Requirements
skill required)
So, you ask, what do you actually need
to make sense of this book? The answer comes in three parts: the knowledge
you're required to possess, the hardware you're required to obtain, and the
software to which we'll refer.
Knowledge
Not much preexisting knowledge is required. Some experience
with Linux is handy, but it isn't absolutely required. We do not cover
installing Linux on your PC, so it'd be best if you had the ability to install
Linux and get it running on your own machine before you begin delving into the
chapters. In fact, that's really a prerequisite for the entire book. You
wouldn't be expected to learn advanced driving techniques if you couldn't drive
in the first place. While I'd love to offer to help each and every one of you
install Linux on your machine, it simply isn't possible. If you can't get Linux
installed and running on your machine, check one of the other help sources:
Read the documentation, talk to your local Linux user's group, call up your
friends who run Linux, or access any of the thousands of pieces of online
documentation. You could even go to one of the interactive help sites to ask an
expert for help.
The primary knowledge required is this:
A general idea of the hardware in your PC
Enough know-how to get a working installation of Linux going
Ability to follow directions
That's about it, really. Bear in mind that the second item has
no time limits associated with it�if it took you a week to get XFree86
configured, don't worry about it�you got it working, and that's all that
counts.
Hardware
As for hardware, this entire book assumes
that you're working with x86-compatible hardware: Intel Pentiums, Pentium
II/IIIs, AMD K5/K6/K6-2/K6-3/Athlon/Duron, any of the Cyrix chips, even 486s
(however, a 486 will be a bit short on power for
Production). You must have some free disk space. A couple of hundred megs would
be nice, but you can probably get by with less if you're careful.
Production), for instance, is predicated a bit on the assumption that you've
got a lot of spare space�it'll still work without it, but your MP3 Jukebox
won't be nearly as cool.
You must have a video card capable of running
Xfree86 (don't worry, I've yet to run into one that won't drive
Since this book assumes that you've got
enough smarts to get Linux up and running in the first place, you can probably
figure out ways around the lack of disk space or the lack of a video card. It
can be done. The only real hardware requirement is this:
freely play, test, and make mistakes. If you've got that, you're golden.
An Internet connection, for downloading new software and updates, would be nice
too�as always, the faster the better.
Software
At the beginning of each chapter, we'll do
our best to mention the software you'll need to build what we built. You'll
need a relatively recent Linux distribution. I recommend SuSE, because I really
like their installer and runtime setup. One author prefers Debian�the most
GNU-ish of the distributions. None of us particularly care for RedHat or
Mandrake�both are unstable and needlessly different from the others. Something
based on at least kernel 2.2 would sure be nice, because 2.2 has been the standard
for a couple of years now. Kernel 2.4 is all good, too. And if you really like
RedHat, or it's the only distribution you have, that's okay. It's still very
usable. Everything in this book was tested on either SuSE, TurboLinux, or
Debian�and most everything was tested on Debian. Three of the four authors of
this book prefer Debian, and the remaining author is simply difficult to get
along with.
Web Sites
The three big Web sites to get familiar with
are:
These are three fabulous places to go when
you're either looking for software or trying to figure out how to use it. Also,
there is a web site for this book: http://www.multitool.net/mtl
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