Linux Apps Installation and general linux tutorial

Hello everyone,

Long time windows user trying to make the conversion to linux.

I know just enough about linux to poke around and realize that I should learn more. So that leads me into my first question.

Is there a general linux tutorial out there somewhere. Not the basic tutorial of “this is the KDE desktop . . .”. Really more a linux administrator tutorial that teachs me the basic path structure, configuration files I should know and how to edit them, how to install and configure software, what all the services do, security issues . . . etc. I basically need something to step through and teach me an intermediate level of linux so that I am not completely dependent on the pretty GUI’s which hide the real configurations.

Now my second question. I am trying to install OpenFOAM. One thing it requires is that I use QT 4.3.1 specifically. So, following my habits as a windows user, I went out and downloaded QT 4.3.1. Now I am sitting here with this set of files and I have no idea how to install it. Again, my windows habits make me think that I can just point YAST at the directory that the files are in and tell it to install. But I have no idea how to do that. I also tried the readme file for QT 4.3.1. It was very helpful. Told me to run the ./configure file and then the make command. Except that I got an error message telling me that make wasn’t in my path.

So in general, I know this should be possible to install, but I have no idea how to do it and keep stumbling over my own ignorance. Can anyone give me some help please? Thanks.

About the tutorial, it’s difficult to explain, I learned by searching for what I needed to know on the net and in the mean time I bought a bog book of about 1000 pages (The linux bible, it explained me everthing).

Maybe you can do the same.

About the software installation. You cannot just download a complete set of RPM’s and install it.
In linux you need to keep in mind that a lot of packages depend on contents of other packages. This mean that you need to add repositories to Yast from where you install packages. And when another dependant package is needed for something you try to install it will automatically add it to the list.

For QT, you need to add some repo’s to Yast, check here : KDE/Repositories - openSUSE

QT is in the list.

Be carefull, a lot of KDE packages depend on a specific version of QT and it might break KDE if you install an older version or it might conflict if you install two different versions.

Hi,

In linux we use what are called “Software Repositories” also referred to as “repos”. When you add a software repository, you download the list of what’s in the repository. So when you use Yast Software Management you can see what packages are in that repository. You can also search for specific software within the repository.

You can also go to sites and download the source code and compile it yourself if that’s to your liking, but for just getting started with linux and familiarizing yourself, you should start by using the GUI of Yast. As you get more comfortable you can start learning about zypper which is the console/text software manager. It’s a very handy tool once you learn how to use it.

Here’s the how-to for managing your repositories.

Repository Management - openSUSE Forums

To compile applications you’ll need at least these packages:
make
gcc
kernel-source
linux-kernel-headers

Some applications need other dependencies that are usually listed on the site or in the README.

Good Luck,

Ian

Oh, and that whole “make isn’t in your path” thing? You have to run make as root. Be careful when doing things as root and NEVER EVER EVER EVER LOG INTO YOUR COMPUTER AS ROOT. While in a console type

su

then your root password

and you’ll gain root permissions for that console session.

then you can use the make command.

Sorry, I’m going to contradict myself. You do not need to be root to run make. You need to be root to run “make install”. The reason it was giving you that error is because make is not installed yet.

Take Care,

Ian

Sorry, I’m going to contradict myself. You do not have to be root to run make. You need to be root to run “make install”. You got the make error because you do not have make installed yet. Read the software management how to and then use Yast Software Management to install the correct packages before compiling.

Take Care,

Ian

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Um, no. ‘make’ does not need to be run as ‘root’ almost ever. If it is
installed normally then it is already in the user’s path if it is
installed. If not, install it as follows:

sudo zypper in make

‘make’, like anything else, only needs to be run as root when it needs to
do root-only things like install software (‘make install <software>’).

Good luck.

ijbreakey wrote:
> Oh, and that whole “make isn’t in your path” thing? You have to run make
> as root. Be careful when doing things as root and NEVER EVER EVER EVER
> LOG INTO YOUR COMPUTER AS ROOT. While in a console type
>
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> su
> --------------------
>
>
> then your root password
>
> and you’ll gain root permissions for that console session.
>
> then you can use the make command.
>
>
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> Long time windows user trying to make the conversion to linux.

welcome…it is a pretty hard thing to get started here, but you have
taken the correct FIRST STEP (asking nicely)…

[congrats on that, we most often here get stuff like: I hate widows
but Linux is just too hard and SUCKS, bye!!]

> I know just enough about linux to poke around and realize that I should
> learn more. So that leads me into my first question.
>
> Is there a general linux tutorial out there somewhere.

great first question, i have lots of answers and far too much for you
to read in one sitting…but, START here:

http://en.opensuse.org/Concepts

some of your most BASIC questions and need-to-know can be answered in
this one document (and all the things it references! heh, like see
this section in particular, which directly addresses your second
question http://tinyurl.com/ovc9uu by linking to YaST…

> Really more a linux
> administrator tutorial that teachs me the basic path structure,
> configuration files I should know and how to edit them, how to install
> and configure software, what all the services do, security issues . . .
> etc. I basically need something to step through and teach me an
> intermediate level of linux so that I am not completely dependent on the
> pretty GUI’s which hide the real configurations.

PERFECT question…i like it because i asked it last century and got
this answer from an old guy who worked as an administrator on IBM’s
“Big Iron” back in the '60s, he said: “Unix System Administration”,
ISBN 0130206016"

but, i have a better answer (because it is free, and no trees have to
die for you to read it): Rute User’s Tutorial and Exposition
http://rute.2038bug.com/ is as good a place to start as any…

BUT, there are many others–AND, you have to remember that the various
‘flavors’ of Linux treat some things in different ways…if you spend
ALL of your time learning about openSUSE you will know that
only…unfortunately…in my opinion it is really good to know about
Linux in general, and THEN about things specific to Red Hat, SUSE,
etc…but, you have to START somewhere and that means specific while
all of these are pretty general:

http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2009/05/10/10-free-linux-ebooks-for-beginners/

where you will see Rute User’s again!

and, don’t forget the documentation installed on your system:
file:///usr/share/doc/manual/opensuse-manual_en/manual/index.html :wink:

> So in general, I know this should be possible to install, but I have no
> idea how to do it and keep stumbling over my own ignorance. Can anyone
> give me some help please? Thanks.

it is SO easy:

-click on “Menu” the lizzard bottom (or top) left
-click System > Configuration > YaST
-give root password when asked
-click Software Management (then be patient, it usually takes a while)
-when it stop whirring, in the search box type OpenFOAM and press enter

OOOOPS, that does not work, not as easy as i had hoped…hmmmm

so, i look at
file:///usr/share/doc/manual/opensuse-manual_en/manual/index.html and
see (from my point of view) some pretty simple directions (which i
know sounds greek to you, patience) like:

“Decompress each file with GNU gtar and gzip using the command ”tar
xzf <filename>”” which translated into plain english and openSUSE means:

oh man, this is too long already…hey, did you ever use anything in
DOS/Window called Norton Commander?

while you have YaST running search for “midnight commander” and
install it, then go Menu > System > Terminal and pick “Gnome Terminal”
if you use gnome or konsole if you use KDE…when it opens type mc,
hit enter and marvel…you can use mc to “Decompress each file”

more later…(sorry)
dd


decorated_warrior