Datasheet

distribution you might want to later support when you start your development. Instead, choose one that
you feel comfortable spending a lot of time working with as you try to get your software up and run-
ning. Later, you can port your software over to any other distributions that may be required. Don’t for-
get that virtualization products – such as Xen and VMware – can greatly ease testing, as you can install
any modern Linux distribution in its own virtualized sandbox away from your existing setup.
Later in this chapter, you’ll find links to online groups and resources where you can discuss your choice
of Linux distribution and ask any questions you may have while getting yourself set up.
Getting Hold of Linux
Most modern Linux distributions are supplied on CD or DVD media or are available to download in
the form of CD or DVD images (ISOs) over the Internet. Distributions generally will use mirror sites to
spread the load of the enormous numbers of people who wish to download CD or DVD images over
their high-speed links. You can do your bit to help them out by always downloading from a mirror site
that is geographically located near you. That way, you won’t clog up international links unnecessarily
with your large downloads—remember that Linux is international by its very nature.
Don’t forget to check out BitTorrent as a means to harness peer-to-peer technology to speed up your
download. Linux distributions covered under the terms of the GPL are freely redistributable, so many
people have set up BitTorrent trackers to allow them to get faster downloads, while actually helping oth-
ers speed up their downloads at the same time – look for explanations from vendor websites.
Be forewarned that downloading a particular distribution can take many hours, even on modern high-
speed Internet connections. If you don’t want to wait so long to download multiple CD or DVD images,
you can often perform an online install instead. This process will take longer, but you will only install
those packages that you select — so the installer won’t need to retrieve as much data overall. To perform
an online install, look for smaller network install CD images on vendor websites. These are often under
100MB in size and will download very quickly, while still allowing you to do a full install.
Of course, you might also elect to buy an off-the-shelf boxed product and save some of the time and has-
sle in downloading and burning media for yourself. If you choose to buy a copy of a commercial Linux
distribution, look for a local Linux supplier that might be able to help you directly. They can come in
handy later when you need to pick up any additional software—so use the opportunity to establish a
relationship if you have the chance. You might also find that your local Linux user group additionally
has a preferential deal with certain Linux vendors and suppliers for products for use by enthusiasts.
Determining Install-Time Package Selection
Installation of most modern Linux distributions is a smooth and painless process requiring that you
answer just a few questions. Tell the installer the name you’d like to give to your Linux machine, what
its network settings will be, and a few other details, and in no time at all, it’ll be installing a lot of shiny
software onto your machine. This is the ease with which a regular installation goes these days — cer-
tainly far removed from the days of having to build up the system from scratch yourself.
Most installers won’t automatically include development tools when setting up a regular Linux desktop
or server system. In particular, it is unusual to find the GNU toolchain and related build tools available
out of the box with popular distributions — such as those from Red Hat, SuSE, or Ubuntu. You’ll need to
modify the package selection at install time to include what is usually labeled as “development tools” or
similar. To do this, you might need to choose a custom install option, depending upon the specific ver-
sion of the distribution that you are using. Check the documentation for advice.
9
Chapter 1: Working with Linux
04_776130 ch01.qxp 2/2/07 10:11 PM Page 9