Well maybe video games aren’t so important, but I hear a lot of kids really enjoy those newfangled thingymagigs. So below you will find a list of ten family-friendly Linux games that are perfect for those lazy afternoons. Every one of these games has Windows and Mac versions too, so kids who have uncool, non-penguin parents can join in on the fun.

Ri-Li

If you’re familiar with the Snake variety of games then you already have a good idea of what Ri-Li is like. It’s a very simple game concept that has been cloned many times, but I wouldn’t bore you with such blatant rip-offs. No, Ri-Li makes this list because it expands on the core idea and wraps it all up in an experience that is great for all ages, but particularly pleasing for children.

The graphics and sound, as well as the wooden trains theme, gives the game a very cute feel that some kids just love (that I love actually). I’m sure its fifty levels and three difficulties are enough to occupy any kid who gets interested enough.

Recommended Age: 6 and up. It’s a simple concept but the action may be a bit too fast and frenzied for kids who are not accustomed to video games. I recommend you start a younger player on “Easy” mode and then watch how far they can get.

TeeWorlds

What if you took the gameplay style of Quake or Unreal Tournament and mixed them with the unrivaled cuteness of Kirby? I don’t know for sure, but TeeWorlds is probably the closest thing to an answer that this world will ever know. This multiplayer-only platform shooter drops you in a small arena with a bunch of other cute creampuffs and lots of big guns, then lets the shooting begin. Everything about this game shouts “Play me” to me, and if the number of players who have flocked to it is any indication, I am definitely not alone.

Recommended Age: You decide. Video game violence is somewhat of a hot-button issue, and there are many widely varied opinions on the matter. Personally, I figure any kid old enough to watch an old Warner Brothers cartoon is old enough to experience the mild cartoon violence found in TeeWorlds. But I also respect parents’ right to determine what their kids play.

Tux Paint

Tux Paint is not really a game but a drawing program specifically aimed at children. It makes this list though, because in a way it is a game; the most wonderful kind of game in which a child is given a few simple tools and set to the task of recreating the fantastic creatures and worlds of his/her dreams. Oh, and it has stamps too! Tux Paint separates itself from other drawing programs with its simplicity and its unapologetic design stance that it is first and foremost for kids. Its more pointless tools may have adults scratching their heads, but kids will have a wonderful opportunity to be creative.

Recommended Age: 3 and up. Since Tux Paint is a drawing program you really get out of it what you put into it. The only real requirements are basic motor skills and a primitive understanding of a computer. So parents eager to introduce their children to computers at an early age may want to check out Tux Paint. Older kids will find some enjoyment in it as well, and you could always introduce them to more advanced drawing programs if they show enough interest.

Armagetron Advanced

Chances are your child has never heard of the 1982 science fiction movie from Disney on which this game -and several others- are based. Luckily, they need not subject themselves to such tortures to enjoy Armagetron. If lightcycles and crashing into things and retro-awesome 3D graphics sounds good to you, then you and your kids are likely to enjoy Armagetron. Similar to Ri-Li, Armagetron takes a simple, oft-cloned concept and expands on it. The online multiplayer, various skins and game modes, and the aforementioned 3D graphics make Armagetron nearly unrecognizable compared to the original Midway arcade game. (Note – There’s also GLTron, which is very similar, but lacks many of Armagetron’s features.)

Recommended Age: 7 and up. Single player against the AI can be tough, but playing against the experienced players online can be downright painful. Furthermore, while the core gameplay is simple enough, the action can easily become too fast and confusing for younger players. Also be wary of online games where a few swear words and, uh, adult situations are likely to slip out.

Barbie Seahorse Adventures

It’s hard enough to find good open source games period, but finding ones aimed specifically at girls is nearly impossible. BSA, if you couldn’t guess from the title, is one of the few exceptions. It does not involve Mattel’s anatomically-incorrect doll as you might expect, but instead follows the adventures of a seahorse (presumably named “Barbie”) through a fun, Mario-like platform game.

This revelation may lead to disappointment for some girls, but I think the game’s charming visuals and catchy music will more than make up for it. Adults and boys are likely to enjoy this game too, assuming they can swallow their pride and get past the name. I did and it’s quietly snuck in to become one of my favorite Linux games.

Recommended Age: 5 and up. The game isn’t particularly difficult and you can always create new, easier levels if the included levels prove to be too difficult for your kids.

Frets on Fire

A “Guitar Hero” clone for the PC….really? Yes really, and it actually works considerably better than you might first expect. Hold the keyboard like a guitar and use the F1-F5 keys as the frets, then proceed to rock out. Once you’re done playing the three included songs you can download more from the internet or Guitar Hero game discs, or make your own with the built-in editor. Most people agree that Frets on Fire is not as good as the real deal, but you certainly can’t beat the price.

Recommended Age: 6 and up. If the YouTube videos are any indication, plenty of kids enjoy Guitar Hero and some even excel at it. Since “Frets on Fire” is a fairly faithful recreation, I would logically assume they will take to it easily.

You can also check out this review of Frets On Fire by Kyle which was published on Make Use Of back in August.

SuperTux

Who says a penguin can’t jump? Not the creators of SuperTux, since they’ve gone about creating an open source clone of one of the best games of all time, Super Mario Bros. Although, SuperTux never really reaches the lofty heights of Mario, and instead is a pretty standard platform game – get to the end of the level while bonking enemies and avoiding bottomless pits. Still, it’s fun and it’s cute.

Plus like most open source software it is in a constant state of development. So while you’re enjoying SuperTux the developers are hard at work at what has been dubbed SuperTux 2 by some, though it’s really more of an expansion – with new levels, enemies, features, etc. Though it’s still being actively developed and is a bit buggy, it’s still worth a download.

Recommended Age: 7 and up. SuperTux is definitely more difficult than Barbie Seahorse Adventures, but it’s pretty easy as far as platform games go. In fact, the original Super Mario Bros. is in order of magnitude more difficult.

SuperTuxKart

Mario Kart: another one of those Nintendo games that is often imitated but never surpassed. Naturally, SuperTuxKart doesn’t come close, but then what other go-kart racing game has managed to capture the magic of Mario Kart? While you’re pondering that question, I’ll be playing STK. Sure the graphics are dated and there’s no online multiplayer, but it does have cute characters and colorful tracks galore.

Recommended Age: 6 and up. Younger kids are bound to run into the wall (a lot) and will likely finish in last place most of the time. But hey, most kids aren’t particularly competitive and are often content with just exploring the track and learning more about the game.

Frozen-Bubble

A game that is as cute as it is addictive, Frozen-Bubble has quite a reputation for eating up time. Shoot colored bubbles at the approaching mass which in turn causes some of the bubbles to disappear if you line up the colors right. That’s it. I don’t like to admit it, but I’m hooked on this game and hopefully your kids will be too.

Recommended Age: 5 and up. Younger kids could probably manage as well, but there’s no reason to get them addicted too early is there?

Monsterz

Ever heard of Bejeweled? You know, the hit casual game that managed to find its way onto virtually every computer and cellphone? Well, naturally there are a number of open source clones and Monsterz is one of them. Each one offers the same addictive, yet extremely simple gameplay that attracted so many people in the first place. The only reason I chose Monsterz over the others is because it seems targeted at kids.

Recommended Age: 5 and up. Just about anyone can play this game, so it simply becomes a matter of whether they enjoy it enough to want to.

And the Rest

The games on this list should be enough to keep any kid occupied for a little while, but there’s plenty more where they came from. Firstly, I recommend you check out KDE Games and Gnome Games – two sizable collections of simple games included with the KDE and Gnome desktops respectively. The card games and a few of the board games may bore most kids, but there’s bound to be at least one worthwhile game in the pack.

Secondly, you could try some of the websites devoted to Linux games (most of the games they mention are open source and run on Windows and Mac too). The Linux Game Tome, Ubuntu Gamers Arena, and Linuxgames are all good places to start.

And lastly, you can keep an eye on the comments section below for other people’s suggestions.

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I can however introduce you to a few programs that may ease your burden and make those hours of studying a little easier. First on the agenda is a nifty little Linux note-taking program for KDE called BasKet Note Pads.

As you probably expect from a note-taking application, BasKet’s main purpose is to arrange all of your thoughts and information in an organized and easily retrievable way. To accomplish this BasKet, not surprisingly, centers around baskets – blank documents that you add notes, pictures and links to. You do that by clicking on any part of the basket, which in turn causes a blue rectangle to pop up.

You can organize your notes into columns (up to twenty on each basket) or just choose the freeform option. If your current basket becomes too large and unwieldy you can always start another one. This results in a hierarchical system of files and folders not unlike the one found in nearly every operating system’s graphical user interface. In this way Basket manages to offer a lot more flexibility than say, a word processor, but still keeps a certain amount of structure that helps you keep your information organized. This makes BasKet a good choice for a wide variety of tasks, but I think you’ll find it particularly useful during large research projects.

You can apply pre-made tags to your various notes so you can tell at a glance if something is “Important,” or “Funny,” etc and you can always create your own tags should the default choices prove too restrictive. This concept is a small part of what seems to be BasKet’s major design philosophy : customize everything. Just about any part of the program you can think of – like the toolbars, keyboard shortcuts, the aforementioned tags and more – can be easily customized.

Customization is never really a bad thing, but I found some of the features and customizations BasKet offers were a bit superfluous. For example, the ability to change the text color and add your own background image may be perfect for Grandma’s stationary program, but it seems silly and useless to me. Especially in a note-taking program, which by its very nature should prize usefulness over looks.

Thankfully, the pointless features do not at all detract from the overall practicality of the program. The filter tool, for example, is basically a search function that makes finding a specific note simple. And the program automatically saves so you don’t have to worry about losing hours worth of research when you’re in a hurry. BasKet also plays nice with other programs. It integrates into Kontact, KDE’s “personal information manager,” and you can integrate links to other programs (like a word processor) into your baskets. And, should you ever choose to include sensitive information in your notes you can protect it with BasKet’s password features.

There is certainly no shortage of note taking programs for Linux. A program called Tomboy leads the pack of programs that are generally very easy to use but also light on features. BasKet, on the other hand, sports considerably more features and an attractive look. Your first look at its busy interface may be a bit bewildering and overwhelming, and the relatively large list of frivolous features and options doesn’t help matters. Still, I am confident that most will find BasKet to be a helpful and worthwhile research tool.

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In the process I managed to find four open source programs that all call themselves “collection managers.” That is, they all claim to make it easy to catalog and keep track of your collections of things like books, movies, and CDs.

So without further comment let’s see how well they all meet those claims. While most of them are for Linux users, some also available for Windows.

Alexandria

Alexandria (Linux) is a Gnome application specifically aimed at cataloging books. It has a simple, clean interface and it’s certainly easy to use, but it lacks many of the little frills and features of the other programs on this list. You can add books by either entering the ISBN, the author, or the title. Alexandria then searches a number of book-related websites to retrieve additional information. You will inevitably run into a book that the software can’t find, but Alexandria remedies this by allowing you to add a book’s information manually. You can also organize your books into categories, and keep track of loaned materials.

When you’re done entering your books you can then export to a handful of formats, including Tellico’s native format (which is examined in greater detail below). Overall, Alexandria may be the right choice for the beginner computer user who just wants a bare bones way to organize their personal libraries. But the existence of these other collection managers with a broader range of features and scope make it basically obsolete for the rest of us.

Griffith

Griffith (Windows, Linux) is fairly similar to Alexandria, although it’s designed specifically for movies and has a bit more of a complicated interface. All the standard features of a collection manager are on display but not much else. It does have built in support for a wide number of languages, which is great for international users, and it downloads quite a bit of information about each item – at least more than I expect from this kind of program. But its overall look just seems a bit too cluttered to me, especially given the fact that it’s a Gnome application.

Tellico

Tellico (Linux) is a program that has garnered a fair amount of attention and has the distinction of being the only app on this list specifically designed for KDE. The first thing you’ll probably notice about Tellico – and which really sets it apart from Griffith and Alexandria – is how flexible it is. It comes packaged with support for books, comic books, videos, music, coins, stamps, cards, wines, video games, and board games. Should you have slightly more obscure collecting interests, Tellico allows you to make a custom collection type. It’s not as automated as feature full as the premade collection types (which is to be expected), but it’s certainly a better option than learning to program to write your own database software.

What strikes me most about Tellico is how much deeper it is compared to the previous two programs. It can import and export a wide variety of formats, and I feel as if there’s a lot more to fiddle with. In fact, the developers seem to openly encourage any kind of tinkering, from changing basic configuration settings, to creating custom themes, to editing the script itself. Tellico’s online manual has a great deal of information – just about everything you would ever want to know about this program – so I suggest you check it out.

GCStar

GCStar (Linux) is the last program in our little list and possibly the best. As you can probably see, it integrates all the features that by now I have come to expect as standard in collection manager software. But it wraps these features in a very shiny package, rivaled only by Tellico in this area. It originated as GCfilms, a program specifically designed to catalog movie collections, but it has since expanded to cover a variety of other collection types. GCStar also boasts customization options similar to Tellico’s, which make it a great choice for experienced collectors.

Conclusion

So there you have four easy to use and helpful collection managers that I hope will make your collecting career a little easier. If not, there are plenty of other options out there. During my searching I was surprised, to say the least, at the number of programs that all do the same basic thing in basically the same way. Choosing your favorite then becomes an almost arbitrary matter, usually yielding to personal taste and comparisons of their minute differences. I chose these four programs only because they are easy to find, set up, and use. Nevertheless, there may be a better program for your personal needs and/or preferences, so please don’t hesitate to mention it in the comments below.

(By) Abraham Kurp was introduced to open source software a few years ago and it was love at first site. When not preaching the virtues of open source he enjoys reading classic science fiction, playing obscure video games, dabbling in programming, and of course writing.

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Luckily for people like me, the internet has spawned yet another reason for us to avoid that crazy place we call the real world. It’s called the simExchange, an online prediction market that centers around the real world sales numbers of video games.

Unlike most other prediction markets the simExchange uses a stock market-like system in which you use virtual play money (called DKP) to buy stocks in games that are “under priced” then sell them at a higher price. The price in this case is the amount of copies a particular video game will sell in its lifetime as predicted by simExchange users (at a rate of one DKP per ten thousand units sold). Thus a game’s value increases when you buy into it and decreases if you sell. Every user starts out with one million DKP and it’s your job to turn it into an even bigger pile of cash. Don’t worry if you have absolutely no experience in this kind of thing as the mechanics are simplified enough for even someone as inept as me to manage. And if you do screw up royally you need not worry about losing your shirt –virtual or otherwise.

To aid you in your struggle to the top of the leaderboard the people behind the simExchange have built a rather impressive infrastructure. In many ways the simExchange epitomizes the Web 2.0 movement as nearly everything on the site is either user-submitted or rateable. To give you an incentive to submit news, videos, or thought-provoking comments additional DKP is awarded for submitted material that is well liked by the community. In this way, you can help yourself while at the same time helping the community; certainly a clever setup.

The simExchange is particularly enjoyable to gamers perhaps because it feels so much like a game. Of course another part of its appeal is that it’s all about video games, but at a deeper level the simExchange is a game in itself. It is a competitive journey to the top but without all the responsibilities and consequences that come with the same kind of journey in the real world. Traditional action gamers that crave a continuous stream of high intensity gaming may not enjoy the simExchange, but those people that enjoy games at a slightly slower pace are sure to find enjoyment. If nothing else it’s a great time sink for those boring days at work.

But does It work? Although there is a certain group of people who are content with just playing the simExchange “game” others –especially real world investors– want to know just how accurate it is. Does the data the simExchange gathers at all reflect real sales data or is it little more than a fun diversion? In a word, maybe. Both this article from TheStreet.com and the simExchange’s own blog are enthusiastic about the possibilities, but it’s important to realize the limitations of data obtained from the simExchange and thus maintain a level of caution.

The simExchange uses the “Wisdom of Crowds” to gather its data, but is a crowd of five thousand gamers, each with average knowledge of the games industry really any wiser than one well-informed professional analyst? I can not even begin to answer that question, although I can say that any prediction of the future is by default imperfect, so much so that market analysts are often jokingly referred to as soothsayers. From this perspective I can say that the simExchange’s predictions are no worse than anything any other group or person can form, but at the same time probably no better.

If you use the simExchange, let us know your thoughts on the site.

(By) Abraham Kurp was introduced to open source software a few years ago and it was love at first site. When not preaching the virtues of open source he enjoys reading classic science fiction, playing obscure video games, dabbling in programming, and of course writing.

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As you can probably guess, it promises to make creating your own computer games simpler. It certainly lives up to its promise, and for many reasons, but I think the main reason is because it replaces the arduous task of writing thousands of lines of cryptic code with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Best of all, it’s free.

This is certainly a good thing since anyone who has ever played a video game has probably had some sort of fantasy of creating their own. Unfortunately, game making is and always has been a very time-consuming and technical task. As the industry has matured, the tools needed to make games have become easier, but games have also become considerably more complex, leaving thousands of would-be game designers in much the same situation as their eighties and nineties counterparts.

Luckily, there’s Game Maker. It probably won’t help you create the next “Halo Killer” but it’s a great first step into the world of game design. Plus it may even help you create that fun, 2D game you’ve always dreamed about.

The Program

After you download and install Game Maker you will be greeted by a little nag screen that encourages you to buy the Pro version (more on that later) and a dialog box that asks if you want to use Simple or Advanced mode. The Simple mode simply hides some of the more complex features which you are not likely to use when starting out and thus will only confuse you. If this is your first time using Game Maker you should choose “Simple” at first to familiarize yourself with the program, then switch to “Advanced” whenever you deem it appropriate.

When the main window finally pops up you will find a fairly clean, and (hopefully) intuitive interface. Game development with Game Maker revolves around five basic categories that you are likely to use in every game: sprites, sounds, backgrounds, objects, and rooms (and a few other, less fundamental categories you will only see in Advanced mode). Objects move around various rooms, interacting with each other and the player by way of a system of events and actions. Everything that happens in a game is called an event and the actions are the tasks you tell the computer to perform whenever a particular event happens. This is where code would normally be required but Game Maker bypasses the code with a collection of icons, each representing a different action, that you can drag and drop into your game.

It may sound complicated, but game design is actually one of the more complex programming tasks, and Game Maker does an admirable job of simplifying while still holding on to the core concepts of programming. It will take some time to get used to if this is your first “programming” but I assure you it’s worth it. There are other game creation programs that may be easier for you to pick up, but I guarantee you that all of them are more limited.

Game Maker offers plenty of useful features for the inevitable time when a user grows beyond the drag-and-drop system. Most notably is the Game Maker Language (GML), a more traditional programming language that you can use in place of drag-and-drop icons. Additionally, Game Maker can be extended with things called DLL’s, libraries and GML scripts. I won’t go into the technical details, but I hope you realize that Game Maker isn’t just for beginners. If you plan to become a professional game programmer you will definitely need to learn more traditional programming languages like C++ or Java. But most hobbyist game creators are likely to find all they could ever need or want with Game Maker.

The Catch(es)

Game Maker is great, but it has a few downsides of which you ought to be aware. Firstly is the issue of speed; Game Maker tends to sacrifice speed for ease of use. Luckily, computers are getting more and more powerful and most 2D games aren’t particularly processor-intensive. You can make 3D games, but Game Maker’s 3D functionality is very limited and you need to buy the Pro version to unlock that functionality anyways. The Lite version of Game Maker (the one you may have already downloaded) has no trial period, but it does have some functionality disabled as well as a banner that is displayed when loading games. The Pro version costs a reasonable US$20 (15 Euros, or 10 Pounds). It’s up to you to decide if the small additions are worth the price, but it is my personal opinion that they are generally unnecessary.

The Community

I can say with some confidence that Game Maker has one of the largest and liveliest communities centered around game development on the internet. The official forum, appropriately named the Game Maker Community, has over 68,000 members and is definitely the epicenter of Game Maker related activity. There you will find discussions, downloads, and links on virtually every aspect of Game Maker and game development in general. You’ll definitely want to bookmark it. Additionally, there are a couple of fan-run web magazines, MarkUp and GM Tech; a Web 2.0 site called YoYoGames.com where you can share, play, and rate games made with Game Maker; and a few fan-run websites you can find at the directory, GameMaker.info.

The Future

Perhaps most exciting about Game Maker is its bright future. As of this writing Yo Yo Games, the company in charge of Game Maker, is rewriting it in C++. This is ostensibly to port it to Mac OS X, but it could also mean a Linux version, a performance improvement, and the possibility of running Game Maker made games on non-PC platforms like mobile phones and game consoles. Game Maker 8.0 is expected to release some time in 2009.

Have you ever tried this program? What did you think of it? If so, please consider sharing your opinions and stories of it with us all in the comments.

(By) Abraham Kurp was introduced to open source software a few years ago and it was love at first site. When not preaching the virtues of open source he enjoys reading classic science fiction, playing obscure video games, dabbling in programming, and of course writing.

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To most Windows users the prospect of typing in what you want your computer to do is completely foreign and thus intimidating. It’s so intimidating in fact that Linux developers have poured countless hours into designing GUIs (graphical user interfaces) to imitate and/or replace text-based commands. But sometimes the command line is still the fastest, easiest, or only way to get something done.

What is this “Linux Command Line”?

A command line is a method of interacting with your computer that involves typing commands (that is, words and phrases that have meaning to the computer) to make it do things. Command line interfaces replaced punch card systems back in the 1950’s and subsequently made room for GUIs. Today all three major operating systems –Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux– have command line interfaces to go along with their GUIs, although Linux tends to rely on the command line more than the other two. (That being said, you can still do plenty with your system without ever touching the command line.)

Why Should I Use it?

Everyone will agree that the command line was a great invention and it served many early PC users well. But with our constant rush for the latest technology, many regard the command line as archaic and useless as a steam powered automobile. I disagree and I’m certainly not alone. Here are a few reasons it may come in handy:

1. It’s fast – “productivity” is a word that gets tossed around a lot by so-called power users, but the command line can really streamline your computer use, assuming you learn to use it right.

2. It’s easier to get help – The command line may not be the easiest thing to use, but it makes life a whole lot easier for people trying to help you and for yourself when looking for help, especially over the internet. Many times it’s as simple as the helper posting a few commands and some instructions and the recipient copying and pasting those commands. Anyone who has spent hours listening to someone from tech support say something like, “OK, now click this” knows how frustrating the GUI alternative can be.

3. It’s nearly universal – There are hundreds of Linux distros out there, each with a slightly different graphical environment. Thankfully, the various distros do have one common element: the command line. There are distro-specific commands, but the bulk of commands will work on any Linux system.

4. It’s powerful – The companies behind those other operating systems try their best to stop a user from accidentally screwing up their computer. Doing this involves hiding a lot of the components and tools that could harm a computer away from novices. Linux is more of an open book, which is due in part to its prominent use of the command line.

OK, so what do I need to know?

Truly mastering the command line, like anything, takes plenty of time and practice. Entire books and websites have been written on the subject, but we can at least cover the basics here.

Navigate the file system – Like Windows, Linux uses a system of folders and files to organize data. When you first open a terminal you will be, by default, in the home folder. Enter the pwd (print working directory) command to make sure and it should output something like /home/user_name. Enter ls to list all the files and folders in your home folder. If you’ve been using your OS for a while your home folder is likely full of files and folders.

Rummage through the debris and you should find the Desktop folder. Let’s take a look at that. Type cd (change directory) and the directory name to go to any place on your computer. In this case we want to go to the Desktop directory, but there are three ways of writing its “address”: The long way, /home/user_name/Desktop, and the two shorthand ways, ~/Desktop, ./Desktop. The tilde (~) is shorthand for “/home/user_name,” while the period is shorthand for the current directory. Sound confusing? If so then I suggest just using the longhand way for now.

A few simple tasks – Using the ls command in my Desktop directory returns that I have a couple of cute cat pictures there that I just downloaded. Well, I want to get them off my desktop and into their own folder. So first I’ll enter “mkdir ~/cats” to make a directory called “cats” in my home directory. Now to move the two pictures to the new cat directory I enter “mv ./Fluffy.jpg ./mr-jingles.jpg ~/cats”. It may seem confusing, but it simply tells the computer to move the two pictures (the .jpg files) from the desktop to the “cat” folder in the home folder. You can also use the cp command instead of mv to copy the pictures without changing the originals on the desktop. Should I ever feel the need, I can use the “rm /path/to/files/” command to remove them. Please note, however, that using this command does not put the file in the trash bin, but instead deletes it forever.

A little miscellaneous info – Most commands (if not all) have a variety of options you can use to change the way the command works. Enter “[command] -[option letter]” to use options. Enter “man [command]” to open a command’s manual page and learn a bit about what a specific command does as well as its particular options. Lastly is the concept of root user. Some commands (particularly ones that could harm your computer if used recklessly or with malice) require you to become root user beforehand, using either the su or sudo commands.

A warning – The command line is great, but as Uncle Ben from Spider-Man says, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” So please do not enter any commands that you know absolutely nothing about. Be wary of copying and pasting questionable commands off the internet. Be especially wary of the rm command since you may cause irrevocable damage to your system and data. I hope this doesn’t discourage you, but instead prompts you to use a bit of caution when dealing with the Linux command line.

Where do I go from here?

Those are the absolute basics, but there is still so much to learn. There are plenty of articles both on and off the internet that go much deeper into the subject and even reference guides that list every single command. I suggest you don’t look at them just yet. Instead, I suggest you spend a few weeks or even months getting used to the command line and picking up things as you go along. Gradually you will learn what is useful and what is not so useful, what works better on the command line than the GUI and what doesn’t. This in turn will help you get the most out of your Linux system and maybe even fall in love with computing all over again.

(By) Abraham Kurp was introduced to open source software a few years ago and it was love at first site. When not preaching the virtues of open source he enjoys reading classic science fiction, playing obscure video games, dabbling in programming, and of course writing.

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So here they are, but by no means is it a complete list since such a list would go on and on and bore us all to tears.

Instead I have collected a select few terms a new Linux user is likely to encounter, both on this site and other sources.

Bash – An acronym that stands for Bourne Again SHell. It’s the default shell on most Linux distributions.

Cross-platform – Referring to any software that can be run on multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux, OS X etc.). Most open source software is cross-platform.

Desktop Environment – A generic term for a piece of software that works as a graphical interface between the user and the computer. In simpler terms, it’s the umbrella term for all the windows, files, icons, and menus that appear on your screen. Windows users may not know this term simply because Windows has only one DE, the default one that comes with every copy of Windows. In the Linux world though, there are many choices, although KDE (K Desktop Environment) and Gnome are by far the most popular. Most major distributions come with either KDE or Gnome.

Distribution – A Linux distribution (often abbreviated to “distro”) is the core Linux operating system combined with tools and applications. Various groups and individuals take it upon themselves to assemble these pieces and parts (and often create parts of their own) to form a distribution. They vary widely from user-friendly, multi-purpose distros like Ubuntu and PCLinuxOS to hardcore, ultra-hackable distros like Slackware and Arch. There are literally hundreds of choices, although we will generally be looking at only a handful.

Fork – A fork is an offshoot of an existing project into an entirely different project. For example, Ubuntu is a fork of Debian because the Ubuntu developers took Debian’s source code, modified it extensively, and started a whole new distro. This concept is very useful since it means there’s no need to “reinvent the wheel” when starting a new project and it allows developers of an existing project to strive for their personal ideals when they don’t see eye to eye with their teammates on the direction of the project.

Free as in freedom vs. free as in beer – To most people outside of the open source world, when software is called “free” it simply means it costs nothing to use. In the open source community however, the word “free” is the adjectival form of “freedom.” This means the user is free to do basically whatever they want with the software as long as they follow the software’s license.

GNU/Linux – This is a rarely used name for Linux, although it is technically more correct. See, GNU is an operating system with similar philosophies to Linux. After GNU was started in 1983 by Richard Stallman it slowly garnered everything an operating system needed, except a complete kernel. Naturally, the Linux kernel was combined with the various parts of GNU to form the operating system called GNU/Linux, although it is commonly called Linux today.

GPL – The GNU General Public License is a widely used open source software license. Basically, it is a legal document distributed with every copy of software under the license that provides freedom to the user to do pretty much anything they want with the software within the terms of the license. It is one of many dozens of such licenses although all are fairly similar with a few important differences.

Linux Kernel – The core part of the GNU/Linux operating system and the base of every distro. It acts as a negotiator or translator, if you will, between the hardware and the various applications.

Open source software – Computer software for which the source code, the lines of code written in one or more programming languages, is available to everyone to be modified, improved, redistributed, etc. The bulk of Linux and most of its applications are open source.

Package manager – Installing programs in Linux has always been tricky, but fortunately software called package mangers, along with repos have helped eases the problem if not completely eliminate it. Package managers allow a user to browse through thousands of free applications from repositories, download, and install them with a few clicks.

Partition – A sectioned off area of a hard drive. Most new computers come with only one large partition, the one that Windows occupies. If you want to install Linux you must first repartition your computer’s hard drive, meaning split it into two, one part for Windows and the other for Linux. Such a configuration is called dual booting.

Repository – Often abbreviated to “repo” it is a library of software that can be accessed via the internet using a package manager.

Shell – This is the Linux equivalent to the Windows Command Prompt, in which you type lines of code to interact with the computer instead of pointing and clicking. While the average Windows user never or rarely uses this method, Linux still relies on it for some tasks, with no graphical alternative.

Tux – Tux the penguin is the official mascot of Linux. Linux creator Linus Torvalds originally proposed penguins as the animals that would symbolize Linux. In 1996 Larry Ewing created “Tux” as we know him today. There’s no real reason why he’s the mascot except that he’s cute and that, like all mascots, he gives a face to the organization he represents.

Unix – An operating system that was developed way back in 1969 for academic use. In time, people began creating Unix-like operating systems that were very similar to Unix and a lot cheaper or free. Linux is one such operating system.

Wine – A program that allows the user to run applications designed for Windows in Linux. Wine is able to run many popular applications but its compatibility is far from perfect. See “How About Some Wine With Your Linux?” for more.

Familiar Vocabulary – With all this new terminology it’s easy to get overwhelmed, but it’s important to realize that Linux and the accompanying vocabulary aren’t completely foreign. Linux uses the same hardware as Windows so a mouse is still a mouse, a monitor is still a monitor, etc. Additionally, familiar terms like “windows” (notice the lowercase since I’m referring to the little boxes on the screen and not the OS), “cursor,” “menu” and dozens more are OS-independent.

Do you understand everything here? If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. Or maybe you disagree with one of my definitions? Any other Linux terms you’re not sure about? Again, let me know in the comments and let’s see if we can provide an easy to understand definition.

Abraham Kurp was introduced to open source software a few years ago and it was love at first site. When not preaching the virtues of open source he enjoys reading classic science fiction, playing obscure video games, dabbling in programming, and of course writing.

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