Chapter4.Installation

Chapter 4. Installation

Installing software involves more than copying the software onto a hard disk. The software must be configured with the information it needs to perform its job. An operating system is complex software, which requires considerable information to perform its job. Most software, including operating systems, comes with an installation program. To install the software, you run the installation program, which asks questions and installs the software, configuring it with the information obtained during the installation procedure.

If you have installed software on a Windows machine, you know that the installation procedure asks you questions, such as where you want the software installed and what is your registration number. After you answer the questions, the installation program installs the software based on the information you provided.

Most Linux distributions come with an installation program that installs the software based on information obtained during the installation procedure. Information is obtained both by probing the computer hardware for information and by asking questions.

The installation procedures for Fedora, Mandrake, and SuSE, the three major Linux distributions discussed in this book, have been developed and refined to be easy to use. Installation for these distributions is described in detail in this chapter.