Using Open Source on the Desktop

This is a start page for people who are currently using open source on their desktop computers around Richmond, Indiana.

You may be interested to browse the site by topic, where you can find our more information about hardware compatibility with open source, as well as content related to specific applications.

In our blog area, members post their own experiences with open source.

If you have questions, feel free to contact us.

Once you get your questions answered, we hope you'll share your knowledge and experience with others in the area.

Using Linux

Here are resources for current users of Linux.

• TUX Magazine is an excellent, online magazine for everyday Linux desktop users. It's well produced and fun to read. It has a layout made for the size and shape of a computer screen, making it a pleasure to read on the screen.
  

Installing software on Mandriva Linux

Basics of Software Installation for Mandriva Linux

Installing software for Mandriva Linux is usually easy, since most everything you need is included on the included CD sets.

If that's the case, you only need to find the software installation tool in the menu and browse or search for the software you want to install. On my system this is in the menu at System: Configuration: Packaging: Install Software.

You can checkout a screenshot of what that tool looks like.

Installing other software

Sometimes you may be interested in a specific application which isn't known to this application.

Chances are it can still be fairly easy to install. Here are some suggested steps to follow:

1. Is it there already an existing package made for Mandriva Linux?. You can find out by searching at rpms.mandrivaclub.com. Note that you may need to include a star ("*") before or after your search term. If you don't find what you are looking for there, you can try Googling for file ending in ".rpm" for your package. Downloading and clicking on it might install it. Let's assume you had better luck and proceed to step 2....
2. Notice where the package is located. For an example, let's say you wanted to search for the great e-mail program called Mozilla Thunderbird. You'll get back several results for it. You usually want to follow the link of the result with the highest version number that is not colored with a red background ((indicating danger). Following such a link, you'll get a to a details page for the package. Notice the second heading which describes which package repository this file is stored it. In this case, the answer is "Mandriva Linux Official packages / 2006.0 / i586 / media / main". The interesting part here is "main". 2006.0 is the version number, and i586 means the package works on standard PC hardware.
3. Tell Mandriva where this package source is located. With the details you collected above, you can now go through a wizard to complete the process. Some notes about this. You can leave the package manager set to urpmi. For the final result, you will be instructed to type something in a console as root. You press ALT-F2 and then type "konsole" to launch a console. To become root, you'll need to type "su" and then enter your root password. Finally, paste in the command you generated.
4. Install the software normally.
What you just did was tell Mandriva about another repository where it can find software to download and install (for free!). Rather than downloading a single piece of software, you've told it how to find what is probably hundreds or thousands of other titles. Now you should just need to use the software installer described in step 1. If it's running, you may need to restart it for things to work.

Improving software installation on Mandriva Linux

The best experience installing software on Mandriva, Mark recommends starting with CDs that have more software on them in the first place. The Discovery/LX includes some notable additions offer the free download addition and will cover many people's needs. The PowerPack edition will meet the needs of even demanding users.

Looking forward, we can expect the Mandriva will improve the user experience here, to make it more seamless to find and add new software sources.