Migration to Linux: getting started

Migration to Linux: getting started

This new article series will help you migrate data from other operating systems to Linux.

The computer systems running Linux are everywhere. Linux runs a variety of Internet services, such as Google search and Facebook. Linux also runs on many devices, including our smartphones, TVs, and even automobiles. Of course, Linux can also run on your desktop. If you are a newbie to Linux or want to try something different on your desktop, this article will briefly introduce the basic knowledge, it also helps you migrate data from another system to Linux.

Switching to a different operating system may be a challenge, because each operating system provides a different operation method. The habit of second nature on one system may impede the use of another system. Therefore, we need to find out how to operate on the Internet or books.

 

Differences between Windows and Linux

(LCTT note: the title of this section Vive la diff é rence is from French, meaning "Long live difference"-from wiktionary)

To start using Linux, you may notice that the packaging methods for Linux are different. In other operating systems, many components are bundled together as part of the software package. However, in Linux, each component is called separately. For example, in Windows, the graphic interface is only part of the operating system. In Linux, you can select from multiple graphic environments, such as GNOME, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, and MATE.

At a higher level, a Linux system includes the following:

1. Kernel
2. System programs and files residing on the disk
3. Graphical Environment
4. Package Manager
5. Applications

 

Kernel

The kernel is the core of the operating system. The kernel is the engine under the hood. It allows multiple applications to run at the same time and coordinates their access to public services and devices so that all devices can run smoothly.

 

System programs and files

The system program is located on the disk in the hierarchical structure of standard files and directories. These system programs and files include services running in the background (called the daemon), utilities for various operations, configuration files, and log files.

These system programs are not running in the kernel, but programs that execute basic system operations, such as setting the date and time and connecting to the network so that you can access the Internet.

The initialization init program is included here-it is the program that was initially run. This program starts all background services (such as Web servers), starts network connections, and starts the graphic environment. This initialization program will start other system programs as needed.

Other system programs facilitate simple tasks, such as adding users and groups, changing passwords, and configuring disks.

 

Graphical Environment

The graphic environment is actually just more system programs and files. The graphic environment provides common window, mouse pointer, dialog box, status, and indicator with menus.

Note that you do not need to use the originally installed graphical environment. If you want to, you can change it to another one. Each graphic environment has different features. Some look more like Apple OS X, some look more like Windows, and some are unique and do not try to imitate other graphic interfaces.

 

Package Manager

For people from different operating systems, the package manager is hard to master, but now there is a similar system that people are very familiar with-the App Store. The software package system is actually a Linux application store. You can use the Package Manager to select the application you want, instead of installing the application from one website and from another website. The package manager then installs the application from the central repository of the pre-built open source application.

 

Applications

Linux comes with many pre-installed applications. You can get more information from the package manager. Many applications are great, and some need to be improved. Sometimes, the version of the same application running on Windows, Mac OS, or Linux is different.

For example, you can use the Firefox browser and Thunderbird (for email ). You can use LibreOffice as a replacement for Microsoft Office and run the game through Valve Steam. You can even use WINE on Linux to run some Windows native applications.

 

Install Linux

The first step is to install the Linux release. You may have heard of Red Hat, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, and SUSE. These are different releases of Linux.

If you do not have a Linux release, you must install each component separately. Many components are developed and provided by different groups of people. Therefore, installing each component independently is a lengthy and tedious task. Fortunately, people who build the release will do this for you. They crawl all the components, build them, make sure they can work together, and then package them in a single installation suite.

Different releases may make different choices and use different components, but it is still Linux. Applications developed in one release usually run well on other releases.

If you are a beginner in Linux and want to try Linux, we recommend that you install Ubuntu. Other releases can also be used: Linux Mint, Fedora, Debian, Zorin OS, and Elementary OS. In future articles, we will introduce other aspects of the Linux system and provide more information about how to start using Linux.