about linux

hi i am thinking of getting a laptop with linux on it can anyone please tell me if linux has built in firewall or any antivirus on it or will i have to download it like avg thanks saturnrose09

Hi,

There are lots of firewalls and anti-virus systems for Linux, however "by default" you shouldn't need either.  If you have any specific security concerns or if you have a specific high-security requirements there are options I could recommend, however whereas with Windows the rule of thumb is "don't connect to the Internet without one", generally the same is not true of Linux systems.

Which distribution are you looking to install?

(different distro's tend to recommend different security options..)

hi sorry in not very good on computer stuff not sure wat you mean by distribution but  i was going to install avg if there is no antivirus on linux but i didnt know if linux had a friewall built in like xp does.

Previously Gareth Bult wrote:

Hi,

There are lots of firewalls and anti-virus systems for Linux, however "by default" you shouldn't need either.  If you have any specific security concerns or if you have a specific high-security requirements there are options I could recommend, however whereas with Windows the rule of thumb is "don't connect to the Internet without one", generally the same is not true of Linux systems.

Which distribution are you looking to install?

(different distro's tend to recommend different security options..)

hi sorry in not very good on computer stuff not sure wat you mean by distribution but  i was going to install avg if there is no antivirus on linux but i didnt know if linux had a friewall built in like xp does.

Hi, buy distribution I mean which variant of Linux .. for exampe, Redhat, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora etc ... ?

For a Firewall (I'm thinking you won't want or need one..) I would recommend, for desktop users, something called FireStarter.

For anti-virus (same applies) I would be looking at ClamAV with the kclamav front end.

If you use the Ubuntu distribution (recommended) you can install both packages using the package manager, or alternatively you can install them both from the command line using;

sudo apt-get install firestarter kclamav

To quote Wikipedia's "Linux Malware" entry;

There has not yet been a single widespread Linux malware threat of the type that Microsoft Windows software currently faces, this is commonly attributed to the malware's lack of root access and fast updates to most Linux vulnerabilities.^[2]

hi gareth thanks for your help i think my computer has firefox on it i am also trying to install shockwave player only to be told i cant do shockwave player on linux do you know any thing else thats would work on linux  the same as shockwave many thanks penny

didnt think i would have so many problems with linux  cant seem to get web cam to work on linux messanger and cant install msn on linux  tried to take laptop back and get one with windows on it but couldnt because i had open it and been on net with it so not having much luck so far with linux

:)

If you use "Pidgin" messenger, this is very similar to MSN and will work quite happily with MSN, however you won't get the webcam working just for a second.

The Video plugin for Pidgin is available for testing but not on general release yet, however I think t is due for release sometime this year. When available, I wouldn't envisage you having much trouble getting it going ...

Previously penny webber wrote:

didnt think i would have so many problems with linux  cant seem to get web cam to work on linux messanger and cant install msn on linux  tried to take laptop back and get one with windows on it but couldnt because i had open it and been on net with it so not having much luck so far with linux

:)

Hi,

It is always possible to write something that will only work on Windows .. by only writing a version for Windows .. which is what has happened with shockwave. It's a proprietary system that only seems to want Windows users, so my general recommendation to developers is "avoid it like the plague".

You will be able to use plugins where the plug-in developer has released a Linux version (like 'flash' for example) , however, I don't believe there is a shockware plugin, nor do I think there is enough take-up of shockwave to make it generally worthwhile.

In general, I simply don't come across sites with Shockwave on them .. although I am aware they exist. You will find that none of the "major" site use it .. Google, Yahoo, Facebook etc etc .. so generallty it's not going to stop you using mainstream sites / applications.

Previously penny webber wrote:

hi gareth thanks for your help i think my computer has firefox on it i am also trying to install shockwave player only to be told i cant do shockwave player on linux do you know any thing else thats would work on linux  the same as shockwave many thanks penny

Hi,

Try "View" then "Zoom" in Firefox ...

Depends on your user interface .. if you run Gnome, System -> Administration -> System monitor .. or from the command line in a terminal session;

df

or

df -h (if you want it in Mb or Gb)

Previously penny webber wrote:

 hi again thanks for all your help im sorry for all the questions but i have a few more if thats ok. do you know how to make the web pages smaller some sites i go on dont fit into the screen and u cant scroll down to click the button i need to.also can you tell me how i check how much harddrive space i have left on linux and what things i could delete to make more space thanks penny

the other nigh i had a strange noise coming from my asus ee pc  it was on the botton left hand side near keyboard  and the wirless light was flashing even though i dont have wireless connection anyone know what this might have been :)