Ok, so you took the big leap and converted to Linux. First off; Congratulations!!
But now you realize you might need a little help and have no clue where to start looking. Most linux distributions will have documentation or “wiki” for their OS, that is the first place you should go.

Generally, the first thing I tell a new linux user is, “Google is your new best friend!” A good place to start is www.google.com/linux

After that, there are many linux help sites and forums available containing a plethora of information. One of my favorite is Linux Questions

Another excellent source of guidance can be IRC. My channel of choice is #mepis. Now, before you say, “But, I’m running {insert distro of choice here}! Don’t panic. Granted, #mepis is the help channel for Simply Mepis, it’s definitely not a requirement. You’ll find #mepis populated with friendly, understanding and knowledgeable users, ready to help out.

For information on Freenode and how to use an IRC client, such as xchat, check out the links below:

Freenode: using the network

Xchat Docs

~LC

Technorati Tags: Howto, Linux, IRC

Well we are to the part that is important yet forgotten by so many of the new or averager user, and that is Security. Yes security is needed in Linux, why you ask? I thought that Linux wasm’t effected by virus’s or malware you are saying. Well in truth there are a couple of bugs running around in the wild that can effect a linux system but they are rare, and not very effective.However the one reason that I suggest to new linux users that anti-virus software is a good idea is in fact a good neighbor policy. By that what if your best friend Bob sends you a file to look at and with linux there is no problem but if that file had a nasty bug that attached itself to out going files, how would it look to find out that your other friends all complained that you sent them a virus? See not nice huh? So lets cover the basics and we will work from there.

Once again the first thing on the list is a firewall, and once again you have options with this also, as you are finding with linux there is always a option or two or more. Most distro’s come with Guarddog and that is a above average starter firewall. There is also Firestarter which is also a fine solution for the average user. Now let me say by average user I am concerning this on the fact that you just want to be safe and secure and you are not planning on running a web server or ftp server from your computer. And if you decide later to to just that there are a lot of tutorials to walk you through the setup for that.

Next on the list is a anti-virus program and once again there is one that is included with many of the distro’s and that is Klamav. Here you have a mature program that is updated daily or more depending on the situation. And it will automatically update for you so you don’t have to worry about it.

Last and not least is a chkroot, a rootkit scanner that really comes in handy what with more and more folks attempted to install rootkits on computers. While it is a commandline tool it is so easy to use even a Caveman can do it. (sorry about that) All you have to do once it is installed is open a terminal window and type in chkrootkit and hit enter each user will be able to see if they have anything and you as admin will be able to check the entire system for mean old invaders.

See it was easier than securing a windows computer and you will be safe and secure while you are out scooting around the web. Are there options yes, and you can go to the forums of the distro that you installed and and read what the other users like to use. Or stop over at LinuxQuestions.org and they will have even more options for you to check out. So this about covers all the basics of setting up a new user linux computer. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line and I will try and sort it out for you, so until then have fun with your new linux box, and don’t forget to tell your friends about how safer you are now. See you all later.

Technorati Tags: Security

The Music Player Daemon (MPD) is a very different, and very cool, way to play back music online. Unlike typical music-playing applications, MPD does not have a graphical (or even command-line) interface. Instead, a variety of clients interact with MPD over the network.

This means multiple applications (clients) can interact with MPD simultaneously. One client might have an iTunes-style graphical user interface, another might run from the command line, and a third might display the currently playing song in the status bar of a Web browser or text editor. About 60 clients can already communicate with MPD, and at least 40 more are being developed.

Licensed under the GNU GPL, MPD has been available for several years, and is packaged for most popular GNU/Linux distributions. Debian, Ubuntu (using the universe repository), Mandriva, and Gentoo users can install the mpd package or ebuild. Fedora and openSUSE don’t include MPD, but you can find unofficial RPMs for those distros online. To compile MPD from source, start at the install page on the MPD Wiki and follow the instructions for General Installing From Source.

A single configuration file, /etc/mpd.conf, controls MPD’s behavior. It includes five path settings:

## REQUIRED PATHS ##

music_directory “~/music”

db_file “~/.mpd/mpd.db”

playlist_directory “~/.mpd/playlists”

log_file “~/.mpd/mpd.log”

error_file “~/.mpd/mpd.error”

################

MPD can play only audio files in the directory defined by the music_directory setting, or its subdirectories. The daemon will follow symbolic links (symlinks) in the music directory that point to directories and files outside the music directory — so, for example, if podcasts are stored in ~/podcasts/, you can make them available to MPD by creating a symlink from the podcasts directory to a file within the music directory:

ln -s ~/podcasts/ ~/music/podcasts

Most music files contain metadata such as artist name, track name, and track length. MPD indexes this metadata and stores the results in the file defined by the db_file setting, where clients can display and search it.

…More

~LC