This column is an introduction to installing Linux onto your computer, getting it running, and beginning to explore the best OS in the universe.
Linux runs on an extremely wide range of hardware, so guaranteeing every possible combination is virtually impossible. Still, Linux “out of the box” often supports computers equipped with standard components. If Windows can run on a computer, then chances are that Linux can too.
You probably know that Linux is Open Source Software. This means that anyone can modify its internal workings. As a result there are thousands of people all over the world working on it all the time. So if you’ve just obtained a copy of Linux and it doesn’t support your particular video card (or modem or network card), then all is not lost: a recent upgrade that may support your hardware could be available on the Internet or from whoever provided you with Linux. Unless your computer or peripherals are particularly rare or unusual, chances are Linux already supports it, or will soon.
There are many sources from which you can get Linux, and many versions available. You can get it for free from sites on the Internet, you can buy a packaged copy (”distribution”), or you can buy any one of a number of books about Linux that will include a distribution. I’m using a Red Hat packaged version (5.2), and I will assume for the remainder of this article that you are too. Installing one of…
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