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.But be prepared to be a bit frustrated if you are newto UNIX or Linux.These are the two best defenses against frustration with using Linux:Get organized.Educate yourself about Linux and UNIX.TIP: Experience withmy bad memory has forced me to keep an indexed log of all the bugs, quirks, and symptomsin Linux.I have a dog-eared notebook of all the weird features of Linux.As youwork with Linux, you might want to keep a personal log of your misadventures withit.The CD-ROMThe CD-ROM enclosed in this book has lots of useful documentation.Unfortunately,this is the classic chicken-and-egg problem.You need the documentation to installthe Linux software, but you have to access the CD-ROM to get more information abouthow to install the software! The good part is that almost all the documentation onthe CD-ROM at the back of this book is in plain text.Right now, in this chapter, it's much too early to worry about reading the contentsof the CD-ROM.The next two chapters will step you through the installation process.So don't worry if you do not yet know how to look for this documentation.NOTE: If you are eagerto get this information, you can borrow a DOS machine or UNIX workstation and lookat the /doc directories from the root of the CD-ROM.TIP: You can look atall the files and directories on the CD-ROM from an MS-DOS, UNIX, or Microsoft Windowsmachine.In Chapter 2 we will cover some of the files you can look at in the CD-ROM afteryou have installed Linux.You can skip ahead to that chapter to see how to read theCD-ROM directory tree for the documentation.NOTE: See Chapter 15,"Using the Linux Documentation," to find out where to get more informationabout Linux.SummaryThere you have it, a brief introduction to an operating system that could verywell change the way you program.Now, it's time to get yourself ready for Linux.In this chapter, you learned about Linux and some of its more prominent features.Here's a recap:UNIX is a trademark.Linux is not a trademark and has no connection to trademarkUNIX.Linux is designed to run on Intel 80386, 80486, and Pentium computers.Linuxsupports the 387 math coprocessor chip.Linux is also being ported to other machine architectures, such as the PowerPC,DEC Alpha, and Macintosh.Linux has most of UNIX's features and applications built into it.These featuresinclude a Virtual File System (VFS), networking, multitasking, and multiuser capabilities,along with a host of applications such as XFree86, TeX, and the GNU utilities.You will learn a lot about operating systems when working with Linux.Linux is copyrighted under the GNU copyleft agreement.(See Appendix E.)The hardware requirements for Linux include at least an 80386 (or better still,80486) processor, about 100MB to 120MB of disk space, 4MB of RAM, and a 3'-inch high-densityfloppy drive.The more memory you have, most likely the faster Linux will run.The swap space on Linux is an area on the disk used by Linux as a scratch areawhen lots of processes are being used.You need at least 8MB of RAM to get X Window Systems to run with an acceptabledegree of performance.You need to educate yourself a little on Linux and UNIX before you start theinstallation procedure.This is especially important if you are new to UNIX.You can find help on topics in Linux in several places: the Linux DocumentationProject, FAQs, INFO-SHEETS, and the files on the CD-ROM itself.The Hardware-HOWTO document contains a lot of information about allthe devices supported by Linux.It's best to check the Linux Hardware Compatibility List on the CD-ROM beforestarting your installation process or buying anything for your PC
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