linuxgeek: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Re: Problem 6: Small questions

Problem 6: Small questions

Do Feb 07 18:48:53 2013
Good evening
Thank You for Your help and Email.

> > What is the meaning of the word "server"?

> X Window is a client server application.
> *
> Sorry I have many questions.
> What does this mean.
> I understood: A server is collecting and sending emails and files. Is
> this rightß
>
> You computer runs an X Window server that you connect to as a client.
> *
> Who is a client?

You are.

> Who is the OS conneting?

I'm not sure what the OS has to do with it. X Window runs on top of the
OS, although there is some interaction as X Window requests system
resources.
*
Windows are not Bill-Gates-Windows but a Linux-Gui,isnt it?

> It has just always been that way because back when X Window was
> originally written most computers were not powerful enough to run the
> program.
> *
> Window and Windows is not the same, isnt it.

Microsoft Windows and X Window are different software that do much the
same thing. The name, and function similarities can be confusing for some.
*
Windows is a gui,isnt it?

> There is hardware and there is an OS. The OS is conneting the hardware.
> The www is a kind of hardware, isnt it?

The WWW, or World Wide Web is a network composed of hardware, servers,
but the concept is generally considered in abstract above that.
*
Ok.

On a scale comparable to the discussion here is httpd, a server commonly
run on Linux systems.
*
Ok.

If you were to run an httpd server on your desktop you could connect
to it from your same desktop by pointing your browser to localhost, if
your server was configured to serve to that address. Most are.
*
Ok.

> Computers have changed, X Window hasn't. Start a terminal and issue
> these commands:
>
> $ netstat -a | grep X11
> *
> OK
> I did it.
> Something is wrong.
> Nothing happened.
> Man netstat did not work.
>

You just do not have netstat installed.
*
Is it easy and without harm to install it?

$ dlocate -S `which netstat`
net-tools: /bin/netstat

$ aptitude show net-tools
Package: net-tools
State: installed
Automatically installed: no

The package is not installed automatically because it is not critical to
have. Perhaps the package has recently deleted netstat too, because I
don't see how you're getting an internet connection without some of the
other programs the package installed on my system contains. Different
Linux distributions are different. Yours must vary from mine.
*
Ok.

> That will show you the ports your X server is running on among other
things.
>
> $ ps aux | grep -i x
>
> This will show you your server and client processes.
> *
> OK
>
> This happened:

That is a mess, sorry. It looks like you would get better results with a
tighter filter, try:

$ ps aux | grep X11

This happened:

57p:~$ ps aux | grep X11
ah 1195 0.0 0.0 2244 404 ? Ss 05:05 0:00 /bin/sh
/etc/xdg/xfce4/xinitrc -- /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc
ah 13402 0.0 0.0 5648 840 pts/4 S+ 18:52 0:00 grep
--color=auto X11
e-M57p:~$

What you pasted is formatted so poorly I'm not even going to try to make
sense out of it.

> *
> I want to learn Linux and I want to understand Linux.
>

Then know this, X Window is not Linux.
*
OK

X Window is just a software suite that is often used to have a graphical
interface with a GNU/Linux system.
*
What is the difference
Gnome KDE XFCE and Windows?

Linux is just the operating system kernel.
*
OK

Which is still more than anyone can reasonably know today.
*
OK

If you want to see what Linux looks like on your system try:

$ ls /boot

This happened:

M57p:~$ ls /boot
abi-3.0.0-21-generic-pae initrd.img-3.8.0-1-generic
abi-3.2.0-35-generic-pae memtest86+.bin
abi-3.5.0-22-generic memtest86+_multiboot.bin
abi-3.8.0-1-generic System.map-3.0.0-21-generic-pae
config-3.0.0-21-generic-pae System.map-3.2.0-35-generic-pae
config-3.2.0-35-generic-pae System.map-3.5.0-22-generic
config-3.5.0-22-generic System.map-3.8.0-1-generic
config-3.8.0-1-generic vmcoreinfo-3.0.0-21-generic-pae
grub vmlinuz-3.0.0-21-generic-pae
initrd.img-3.0.0-21-generic-pae vmlinuz-3.2.0-35-generic-pae
initrd.img-3.2.0-35-generic-pae vmlinuz-3.5.0-22-generic
initrd.img-3.5.0-22-generic vmlinuz-3.8.0-1-generic
ah@ah-ThinkCentre-M57p:~$

That is where most of Linux is, although a little hides in:

/lib/modules

too. Don't fool with any of that stuff unless you really know what you
are doing.
*
OK

Much of it is critical to your computer's proper operation.
*
YES

Pretty much don't touch anything out of your home directory unless you
know what you are doing is a good rule to follow.

This is another way to see Linux in action. Shortly after you boot up
issue the command:

$ dmesg | less
*
Is this possible only after booting?

Then scroll using the space bar (the "B" key scrolls back). Those are
the kernel messages that happened when your computer booted up. It does
not make much sense to most people but it all means something to
someone. If while you are looking at it any particular piece catches
your eye copy and paste some of it into a search engine and see what you
can learn.
*
Thank You.

If you really want to learn Linux you're going to have to set meaningful
goals.
*
There are two things:
First I am doing the daily job
like 100 emails answering.
Also
Button after Button I want to learn the meaning for example tools like
Blender.
I am owning 10 books and 1 videoworkshop Ubuntu.

Pick parts that may do you some good to know. Be happy that most folks
don't need to know a lot of this junk! Worthless information is exactly
that, worthless. Sadly learning about a lot of Linux becomes useless
over time too, as Linux changes so much.
*
Thank You.

The thing is
books are about steps to see
but the books do not show trouble problems.

This is one place where I learned a lot about Linux when I started:

http://www.tldp.org/
*
Thank You.

Spend some time reading what strikes your fancy there. Then you'll know
more than I do today.
*
I will do this.

Thank You
Regards
Sophie