Linux101

Firstly...

Firstly, if your computer is has already started and you are looking at a MS Windows login prompt, carry on reading this entire page before restarting the computer - you need to know what to do to get into Linux and get a web browser up and running to get back to the wiki - so read all of this first - print it if you need to

The Boot Menu

When you first start/restart your computer, as the computer is booting, it will offer a menu to you with 2 entries - one will be "MS Windows XP" and the other will be something like "SuSE Linux 10.0" or similar - make sure you select the "Linux" entry

Linux Login Prompt

When booting into Linux, you will eventually reach a login screen that asks for your account and password. There is also an option called "Session" - it is my humble recommendation that if this is your first time using Linux, you should set the session to KDE, then enter account and password, then click Login.

Linux Desktops / Windows Managers

KDE and GNOME are the names of two popular "desktops" in Linux. One of Linux's great strengths it that you have the option of using lots of different managers that control how your desktop looks and how you interact with your computer. GNOME is the default in the labs in MI, but I think KDE is an easier system to use if you are using Linux for the first time after using Windows - things in KDE are more similar to Windows than they are in GNOME. This is not to say you shouldn't use GNOME - I use GNOME all the time, but KDE might feel a bit more comfortable when you are first starting out.

Start a browser, and get back to here

Regardless as to which desktop you use, you should be able to find your way to the default web browser, and get back to this page - when you do, take a look at Linux102 - Desktop Basics