a little bit of extra work (not much at all) to get the CD to work. If you don't recognize the operating system that started -- the CD is probably working! You should have a Linux desktop to play with now.
Although this method of trying Linux is much safer than installing it to disc, you should still be careful. Be sure not to run anything that will install the operating system or repartition your hard disk. Reading files from your disc should be all right, and writing small files to the desktop should also be okay. Since the Live CD is not meant to save anything to disk, files you save will disappear when you reboot, so don't save anything permanent.
Have fun! If you need help, see Newbie Help or Linux Usage for more information, or ideas for things to do and try.
You Can Stop Here
If you are only interested in trying Linux using a Live CD, then you can stop reading here. The rest of the instructions on this page are for people who want to install Linux directly onto their machines.
Choosing a Distribution
It seems these days you can't go wrong with Ubuntu Linux (http://www.ubuntu.com/). It probably has the best hardware support, and because it's so popular, it's likely that software you want to use will have been tested on Ubuntu (or Debian Linux, which Ubuntu is based on) at some point. The Ubuntu forums (http://ubuntuforums.org/) are very active and most answers to Ubuntu questions can probably be found by searching it. There are desktop and server editions.
If you choose to use Ubuntu, you can skip much of the rest of this page because Ubuntu has nice docs for people switching from Windows to Ubuntu (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows) or from another Linux (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromLinux).
Of course, there are other choices.
- Arch Linux (http://www.archlinux.org/). Active, supported.
- Gentoo Linux (http://www.gentoo.org/). The documentation for installation is clear and educational, but installation and everything after can be time-consuming. Beginners will learn a lot more about Linux by having Gentoo have them do by hand what other distributions do automatically (in a good way, if that makes sense).
- Fedora (http://fedoraproject.org/). I don't know if people still install Fedora on their own computers, but it used to be pretty popular.
Obtaining the Installation Media
Whichever distribution you choose, you will install it by burning its installation software to a CD or DVD. It is usually distributed in the form of an ISO file, which is a raw disc image. How you burn this image varies depending on which OS and software you burn it from, but the only step that ever catches people is burning the image as a disc image and not as a file. E-mail the Unix-list if you need help with this step.
Fresh PC, No Data
You can skip to the partitioning step.
PC With Data
If you have data on the computer you want to install Linux on that you want to save, BACK IT UP. Copy it to an secondary hard drive or external drive. Be paranoid about it.
Installing Linux alongside another operating system usually requires resizing the partition (section of a hard disk) holding that partition to make room. The resizing operation is safe enough with well-tested tools like those that will probably come on the Linux installation CD, but since partitions are generally fragile, backing up important data is something you've just gotta do.
Backing up can be as simple as copying the folders you think you want to another disk. It can be as elaborate as creating an image of your hard disk that you can copy back to restore everything to exactly the state it was in before you did anything. The first option is probably good enough for most people.
Installation
Installation varies greatly depending on the distribution of Linux you choose. Look at the documentation on the web site for the distribution. If that's not good enough, search around. You can also try to find the corresponding section in the Gentoo handbook (http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/index.xml), a very good installation guide for Gentoo Linux with lots of information that's applicable to any Linux installation.
Partitioning
In my opinion, fancy partitioning schemes are overrated. You just need two partitions for Linux:
| Mount Point | Recommended Format | Use |
|---|---|---|
| / | ext3 | Root filesystem. Where operating system (and user files) go. |
| swap | swap | Virtual memory. |
Other guides may recommend creating a separate partition for /home (the directory for user files) or /boot (the directory for the operating system kernel), but you don't need them as they will be created on the root partition anyway. For a personal computer, this level of micro-management is overkill.
If you have other operating system(s) installed that you want to keep, the only thing to keep in mind is that you can only have four (primary) partitions per drive. Windows requires one partition. Linux requires a root partition plus a swap partition, but every installation of Linux can use the same swap partition. If you need more than four partitions, you can do that using extended partitions, but someone more knowledgeable than I will have to write documentation explaining that. Try asking about it on the Unix-list.
The last time I installed Linux, the most-recommended size for the swap partition was "twice the amount of installed RAM." I don't believe I've ever touched swap except in cases where I did something so stupid I deserved to have my computer fault and reboot, but the rule of thumb seems handy nonetheless, especially if you have a lot of disk space.
Final Steps
You now have Linux! Start it up and make sure it works. If you're new to this, this is where you can pick back up in Newbie Help. Otherwise, you're ready to jump into Linux Usage for documentation on how to set up such things as networking, printing, and e-mail.
Woot!
