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You wrote:
> Hi Roy,
>
> Well it's a few days down the line now, and I am learning everyday. The
> configurability of Linux is outstanding.
You already grasped it all? Well done. It took me years... honestly.
> The problem is, being 'Gates' conditioned over very many years, you get
> 'conditioned' into that mode yourself.
>
> I had both my Desktop and Laptop on dual boot, and all was fine until
> th
e other morning, when my laptop would not boot into Windoze.
Assuming you put them on separate partitions (which you have), this must
have been a coincidence. The two are completely separate, so my guess is
that Windows just being itself.
> A Roy
> Schestowitz voice came into my head "I have not booted a PC into windoze
> in many months" I took this as a 'sign' and decided to go the whole way...
Funny that you mention it... I wiped that partition some days ago...
http://schestowitz.com/Weblog/archives/2005/08/13/dual-partition-linux/
> ...... so I have installed Suse 9.3 pro completely on my laptop and
> Billy is gone .. ......... !
SuSE 9.3 is a powerful distro. I use it myself.
> ...t installed faultlessly (apart from one
> amusing hiccup that was my fault - I will tell you about that later) and
> has been FAR better than XP and so far (I'm still learning) it has been
> excellent. I have a wireless connection between both pc's.
>
> One (probably simple) thing I am unable to grasp is the downloading and
> installing of new software independent from the hundreds of packages
> already available. The missing file extensions has thrown me somewhat (I
> understand linux /unix does not use file extensions) and 'where' to
> install this newly downloaded software is another poser. All the other
> programs have downloaded and updated fine with Yast. An Example:
>
> I wish (and have) downloaded Thunderbird (only Mozilla Mail is available
> under suse, or is this the same thing?) anyway ....... lets pretend it
> is the latest cricket score calculation program I have been waiting for.
> I download a 'Linux' version onto my desktop which arrives as a
> compressed (zipped) tar.gz file I can now right click and 'unzip' it
> .... but where to? the default suggestion which is /home/mhm (my home
> directory), or does it need to go into another directory /usr /var
> (because it will vary) or something else.
/usr and /var are directories you should not mess about with unless you
know what you are doing. They require root access for a reason. They
allow you to change virtually everything, but they do not open the door
for you to do this (unless you insist). Your home directory is your
'home' (that you will come to cherish) on the machine. Anything else is
the operating system. If you ever want an identical workstation, all you
need to do is copy your home directory.
Installations require a little bit of experience. The first time you
will need to spend a little bit of time, but later it will become
instinctive and will appear like a repeating chorus, e.g.
./configure
make
sudo root
make install
The process gives you a great deal of flexibility and there are
front-ends like Yast2. If you struggle, read some Web pages on Linux
installations. The rules are quite universal.
> Do I need to make a directory
> (say Thunderbird) within another directory which I am now able to do
> (log in as root) and once I have unzipped and 'installed' it, how do I
> get it to work? which icon (no extensions) to I need to get it running??
Thunderbird installation was simple (for me). Just uncompress the
package, put it in e.g. /home/mhm/programs/thunderbird
You then need to run a .sh (shell) file or some other file like
thunderbird. I don't think you need to install Thunderbird because it's
Java Runtime Enviroment-based. Let me know if you have trouble.
> Is there a particular program (package installer) say Yast that will do
> this? But how (I have tried) to I get it 'into' Yast.
Try to find RPM installations. There are RPM files that you can
sometimes download. Once received fully, all you need to do is
double-click the icon and it's 'magic time'. yast2 should take care of
installation. Package management is still maturing...
> I have perused the support forums and help files but can make no sense.
> Any suggestions to get Gates out of my head ;-)
As time goes on, years of Windows experience will be replaced
(complemented rather) by Linux experience. Remember that every time you
knock your head against the wall, you learn something. It's a
trial-and-error thing.
Best wishes,
Roy
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