LQWiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:In the beginning was the command line

2004-03-12T03:32:47Z

Marcel:

subjective
[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 22:32, Mar 11, 2004 (EST)
----

OpenGL

2004-03-09T18:13:22Z

Marcel: mentioned that SGI also did XFS

== OpenGL ==

OpenGL is the de facto standard API for modern 3d graphics in Linux. It was originally developed by [[SGI]], also responsible for the [[XFS]] filesystem. There are implementations for many [[platform]]s, including [[Linux]], [[MacOS]] and MS [[Windows]].

The official page with the specification can be found [http://www.opengl.org/ here].

===OpenGL on Linux===
Since openGL is an [[API]], there are different implementations of it. There is a open source one that comes with standard [[XFree86]] called [[mesa3d]]. Also the proprietary drivers from [[Nvidia]] and [[ATI]] come with their own optimized implementation.
The library that contains the implementations is normally called libGL.so (with symlinks to a versioned name).

===3d hardware acceleration===
OpenGL rendering can be accelerated by using special features on videocards. Most recent videocards support this. This requires support in the openGL library and the videocard driver. 
In linux this is mostly done by using [[DRI]]. Only for Nvidia videocards this is done differently, Nvidia provide their own drivers which don't use DRI, but use their own closed-source replacement interface.

See the videocard specific notes section for more info on which cards support this under linux.

===Implementations===

====[[Mesa3d]]====
The most common library implementation for linux is provided by the [[mesa3d|Mesa 3D graphics library]].
It's an [[Open Source]] library which follows the openGL [[API]], but Mesa doesn't have a license to call itself officially openGL. The latest version of mesa (6.x) now supports the openGL 1.5 API. Also note that mesa doesn't only support linux+X11, it can be used on a whole range of other [[platform]]s.

[[Mesa3d]] supports full software rendering, but also 3d hardware accelerated rendering on Linux through the use of [[DRI]]. It will fallback on software rendering if the card's driver don't support a certain hardware function.

It's included in [[XFree86]], so is available by default in most linux [[distributions]].

====[[Proprietary]] implementations====
*Nvidia makes drivers for linux for their whole range of 3d videocards, which include their own openGL library. See below.
*ATI also makes their own drivers for radeon 8500 and above based cards. These also include their own openGL lib.

===Installation and configuration in [[XFree86]] ===
The following information only applies to XFree86 4.x.x versions. 
Most linux [[distributions]] install [[XFree86]] with mesa and hw 3d acceleration enabled.

To check if 3D hardware acceleration is working for openGL, you can use the following command:

<tt>glxinfo |grep rendering</tt>

This should output "''direct rendering: Yes''".

If it gives the same but then with "No", hardware 3d acceleration is disabled and all rendering will be done on the CPU ('software' rendering).

See the Troubleshooting section for some help fi this happens. 
If it's a "Yes", you can test if openGL works with a simple 3d application that comes with [[XFree86]]: 
<tt>glxgears</tt> 
It will output a framerate, but it's not a good benchmark. It depends largely on the screen and window size, background processes and CPU. For a better benchmark use a 3d game (see [[Gaming]]). [[Quake 3 Arena]] demos are often used for this. Or use a special openGL benchmarking program like SPECviewperf [http://www.specbench.org/].

====Troubleshooting 3D hw accel====
The Nvidia drivers are a bit different from the rest, see [[Installing_NVIDIA_drivers]] and the included README file.

For the other cards it's almost the same for each of them, they all use [[DRI]].
First a general troubleshooting will be given, this applies mainly to the opensource drivers that come with [[XFree86]].
After this some come sections with some notes for specific videocard drivers.

The 'ingredients' that are needed are:
* Some configuration of the XF86Config file
* A [[kernel module]]/driver (called a [[Direct Rendering Manager]] module)
* A [[XFree86]] driver
* A openGL library

=====XFree86 configuration=====
A couple of extra things are needed in the configuration file of XFree86 to enable DRI.
(See [[XF86Config]] for basic info on this file). Most XFree86 installs already have all these options configured, just check it to make sure they are. 
First in the 'Module' Section: 
Both of these are needed:
Load "dri"
Load "glx"
( ''Load "GLcore"'' insn't really needed, it's for remote indirect rendering but doesn't do any harm if it is enabled). 
Secondly, a 'DRI' section is needed which configures the permissions of who can access the direct rendering. Example section:
Section "DRI"
Group "video"
Mode 0660
EndSection
Which configures it to be only readable and writeable by users in the 'video' group. To allow access to everybody, just only put the Mode line in it, with 0666.

=====Kernel module=====
The Linux [[kernel]] comes with [[DRI]] support for most videocards. Most [[Distributions | distros]] include all these as modules with their kernel.
They are named after the videocard chip.
For AGP cards it's also important to enable AGP support in the kernel, this module is called 'agpgart' in 2.4.x kernels
and for 2.6 kernels the agp driver has been split into chipset specific drivers, the module that needs to be loaded would be called '<chipset>-agp' (which should automatically load the general 'agpgart' module.
If you compile a kernel yourself, these module can be found in
the section 'Device Drivers' -> 'Character Devices' -> 'Direct Rendering Manager' -> and the the name of the videocard. 
Current supported videocards in recent kernels are: 3dfx voodoo banshee/3, ATI rage 128, ATI radeon, Matrox g200/g400, SiS 
AGP can also be found under 'Charcter Devices'.

First try if you AGP works by loading the module and checking the kernel log messages (normally done with [[dmesg]]) for confirmation that it's been loaded correctly without any errors. It should output some line starting with 'agpgart:'.
Test the same with the videocard DRM modules, these should output a line starting with '[drm]' to the kernel log.

Of course these can also be built-in the kernel, then just check for these messages in the bootup messages.

=====XFree86 driver=====
This driver should come with your [[XFree86]] install. It supports hw 3D acceleration of all the cards that also have a kernel module.
To check if it's working check the [[XFree86]] log file (normall in /var/log/XFree86.0.log). You should be looking for a line that says something like: 
<your driver name>(0): Direct Rendering enabled 
If it says disabled, check everything above this line for errors (lines starting with '(EE)' ).

=====OpenGL library=====
The last thing to check is the openGL library, it needs to be one that supports [[DRI]]. It should have come with your [[XFree86]] install.
To check if 3D hardware acceleration is working for the library, you can use the following command:

<tt>glxinfo |grep rendering</tt>

This should output "''direct rendering: Yes''".

If it's a 'No' you can check the following things:

Rerun glxinfo with debugging output: in a [[bash]] shell this can be done by running:
LIBGL_DEBUG=verbose glxinfo
This should give some extra info at the top of the output (note that it's send to [[stderr]] not [[stdin]]).
Common error that is shows is some 'permission denied' messages on the drm device. This is often caused by not having loaded the the drm kernel module for you videocard (or you tried loading it, but it failed with some error message in the kernel log). It can also because by the persmissions set on the drm device. The latter can be configured in the 'DRI' section of the [[XF86Config]] (see XFree86 configuration section above and also the manual page for that config file). 
Another common error is having multiple libGL library files installed on the system (often caused by installing different drivers and XFree86 versions on top of a current XFree86 install). Check to which libGL glxinfo is linked with:
ldd `which glxinfo`
This should output a list of libraries this command uses. Look for a line similar to this one:
libGL.so.1 => /usr/X11R6/lib/libGL.so.1 (0x400a2000)
Now check the file that it's pointing to (this of often a [[symlink]] itself, keep following it untill you reach the real file). You need to make sure this libGL library matches your XFree86 version or your card driver. Also check your system of more (non-symlink) libGL files. It often happens that there is one in /usr/lib and another in /usr/X11R6/lib. There should only be one real file, the rest should all be [[symlink]]s pointing the the corrent one.

====Videocard specific notes====

=====3dfx=====
Voodoo3 and Banshee cards are supported with the [[DRI]] drivers that come with [[XFree86]]. Important note: These cards only support 3d hardware acceleration at 16bpp, so make sure X is configured to use that depth. 
These cards also require the [[Glide]] library version 3 to be installed. (The DRI drivers use this library). This library is available in most [[distros]], but make sure you've got the version compiled for voodoo3 support (it can also be compiled for voodoo1/2 support).

For voodoo1/2 it's a bit different to get openGL working with hardware acceleration. There aren't any [[DRI]] drivers for these, you need to have the [[Glide]] library installed for these. If you then want to use openGL apps, you need a specially compiled version of the [[mesa3d]] library that uses glide to do openGL.

=====ATI=====
There are 2 choices for drivers for ATI cards:

Open source [[XFree86]] (version 4.x.x. and up): these support the rage, rage 128 and radeon based cards.
3D hardware acceleration (through [[DRI]]) is supported for most rage and rage 128 cards. But for the radeon range only for the 7000 to 9200 versions.

The proprietary ATI drivers: these support the following cards: Radeon 8500 and above (including the mobility 9000 and 9600) and FireGL 8700, 8800, E1, E2, X1, X2, Z1, T2, Mobility FireGL T2 
Third party build cards based on these chipsets are also supported. 
Hardware 3d acceleration is supported for all these cards. 
There drivers can be downloaded from [http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html ATI] and these compile and install a kernel module called 'fglrx' and also install (overwrite) the libGL library with their own version.


Offtopic note:
tv-out is supported in the proprietary drivers, but to use the tv-out/tv-in functions of the ATI cards (specially the All-in-Wonder series) see the [[GATOS]] drivers at http://gatos.sourceforge.net/


=====Intel=====
The [[Intel]] integrated video chipsets (i810 and i830 based cards) are supported with 3d acceleration.

=====NVidia=====
Driver for all Nvidia cards are available [http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux.html here]. See [[Installing_NVIDIA_drivers]] for an easy install guide. The README that comes with the drivers has more detailed information.

=====Matrox=====
The Matrox cards need a closed-source binary library, the drivers with this can be downloaded from http://www.matrox.com.
These come with installation instructions, but it's pretty similar to what's mentioned above.

=====S3=====
Savage based drivers aren't in current [[XFree86]] release, see [[DRI]] project for more info on these.
Same thing goes for s3Virge based cards.

=====SIS=====
Sis 3d acceleration is only supported in recent versions, these aren't included in the latest XFree86 version yet.
See http://www.winischhofer.net/linuxsisvga.shtml for more information on these.

===== VIA=====
The drivers for VIA integrated video chipsets aren't included in the latest release of XFree86, see http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=325 for more info on these.

===OpenGL without X===
It's also possible to use openGL without X, for example look at [[directFB]] and the Mesa fbdev/DRI drivers from the [[mesa3d]] project.

===Developing with openGL===
???maybe link to some other page specially for developers??? 
Stuff that could be in it: 
*info about the compiling and linking to libGL and friends?
*Links and info to toolkits extension thatsupport openGL, like [[GLUT]], [[GtkGLExt]] and [[QT]]-openGL.
*Links to openGL introduction tutorials.
*Link to 3d modelling, e.g. [[Blender]]
etc.

===Related information===
The open source drivers that support hardware 3d acceleration are developed by the [[DRI]] project. Snapshots of the latest experimental drivers can also be found there.

Maildir

2004-03-08T16:38:38Z

Marcel: just getting it started

[[Dan Bernstein]]

cur, new, tmp

No locking. Separate files. Reliable over [[NFS]].

See also: [[mbox]]

 
''This article is a [[LQWiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LQWiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LQWiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Uncompress

2004-03-08T02:08:37Z

Marcel: closed open tag

uncompress decompresses the [[compress]](.Z) compressed file.

Usage- uncompress [option] filename

By default, the program prompts the user before overwriting existing files. You can override this procedure by using the .-f option. Use of this utility is discouraged because its underlying compression algorithm is patented. You can use [[gunzip]] to decompress .Z files.

OPTIONS

*-c : Write to standard output
*-f : Overwrite files without asking for confirmation
*-V : Show version number

C/C plus plus tips

2004-03-08T02:00:26Z

Marcel: closed an unclosed tag

==Overview==

==Comments: Early and often==

==Debugging==
===Let the Compiler Nitpick===
When compiling with GCC or G++, always use the "-Wall" command-line argument to tell GCC/G++ to print extra warnings and errors. This can often help you locate potential problems in your code. But it's not enough to let the compiler spit the nitpicks at you; you have to take them seriously. Warnings are often a sign that your code is doing something it shouldn't. [Examples?]

===Remote Debugging with DDD and gdb===

1. Make sure gdbsever and libthread_db.so.1 on the remote machine.

2. run gdbserver on target:
gdbserver host:2345 /path/application

The "host" is ignored, so this can be anything. 2345 is an arbitrary TCP
port not in use. 2345 ususally works, just make sure it does not conflict with other IP ports in use.

The target application on the remote machine does not require symbols (debugging information).

3. On the host (your local PC):
a. ddd program (must have symbols)
b. At the (gdb) prompt
target remote xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:2345

Where the IP address is that of the remote machine.

That's it, remote debugging is up and running.

==Optimization==

Optimizing a program is often more an art than a science. But even in art, there are some rules that should be carefully followed (especially for new practitioners who aren't quite sure why the rules are important).

===Optimization Rule #1 : DON'T!===
You're coding along, minding your own business, when you notice a simple, quick optimization just begging to be done. Maybe it's as simple as replacing <tt>d = c * 2;</tt> with <tt>d = c << 1;</tt>. Why do an expensive multiply when you could do a cheap right-shift and come up with precisely the same result?

Why indeed? This optimization should do the right thing, but at the expense of a tiny bit of program clarity. Program clarity is a precious commodity, which isn't something that can be said for your computer's processor time. It may be that you'll end up making precisely this optimization later on. But right now, the important thing is to get the program working correctly.

===Optimization Rule #2 : DON'T!===
So now the program runs. It runs like a fifteen year old weiner dog. Sometimes it sits down on its haunches, staring off into space as though it's waiting for a doggie treat. So it's time to go in and replace that multiply with the bitshift, right?

Patience, grasshopper.

Before you decide if it's worth investing even one second in optimizing the program, decide how valuable your effort is going to be. The value derived from the effort is directly linked to the purpose of the program. Is it a tiny app you wrote for your own personal use, that you'll only use once a week? Is it part of a critical, high-performance application or library that will be used by millions, or a scientific number-cruncher which will take years to solve a problem? Most likely, it will be somewhere between these two extrema. To some extent, "fast enough" is a subjective judgment.

===Optimization Rule #3 : DON'T!===
Okay, I see you're getting impatient. You want to go in and make that aged dachshund run like a young rotweiler chasing a mailman smothered in barbecue sauce. But the bad news is, it's still not time to replace that line of code. If you go back in and start "optimizing" right now, you may end up with hundreds of little tweaks, whose overall effect is to make the code difficult to understand and impossible to maintain. Even worse, it may not speed your program up noticeably.

===Save Compiler Optimizations for the End===
Also, don't use any -O flags when debugging, it can compound current errors and make things really weird. They can possibly add new bugs too, due to the way the compiler does low-level optimization. The higher the optimization level, the riskier the optimizations that the compiler will attempt.

Once you know the program works in an unoptimized state, then it may be time to crank the -O flag up a couple of notches. Compare both performance and stability between the unoptimized and optimized versions.

==Memory management==
===Valgrind===
Many new programmers have difficulties with pointers and sudden segmentation faults due to careless usage. [http://valgrind.kde.org/ Valgrind] is an excellent program to get more information about what is causing the problems.

===new and malloc: Arch-nemises===
Don't mix malloc and new; they might work togeather temporarily, but they're bound to cause errors. Pick which one from the start and stay with it. Valgrind will also point out this kind of error.

''Note: The same can be said for <iostream> and <iostream.h>. Don't play mix and match.''

==Use Macros With Care==
Macros are simply precompiler directives that instruct the compiler to replace certain strings of text with others before it attempts to compile. If used carelessly, they can make a program terribly confusing.

For example, if you wanted to be intentionally misleading, you could write:

<tt> #define CLOSE_BLOCK {
#define OPEN_BLOCK }
#define CIN cout
#define COUT cin</tt>

and then write the rest of the program as follows:

<tt> for( int i = 0; i < 100; ++i )
CLOSE_BLOCK
for( int j = 0; j < 100; ++j )
CLOSE_BLOCK
CIN << data[ i ][ j ];
OPEN_BLOCK
OPEN_BLOCK</tt>

But intentional obfuscation isn't the real danger. The real problem comes from accidental obfuscation, as in the following example.

===Example: Proving the Meaning of Life===

The meaning of life is elusive. Here is a prime example of why parentheses are needed around macro definitions.

life.c:
----
<tt> #include <stdio.h>

#define SIX 1+5 /* Should be (1+5) */
#define SEVEN 6+1 /* Should be (6+1) */

int main()
{
printf("The meaning of life: %d x %d = %d\n", SIX, SEVEN, SIX * SEVEN);
return 0;
}</tt>
----
Rather than evaluating (1+5) * (6+1) as we would hope, the compiler will now read the statement as 1+(5*6)+1. Result: 32 rather than 42, and thousands of years of time wasted by the galaxy's biggest supercomputer.

Compile a kernel

2004-03-08T01:23:41Z

Marcel: s/its/it's/

== How to Compile a [[Kernel]] ==

First and foremost, [http://www.linux-sxs.org/upgrading/migration26.html THIS] may pertain to you so read that first and then you can proceed and [http://thomer.com/linux/migrate-to-2.6.html here] is a similar site both links are for those migrating to a 2.6 series kernel.

=== Obtaining and installing the Kernel Source ===

==== Getting the kernel source ====
To compile a kernel, you will need the kernel source. You can get it from [http://www.kernel.org kernel.org]. Your distribution may also already come with the kernel source, somewhere on the cd. 

==== Installing the kernel source ====
You can install the kernel source by either installing the package that came with your distribution, or extracting the [[tarball]] you downloaded from kernel.org .

1. Change Directory To /usr/src
cd /usr/src

2. Check for symlink (ex. /usr/src/linux->/usr/src/linux-2.4.18)
ls -alc

3. Double check with this command (output ex.) linux: symbolic link to linux-2.4.18-14
file linux

4. Remove the symlink
rm linux

5. Unpack the tarball (new kernel)
tar -zxvf linux-x.x.x.tar.gz
tar -jxvf linux-x.x.x.tar.bz2

6. Make a new link to the new kernel
ln -s /usr/src/linux-x.x.x /usr/src/linux

7. Type this to change to the directory
cd linux

=== Now Comes The Fun Part~! (compiling) ===

We will now compile the kernel. 

First, clean up anything we don't need, like the current .config and other files
make mrproper

Do this is if you want to use your old configuration from the 2.4 kernel with the 2.6 kernel: 
cp /usr/src/linux-2.4.x/.config /usr/src/linux

Now you configure your kernel using any one of these commands, whichever you like best: 
----
Basic config from terminal, a long list of questions you answer
make config
----
For ncurses GUI in the terminal
make menuconfig
----
For X-based GUI with modular explanations (QT Based)
make xconfig
----
Same as above, but for 2.6.x kernel only (GTK Based, and might be still buggy)
make gconfig

----

Note:
Don't forget to add module support and kernel support for future hardware.
Do not compile your hard drive and file system type as a module.
The configure program enables you to specify an enormous number of features. It is advisable to skim through all the sections to get a feel for the different things you can do. Most options are about specifying whether you want a feature [*] compiled into the kernel image, [M] compiled as a module, or [ ] not compiled at all. You can also turn off module support altogether from Loadable module support -->. The kernel configuration is one LINUX program that offers lots of help--select < Help > on any feature. The raw help file is /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Configure.help can be also worth reading.
When you're done with the config, click exit and save current configuration. Your file is now known as .config .

------->SKIP THE FOLLOWING IF DOING A 2.6.x KERNEL<------

make dep
"Ensures dependancies such as include files are in place"

(vi, pico, emacs) Makefile
"Want A Unique Kernel Name? Edit /usr/src/linux/Makefile and change EXTRAVERSION"

make clean
"To clean your sources so they compile correctly"

------>START HERE IF COMPILING A 2.6.x KERNEL<------

make bzImage
"To make the kernel image (compile and creates compressed image of kernel)"

make modules
"Compile your selected modules"

make modules_install
"To install newly compile modules (installs to /lib/modules/linux.x.x.x)"

=== Now It's Time To Install Your New Kernel~! ===

Remove the following links:
rm -rf /boot/System.map
rm -rf /boot/vmlinuz

Then copy the newly created kernel and system.map to /boot
cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-x.x.x
cp /usr/src/linux/System.map /boot/System.map-x.x.x

Make the new links:
ln -s /boot/vmlinuz-x.x.x /boot/vmlinuz
ln -s /boot/System.map-x.x.x /boot/System.map

Next, if present, remove existing initrd.img file:
rm -rf /boot/initrd.x.x.x.img

And create the new one:
/sbin/mkinitrd /boot/initrd-x.x.x.img x.x.x
(Note: )
The last set of x.x.x is the eqivalent to your new kernel version and it looks to /lib/modules for that version.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Use The Steps That Pertain To You 
If You Use Grub Then Edit grub.conf 
If You Use Lilo Then Edit lilo.conf 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
remember to leave the entry to your old kernel image just in case,
so modify what is in the config originally to point to the old image
and make a new entry for you new image you just made ....
--------------------------------------------------------------------

<-> And Finally Edit Your /etc/grub.conf file <->
<-> Note some distros now use menu.lst, so if you can't find grub or lilo, then you know what to look for <->

title New Kernel :D
kernel /vmlinuz-x.x.x ro root=LABEL=/
initrd /initrd-x.x.x.img
(Note: )
Look at the previous parameters in the grub.conf file and note what "root=" and use what is existing.

Exit and Save grub.conf
type "/sbin/grub-install"

AND REBOOT!!!

<-> And Finally Edit Your /etc/lilo.conf file <->
image = /boot/vmlinuz-x.x.x
label = New Kernel :D
root = /dev/hdx
read-only

(Note: )
look at the previous parameters in the lilo.conf file and note what "root =" and use what exists.

Exit and Save lilo.conf
type "/sbin/lilo"

AND REBOOT!!!

/EDIT
By request: the instructions on how to apply patches to your kernel.
END EDIT/

[http://www.linuxhq.com/patch-howto.html read this] or look below ...

This step comes after untarring your kernel source.
When you download the patch, place it in the folder where you untarred your new kernel.
Then type: 
patch -E -p1 < sound_patch 
Purely an example and you would type whatever the file name is in replace of sound_patch.

Regarding having alternative boot options, this is no problem. The stuff above that I tell you to add to your lilo or grub file above could just be appended to the file, and you could just add ".old" to the title of your original kernel name for you will know the difference. Whether it's grub or lilo, add "read-only" to the end of the original entries in the lilo.conf, or grub.conf, file.

=== Special notes for Debian Users ===
Debian has some utilities to make your life a little easier. The kernel-package set of utilities allows to to create your own kernel package. For most users, this just means that your kernel shows up like all other debian packages. However, if you have multiple machines running the same kernel, it allows an easy way to install it on all of them. So let's get started.

First, make sure you have the kernel-package tools. You can install them with the command apt-get install kernel-package.

The initial steps are the same, make clean, make menuconfig (or xconfig etc...). Once your kernel is configured, type make-kpkg kernel_image and it will make your kernel.

Assuming the compile was successful, it will create a .deb in /usr/src which you can then install by typing dpkg -i kernel-package-filename, follow the instructions and reboot.

You can also create a custom kernel name (to avoid overwriting other kernels you have made) by typing something like: make-kpkg kernel_image --revision=custom.1.

This is just a quick review of the commands you need, for more information check out this [http://newbiedoc.sourceforge.net/tutorials/kernel-pkg/index-kernel-pkg.html guide] to compiling using the kernel package program.

Java

2004-03-08T01:12:06Z

Marcel: template as per MHouliston's request

'''Java'''

==Introduction==

(Feed me)

==History==

(Feed me)

==Language Features==

(Feed me)

==Further Reading==

===Wiki pages===

===Books===

===External links===

''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''
 

See also [[Java tips]].

C

2004-03-08T01:09:58Z

Marcel: template as per MHouliston's request

'''C'''

==Introduction==

(Feed me)

==History==

(Feed me)

==Language Features==

(Feed me)

==Further Reading==

===Wiki pages===

===Books===
*''C Programming Language'', Brian W. Kernighan, [[Dennis Ritchie]] 
*''C: A Reference Manual'', Samuel P. Harbison, Guy L. Steele
===External links===

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Apropos

2004-03-07T23:25:46Z

Marcel: stub; mentioned man -k

equivalent to <tt>man -k</tt>.

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Qmail

2004-03-07T21:51:25Z

Marcel: s/it's/its/

QMail is a package to build a mail server. It is developed by [[Dan Bernstein]].

Its home is at http://www.qmail.org/ and the best documentation is http://www.lifewithqmail.org/.

Advantages of QMail: it is secure, fast, compact, increddibly configurable and portable, ...
Disadvantages: it needs to be build from source, needs patches to do special things, documentation is for geeks, imposes other goodies (like ucspi-tcp and daemontools) on the installer, ...

QMail is used by many exciting packages, such as [[EZ-MLM]]

Touch

2004-03-07T19:41:54Z

Marcel: formatting

'''Touch''' quite simply creates an empty file with the supplied name. For example:

<tt>touch thesky</tt>

creates a file called "thesky" in the current directory.

<tt>cd</tt> 
<tt>touch .hushlogin</tt>

creates a .hushlogin file in one's home directory, which suppresses the display of /etc/motd on login

Touch

2004-03-07T19:41:36Z

Marcel: s/fore/for/; used .hushlogin as example

'''Touch''' quite simply creates an empty file with the supplied name. For example:

<tt>touch thesky</tt>

creates a file called "thesky" in the current directory.

<tt>cd</tt>
<tt>touch .hushlogin</tt>

creates a .hushlogin file in one's home directory, which suppresses the display of /etc/motd on login

Kill(command)

2004-03-07T19:04:08Z

Marcel: s/it's/its/; and oh my god someone just foobared the font size ;)

'''Kill'''ing an application means forcing it to quit immediately.

It's always best to quit an application properly, such as selecting Quit from a menu. Ctrl-C or Ctrl-D will usually quit an application in a terminal, and File-Quit or closing the window will do the same in X. Using the command 'kill -TERM pid' (TERM is default, and so not strictly needed) will tell the given process to terminate.

The application can refuse all of these (but it should have a very good reason if it chooses to do so), in which case you can use 'kill -KILL pid' (or -9) to forcefully terminate it. The process will not stand a chance.

However, certain system calls can't be interrupted. If an application is trapped in one of these, the program can't be killed. This happens very rarely, and indicates serious bug or a system malfunction (such as when dealing with uninterruptable NFS shares). The only hope is to wait a while to see if it clears up or reboot.

A process can also be defunct, meaning that its parent has not yet noticed that it's dead. If you encounter such processes, you can wait it out or try killing its parent instead. Such processes are called zombies.

Csh

2004-03-07T18:40:18Z

Marcel: linked bill joy, mentioned vi

'''Csh''': ''The C Shell''

Invented by [[Bill Joy]] (also the author of the [[vi]] text editor) at Berkeley as a replacement for the [[bash]] shell.

See also:
*[[shells]]

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Vi

2004-03-07T18:39:41Z

Marcel: attributed bill joy as author, linked to him

== vi ==
vi is a text editor originally written by [[Bill Joy]]. It is unique in that it has two primary modes, a command mode and an edit mode. When your first start the program, it starts in command mode where anything you type is treated as a command. Some version of vi can be found on most if not all *NIX systems including [[Linux]]. It is therefore useful to know some basic commands.

=== Basic Commands ===
Typing the letter "i" (for insert) will allow you to start typing from the location of your cursor. You can use the escape key to get back into command mode.

Some of the more common commands and their meanings:
<pre>
i - insert
x - delete
:w - save (write)
:wq - save (write) and quit
</pre>

=== Other useful commands ===
I will not try to list all of vi's commands here, I will try and list some of the more useful ones that I find myself frequently using. It should also serve as an overview of what you can do with vi. (all commands are issued from command mode)
<pre>
ZZ - another way to save and quit
:q! - quits without saving the file
:w - saves the file (note that appending q will save and then quit)
:w path/filename - save the file you are working on in the directory path called filename
/some text - searches from your current position forward for "some text"
pressing / again will search for the last thing you searched for.
To search backwards, use ? instead of /
</pre>

=== Navigation ===
Vi also has some handy ways of moving around in a document. In command mode, the letters h,j,k,l will move the cursor left, down, up, right respectively. 0 (zero) will move you to the beginning of the line and $ will move you to the end of the line.

If you have a more modern keyboard with arrow keys, you can use them to navigate as well.

=== History ===
The original vi did not have sources available and was not free, but now, has been relicensed and is available for download [http://ex-vi.berlios.de/]. Because the original vi was not free, clones were created. (see links below)

=== vim ===
Vim is probably the most popular vi clone and since most distributions come with vim. Vim is an improved version of the vi editor distributed with most UNIX systems. Unlike the original vi, it also has a graphical version called gvim. Vim comes with a tutorial on the basics, which can be started by running the command 'vimtutor' in the shell.

Vim isn't a word processor. Although it can display text with various forms of highlighting and formatting, the formatting is just on screen and it still saves the file as plain text. If you wish to use it as a word processor, you will need to use it in combination with a typsetting language such as [[TeX]] or [[LaTeX]].

=== nvi ===
Short for ''n''ew ''vi'', it was developed at University of California at Berkley. In the early 1990s, [[BSD]] developers wanted a vi whose source code could be freely distributed. They started with elvis 1.8 though little elvis code still exists.

Nvi is very close to the original vi but with limits removed and some features added: split screen editing; file completion; infinate undo/redo and overstrike mode. Nvi does not include many
of the little used features that exist in VIM. It is ''lighter'' than VIM.

=== elvis ===
elvis was written and is currently maintained by Steve Kirkendall. An early version (1.8) was the basis for nvi. It is available on many operating systems.

=== External links ===
* [http://www.vim.org/ Official VIM website] - VI iMproved
* [http://www.bostic.com/vi/ nvi]
* [http://elvis.the-little-red-haired-girl.org/ elvis] - another version of vi
* [http://www.mrs.umn.edu/cs/unix/vi.html List of the commands in vi]

XFS

2004-03-07T18:25:39Z

Marcel: added one word to disambiguate

'''XFS''' is a journalling filesystem originally developed by [[SGI]] for their [[IRIX]] operating system.

Available in the Linux [[kernel]] as of version [[2.6]].

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

XFS

2004-03-07T18:25:07Z

Marcel: stub

'''XFS''' is a journalling filesystem originally developed by [[SGI]] for their [[IRIX]] operating system.

Available in the Linux [[kernel]] as of [[2.6]].

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Sun Microsystems

2004-03-07T17:44:02Z

Marcel: s/it's/its/; someone should probably mention staroffice in this article

Sun Microsystems is one of the major [[UNIX]] vendors. Its main products are the [[Solaris]] [[operating system]], designed to run on Sun's own [[SPARC]] workstations and high-end servers, and the [[Java]] programming language.

Sun is the major sponsor of [[OpenOffice.org]], and a leading sponsor of [[GNOME]], but has only recently produced its own Linux distribution - the [[Java Desktop System]] or [[JDS]].

The official Sun Website is:

http://www.sun.com/

Talk:Computer

2004-03-07T17:40:41Z

Marcel:

This was a redirect to [[PC]] which is a page about Intel's line of CPU's.

x86 != computer.

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 12:40, Mar 7, 2004 (EST)
----

Regular expression

2004-03-07T17:30:58Z

Marcel: minor tweaks

Invented by mathematician Stephen Cole Kleene in the mid-1950s, as a way to manipulate "regular sets", formal descriptions of the behaviour of finite state machines, in regular algebra.

Later adopted by computer science as a way of representing patterns with a combination of symbols and operators.

There are many differing "flavors" of regular expressions, though they all fall into one of three primary types of regular expression engines:
*[[DFA]] - ''Deterministic Finite Automaton'' (used by such things as [[awk]], [[egrep]], and [[lex]])
*[[NFA]] - ''Nondeterministic Finite Automaton''(used by such things as [[Perl]], [[Python]], and [[Tcl]])
*POSIX NFA

=== Quantifiers ===
[more]
=== Backtracking ===
[more]
=== Backreferences ===
[more]
=== Greedy ===
[more]
=== Lazy ===
[more]
=== Positive/Negative lookahead ===
[more]

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Regexp

2004-03-07T17:28:26Z

Marcel: #REDIRECT Regular Expression

#REDIRECT [[Regular Expression]]

GTK

2004-03-07T17:09:40Z

Marcel: s/it's/its/

'''GTK''' is the [[Gimp]] toolkit. It is a set of C libraries for creating graphical applications to run under [[GNOME]]. Its most notable use is in the [[Gimp]], the GNU Image Manipulation Program but it has been used as the front end for many applications.

Regular expression

2004-03-07T17:04:28Z

Marcel: just getting it started

Invented by mathematician Stephen Cole Kleene in the mid-1950s, as a way to manipulate "regular sets", formal descriptions of the behaviour of finite state machines, in regular algebra.

Later adopted by computer science as a way of representing patterns with a combination of symbols and operators.

There are three primary types of regular expression engines:
*[[DFA]] - ''Deterministic Finite Automaton'' (used by such things as [[awk]], [[egrep]], and [[lex]])
*[[NFA]] - ''Nondeterministic Finite Automaton''(used by such things as [[Perl]], [[Python]], and [[Tcl]])
*POSIX NFA

=== quantifiers ===
[more]
=== backtracking ===
[more]
=== backreferences ===
[more]
=== greedyness===
[more]
=== positive/negative lookahead ===
[more]

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Regex

2004-03-07T16:46:54Z

Marcel: setting up a redirect for when the time comes

#REDIRECT [[Regular Expression]]

/etc

2004-03-07T16:43:07Z

Marcel: alphabetized; added several filenames

'''/etc''' is the home of most core [[Configuration File|Configuration Files]] in [[Linux]]. It has details and preferences related to [[Hardware]], [[Run Levels]] and just about everything that comes with a barebones [[Kernel]] install.

Important files in /etc:
*fstab
*group
*grub.conf (GRUB only)
*hostname
*hosts
*inittab
*lilo.conf (LILO only)
*[[modules.conf]]
*network/interfaces
*passwd

Linux From Scratch

2004-03-07T16:39:43Z

Marcel: s/it's/its/; removed 1st/2nd person

'''Linux From Scratch''' is exactly what its name means. The OS is built from the [[kernel]] up, often forgoing a host distribution ([[Red Hat]], [[Mandrake]], etc..), so that one can control what goes into your OS. The LFS team has created a guideline to follow in order to create a base system. Once the base system is complete, or before it is complete, one can start adding in software, experimenting or following the BLFS (Beyond Linux From Scratch) Guide to complete a personal OS with GUI and all.

LFS can be an effective way to understand what "goes on" behind the scenes, though potentially time consuming at first.

This approach allows a fine degree of granularity and personalization such that one has a more exact account of what comprises the system.

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org

Talk:C/C plus plus tips

2004-03-07T14:41:14Z

Marcel:

Talk:C/C plus plus tips

2004-03-07T14:39:05Z

Marcel:

Because of binding rules, the solution for the meaning of life returns the wrong answer. 32 is ''not'' the meaning of life. It ''is'' so hard to get right ;)

8 and 5 if you really want to use this as a macro example.

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 09:39, Mar 7, 2004 (EST)
----

Talk:MySQL

2004-03-07T04:00:07Z

Marcel:

I would venture to say that the pronunciation is not that rigid. Why enforce a certain pronunciation if it is a decidedly ambigous issue?

It is quite common to say, when speaking, (e.g.) "make a sequel query", rather than "make an SQL query". Often in print one sees SQL prefixed by 'an' rather than 'a' which suggests that the author is suggesting the initialism pronunciation but it seems as though plenty of people say sequel so why would one claim that is not appropriate?

Who is to say that (e.g.) <tt>/etc</tt> ''must'' be pronounced ''ee tee see'' rather than ''et see''?

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 22:39, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

----

In the case of MySQL, I'd say the company that makes the software is the one that should decide how it ought to be pronounced. See this page of their FAQ for the pronounciation guide: http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/What-is.html

With that said, it may not be relevant to leave that particular bit of information in the wiki entry. Not sure. If you don't like it, take it out :-)

[[User:Mhouliston|Mhouliston]] 22:54, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

----
Thanks for the link. I did not know that mysql.com had a position and so I suppose it is valid to reiterate that, though they do qualify saying that they don't mind if it is pronounced in another way. I suppose it does not really matter. So I suppose it is fine to leave it in, but maybe it should be reworded to closer represent what it says at mysql.com, which is to say, "it is officially pronounced like this, though it is common to also hear it pronounced like this." Though it certainly isn't that big of a deal one way or another.

Thanks again for the link.

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 23:00, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)
----

Talk:MySQL

2004-03-07T03:39:46Z

Marcel:

Qt

2004-03-07T03:10:25Z

Marcel: realized i was entering 'stub' part incorrectly

A cross-platform [[GUI]] toolkit.

 
''This article is a [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:stub_articles|stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|Plunge forward]] and [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:How_to_edit_a_page|help it grow]] !''

Qt

2004-03-07T03:07:53Z

Marcel: fixed stub links

A cross-platform [[GUI]] toolkit.

''This article is a [[stub]] and needs to be finished. [[LinuxQuestions.org_Wiki:plunging_forward|plunge forward]] and [[how_to_edit_a_page|help_it_grow]]!''

Qt

2004-03-07T03:05:59Z

Marcel: just getting it started

A cross-platform [[GUI]] toolkit.

''This article is a [[stub]] and needs to be finished. [[plunge forward]] and [[help it grow]]!''

Applications

2004-03-07T02:54:28Z

Marcel: added vlc to video players

Use this space to collect notes and information on common Linux software!

Do:

* Provide basic descriptive and historical information about the application.
* Add notes or in-depth commentary on usage/common problems/tips.
* Include a concise list of important and distinctive features that will help a potential user decide whether a particular application will meet his or her needs.
* Critically process information you include.
* Link to official project pages and notable community resources.

Don't:

* Hesitate to add what you know, especially to a stub; any information is better than no or incorrect information.
* Simply duplicate the reference manual or uncritically include the project "About" page.
* Clutter the pages with platitudes, personal experience, opinion, or preference.
* Try and list every application in the world. Generally stick to those that are popular or distinctive, and stable or actively maintained/developed.

----
* '''[[Audio Editor]]''' - [[Audacity]], [[Ardour]]

* '''[[Backup]]''' - [[rdiff-backup]], [[rsync]]

* '''[[CD Burning]]''' - [[K3b]], [[Xcdroast]], [[cdrecord]], [[cdrdao]]

* '''[[Compiler]]''' - [[GCC]], [[Mono]], [[Intel Compiler|Intel C/C++ Fortran]], [[PGI]], [[Pathscale]], [[IBM XLF,VAC]]

* '''[[Database]]''' - [[PostgreSQL]], [[MySQL]], [[Oracle]], [[DB2]], [[FireBirdSQL]]

* '''[[Database Tools]]''' - [[DBVisualizer]], [[DataDino]], [[PGAdmin]], [[PHPMyAdmin]]

* '''[[Desktop Environment]]''' - [[KDE]], [[Gnome]], [[XFce]]

* '''[[Email Client]]''' - [[Evolution]], [[Thunderbird]], [[Kmail]], [[Sylpheed]], [[Sylpheed-claws]], [[mutt]]

* '''[[Emulation]]''' - [[CrossOver]], [[DOSEMU]], [[Dosbox]], [[VMware]], [[Wine]], [[WineX]]

* '''[[File Managers]]''' - [[Midnight Commander]], [[Konqueror]], [[Gentoo File Manager]], [[emelFM]], [[Nautilus]]


* '''[[Image browser]]''' - [[imgSeek]], [[KimDaBa]], [[Gthumb]], [[pixieplus]], [[GQview]]

* '''[[Image manipulation]]''' - [[Gimp]], [[XV]], [[ImageMagick]], [[Sodipodi]], [[Inkscape]], [[Scribus]]

* '''[[Instant Messaging]]''' - [[Gaim]], [[Kopete]], [[Bitlbee]], [[Centericq]]

* '''[[Integrated Development Environment and Web Design]]''' - [[Quanta Plus]], [[KDevelop]], [[Bluefish]], [[Anjuta]]

* '''[[Internet Relay Chat]]''' - [[X-Chat]], [[BitchX]], [[Irssi]], [[ircII]]

* '''[[Music player]]''' - [[XMMS]], [[RhythmBox]]

* '''[[Office Suite]]''' - [[OpenOffice]], [[StarOffice]], [[KOffice]]

* '''[[PVR]]''' - [[mythTV]]

* '''[[Scientific Applications]]''' - [[BioInformatics]], [[Phy/Chem]], [[Molecular Dynamics]]

* '''[[Spreadsheet]]''' - [[Gnumeric]]

* '''[[System Statistics]]''' - [[GKrellm2]], [[Dockapps]]

* '''[[Terminal Emulator]]''' - [[aterm]], [[Eterm]], [[rxvt]], [[xterm]], [[wterm]], [[root-tail]], [[pterm]]

* '''[[Editor|Text Editor]]''' - [[Emacs]], [[Vi]] and [[Vim]], [[Joe]], [[Nano]], [[Gedit]], [[Bluefish]], [[Kwrite]], [[Kate]], [[NEdit]]

* '''[[Video Capture]]''' - [[Xvidcap]]

* '''[[Video Editor]]''' - [[Cinelerra]], [[Kino]], [[Transcode]], [[DVD::Rip]]

* '''[[Video player]]''' - [[Xine]], [[Totem]], [[MPlayer]], [[vlc]]

* '''[[Web browser]]''' - [[Mozilla]], [[Firefox]], [[Opera]], [[Konqueror]], [[Epiphany]], [[Galeon]]

* '''[[Window Manager]]''' - [[Fluxbox]], [[Blackbox]], [[Window Maker]], [[Sawfish]], [[Enlightenment]], [[Metacity]], [[IceWM]], [[Ion]], [[Openbox]], [[Afterstep]], [[FVWM]]

* '''[[Word Processor]]''' - [[AbiWord]]

* '''[[X Window System]]''' - [[General Tips]], [[Programming]], [[Configuring]]

* '''[[3D modeling]]''' - [[Blender]], [[PovRay]]

----
* '''[[Useful Sites]]'''

Talk:File managers

2004-03-07T02:38:48Z

Marcel:

Though I don't necessarily disagree, to what extent is inherently subjective statements like this warranted:

''While no substitute for the command line, they can make basic file management and certain tiresome repetitive operations more enjoyable.''

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 21:38, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

Talk:C plus plus

2004-03-07T02:24:27Z

Marcel:

re: having the page ''actually'' called '''C++''', <tt>%2B</tt> doesn't seem to work.

what about just making a link to [[C++]] and clicking on it?

answered my own question...

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 21:22, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

Talk:C plus plus

2004-03-07T02:23:59Z

Marcel:

re: having the page ''actually'' called '''C++''', <tt>%2B</tt> doesn't seem to work.

what about just making a link to [[C++]] and clicking on it?

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 21:22, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

Talk:C plus plus

2004-03-07T02:22:41Z

Marcel:

re: having the page ''actually'' called '''C++''', <tt>%2B</tt> doesn't seem to work.

[[User:Marcel|Marcel]] 21:22, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

Applications

2004-03-07T02:00:13Z

Marcel: added rsync to "backup" section

Use this space to collect notes and information on common Linux software!

Do:

* Provide basic descriptive and historical information about the application.
* Add notes or in-depth commentary on usage/common problems/tips.
* Include a concise list of important and distinctive features that will help a potential user decide whether a particular application will meet his or her needs.
* Critically process information you include.
* Link to official project pages and notable community resources.

Don't:

* Hesitate to add what you know, especially to a stub; any information is better than no or incorrect information.
* Simply duplicate the reference manual or uncritically include the project "About" page.
* Clutter the pages with platitudes, personal experience, opinion, or preference.
* Try and list every application in the world. Generally stick to those that are popular or distinctive, and stable or actively maintained/developed.

----
* '''[[Audio Editor]]''' - [[Audacity]], [[Ardour]]

* '''[[Backup]]''' - [[rdiff-backup]], [[rsync]]

* '''[[CD Burning]]''' - [[K3b]], [[Xcdroast]], [[cdrecord]], [[cdrdao]]

* '''[[Compiler]]''' - [[GCC]], [[Mono]], [[Intel Compiler|Intel C/C++ Fortran]], [[PGI]], [[Pathscale]], [[IBM XLF,VAC]]

* '''[[Database]]''' - [[PostgreSQL]], [[MySQL]], [[Oracle]], [[DB2]], [[FireBirdSQL]]

* '''[[Database Tools]]''' - [[DBVisualizer]], [[DataDino]], [[PGAdmin]], [[PHPMyAdmin]]

* '''[[Desktop Environment]]''' - [[KDE]], [[Gnome]], [[XFce]]

* '''[[Email Client]]''' - [[Evolution]], [[Thunderbird]], [[Kmail]], [[Sylpheed]], [[Sylpheed-claws]], [[mutt]]

* '''[[Emulation]]''' - [[CrossOver]], [[DOSEMU]], [[Dosbox]], [[VMware]], [[Wine]], [[WineX]]

* '''[[File Managers]]''' - [[Midnight Commander]], [[Konqueror]], [[Gentoo File Manager]], [[emelFM]], [[Nautilus]]


* '''[[Image browser]]''' - [[imgSeek]], [[KimDaBa]], [[Gthumb]], [[pixieplus]], [[GQview]]

* '''[[Image manipulation]]''' - [[Gimp]], [[XV]], [[ImageMagick]], [[Sodipodi]], [[Inkscape]], [[Scribus]]

* '''[[Instant Messaging]]''' - [[Gaim]], [[Kopete]], [[Bitlbee]], [[Centericq]]

* '''[[Integrated Development Environment and Web Design]]''' - [[Quanta Plus]], [[KDevelop]], [[Bluefish]], [[Anjuta]]

* '''[[Internet Relay Chat]]''' - [[X-Chat]], [[BitchX]], [[Irssi]], [[ircII]]

* '''[[Music player]]''' - [[XMMS]], [[RhythmBox]]

* '''[[Office Suite]]''' - [[OpenOffice]], [[StarOffice]], [[KOffice]]

* '''[[Scientific Applications]]''' - [[BioInformatics]], [[Phy/Chem]], [[Molecular Dynamics]]

* '''[[Spreadsheet]]''' - [[Gnumeric]]

* '''[[System Statistics]]''' - [[GKrellm2]], [[Dockapps]]

* '''[[Terminal Emulator]]''' - [[aterm]], [[Eterm]], [[rxvt]], [[xterm]], [[wterm]], [[root-tail]], [[pterm]]

* '''[[Editor|Text Editor]]''' - [[Emacs]], [[Vi]] and [[Vim]], [[Joe]], [[Nano]], [[Gedit]], [[Bluefish]], [[Kwrite]], [[Kate]], [[NEdit]]

* '''[[Video Capture]]''' - [[Xvidcap]]

* '''[[Video Editor]]''' - [[Cinelerra]], [[Kino]], [[Transcode]], [[DVD::Rip]]

* '''[[Video player]]''' - [[Xine]], [[Totem]], [[MPlayer]]

* '''[[Web browser]]''' - [[Mozilla]], [[Firefox]], [[Opera]], [[Konqueror]], [[Epiphany]], [[Galeon]]

* '''[[Window Manager]]''' - [[Fluxbox]], [[Blackbox]], [[Window Maker]], [[Sawfish]], [[Enlightenment]], [[Metacity]], [[IceWM]], [[Ion]], [[Openbox]], [[Afterstep]], [[FVWM]]

* '''[[Word Processor]]''' - [[AbiWord]]

* '''[[X Window System]]''' - [[General Tips]], [[Programming]], [[Configuring]]

* '''[[3D modeling]]''' - [[Blender]], [[PovRay]]

----
* '''[[Useful Sites]]'''

Root

2004-03-07T00:06:29Z

Marcel: added super

In Linux and UNIX, the '''root''' account is the name for the system administrative account, which has full permissions to perform any task available on the system. The root account has a user ID of 0.

It is good practice on personal Linux systems to set up a non-privileged user account to perform everyday tasks, and only use the root account for administrative tasks. This can be accomplished via the [[su]], [[sudo]] or [[super]] command.

Root is also a generic term for the base of the Unix filesystem hierarchy, which is written as "/" in pathnames. There is also a directory named "/root" which is the [[home directory]] of the root user.

Talk:Perl

2004-03-07T00:03:16Z

Marcel: typo (damn it)

so. we can't just have a redirect from PERL to Perl, or from Perl to PERL, lest a flame war start. how is this to be resolved. there is already an extensive entry for PERL.

the perlfaq says that it should not be PERL but that does not seem to be particularly set in stone, esp. since perl is ostensibly an acronym and as such potentially warrants all caps.

---

There is no current '''PERL''' page, actually. It might best to take the existing '''Perl''' and '''Perl tips''' page and stick the whole shebang under '''PERL'''. Then add redirects thusly:

Perl -> PERL
 
perl_tips -> PERL

 
Sound ok?
[[User:Mhouliston|Mhouliston]] 18:54, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)
----

What about a flip flop?

PERL -> Perl
 
perl_tips -> Perl

because of this in perlfaq1:
<code>
What's the difference between "perl" and "Perl"?

One bit. Oh, you weren't talking ASCII? :-) Larry now uses "Perl" to
signify the language proper and "perl" the implementation of it, i.e.
the current interpreter. Hence Tom's quip that "Nothing but perl can
parse Perl." You may or may not choose to follow this usage. For
example, parallelism means "awk and perl" and "Python and Perl" look
OK, while "awk and Perl" and "Python and perl" do not. But never write
"PERL", because perl is not an acronym, apocryphal folklore and post-
facto expansions notwithstanding.
</code>

Talk:Perl

2004-03-07T00:02:06Z

Marcel: more on PERL vs Perl

so. we can't just have a redirect from PERL to Perl, or from Perl to PERL, lest a flame war start. how is this to be resolved. there is already an extensive entry for PERL.

the perlfaq says that it should not be PERL but that does not seem to be particularly set in stone, esp. since perl is ostensibly an acronym and as such potentially warrants all caps.

---

There is no current '''PERL''' page, actually. It might best to take the existing '''Perl''' and '''Perl tips''' page and stick the whole shebang under '''PERL'''. Then add redirects thusly:

Perl -> PERL
 
perl_tips -> PERL

 
Sound ok?
[[User:Mhouliston|Mhouliston]] 18:54, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)
----

What about a flip flop?

PERL -> Perl
 
perl_tipes -> Perl

because of this in perlfaq1:
<code>
What's the difference between "perl" and "Perl"?

One bit. Oh, you weren't talking ASCII? :-) Larry now uses "Perl" to
signify the language proper and "perl" the implementation of it, i.e.
the current interpreter. Hence Tom's quip that "Nothing but perl can
parse Perl." You may or may not choose to follow this usage. For
example, parallelism means "awk and perl" and "Python and Perl" look
OK, while "awk and Perl" and "Python and perl" do not. But never write
"PERL", because perl is not an acronym, apocryphal folklore and post-
facto expansions notwithstanding.
</code>

Talk:Perl

2004-03-06T23:45:32Z

Marcel:

Patch

2004-03-06T23:41:47Z

Marcel: semantics: s/adding/applying/

'''Patch''' only has a small job, but it does it quickly and efficiently. It takes a sourcecode file (or any other file for that matter) and a [[diff]] file based on changes that have been made to another copy of the source. It then merges the two, applying the changes specified to the source file. This is particularly useful for allowing developers to collaborate through [[CVS]] repositories.

Originally written by [[Larry Wall]], also the author of [[Perl]].

[http://www.fsf.org/software/patch/patch.html#TOCintroduction Patch Homepage]

patch, noun, an update applied to a software [[application]] or [[operating system]] for the purpose of fixing bugs or exploits or for adding features.

patch, verb, to use a patch to update a bug or an exploit or add a feature to a piece of software or an operating system.

Patch

2004-03-06T23:27:30Z

Marcel: mentioned wall as original author

[[patch]] only has a small job, but it does it quickly and efficiently. It takes a sourcecode file (or any other file for that matter) and a [[diff]] file based on changes that have been made to another copy of the source. It then merges the two, adding the changes specified to the source file. This is particularly useful for allowing developers to collaborate through [[CVS]] repositories.

Originally written by [[Larry Wall]], also the author of [[Perl]].

[http://www.fsf.org/software/patch/patch.html#TOCintroduction Patch Homepage]

Applications

2004-03-06T23:22:23Z

Marcel: added pterm to terminal emulator list

Use this space to collect notes and information on common Linux software!

Do:

* Provide basic descriptive and historical information about the application.
* Add notes or in-depth commentary on usage/common problems/tips.
* Include a concise list of important and distinctive features that will help a potential user decide whether a particular application will meet his or her needs.
* Critically process information you include.
* Link to official project pages and notable community resources.

Don't:

* Hesitate to add what you know, especially to a stub; any information is better than no or incorrect information.
* Simply duplicate the reference manual or uncritically include the project "About" page.
* Clutter the pages with platitudes, personal experience, opinion, or preference.
* Try and list every application in the world. Generally stick to those that are popular or distinctive, and stable or actively maintained/developed.

----
* '''[[Desktop Environment]]''' - [[KDE]], [[Gnome]], [[XFce]]

* '''[[Window Manager]]''' - [[Fluxbox]], [[Blackbox]], [[Window Maker]], [[Sawfish]], [[Enlightenment]], [[Metacity]], [[IceWM]], [[Ion]], [[Openbox]], [[Afterstep]], [[FVWM]]

* '''[[X Window System]]''' - [[General Tips]], [[Programming]], [[Configuring]]

* '''[[Terminal Emulator]]''' - [[aterm]], [[Eterm]], [[rxvt]], [[xterm]], [[wterm]], [[root-tail]], [[pterm]]

* '''[[Office Suite]]''' - [[OpenOffice]], [[StarOffice]], [[KOffice]]

* '''[[Word Processor]]''' - [[AbiWord]]

* '''[[Spreadsheet]]''' - [[Gnumeric]]

* '''[[Editor|Text Editor]]''' - [[Emacs]], [[Vi]] and [[Vim]], [[Joe]], [[Nano]], [[Gedit]], [[Bluefish]], [[Kwrite]], [[Kate]], [[NEdit]]

* '''[[Web browser]]''' - [[Mozilla]], [[Firefox]], [[Opera]], [[Konqueror]], [[Epiphany]], [[Galeon]]

* '''[[Email Client]]''' - [[Evolution]], [[Thunderbird]], [[Kmail]], [[Sylpheed]], [[Sylpheed-claws]], [[mutt]]

* '''[[Instant Messaging]]''' - [[Gaim]], [[Kopete]], [[Bitlbee]], [[Centericq]]

* '''[[Integrated Development Environment and Web Design]]''' - [[Quanta Plus]], [[KDevelop]], [[Bluefish]], [[Anjuta]]

* '''[[Internet Relay Chat]]''' - [[X-Chat]], [[BitchX]], [[Irssi]], [[ircII]]

* '''[[Video player]]''' - [[Xine]], [[Totem]], [[MPlayer]]

* '''[[Music player]]''' - [[XMMS]], [[RhythmBox]]

* '''[[Audio Editor]]''' - [[Audacity]]

* '''[[Video Editor]]''' - [[Cinelerra]], [[Kino]], [[Transcode]], [[DVD::Rip]]

* '''[[3D modeling]]''' - [[Blender]], [[PovRay]]

* '''[[Video Capture]]''' - [[Xvidcap]]

* '''[[Image manipulation]]''' - [[Gimp]], [[XV]], [[ImageMagick]], [[Sodipodi]], [[Inkscape]], [[Scribus]]

* '''[[Image browser]]''' - [[imgSeek]], [[KimDaBa]], [[Gthumb]], [[pixieplus]], [[GQview]]

* '''[[Emulation]]''' - [[CrossOver]], [[DOSEMU]], [[Dosbox]], [[VMware]], [[Wine]], [[WineX]]

* '''[[Compiler]]''' - [[GCC]], [[Mono]], [[Intel Compiler|Intel C/C++ Fortran]], [[PGI]], [[Pathscale]], [[IBM XLF,VAC]]

* '''[[Database]]''' - [[PostgreSQL]], [[MySQL]], [[Oracle]], [[DB2]], [[FireBirdSQL]]

* '''[[Database Tools]]''' - [[DBVisualizer]], [[DataDino]], [[PGAdmin]], [[PHPMyAdmin]]

* '''[[File Managers]]''' - [[Midnight Commander]], [[Konqueror]], [[Gentoo File Manager]], [[emelFM]], [[Nautilus]]

* '''[[System Statistics]]''' - [[GKrellm2]], [[Dockapps]]

* '''[[CD Burning]]''' - [[K3b]], [[Xcdroast]], [[cdrecord]], [[cdrdao]]

* '''[[Backup]]''' - [[rdiff-backup]]

* '''[[Scientific Applications]]''' - [[BioInformatics]], [[Phy/Chem]], [[Molecular Dynamics]]
----
* '''[[Useful Sites]]'''

Applications

2004-03-06T23:20:14Z

Marcel: added NEdit to text editor list

Use this space to collect notes and information on common Linux software!

Do:

* Provide basic descriptive and historical information about the application.
* Add notes or in-depth commentary on usage/common problems/tips.
* Include a concise list of important and distinctive features that will help a potential user decide whether a particular application will meet his or her needs.
* Critically process information you include.
* Link to official project pages and notable community resources.

Don't:

* Hesitate to add what you know, especially to a stub; any information is better than no or incorrect information.
* Simply duplicate the reference manual or uncritically include the project "About" page.
* Clutter the pages with platitudes, personal experience, opinion, or preference.
* Try and list every application in the world. Generally stick to those that are popular or distinctive, and stable or actively maintained/developed.

----
* '''[[Desktop Environment]]''' - [[KDE]], [[Gnome]], [[XFce]]

* '''[[Window Manager]]''' - [[Fluxbox]], [[Blackbox]], [[Window Maker]], [[Sawfish]], [[Enlightenment]], [[Metacity]], [[IceWM]], [[Ion]], [[Openbox]], [[Afterstep]], [[FVWM]]

* '''[[X Window System]]''' - [[General Tips]], [[Programming]], [[Configuring]]

* '''[[Terminal Emulator]]''' - [[aterm]], [[Eterm]], [[rxvt]], [[xterm]], [[wterm]], [[root-tail]]

* '''[[Office Suite]]''' - [[OpenOffice]], [[StarOffice]], [[KOffice]]

* '''[[Word Processor]]''' - [[AbiWord]]

* '''[[Spreadsheet]]''' - [[Gnumeric]]

* '''[[Editor|Text Editor]]''' - [[Emacs]], [[Vi]] and [[Vim]], [[Joe]], [[Nano]], [[Gedit]], [[Bluefish]], [[Kwrite]], [[Kate]], [[NEdit]]

* '''[[Web browser]]''' - [[Mozilla]], [[Firefox]], [[Opera]], [[Konqueror]], [[Epiphany]], [[Galeon]]

* '''[[Email Client]]''' - [[Evolution]], [[Thunderbird]], [[Kmail]], [[Sylpheed]], [[Sylpheed-claws]], [[mutt]]

* '''[[Instant Messaging]]''' - [[Gaim]], [[Kopete]], [[Bitlbee]], [[Centericq]]

* '''[[Integrated Development Environment and Web Design]]''' - [[Quanta Plus]], [[KDevelop]], [[Bluefish]], [[Anjuta]]

* '''[[Internet Relay Chat]]''' - [[X-Chat]], [[BitchX]], [[Irssi]], [[ircII]]

* '''[[Video player]]''' - [[Xine]], [[Totem]], [[MPlayer]]

* '''[[Music player]]''' - [[XMMS]], [[RhythmBox]]

* '''[[Audio Editor]]''' - [[Audacity]]

* '''[[Video Editor]]''' - [[Cinelerra]], [[Kino]], [[Transcode]], [[DVD::Rip]]

* '''[[3D modeling]]''' - [[Blender]], [[PovRay]]

* '''[[Video Capture]]''' - [[Xvidcap]]

* '''[[Image manipulation]]''' - [[Gimp]], [[XV]], [[ImageMagick]], [[Sodipodi]], [[Inkscape]], [[Scribus]]

* '''[[Image browser]]''' - [[imgSeek]], [[KimDaBa]], [[Gthumb]], [[pixieplus]], [[GQview]]

* '''[[Emulation]]''' - [[CrossOver]], [[DOSEMU]], [[Dosbox]], [[VMware]], [[Wine]], [[WineX]]

* '''[[Compiler]]''' - [[GCC]], [[Mono]], [[Intel Compiler|Intel C/C++ Fortran]], [[PGI]], [[Pathscale]], [[IBM XLF,VAC]]

* '''[[Database]]''' - [[PostgreSQL]], [[MySQL]], [[Oracle]], [[DB2]], [[FireBirdSQL]]

* '''[[Database Tools]]''' - [[DBVisualizer]], [[DataDino]], [[PGAdmin]], [[PHPMyAdmin]]

* '''[[File Managers]]''' - [[Midnight Commander]], [[Konqueror]], [[Gentoo File Manager]], [[emelFM]], [[Nautilus]]

* '''[[System Statistics]]''' - [[GKrellm2]], [[Dockapps]]

* '''[[CD Burning]]''' - [[K3b]], [[Xcdroast]], [[cdrecord]], [[cdrdao]]

* '''[[Backup]]''' - [[rdiff-backup]]

* '''[[Scientific Applications]]''' - [[BioInformatics]], [[Phy/Chem]], [[Molecular Dynamics]]
----
* '''[[Useful Sites]]'''

Talk:Integrated development environment

2004-03-06T23:16:49Z

Marcel:

i suppose one needs to be somewhat strict about what is an IDE and what is a featureful gui editor.

Integrated development environment

2004-03-06T23:15:55Z

Marcel: added bluefish, glimmer; alphabetized

What are good Linux IDE's? What features do they have? How easy are they to use? Is the Documentation any good? Are there any Dreamweaver alternatives?

Integrated Development Environment
* [[DevCpp|Dev-C++]]
* [[Glimmer]]
* [[KDevelop]]

Web Design Environment
* [[Bluefish]]
* [[Nvu]]
* [[Quanta]]

Windows

2004-03-06T22:54:03Z

Marcel: s/it's/its/

'''Microsoft Windows''' is a term for a family of operating systems produced by [[Microsoft]], and these are the only serious competition for [[Linux]] on desktop machines ([[MacOS]] is limited to proprietary hardware and as such doesn't really compete).

Windows has a large user base - over 95% of the world's desktop computers use some form of it. Being compatible with Windows takes a significant amount of manpower from the open source movement. However, the majority of servers use [[UNIX]] or Linux, and with Microsoft's questionable practices, the open source movement is undoubtedly growing.

The [[Samba]] suite of software enables [[UNIX]] and [[Linux]] systems to both act as clients accessing [[Windows]] PCs and as servers for them. [[WINE]] and its commercial varients enable Windows software to be run on Linux machines, whilst [[DOSEMU]] allows DOS programs to be used. The [[Mono]] project is developing a Linux implementation of [[.NET]] and ASP.NET.