Section 2.4. Consider Optional Software Packages

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2.4. Consider Optional Software Packages

Once you decide which distribution you want, you will also want to decide how much of it to install. You don't have to decide on each and every package, either before you begin the installation or even while you install your Linux distribution. You can install additional packages later. There are, however, a few important things you should think about up front in order for the installation to go more smoothly.

You should consider things like whether you'll have a graphical workstation or a text-only interface, whether or not you'll be connected to a network, and what kind of work you plan to do with your new Linux system. Of course, you can simply install everything that comes with your distribution if you have the disk space.

2.4.1. X Window System

The X Window System is the graphical user interface for Linux-based systems (and is discussed in more detail in Chapter 10, "The Linux Desktop"). Unless you plan to use your Linux system as a server or only for command-line functions, you probably want to install the X Window System.

Until mid-2004, XFree86 was the open source version of the X Window System used in most distributions of Linux. Due to changes in the licensing, something to which free software fans are unaccustomed, many distributions have chosen to move to an implementation provided by the X.org Foundation. You may see either package, depending on which distribution or even which version of a distribution you choose to install.

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It is likely that one or the other will be available, but not both, so if you plan to use your Linux computer as a workstation, plan to install whichever X Window System software is included with the distribution. For more information on open source implementations of the X Window System, see the following web sites:

http://www.x.org

http://www.xfree86.org

2.4.2. Desktop Environments

If you plan to run your Linux system as a graphical workstation, then in addition to the X Window System, you'll want a desktop environment. Where the X Window System provides the basic windowing functions and interfaces to the screen, a desktop environment provides the interfaces that a person uses, like the icons, menus, and toolbars that make up a virtual desktop on the screen.

Two desktop environments have emerged as the main players in Linux environments and are now used in many UNIX environments as well: the GNU Object Model Environment (GNOME) and the K Desktop Environment (KDE). Both come with most distributions of Linux, although each distribution generally displays a preference by specifying one it will install by default (e.g., Fedora defaults to GNOME, Mandrake to KDE). Both desktop environments provide a menu bar of useful applications, a status bar showing running processes and other status information, as well as their own unique window applications (such as file managers and window managers).

If you have never used either GNOME or KDE, you will probably want to install both (if you have the disk space) and try them. Debate rages over which is "better," and they each have legions of fans. On the surface, they both let your system behave like a "typical" window-based system. The differences are more in the philosophy of the designers and what problems they were trying to address. To greatly oversimplify, many feel GNOME is simple but elegant and KDE is complex but flexible. Which you prefer is largely a matter of personal taste.

2.4.2.1. GNOME

GNOME originally grew from code written for a GNU image library. It is a user desktop as well as a development platform for graphical applications that can be written in a variety of languages. Developers with the GNOME Project have invested a great deal of effort in human interface and usability issues. In the UNIX tradition, it embraces simplicity, providing the basic necessities of a desktop environment, but does not overload the user with options. GNOME is Open Software. Figure 2-3 shows an example of a GNOME desktop.

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Figure 2-3. A GNOME desktop on Fedora Core Linux.

2.4.2.2. KDE

KDE is also a user desktop and development platform. It provides more applications specific to the KDE environment and tries to serve more purposes for more types of users. While this gives many users, especially novices, more options and capability, it also makes the desktop environment seem busier. Some people don't like that KDE's roots were in some licensed software, but they have worked hard to remove those restrictions, and today KDE is all Open Software. Figure 2-4 shows an example of a KDE desktop.

Figure 2-4. A KDE desktop on Mandrake Linux. (This item is displayed on page 26 in the print version)

If you want to install only one, you should visit both project's web sites and read about their capabilities in detail:

http://www.kde.org

http://www.gnome.org

I might even go so far as to say that both web sites have a "feel" that is similar to the desktop environments, so if you find one web site more useful or comfortable than the other, that might tell you something.

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2.4.3. Networking

If you are installing your Linux computer in an environment where it will be connected to a local network, there are some things you will likely need to know to install Linux. Your network or systems administrator should be able to provide you with the information you need. Most installation programs have a section where they let you set this information. When installing Slackware Linux, you have to run the network utility to set up the network during the installation process. You can also define all the network-related information after installation is complete, but be sure you select enough so that the network services and utilities get installed if you will need them.

The first thing to find out is whether your local network runs a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. If hosts on the network use DHCP to gather information about themselves when they boot, then you may not need to configure much of it yourself (but you'll need your systems administrator to add information for your new machine to the DHCP server). A computer using DHCP sends out a broadcast as it boots up, effectively saying "Who am I" and should receive its name, network address, and everything else it needs to operate on the network.

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If your network doesn't use DHCP, then you will need to have your network administrator assign values for (or help you choose) the following items:

• a hostname for your computer

• an IP address

• a netmask

• a default gateway address

• a name server address

The specifics about these items are discussed in more detail in Chapter 9, "Networking and the Internet."

If you are on a local network, then you should also install packages containing network services and tools. If you plan to allow other computers to access the file systems on your Linux computer, you should also install NFS (Sun's Network File System) and Samba.

You should also find out if your local network runs IP (IPv4) or IPv6. Some Linux distributions default to using IPv6 (the latest version of the Internet Protocol networking protocol) and in some environments this can actually cause performance problems. If your network is still running IPv4 (most probably do), you may wish to disable IPv6 in your Linux system.

2.4.4. Office Tools

A nice suite of office productivity tools is available with most distributions of Linux (and if not, you can download the latest version of the software from the web site below). Sun Microsystems sponsors and participates in the open source project OpenOffice.org, which provides a suite of tools with similar functionality to those in Microsoft's Office Suite. Based on Sun's StarOffice (which cannot be completely released as open source due to licensing restrictions on parts of it), OpenOffice.org tools are also able to import and export data from and to the Microsoft applications, so that you can exchange information with Microsoft users.

OpenOffice.org boasts 16 million downloads and includes the following applications:

• Writer word-processing tool for reports, documents, newsletters, and brochures

• Calc spreadsheet

• Impress presentation creator with drawing tools, animation, and special effects

• Draw drawing tool for everything from simple diagrams to 3D and specialized images

• Base database user tools that support dBASE, ODBC, and JDBC databases

If you plan to do any sort of writing or presentation creation on your Linux system, these tools are a must. For more information about OpenOffice.org or to download the latest version, see their web site:

http://www.openoffice.org

2.4.5. Programming Languages and Tools

Linux comes with GNU C and C++ compilers, Perl, and Python. Java comes with many distributions, but if your distribution doesn't have it, you can download it from the Sun Java web site:

http://java.sun.com/linux/