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| -rw-r--r-- | TODO | 25 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | chapter_01.xml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | chapter_02.xml | 133 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | chapter_04.xml | 12 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | chapter_07.xml | 107 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | chapter_16.xml | 135 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | img/cups-01.png | bin | 0 -> 86725 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | img/make-menuconfig-w.png | bin | 0 -> 6421 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | preface.xml | 18 |
9 files changed, 321 insertions, 111 deletions
@@ -16,28 +16,21 @@ General in reference to how the admin might be misled into thinking that they are causing breakage... -Chapter 2. -* Booting the Installer +Chapter 2. Installation -Chapter 4. Basic Shell Commands +* Section 'Booting the Installer' -* Section 'Reading Documents' + Does this need to be reworked? Feels kinda kludgy and amateur. - Perhaps split this with subsections for cat, more, and less? +* At the tail end we might wish to tell the user about adduser and + inform him that he can skip ahead to chapter 9 briefly if he needs + more info. -Chapter 6. X Windows +Chapter 4. Basic Shell Commands -* Section 'configuring the X server' +* Section 'Reading Documents' - "The second most popular way to configure X on your system is the handy - xorgconfig(1)." << Factually, this is no longer true. The xorgconfig and - xorgcfg utilities have been removed as per Slackware 13.0. What you - *should* mention is that the X in Slackware will auto-configure itself - if a xorg.conf file is missing (or will automatically configure components - for any sections that are missing from an existing xorg.conf using the - information it receives from the HAL daemon) - * note that HAL is slated for deprecation and this might be handled by - udev directly at some point in the future... + Perhaps split this with subsections for cat, more, and less? Chapter 10. Working with Filesystems diff --git a/chapter_01.xml b/chapter_01.xml index 3dafaeb..c1e2bef 100644 --- a/chapter_01.xml +++ b/chapter_01.xml @@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ the Samba project, are released under the terms of the GPL. <para> Another very common license is the BSD license, which is arguably "more -free" than the GPL but imposes no restrictions on derivative works. +free" than the GPL because it imposes no restrictions on derivative works. The BSD license simply requires that the copyright remain intact along with a simple disclaimer. Many of the utilities specific to Slackware are licensed with a BSD-style license. diff --git a/chapter_02.xml b/chapter_02.xml index c817bf4..f022358 100644 --- a/chapter_02.xml +++ b/chapter_02.xml @@ -6,49 +6,136 @@ <title>Installation</title> <para> -Slackware's installation is a bit more simplistic than that of many/most - other Linux distributions, and is very reminiscent of installing one of the +Slackware's installation is a bit more simplistic than that of most +other Linux distributions, and is very reminiscent of installing one of the varieties of BSD operating systems. If you're familiar with those, you should feel right at home. If you've never installed Slackware or used a distribution that makes use of a non-graphical installer, you may -feel a bit overwhelmed. Don't panic. The installation is very easy +feel a bit overwhelmed at first. Don't panic! The installation is very easy once you understand it, and it works on just about any x86 platform. </para> <para> The latest versions of Slackware Linux are distributed on DVD or CD -media, but Slackware can be installed in a variety of other ways. This -book will only focus on the most common way: installing via optical -media. In order to install Slackware, you'll need at least an Intel -486 (or equivalent) or x86_64 CPU, but we recommend you obtain a 586 -or better CPU if at all possible. Slackware can be pared down to run -on as little as 32 MB of RAM, but with the size of the 2.6 kernel and -userspace applications, you will find yourself having a much easier -time if you have a minimum of 64 MB of RAM. If you wish to use -anything older than these, you might want to obtain an older copy of -Slackware which will perform better with fewer CPU Megahertz and less -RAM. +media, but Slackware can be installed in a variety of other ways. We're +only going to focus on the most common method - booting from a DVD - in +this book. If you don't have a CD or DVD drive, you might wish to take +a look at the various README files inside the +<filename>usb-and-pxe-installers</filename> directory at your favorite +Slackware mirror. This directory includes the necessary files and +instructions for booting the Slackware installer from a USB flash drive +or from a network card that support PXE. The files there are the best +source of information available for such boot methods. </para> <section> <title>Booting the Installer</title> <para> -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! -FILL THIS IN! FILL THIS IN! +Booting the installer is simply a process of inserting the Slackware +install disk into your CD or DVD drive and rebooting. You may have to +enter your computer's BIOS and alter the boot order to place the +optical drive at a higher boot priority than your hard drives. Some +computers allow you to change the boot order on the fly by pressing a +specific function key during system boot-up. Since every computer is +different, we can't offer instructions on how to do this, but the +method is simple on nearly all machines. </para> <para> -<imagedata fileref="img/install_keymap.png" format="PNG" /> +Once your computer boots from the CD you'll be taken to a screen that +allows you to enter any special kernel parameters. This is here +primarily to allow you to use the installer as a sort of rescue disk. +Some systems may need special kernel parameters in order to boot, but +these are very rare exceptions to the norm. Most users can simply press +enter to let the kernel boot. </para> +<screen> +Welcome to Slackware version 13.37 (Linux kernel 2.6.37.6)! + +If you need to pass extra parameters to the kernel, enter them at the prompt +below after the name of the kernel to boot (huge.s etc). + +In a pinch, you can boot your system from here with a command like: + +boot: huge.s root=/dev/sda1 rdinit= ro + +In the example above, /dev/sda1 is the / Linux partition. + +This prompt is just for entering extra parameters. If you don't need to enter +any parameters, hit ENTER to boot the default kernel "huge.s" or press [F2] +for a listing of more kernel choices. + +</screen> + +<para> +You should see a lot of text go flying across your screen. Don't be +alarmed, this is all perfectly normal. The text you see is generated by +the kernel during boot-up as it discovers your hardware and prepares to +load the operating system (in this case, the installer). You can later +read these messages with the <application>dmesg</application>(1) +command if you're interested. Often these messages are very important +for troubleshooting any hardware problems you may have. Once the kernel +has completed its hardware discovery, the messages should stop and +you'll be given an option to load support for non-us keyboards. +</para> + +<screen> +<OPTION TO LOAD SUPPORT FOR NON-US KEYBOARD> + +If you are not using a US keyboard, you may not load a different +keyboard map. To select a different keyboard map, please enter 1 +now. To continue using the US map, just hit enter. + +Enter 1 to select a keyboard map: _ +</screen> + +<para> +Entering <keycap>1</keycap> and pressing <keycap>ENTER</keycap> will +give you a list of keyboard mappings. Simply select the mapping that +matches your keyboard type and continue on. +</para> + +<screen> +Welcome to the Slackware Linux installation disk! (version 13.37) + +###### IMPORTANT! READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY. ###### + +- You will need one or more partitions of type 'Linux' prepared. It is also + recommended that you create a swap partition (type 'Linux swap') prior + to installation. For more information, run 'setup' and read the help file. + +- If you're having problems that you think might be related to low memory, you + can try activating a swap partition before you run setup. After making a + swap partition (type 82) with cfdisk or fdisk, activate it like this: + mkswap /dev/<partition> ; swapon /dev/<partition> + +- Once you have prepared the disk partitions for Linux, type 'setup' to begin + the installation process. + +- If you do not have a color monitor, type: TERM=vt100 + before you start 'setup'. + +You may now login as 'root'. + +slackware login: <userinput>root</userinput> +</screen> + <para> -<imagedata fileref="img/install_login.png" format="PNG" /> +Unlike other Linux distributions which boot you directly into a +dedicated installer program, Slackware's installer gives you a limited +Linux distribution contained in your system's RAM from the word go. This +limited distribution is then used to run all the installation programs +manually, or can be used in emergencies to fix a broken system that +fails to boot. Now that you're logged in as root (there is no password +within the installer) it's time to start setting up your disks. At this +point, you may setup software RAID or LVM support if you wish, but +those topics are outside of the scope of this book. I encourage you to +refer to the excellent <filename>README_RAID.TXT</filename> and +<filename>README_LVM.TXT</filename> files on your CD if you desire to +setup your system with these advanced tools. Most users won't have any +need to do so and should proceed directly to partitioning. </para> </section> diff --git a/chapter_04.xml b/chapter_04.xml index 827b92f..8ffeec3 100644 --- a/chapter_04.xml +++ b/chapter_04.xml @@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ that is what this chapter is all about. <para> Your Slackware Linux system comes with lots of built-in documentation for nearly every installed application. Perhaps the most common method -of reading system documentation is by using the +of reading system documentation is <application>man</application>(1). <application>man</application> (short for manual) will bring up the included man-page for any application, system call, configuration file, or library you tell it @@ -279,7 +279,8 @@ unless the first two already existed, as you saw in the example. <para> Removing a file is as easy as creating one. The -<application>rm</application>(1) will remove a file (assuming of course +<application>rm</application>(1) command will remove a file +(assuming of course that you have permission to do this). There are a few very common arguments to <application>rm</application>. The first is <arg>-f</arg> and is used to force the removal of a file @@ -342,8 +343,7 @@ order to deal with directories. </para> <screen><prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt><userinput>zip -r /tmp/home.zip /home</userinput> -<prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt><userinput>zip /tmp/large_file.zip -/tmp/large_file</userinput></screen> +<prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt><userinput>zip /tmp/large_file.zip /tmp/large_file</userinput></screen> <para> The order of the arguments is very important. The first filename must @@ -423,8 +423,8 @@ One alternative to <application>gzip</application> is the almost the exact same way. The advantage to <application>bzip2</application> is that it boasts greater compression strength. Unfortunately, achieving that greater compression is a slow -process, so <application>bzip2</application> takes longer to run than -other alternatives. +and CPU-intensive process, so <application>bzip2</application> +typicall takes much longer to run than other alternatives. </para> </section> diff --git a/chapter_07.xml b/chapter_07.xml index 35c7bc1..4bb9c3c 100644 --- a/chapter_07.xml +++ b/chapter_07.xml @@ -29,13 +29,13 @@ resounding "no". There are many parts to a GUI, but X is the most fundamental. X is that application that receives input from the mouse, keyboard, and possibly other devices. X is that application that tells the graphics card what to do. In short, X is the application that talks -to your computer's hardware from graphical purposes; all other +to your computer's hardware for graphical purposes; all other graphical applications simply talk to X. </para> <para> Let's stop for a moment and talk about nomenclature. X is just one of a -dozen names that you may encounter. It is also called X11, the X Window +dozen names that you may encounter. It is also called X11, xorg, the X Window System, X Window, X11R6, X Version 11, and several others. Whatever you hear it called, simply understand that the speakers are referring to X. @@ -47,68 +47,65 @@ to X. <title>Configuring the X Server</title> <para> -As powerful as Slackware Linux is, configuring X can be daunting and -is often one of the first real challenges a new user faces. Don't be -overly concerned if you find this a bit difficult. While many changes -have been made over the years that make this much easier, there are -still computers out there that don't properly auto-detect, or you'll -wish to make some change to some setting and it might not be immediately -apparent what to do. Just remember that when I started using X, it was -far more primitive than it is today, took far more work to configure, -and often crashed without telling the user what was wrong. If I and -thousands of others got this working back then, you can do it today. +Once upon a time, configuring X was a difficult and painful process +that caused the magic smoke to come gushing out of hundreds of +monitors. Today X is a lot more user friendly. In fact, most users will +not need to configure X at all, Slackware will simply figure out all +the proper settings on its own. There are, however, still some +computers that X can't properly auto-configure and will need a little +bit of work on your part. </para> <para> +Once upon a time, the X configuration file was located at +<filename>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</filename>, and if you create a file +there, X will honor whatever settings you place within it. Fortunately, with <application>X.Org 1.6.3</application> an <filename>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</filename> does not even need to be -present for <application>X</application> to attempt a working display, -further, Slackware includes a default configuration file that works -for most computers by using the VESA standard. This offers only the -most basic functions and may not allow your graphics card to operate at -its full potential. You may be limited to low resolutions, fewer -colors, and <application>X</application> will be slower. Still, this is -an option for users, particularly those who only want to occassionally -run <application>X</application>. You can try it out now simply by -running <application>startx</application>(1) from a command prompt. +present for <application>X</application> to generate a working display. +If for whatever reason, you need to make configuration changes to X, +try to avoid using this file; it's antiquated and inflexible. Rather, +the <filename>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/</filename> directory is where you +should put such tweaks. Any file you place within that directory will +be read when X starts up. This allows you to split-up your +configuration into more easily manageable parts. For example, here's +my <filename>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/synaptics.conf</filename> file for my +laptop. </para> -<para> -There are many ways to configure <application>X</application>, but the -easiest is to use <application>xorgsetup</application>. This will attempt -to probe probe your computer's hardware and write a working xorg.conf -file. This option is not garaunteed to work; there are some platforms -that it is known not to work with, and there are probably others as -well. Still, it is worth trying first as it is the quickest and least -complicated for a new user to attempt. -</para> - -<para> -The second most popular way to configure <application>X</application> -on your system is the handy <application>xorgconfig</application>(1). -This application asks you a series of questions about your computer's -hardware and writes out a config file based on your choices. Unless you -know exactly what your hardware is, we recommend that you try -<application>xorgsetup</application> first. -</para> - -<para> -Additionally, the <application>X</application> has flags available to -let <application>X</application> attempt to detect hardware and render -an <filename>xorg.conf.new</filename> that should work with the hardware -present. From a virtual terminal call <command>X -configure</command>, -and the resulting file will be either <filename>/root/xorg.conf.new</filename> -or <filename>$HOME/xorg.conf.new</filename>. Before moving this new -configuration to <filename>/etc/X11/</filename>, it can be tested by -calling <command>X -config /root/xorg.conf.new</command>, then you can -exit this <application>X</application> session with <CTRL>+<ALT>+<Backspace>. -</para> +<screen><prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt><userinput>cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/synaptics.conf</userinput> +Section "InputDevice" + Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad" + Driver "synaptics" + Option "SendCoreEvents" "true" + Option "Device" "/dev/psaux" + Option "Protocol" "auto-dev" + Option "SHMConfig" "on" + Option "LeftEdge" "100" + Option "RightEdge" "1120" + Option "TopEdge" "50" + Option "BottomEdge" "310" + Option "FingerLow" "25" + Option "FingerHigh" "30" + Option "VertScrollDelta" "20" + Option "HorizScrollDelta" "50" + Option "MinSpeed" "0.79" + Option "MaxSpeed" "0.88" + Option "AccelFactor" "0.0015" + Option "TapButton1" "1" + Option "TapButton2" "2" + Option "TapButton3" "3" + Option "MaxTapMove" "100" + Option "HorizScrollDelta" "0" + Option "HorizEdgeScroll" "0" + Option "VertEdgeScroll" "1" + Option "VertTwoFingerScroll" "0" +EndSection +</screen> <para> -Lastly, you can manually configure your <application>X</application> -server by modifying <filename>/etc/X11/xorg.conf</filename> with a text -editor. This is not normally a task for the faint of heart, but is -often the easiest way to make minor changes. +By placing such options in individual files, you can easily manage your +X configuration by sections. </para> </section> diff --git a/chapter_16.xml b/chapter_16.xml index c95e57a..9c92b31 100644 --- a/chapter_16.xml +++ b/chapter_16.xml @@ -351,6 +351,37 @@ In this case we looked for an "A" record which returned an IPv4 address. </section> +<section><title>finger</title> + +<para> +<application>finger</application>(1) isn't exactly a network diagnostic +tool as much as it is a network-user diagnostic tool. Using +<application>finger</application>, you can gather a handful of useful +information about users on servers running the +<application>fingerd</application>(8) daemon. Today very few servers +still offer <application>fingerd</application>, but for those that do +it can be a useful tool for keeping track of your friends and +co-workers. +</para> + +<screen><prompt>darkstar:~$ </prompt><userinput>finger alan@cardinal.lizella.net</userinput> +[cardinal.lizella.net] +Login: alan Name: Alan Hicks +Directory: /home/alan Shell: /bin/bash +Office: 478 808 9919, 478 935 8133 +On since Wed Apr 13 17:43 (UTC) on pts/9 from +75-150-12-113-atlanta.hfc.comcastbusiness.net + 32 minutes 24 seconds idle + (messages off) +On since Wed Apr 13 17:45 (UTC) on pts/10 from :pts/9:S.0 + 48 minutes 56 seconds idle +Mail forwarded to alan@lizella.net +No mail. +No Plan. +</screen> + +</section> + </section> <section><title>Web Browsers</title> @@ -438,6 +469,110 @@ Length: 75306 (74K) </section> <section> +<title>Mail Clients</title> + +<section><title>pine</title> + +<para> +<application>pine</application> is one of the oldest command-line +interface mail clients still in existance and remains one of the most +user-friendly. <application>pine</application> was created by the +University of Washington and carries with it both a trademark and a +copyright license that are difficult to work with. Thankfully back in +2005, the university saw fit to re-write it without the trademark and +with a more open license, so <application>alpine</application>(1) was +born. This is the pine-clone distributed with Slackware. To start using +it, simply type <application>pine</application> at the command line. +Using it is very simple due to its menu-driven system as well as the +command referance neatly located at the bottom of the screen. See for +yourself. +</para> + +<screen> + ALPINE 2.00 MAIN MENU Folder: INBOX No +Messages + + + ? HELP - Get help using Alpine + + C COMPOSE MESSAGE - Compose and send a message + + I MESSAGE INDEX - View messages in current folder + + L FOLDER LIST - Select a folder to view + + A ADDRESS BOOK - Update address book + + S SETUP - Configure Alpine Options + + Q QUIT - Leave the Alpine program + + + Copyright 2006-2008 University of Washington + [Folder "INBOX" opened with 0 messages] +? Help P PrevCmd R RelNotes +O OTHER CMDS > [ListFldrs] N NextCmd K KBLock +</screen> + +</section> + +<section><title>mutt</title> + +<para> +Some people don't like <application>pine</application>. Some people +want more control. Some people want a fully-configurable mail client +with plugin support and a no-nonsense attitude. Those people use +<application>mutt</application>(1). <application>mutt</application> +isn't as user friendly as <application>pine</application>, but makes up +for it with power. You won't find the user-friendly command referance +at the bottom of the screen, <application>mutt</application> uses every +last inch of real-estate for mail processing duty. It's feature support +is extensive: threaded displays are no problem for the mighty +mixed-breed! You can configure <application>mutt</application> with a +<filename>.muttrc</filename> file in your home directory. With all the +many different possible configuration options, there's even a man page +for that, muttrc(5). You might want to read up on it. +</para> + +<screen> +3172 N Jan 17 Thomas Morper (2.8K) │ └─>Re: [Slackbuilds-users] Exim Sbo +3173 N Jan 17 TuxaneMedia (2.5K) └─>Re: [Slackbuilds-users] Exim Sbo +3174 N Jan 06 Uli Sch?fer (4.6K) [Slackbuilds-users] mrtg-2.15.2 breaks wi +3175 N Jan 06 Willy Sudiarto (4.0K) └─> +3176 N Jan 06 Audrius Ka??uka (3.9K) └─> +3177 N Jan 06 Niels Horn (4.4K) └─> +3178 N * Jan 09 King Beowulf (6.5K) [Slackbuilds-users] libreoffice (3.3.0rc +3179 N * Jan 09 Niels Horn (4.8K) └─>Re: [Slackbuilds-users] libreoffice (3 +3180 * Jan 09 Niels Horn ( 73) └─> +3181 N * Jan 09 King Beowulf (5.9K) └─> +3182 N Jan 10 Robby Workman (7.8K) [Slackbuilds-users] Updates - 20110110 +3183 N Jan 10 B Watson (3.6K) [Slackbuilds-users] Fwd: nted slackbuild +3184 N Jan 11 SlackBuilds@cat (2.5K) [Slackbuilds-users] /usr/share/ package s +3185 N Jan 11 Robby Workman (3.4K) └─> +3186 N Jan 12 SlackBuilds@cat (3.4K) └─> +3187 N Jan 11 Robby Workman (4.5K) └─> +3188 N Jan 12 Robby Workman (2.3K) [Slackbuilds-users] Unavailability of mai +3189 N Jan 13 Mr. B-o-B (3.7K) └─> +3190 N Jan 13 Josiah Boothby (3.2K) [Slackbuilds-users] Ted's Word Processor +3191 N Jan 14 Adam Swift (7.4K) [Slackbuilds-users] Web submission failur +3192 N Jan 14 Rob McGee (3.5K) └─> +</screen> + +</section> + +<section><title>mailx</title> + +<para> +So those are great and everything, but what if you just want a mail +client that isn't menu-driven? Thankfully +<application>mailx</application> is here to save you. +</para> + +</section> + +</section> + +<section> <title>FTP Clients</title> <para> diff --git a/img/cups-01.png b/img/cups-01.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..035163c --- /dev/null +++ b/img/cups-01.png diff --git a/img/make-menuconfig-w.png b/img/make-menuconfig-w.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8481429 --- /dev/null +++ b/img/make-menuconfig-w.png diff --git a/preface.xml b/preface.xml index 7a90e6f..a60f05e 100644 --- a/preface.xml +++ b/preface.xml @@ -10,11 +10,7 @@ <title>Intended Audience</title> <para> -Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do -eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad -minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip -ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in -voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. + </para> </section> @@ -23,11 +19,13 @@ voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. <title>Why A New Slackware Book?</title> <para> -Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do -eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad -minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip -ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in -voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. +Slackware Linux may be one of the oldest surviving Linux distributions +but that does not mean it has to be left behind. While Slackware does +aim to maintain it's traditional UNIX roots and values, there is no +escaping "progress". Subsystems change, Window Managers come and go and +new ways are devised to manage the complexities of a modern OS. +While we do resist change for changes sake, it's inevitable that as +things evolve documentation becomes stale and books are no exception. </para> </section> |
