The Linux Documentation Project proudly presents... Linux Installation and Getting Started by Matt Welsh v1.1, 29 September 1993 Linux Installation and Getting Started is a book for anyone wishing to dive into the Linux world. It covers what Linux is, how to get it, and how to install it on your machine. Also included is an introductory tutorial to using Linux for UNIX novices, and chapters on Linux system administration and advanced features of Linux, such as the X Window System, TCP/IP networking, and more. The first release of the book was made in early August. Since then, I have received many comments and suggestions from readers. I have tried to work all of these in. As a result, not much of the content has changed from Version 1.0, but many typos and mistakes were corrected. The book still focuses on how to install the SLS release of Linux. In the future, I plan to replace this with a more general section on installing whatever release of Linux you choose. As you can see, however, that takes a considerable amount of time (which I don't have right now!). The book has been uploaded to sunsite.unc.edu in the directory /pub/Linux/docs/LDP/install-guide. Other sites, such as tsx-11, should mirror this soon. The files are: install-guide-1.1.ps.gz PostScript output, ready to print, 150 pages. Should print fine on US letter or A4 paper. You can also view this with Ghostview, although some readers have reported that Ghostview chokes on large documents generated by dvips. I haven't been able to test this. install-guide-1.1.dvi.gz .dvi (device independent) TeX output. 150 pages. You can view this with xdvi or convert to another with the various DVI tools if you wish. install-guide-1.0.txt.gz Plain ASCII output. This is made available mostly for previewing purposes; see below. I have not generated ASCII for v1.1 of the book; it's too time-consuming and not enough changes were made to warrant it. About 180 pages (66 lines per page). install-guide-1.1.tar.gz Complete LaTeX source, including formatting macros and style file. You only need this if you want to format the book from scratch. Otherwise you only need one of the above files. These files are compressed by gzip (the .gz extension). You can get gzip from many FTP sites, including prep.ai.mit.edu in /pub/gnu. Gzip is rapidly becoming the standard compression in the free software world. Yes! There is plain ASCII. The ASCII is slightly ugly; i.e., very ragged right margin, no page numbers or table of contents, etc. The ASCII was generated with a combination of hacked-up LaTeX macros, dvi2tty, and a couple of hours of manual editing. I strongly suggest that you get the .dvi or PostScript instead; you can view it with xdvi or GhostView if you don't have access to a printer. The ASCII version doesn't include the BBS list appendix, the vi tutorial, or any of the fancy figures. Most of the content is there, and it's readable, but it's not very pretty. The PostScript/.dvi version of the book looks very nice in contrast. I hope that this book helps people start using Linux. It is freely distributable by the terms listed below: Linux Installation and Getting Started may be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, subject to the following conditions: Linux Installation and Getting Started is Copyright (c)1993 by Matt Welsh, mdw@sunsite.unc.edu. 205 Gray St NE, Wilson, NC, 27893 USA. * The copyright notice above and this permission notice must be preserved complete on all complete or partial copies. * Any translation or derivative work of Linux Installation and Getting Started must be approved by the author in writing before distribution. * If you distribute Linux Installation and Getting Started in part, instructions for obtaining the complete version of this manual must be included, and a means for obtaining a complete version provided. * Small portions may be reproduced as illustrations for reviews or quotes in other works without this permission notice if proper citation is given. * The GNU General Public License referenced below may be reproduced under the conditions given within it. Exceptions to these rules may be granted for academic purposes: Write to Matt Welsh, at the above address, or email mdw@sunsite.unc.edu, and ask. These restrictions are here to protect us as authors, not to restrict you as educators and learners. All source code in Linux Installation and Getting Started is placed under the GNU General Public License, available via anonymous FTP from prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu/COPYING. Please send me any comments or suggestions. I usually appreciate general comments, instead of cdiffs, because they allow me to rewrite the sections myself. Besides, if thirty people send me cdiffs on the same section, I can't use them all. :) Also, I would be very happy if someone could send me a nice printed copy of this book. I don't have the means to print 150 pages of Postscript on a whim, so it restricts my editing abilities (when people make comments to change something on page 86, I need to know where page 86 is in the source!). If you have a spare ream of paper and a rarely-used PostScript printer, send me e-mail and we'll talk. :) Enjoy! mdw -- Matt Welsh, mdw@sunsite.unc.edu