by Jonathan List

Created on: October 10, 2009

When you begin investigating this Linux thing you have heard people talking about, you do not need to know how it works. You do not need to know all of the political arguments inside the Linux community, you need to know how to get it installed an how to start playing with it.

>>> Vocabulary <<<

First, you need to understand some basic vocabulary that may seem foreign to you. Really, it is not that difficult to learn these new words, and you will probably find yourself tossing them around after a few days. The first word that you absolutely need to know is the word, "Distribution." This word is usually abbreviated, "Distro," so that is what word this essay shall use. A Distro is just a package of different files and programs put together so that you do not have to worry about putting everything together yourself. Several Distros are: Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Mandriva, OpenSuse and Xandros. While each of these have different niches that they fill, it seems that most people find that Ubuntu is the easiest Distro to get used to.

You also need to understand the words, "Package," and, "Package Manager." In your traditional Operating Systems, you go to a store and purchase software which you then install manually. Since Linux operates inside the Open Source Framework, you do not need to go to a store, and most applications that you can install are free. Distros do not refer to their applications, by-and-large, as such, but they call them packages. A package is just the collection of files that allows you to complete your task. Let us say you want to install a game like Tux Racer. You would open up your Package Manager (usually under System or Administration), and search for Tux Racer. You would then click on the Package name and tell the computer that you would like to install that package. A few minutes of downloading and installing later, and you will find that Package now listed in your applications menu under games.

>>> Installing <<<

I recommend that you start off with something like Ubuntu. They are somewhat controversial in the Open Source community, but that is not your concern right now. Type the name Ubuntu into your favorite search engine, and you will quickly find the home page, or you can just click here and download it. You need to know what kind of computer you have, namely, is it a 32bit processor, or a 64 bit processor? The installation protocols will determine most of the rest of the information for you, which

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