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What is Linux Vault?
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The Linux Vault is a new wiki project founded with the mission of creating a centralized GNU/Linux information website. It has just been created, so we are begging everybody to take part of it and make it the place for writing guides, how-tos, configurations, administration tips, tricks, tweaks or whatever else related to the GNU/Linux system. We are currently setting things up, and we still have yet to explain what's the difference between our project, and all the others, like www.howtoforge.com. If you have any doubt, please contact us.
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What is Linux?
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At its simplest, Linux is a small program which handles and processes requests made of it from the various inputs of a computer (such as a keyboard or a CD) and which controls other programs to carry out specific requests. This program is called the kernel and sits at the heart of all distributions of GNU/Linux, ruling over it all in a sort of feudal hierarchy. Surrounding the kernel are hundreds of more specialised programs handling specific jobs on behalf of the kernel; and surrounding these may be thousands more programs, scripts, code-chunks and what-nots to perform ever more specific jobs or parts of jobs. Each of these little bits of programming can be assembled in many different ways (which is what makes the different distributions) and each part can be adapted or re-written by anyone who thinks they can help. By the way, in theory at least, the name Linux refers only to the central kernel program and GNU is the whole framework of the operating system. In practice "Linux" has become a buzzword and is easier to pronounce than the official full name of "GNU/Linux" (a fact which quite annoys some of the founders of GNU).
What makes GNU/Linux different is this fact that anyone can join in and contribute and anyone can use any of the parts of GNU/Linux for any purpose they see fit; this is explained in great detail in the "GNU General Public License" or GPL. So anyone that knows what they are doing can gather together all the expertise of thousands of programmers spread around the world to make their own GNU/Linux Distribution for a job they need doing. This could be a relatively simple job like checking the traffic flow through your internet router, or it may be a full operating system which tries to do everything anyone could ever want of a computer, rivalling Apple and Microsoft.
There are many, many different distributions of GNU/Linux and many are supplied as a " LiveCD" which can run on your PC without affecting anything else already on your hard drive so you can try it without fear of damaging anything. If you are just starting out, you may find that you do not like a particular distribution. If so, don't give up just yet! Try another distribution.
What most people expect of a computer is to have a Graphical User Interface -- the screen looks nice and you can point at things with a mouse instead of typing arcane coded commands. On GNU/Linux systems this desktop metaphor can be provided by various program packages the most popular being KDE and Gnome. Most come with some sort of package (software) management tools. At its best, this provides a graphical means to choose what kind of programs you want on your computer from a long list provided (and vouched for) by the managers of your distribution; or if you choose to be finicky, you can select different versions of different parts of some program by using those arcane codes etc. Red Hat and company use Yum, Debian and its many offspring use Dpkg/Apt.
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Help is Free!
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If you have a question, look around (google is the greatest resource, currently). Somebody has certainly run into the problem before. If you do not find an answer, ask. When asking, always be sure to clearly state your problem, share what you have already attempted, and provide any additional information that may assist you.
In searching for a distribution that best fits your needs, be sure to experiment with LiveCDs. LiveCD distributions allow you to run the operating system directly from a CD or DVD, without installing anything on your hard drive. This way, you can play around with the operating system, before deciding whether to install it on your system. View a list of LiveCD distributions.
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Browse by distribution...
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Or through our categories
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