This Linux biz is awesome, can I put it on my other computers?

Why, yes, you can I'm glad you asked.

Sorry about the delayed updates.  I haven't really been using my Raspberry Pi lately, but I did manage to trash the Windows install on my Laptop.  It was entirely my own fault.  If there's anything more dangerous than a total noob, it's a noob who knows just enough to get herself into trouble when trying to 'fix' things *sigh.*

I've been meaning to dual-boot¹ my laptop for a while now, and get back into using Linux. I figured I'd take the opportunity to get Linux up and running. Here I am nearly 3 months later and I haven't even bothered to reinstall Windows. Not even for gaming (but that's a post of its own). As with the Raspberry Pi, the first step is to decide which Distribution² to use.

 Most of the Linux Distros I've used have been based on Debian. Most recently Raspbian, but before that Antix and Ubuntu. So I figured, since I loved all the Distros based on Debian, then Debian would be even better - right? Well, no, not for my purposes. The 'problem' with Debian (for a nooby user like me, and perhaps you if you're reading this) is that most of the nuts and bolts programs that work behind the scenes are so out of date. An example is libc6 - the program that runs C languge programs. A lot of programs use libc6.  Thus a lot of the games and programs I wanted to install, well, wouldn't. I could have compiled the programs for my computer (and version of libc6), but that's a lot of work, so instead I switched to Ubuntu. I highly recommend this distro. It's beautiful, modern, and easy to use. Its compatibility to Windows Games (through Play Linux Online) means the RPGs I'm into (every one I've tried so far) all work in an easy plug and play fashion. In fact many of them run better under Ubuntu than they did in Windows 7. Especially older games in *shudders* compatibility mode.

There are a lot of reasons to choose a distro based on Debian. Its massive repos³ for starters. Sure, there are other ways of installing software, but this is by far the easiest. Ubuntu is not quite as stable as Debian, and if you don't want to install newer software then Debian is a fine choice, but I feel Ubuntu has the best of both worlds. It's still pretty stable, but modern enough to game on. Linux Mint is another option (also based on Debian) that's gaining in popularity. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like it might be more Noob friendly than Ubuntu. Give it a try if you want, a lot of my posts will apply equally well to Mint as to Ubuntu. If you want to do more research on which is the best Distribution for you DistroWatch is a great place to start, and will give you the lowdown on all the things.

So now we (I) have chosen a distro, next is to choose a Windows Manager. Sorry, I know. Just when you think you're getting a handle on it there's another layer. First you have the Operating System (Linux) and on top of that layer is the Distribution, or Distro (Ubuntu), now this? Another layer? What are we making, an Adriano Zumbo Cake? Well, no, this is the last layer I swear. But, arguably, one of the most important. The Windows Manager will determine how you interact with your computer. It is the very top layer between you and your machine. Because of my laptop's tendency to overheat I decided against installing Unity (the default Ubuntu WM) which is graphics intensive. If you have a flash new computer, then it's fine. It is highly configurable and reasonably intuitive.

For my old beast I went with XFCE4 (also called XFWM). It's a solid Windows Manager. This is easier on your hardware than Unity, and is simple to use - especially for Windows peeps, who will feel a bit of deja vu at how it is set out.  It is not as pretty out of the box (by a long shot) as Unity, though you can change some things and there are themes available.  I'll be doing a few how-tos on making it prettier in the weeks ahead.

The easiest and best way to install Ubuntu with XFCE as your windows manager is to download Xubuntu. It comes with XFCE instead of Unity, so saves a little bit of room on your download and HDD when installed. Installing Unity when you don't need it is a massive waste of hard drive.

If you want to Dual boot with Windows there are a few headaches, which I managed to avoid by avoiding Windows.  If you really need Windows though, here's a neat how-to:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/installation Sorry guys. I'd like to help, but I'd rather not put myself through a Windows install if I don't have to.  =)  Have fun!

Burn the disk image (ISO) file you've downloaded to disk using your fave software for this kind of thing. Right clicking on it should give you some options.  Plug in the power if you're installing to a laptop (pretty important for a Desktop too I guess =p).  If you can plug into a router using ethernet it's helpful, but not vital, so if you don't have a net connection don't worry.  Start the Install, and go and make a coffee.  It won't take much longer than that.  The 'good old days' of hours long installs are, thankfully, done.  At least for us Linux users.  Welcome to the club.  :)





DualBoot - Dual Booting means running more than one operating system on your computer. So, for example, on you Raspberry Pi you might like to run Raspbian for normal use, and XBMC for media use. Dual booting allows you to pick which one when you start your computer, rather than have to have separate SD cards (or Hard Disk Drives for larger computers). The most common configuration is Windows and one of the Linux Distro², though you can dual boot anything. Windows XP and Windows 8, MacOS and Linux, or even MacOS and Windows (crazy kids).

Distro - The Distribution, or Distro, is the specific Linux you are using, which is packed with various other applications. Some examples are Ubuntu, Red Hat, Mandriva, Debian, Linux Mint, Raspbian, Xbian, etc.

Repos - 'The Repos' or Repositories are where the software that your Distribution live. Debian has the largest selection of software in its repositories. Software based on Debian, like Ubuntu, has access to these repos as well as its own.

Transferring Files to the Raspberry Pi over the Network

Hmmm, I'm going to have to do something about those titles.  They're descriptive but, really, very boring.  Maybe I should be chanelling GaGa.

I was having trouble getting file transfers working from within PuTTY, so like all good noobs I gave up and did it the easy way.  FileZilla is probably the easiest option.  You can download it from here.  Then click on the .exe file to install it (like all good easy-to-use windows programs it comes as a self extracting file).

Now open it.  Remember how to get the IP address using Angry IP Scanner?  Good, do that again.

Now enter the number into the Host box (top left) and enter your Username and Password.  If they're pi and raspbian, then you should really think about changing the password.

Wow, look, the contents of your computer is on the left, and the contents of the Pi will be on the right.  You can just drag on drop files from here.

Thanks to Pix from the Adelaide Hackerspace for his help working this out.

First Step: Changing the Default Password

Okay guys, I think this is probably the most important first step you can do on the Pi, so sorry for the delayed how-to.  Hope it's useful - all the info is from the eLinux.org site.  There's some pretty good tips there on setting up your Pi, but changing your password should be easy.  Just open the terminal program and type:
sudo passwd
You'll be prompted for your original password (raspbian if you're running Raspbian as your OS).  Then you'll be asked for your new password - make sure it's something you'll remember.  Enter it once more.  You're done.  Your Raspberry Pi is now a lot more secure - and you only had to type five words.

Shelling In from Windows

So I'm guessing that you may have heard the phrase 'shell in' before.  No, it's not betting on a rigged shell game on the streets of New York City.  I had heard 'shell in' a lot of times (I hang with geeks), and vaguely understood that it meant controlling one computer from another computer (via a network) - but that was about as far as I went before owning a Pi.  It is a very useful ability to have, however, as it will let you do things on the Pi with only an ethernet cable, power, and your internet router.

Firstly you will need to scan the IP addresses on the router.  This will tell you what is connected (including the Windows machine you are using, and the the Raspberry Pi).  The program I use is called Angry IP Scanner.

Step 1:  Download it here.  I am using version 3.0 beta-6 (if you don't know what that means, don't worry about it).

Step 2:  Run the program (it's called ipscan-win32-3.0-beta6 in my case, yours will be ipscan-win...? where the ...? is whether it's 64 or 32 bit (32 bit will run in 64 bit windows, so it's easier to just use that one unless you have issues) and the rest of the ...? is the name of the version.  I use it enough that it was worth pinning a shortcut to my taskbar.

Step 3:  When you first open it it'll scan only a range of 1 IP address (shown at the very top of the screen).  That is the address of the computer you are running the program you are working on.  The IP address of the Pi will probably be within a few numbers of this, depending on how many devices you have joined to your router

So in the first box of the IP range (highlighted in blue) put a number 10 below and in the second box enter a number 10 above your computer's address.  Press 'Start.'  Since it's plugged directly into the router the 'Ping' will be very low.  Yup, the Pi's address on this router is '192.168.1.103' - remember that number, you'll need it in a minute.

Now that you know where your Pi is on the network.  You need to connect - for that we'll be using PuTTY.

Step 1:  Download and run it.

Step 2:   Enter the address of the Pi into the Host Name (or IP address) box:

Leave the Port as 22 (no changes there) and click the Open button (highlighted in blue).

Step 3: Then the PuTTY window opens you will be asked who you want to 'login:as' - This is your user name.  If you are running Raspbian the default is:
pi

You will then need to enter your password.  Hopefully you've changed this from the default, but if not, this will be:
raspbian

Congratulations, you've successfully shelled in to your pi.  You will only be able to use the command line tools from here (since anything else will require a monitor to be plugged into the pi), but that's enough to install software, and do cool stuff like 'Dark Pi Rises' or creating an IP camera to watch your animals.

 Wow, exciting.

A bit shout-out to Tim for teaching me how to shell in and helping me grab the software.

Getting Started

First things first, we have to get some kind of operating system running so we can use our Raspberry Pi.  I chose Raspbian because it has hard float, is recommended by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and (this was the clincher) because portmanteaus make me smile (I am an English major after all).  If you are a complete and total noob, then it might be easier to buy an SD card with Raspbian (or one of the other operating systems) already installed.  If you'd like to know how to make your own, though, here is a step-by-step.

Step 1:  Download the latest Raspbian version from here:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads

(it was 2012-09-18-wheezy-raspbian.zip for me).

Step 2:  I'm going to assume that most noobs will be running windows on their home machine, and thus will need to download and unzip Win32DiskImager.

Step 3:  Insert a blank compatible SD card in your SD card reader, open up Win32DiskImager, and select the image you downloaded in step 1 (it should automatically select your SD card as the write destination).

Step 4:  Click the "Write" button.

Step 5:  Wait (patiently or impatiently) for your SD card to finish writing.

Step 6:  Eject it from your SD card reader, insert it in your (unpowered) Raspberry Pi, then connect everything up and go!

Step 7:  Set Up.