Help! I got my Linux installed. Now what?

This is a great article that helps to calm the new user and explains to them what they can expect as they venture forward into this brave, new world. Linux can be a scary thing if you are not familiar with it. Believe me, I know!

Logging in
These instructions and examples focus on Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 3 (RHEL3) using a GNOME desktop, as well as SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Version 9 (SLES9) using a KDE desktop. Other desktops and window managers are available, such as fvwm2, windowmaker, and twm. Before using these instructions, install a Linux system, for example, according to “Installing and configuring SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 8″ and create at least one non-root user as part of your installation process.

Once you have installed your system and booted it, you should see a login screen similar to Figure 1 for a RHEL3 system or Figure 2 for a SLES9 system.

As you can see, the appearance of the screen varies according to your Linux distribution, and it will probably come as no surprise that you can customize it further, although we won’t cover that in this short article. The RHEL3 screen has an entry field for your login name and hot spots at the bottom that allow you to change your language and session type default (for example, Gnome or KDE), as well as shut down or reboot the system. When you enter an id and press Enter, you will be prompted for your password. The SLES9 screen has entry fields for both id and password, as well as a selection box to choose an id from. Clicking the Menu dropdown gives you access to functions similar to those on the bottom of the RHEL3 screen.

This screen and its features can be customized. By default, RHEL3 displays date and time in a digital format, while SLES9 uses an analog time display. Another difference is that on the RHEL3 system, anyone at the login screen can reboot or shut down the system, while these functions require a root password on the SLES9 system.

You should type your login name (or root if you are so instructed) in the login field and then press Enter. You will see a password prompt, or your cursor will move to the password entry field, according to which type of login prompt you had. Type in your password and press Enter again. You should now be logged in and see your desktop. Figure 3 shows what you might see as user ian on a RHEL3 system.