The Week in Linux News

More Security

You can never be too secure. These articles will show you how to guard your Linux system.

• Securing your root account with Linux
  Security of a Linux system can take many forms: physical security, network security, application security, and others. However, all security measures can be for naught if we fail to adequately lock down the superuser -- root.
• Secure Linux Distributions
  Securing your Linux installation is something many administrators do quite well, and you may be among the people who have post-installation checklists to insure that your system is locked down. However, wouldn't it be nice if there was a distribution that automatically installed a secure version of Linux?
• Installing and setting up SSH
  ". . . Somewhat unlikely, perhaps, but it illustrates a point; we have learned how to protect credit card and phone numbers in the real world. But what about user names, passwords, and confidential computer data on the Internet?"

We were all newbies once

Remember the days when you first started with Linux? Well there are more folks learning Linux today than ever before. These articles are aimed at the person who is just starting to use Linux and wants to learn the common commands.

• First Steps with GNU/Linux
  If you have just installed GNU/Linux and don't know quite what to do next, then this article is for you. Some fundamental Unix concepts are explained in this paper.
• A crash course introduction to Linux.
  The article gives a real fast-paced introduction to some of the common commands used in Linux. The article talks about creating a new user, setting a user's password, and other things for newbies.
• Intro to shell scripting
  Shell scripting is a fascinating combination of art and science that gives you access to the incredible flexibility and power of Linux with very simple tools. Back in the early days of PCs, I was considered quite an expert with DOS's "batch files," something I now realize was a weak and gutless imitation of Unix's shell scripts.
• Intro to NEdit 5.1
  This article started out as a review of NEdit; but the more I used it, the more I appreciated it. After due consideration, I decided to turn the article into an "Introduction to NEdit" -- hopefully helping introduce people to this excellent editor.

Development help

Want to know how much XML support there is in Perl? Or do fancy stuff with Python? Or you like to write device drives? The following set of articles will show you how.

• Linux Device Drivers
  To begin to understand how device drivers operate and how to use them, you must first forget everything you know about installing device drivers in Windows.
• A Primer for Soft Real-Time Programming with Linux: Part 1
  The purpose of this article is to give the reader an introduction to soft real-time programming with Linux, using both processes and Linux's implementation of POSIX threads. It is not a complete guide by any stretch of the imagination, and it assumes that the reader is comfortable with using C on a Linux platform.
• Processing XML with Perl
  Perl has an unparalleled wealth of XML support, but where do you start? Can you tell a twig from a tree? Can you see the DOM for the groves? Read on to find out which Perl module to use for your XML processing.
• Exploring parsing and virtual machines with Python
  The design of compilers/interpreters is a challenging field -- one which offers a lot of scope for theoretical exploration as well as hands on coding. Being a Python fan, I tried to implement some of the ideas which I am learning about compilers/interpreters in this beautiful language. As I am neither a Python Guru nor a compiler expert, the implementation may be imperfect. But it was certainly lots of fun!

Interviews

Want to know what some of the top people in the community are thinking about? Here are two recent interviews, one with Alan Cox (kernel hacker) and Linus Torvalds (no introduction needed), and one with David Whitinger (founder of Linsight.com).

• Interview with Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox
  32 Bits Online interviews Linus Torvalds and Alan Cox in An exclusive interview with Linus "Linux" Torvalds and Alan "Kernel Hacker" Cox." This interview was held over the weekend of March 25 in Austin, Texas. Present at the interview were our fearless leaders, Linus Torvalds, and Alan Cox, the number one and two men in the Linux hierarchy, and me, freelance journalist with nothing to lose and everything to gain. "
• Interview with David Whitinger
  "Also, small handhelds might make the desktop obsolete (or, rather, it will create a new era of desktops). The work that the embedded Linux groups are doing is very important. When Transmeta-based devices start coming out, I'll be the first in line to buy one."

Baiju Thakkar is the O'Reilly Network's Linux Bureau Chief.

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