Index

From NewbieDOC

Everyone who uses Debian GNU/Linux was a newbie once, even if they were not a beginner. Being a Debian user also means being part of the Debian community. If the community gives you help, giving help to others is a way of giving something back to the community. One way of helping others is to document your experience of successfully solving a problem. Debian NewbieDOC helps to make this easy because the NewbieDOC website (http://newbiedoc.berlios.de) is is a wiki. Anyone can edit pages and create new ones.

This is a snapshot of some major NewbieDOC articles.


Contents


1 Help installing Debian GNU/Linux

Debian basic features
Help with the sort of things that a Debian newbie might like to know about before installing Debian on a computer. (Stable article).
How to download Debian GNU/Linux installation CD/DVDs with Jigdo
A guide to help any Debian newbie to download CD and DVD images of the Debian installer. The disc images can be burned to CD or DVD to make official Debian installation CDs/DVDs. (Stable article.)
How to install Debian GNU/Linux on your computer
This HOWTO helps Debian newbies to install Debian GNU/Linux (Etch) using the Debian graphical installer ("installgui"). (Stable article.)
Installing Debian on a small partition
Help with installinstalling desktop Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 (Etch) from CD/DVD. (Stable article.)
How to try out Debian GNU/Linux without installing it
Anyone new to Debian (Debian "newbie") might want help and advice about whether to choose Debian. This article describes how to obtain and use the LiveCD version of Debian - Debian Live.

2 Help installing software in Debian GNU/Linux

Aptitude - using together with Synaptic and Apt-get
Help for Debian users using more than one package manager. If you do not use Aptitude exclusively, it may attempt to remove packages that you do not wish to remove. Here is some help for newbies (and other Debian users) for managing this problem.
Unofficial Debian packages
Read this if you need help finding .debs for software not available on the Debian mirrors.
Module-Assistant - using upstream tarballs
A simple hack to use an upstream tarball with Debian's module-assistant for gspca-source

3 Help managing a Debian system

Commandline shortcuts
Debian newbie help with tab completion, commandline history, copying and pasting text.
Manage users and groups
Brief newbie help about how to manage users and groups in Debian using Gnome, KDE, generic desktop and commandline tools.
Run a program as a different user
Help with using su, gksu and gksuexec - a guide for Debian newbie users and others.
How to configure Sudo to run programs as a different user
A newbie guide to using Sudo in Debian GNU/Linux. A normal user can use Sudo to run particular programs with root permissions. With the help of this article, even a Debian newbie can easily configure Sudo using a simple table as an alternative to the Extended Backus-Naur Form used in the Sudoers man (5) page. (Stable article.)
How to create a Grub disc to boot a Debian GNU/Linux system
It helps to be prepared. This NewbieDOC article helps you to plan for disaster by making a boot floppy or CD to boot your Debian system in case another operating system overwrites your MBR.
How to rescue data from a crashed disk on a Debian GNU/Linux system
Helpful suggestions for data recovery from the Debian-User mailing list.
Shutting down a Debian system
Newbies often tend to press the RESET button to stop/restart a Debian system. This is the equivalent of pulling the plug - you are risking file corruption. Here is some help about how to shut down your Debian system safely.
Cloning a hard disc
This Debian newbie HOWTO explains how to make a clone of a hard disc. If the original hard disc is a failing disc, it must still be working and readable. (Stable article.)
Runlevels introduction
A guide to help Debian newbies to understand runlevels. Runlevels determine the behaviour of the system once it has booted. (Stable article.)
Grep Introduction
An introduction to help Debian newbies with the very useful grep program. (Stable article.)
Process management
Help for Debian newbies about how to manage processes under Debian GNU/Linux. (Stable article.)
Debian help system
This document is intended to help Debian newbies learn about ways in which they can find help to solve problems in Debian GNU/Linux. (Stable article.)
Shortcuts for copying and pasting text
Help with to copying and pasting text between X applications and console applications running in a terminal window. There are both keyboard and mouse methods. Written for Debian newbies and all Debian GNU/Linux users. (Stable article.)
Beginner's guide to Vi Improved (Vim)
This document will help Debian newbies with the console version of vim from Debian. Although much of what is discussed here will also help if you use gvim, it may or may not work with gvim. (Stable article.)
Using Joe as your editor
Joe is a simple commandline editor apparently based upon/inspired by the old DOS word processor called Wordstar. Help for Debian newbies. (Stable article.)
Synchronising laptop and desktop files using Unison
If you have a Debian home network, you can edit files on one computer and use Unison to update another computer. This can help if you do work on a Debian (or other Linux) laptop away from the network for some of the time. (Stable article.)

4 Help with network and internet

Broadband - setting up an ethernet ADSL modem/router
This newbie help is for getting an ethernet ADSL modem/router working on a Debian system. Not for a USB ADSL modem.
Setting up a serial modem using Wvdial
This Debian newbie article helps explain how to install and use a serial modem for internet access on a Debian GNU/Linux computer using Wvdial. (Stable article.)
How to set up a wireless network card using drivers from Debian packages
Debian provides some WiFi cards with drivers in source code form. They are easy to compile and install with module-assistant - even for Debian newbies.
How to set up a wireless network card using Ndiswrapper
Both these articles offer help for setting up wireless cards on Debian systems. They seem to have disappeared from the Ndiswrapper wiki. An archive copy of the Sarge version has been added to NewbieDOC.
Installing Ndiswrapper in Debian - Installing Ndiswrapper in Debian Sarge
Installing Ndiswrapper in Debian Etch
Setting up a personal firewall on Debian using Guarddog
Guarddog use a simple but flexible GUI interface that helps you to configure iptables. It is suitable for Debian newbies and makes a great personal firewall for a standalone or networked PC. (Stable article.)
Firewall with masquerading
A HOWTO to help Debian newbies to set up a simple firewall and share your internet connection with Shorewall in Debian Etch
Installing Samba Linux/Windows networking
These are some notes I made when I installed Samba in Debian Sarge. I hope that they may be helpful to anyone starting with Samba.
Mail - retrieving
Help for Debian newbies wnting to retrieve mail from a POP account using Getmail
Mail - sending
Help for Debian newbies wanting to send mail using Postfix with smarthost configuration
RSS - how to use RSS feeds
Help for Debian newbies wanting to install Liferea (Linux feed reader) in Debian, and help with using it on the NewbieDOC wiki.

5 Help with multimedia in Debian

Sound in Debian GNU/Linux
Help for Debian newbies wanting to get a sound card working in Debian.
Managing a Creative Zen mp3 jukebox with Gnomad2
Help for Debian newbies setting up and using Gnomad2 to transfers files between a Creative Zen mp3 jukebox and a Debian system.

6 Help with printing

Setting up a parallel printer using CUPS
This article is to help Debian newbies install a parallel port printer on a Debian GNU/Linux computer using CUPS (the Common Unix Printing System). (Formal article).
Getting rid of broken print jobs (Debian using CUPS)
Debian newbie help about what to do when something goes wrong in a print job: paper jam, wrong pages, etc

7 Help with programming

Installing Java
How to install Java without an official Debian package
Content is available under GNU Free Documentation License 1.2, unless otherwise stated.