How to install bin file linux

So, you've finally installed Linux, after what probably seemed like an endless journey in a labyrinth of distribution information, and often a bit too positive, esoteric installation instructions. A let's not forget partitioning instructions that look like they were written by Einstein, with contradictory, often misleading advice. I'm sure you still have many questions about how to accomplish the simplest tasks in your new Linux system. The purpose of this first article is to answer a few of them, focusing on items such as file managers, directory structures, tarballs, and mime types.

Now What? Before going off on an endless updating spree, remember the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This of course, does not apply to tweaks and configurations. You probably chose one of the two major desktop environments (KDE or Gnome), or quite possibly both of them. Using both desktop environments does has its advantages, as we shall see. But before working on anything, I recommend highly you open each desktop environment manager at least once as both user and root. This opens paths and quickens booting. Operating as root user for the first time in KDE, you should open the file manager and browse around. Because you are essentially in super-user mode, be very careful not to modify anything. Look but don't touch. This will eliminate a potential KDE glitch that might cause the file manager window to flicker when accessing it from a user account.

Logging in and out Just a word of caution here. Given our discussion above, I assume you understand that you have both root and user login options. Until you become very familiar with the file structure, after having installed a few applications and a few updates, I recommend highly that you do not change permissions while in root mode simply to permit user access to any particular files or directories. Arbitrary modifications of permissions can begin a chain of events that could very well make your system unusable. Of course, this is not "written in stone." All I am saying is to play it very carefully at the beginning.

KDE uses the Konqueror file browser, and Gnome uses the Nautilus file manager by default. I suspect that many of the problems one finds within Gnome are directly related to Nautilus, particularly concerning the desktop. Problems vary from distro to distro. Strangely, I encountered many more problems with the Nautilus/Gnome relationship within Red Hat, which uses the Gnome desktop by default, than with distributions that default to the KDE desktop. Alan Cox (Linux kernel development guru) himself works for Red Hat, so I cannot really say why many users find similar glitches and bugs. Hopefully, with the upcoming release of the Gnome 2.0 desktop, all this will be a thing of the past, so I won't attempt to delve into the glitches here. They also differ from distro to distro. This is why I uncheck the option "Use Nautilus to draw the desktop" in the Nautilus preferences menu under "Windows & Desktop", regardless of the distro I happen to be using at the time.

After unchecking the Nautilus option in Gnome, a new item called "File Manager" will then appear in the Panel Bar Menu. This is for the "gmc" file manager. Copying files and/or moving them to other locations is done via mouse maneuvers and drop-down menus in mini-windows which open much as they do in Windows to let you "browse" to a choice destination directory. Your desktop icons will have changed after the de-selection of Nautilus. To recreate usable desktop icons, right-click on the desktop and choose "Recreate Default Icons." Some of the icons on the desktop will no longer be usable. Those are the leftover Nautilus icons. You can send them right to the trash. I find the gmc file manager much more dependable. I use it to copy files to other locations, to add and delete folders, etc. You may still use Nautilus in Gnome as a file browser and manager, which I do because of its ability to preview image files as thumbnail snaps when browsing. Konqueror in KDE, of course, does the same thing. I just don't use Nautilus to draw the desktop in Gnome.

In both the Nautilus and the Konqueror file browsers, I recommend adjusting them using the top menu system to show all files. In Nautilus choose the "intermediate" option in the preferences menu, and in Konqueror, this is done under "View" => "show hidden files." This will give you easy access to direct configuration file editing via a text editor (such as emacs) by right-clicking on the file in question, choosing "open with", then selecting emacs or another editor from the scrolling window that opens. Most of such editing must be done from root.

Using the KDE File Browser has advantages. For instance, you can install RPMS and Deb Packages, or extract tarballs via simple mouse clicking, much in the same fashion as one manipulates files in Microsoft Windows. In other file managers, such as Nautilus, you will be obliged to pre-write paths to be able to automatically open, install, or extract certain types of files with the applications of your choice, whereas Konqueror already "knows" -- or rather offers -- viable defaults to applications to use for these purposes. You will learn how to indicate paths later for the other environments, file managers, and especially terminals that require them.

Before I go any further, I must explain the directory structure of a generic Linux system. When you open any file manager in the "tree" mode, you should see a similar file structure.

/: is the beginning of the file system, better known as "root." This is where everything begins. This is the cornerstone upon which the rest of the structure is built.

/etc: System-wide configuration files are stored here.

/usr: User accessible programs, program source codes, and documents are here.

/bin: (for binary): The programs themselves are stored here. It's a bin of binaries, or more exactly, the applications themselves. /bin also contains stuff like bash, cat, cp, kill, pwd, rm, and truly core things, though until the LSB [Linux Standards Base] stabilizes and vendors actually implement it faithfully, this varies from system to system.

/sbin: This contains server and administration programs. Kernel and hardware-related programs such as shutdown, reboot, etc. may be found here.

/home: All users who have an account on the PC have a directory in home. Home is also the "catch-all," where you stick stuff until you find out where the heck it belongs. You may also create many convenient directories here to hold texts, images, working files, junk, and miscellaneous goodies.

/tmp: All temporary files that need to be created are stored here. It's the dusty attic, and it should be cleaned each springtime. It must be purged from time to time. Never keep anything important here, or it may just get dumped by mistake.

/var: Process information, such as system history and access logs, and error logs are here. This is the "bad conscience" of your system.

/root: This is "root's" home. It's the administrator's hiding place.

/dev: This is the location of the "devices" the system uses: CD-ROMs, cards, anything "mounted" will be found here. In Linux, a device is equipment, or even device-emulating code, providing methods for performing input or output (I/O). For example, a keyboard and a mouse are input devices. In Linux, SCSI devices such as ZIP drives are often "emulated" with code. This directory is important, and entries may be edited with extreme caution from the root account. A word of caution: the slightest editing error here can easily make a system inoperable. You will need exact documentation and instructions before delving into this file for edition.

/proc: A file system for running processes

Linux will have many processes running at once. Window managers, email clients, and Web browsers will be visible to the end user. Others, like servers and helper processes, run in the background and are not visible. Tasks that do not require the user's interaction are often invisible. Running "ps -ax" in a shell will print a list of all the currently running processes. You may also use the graphical representation of running processes by clicking the "System Monitor" icon in the system menu of Gnome, or the "Process Management icon in KDE. This is also a good way to find out who's doing what to your station on your network, if your station's permissions have not been set properly or are set to allow remote user access and data sharing.

/mnt: Additional devices that need to be mounted are here.

/cdrom: Some distributions (such as Debian) give the CD-ROM device(s) this predetermined mount point.