Hi, I’m a very new newbie. I’m struggling with the info available on the internet as it all seems to presume a certain degree of knowledge which as a 2 day user I appear to be lacking :X
I have suse linux for dummies 10, which to be honest, I managed to work it all out for myself (i’m running 11 so the book is somewhat dated but principles are ok). I need something far more in depth.
Forums have been really helpful to me, wow, these people are so amazing going out of their way to help little me, but I would like a reference sat next to me.
man pages… you have the box, Google is available, if you are really
looking for a quick way to learn I’d stick with the free options you
already have. IRC channels can also be helpful as they are “chat” and
not “forums” so even quicker responses.
For now:
man tar
Good luck.
fallenstar wrote:
> Hi, I’m a very new newbie. I’m struggling with the info available on the
> internet as it all seems to presume a certain degree of knowledge which
> as a 2 day user I appear to be lacking :X
>
> I have suse linux for dummies 10, which to be honest, I managed to work
> it all out for myself (i’m running 11 so the book is somewhat dated but
> principles are ok). I need something far more in depth.
>
> Forums have been really helpful to me, wow, these people are so amazing
> going out of their way to help little me, but I would like a reference
> sat next to me.
>
> Any recommendations? :
>
>
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org
I assume you understand that basic compiling of tarballs (and later even programming) is not recommended for newbies. … Programming is a step beyond basic compiling. I confess last time I did any major programming on a computer was win95 and visual basic, back in 1997/98.
Note unpacking tarballs is incredibly simple, compared to what typically follows (in trying to compile). For example, with KDE setup properly (at least for KDE3, I have not checked KDE4 for this sort of ease) one merely selects the tarball with konqueror, right clicks, and unpacks/uncompresses the tarball into one’s directory of choice. Alternatively there are terminal commands one can send to unpack a tarball.
When compiling someone else’s software, one must read the “readme.txt” and “install.txt” files, as those include important instructions reference compilation dependencies and various input parameters/values. Typically one compiles with: ./configure
make
su
make install
For home grown rpms, one can replace “make install” with “checkinstall”, or in difficult cases, run “checkinstall” after “make install”, where “checkinstall” is a program that will create a custom (and limited) rpm that is good for installations’ on one’s own PC. The advantage of having an rpm, is the application is tracked by the rpm database, which is important for easy removal of the application, and important for “parent” applications that might wish to use the “child” application as a dependency.
But note Linux is anarchy for how programmers do things. Its up to the individual programmers, and many tarballs are not set up that way. There is a free for all, with no enforced standard. Some programs come with binaries, others come with scripts, and others come in many other different forms. Which is why reading the “readme.txt” and “install.txt” is essential.
And this is why newbies are recommended to stick with rpms, so they do not have to wade thru a dozen different ways to do things.
Often one needs to install many dependency applications first, before one can compile.
I believe it useful to understand that, before you attempt your own compilation and indeed your own programming efforts.
The thing is, I need to run music production and scoring software, and it all comes as tarballs!
I know it seems like I’m trying to run before I walk, but I’m really hoping to get this computer as functional as my mac was (before it got nicked) and massively object to paying a fortune for the software on windows>:) (which I despise with a passion), whilst refusing to pay 30% more for a mac here than they retail for in the US. I love the whole Linux ethos and wish I had joined it years ago!
I will continue hunting for idiot proof tarball unpacking instructions online, and thanks for your time rotfl!
If you are using a DE (like KDE or GNOME) you can right click a compressed archive and open it with the native tools of you DE (desktop environment). You don’t have to jump to the command line just yet. If you want to learn command line, just Google some “bash techniques” or “bash tutorial” or “linux shell tutorials” stuff like that.
Man pages are the FIRST THING I DO WHEN I WANT AN ANSWER. They are invaluable resources. Try them on a command you want to learn more about (man tar, man gzip, man bzip2) they will tell you what you need to know quickly. You can also find man pages on Linux Documentation - linux.die.net Very good and almost always up-to-date.
To unpack a tar.gz archive (which is a GZIPped TAR file) you type:
tar -xzf filename.tar.gz
This will eXtract, unZip, the specified File in the current directory. If it is not GZIPped but BZIPped, you replace “z” with “j” and you are done.
There are Linux distros specially designed for music production. You could save yourself a lot of trouble and download the live CDs and see what works best for you.
> Hi, I’m a very new newbie…I would like a reference
> sat next to me.
for generic (applies to most all flavors/distributions) have a look
at http://rute.2038bug.com/index.html.gz
it is (imo) THE book to have on your desktop…
for SUSE specific you can’t do much better than what is online at
(for example)
