How to start

west · External Since: Nov 15, 2006 Posts: 1

My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
hard drive intact?
How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
appreciated. Thank you.

west
college freshman

Bit Twister · External Since: Dec 19, 2004 Posts: 1894

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 06:37:05 GMT, west wrote:
> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
> math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
> just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
> hard drive intact?

Well it will depend on how much drive space you have free. You can
dual boot current machine. You will need to find a distribution with
those tools. I would suggest something like Mandriva 2006 free cd set
which comes with those tools. You would need about 6 gig which will
leave you 2 gig of space for your data/code and room to do
updates. That assumes you load just about everyting but LSB.

http://doc.mandrivalinux.com/MandrakeLinux/101/en/Starter.html/drakx-c...sePacka

> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.

http://www.distrowatch.com
http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search

left_coast · External Since: Jul 19, 2006 Posts: 692

west wrote:

> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for
> solving math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer?

How would we know if you need another computer if we do not know what you
have?

> Perhaps I can just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and
> keep my windows hard drive intact?

More than probably.

> How should I start?

Google is one place to start, http://distrowatch.com/ is another.

> Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system?

That would be one thing you can do.

> I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.
>
> west
> college freshman

Since you are going to college, I would suggest contacting your college and
asking them what Linux/UNIX variant they teach.

Mike Anonymous Coward · External Since: Nov 15, 2006 Posts: 14

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 06:37:05 +0000, west wrote:

> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
> math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
> just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
> hard drive intact?
> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.
>
> west
> college freshman

Recently I ran into this... it might be just what you are looking for.
You can avoid installing etc, and just get to the programming environment.
I did not try these, but vmware is well known, and virtual machines are
getting more and more popular so that would be good experience too.

http://www.thoughtpolice.co.uk/
.... vmware images, and the vmware player is free.

ray · External Since: Nov 13, 2004 Posts: 3387

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 06:37:05 +0000, west wrote:

> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
> math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
> just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
> hard drive intact?

If you have sufficient spare room on your hard drive it is not necessary
to do either. Modern Linux distributions will help you resize and
repartition as part of the installation process.

> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.

www.distrowatch.com
www.yolinux.com
www.tldp.org

You might start with a Live CD such as Knoppix or Elive - it will boot and
run from the CD without an install. Won't touch your hard drive until you
click the desktop button to install.

>
> west
> college freshman

Jim Jones · External Since: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 92

west wrote:
> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
> math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
> just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
> hard drive intact?
> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.
>
> west
> college freshman
>
>
To me this may be the simplest of solutions. If you have disk space then
download VMWare server, it is free. Install it and get it running then
find out what is the linux variant of choice at your institution and
install it into the VMWare server. It might be a bit sluggish but it
should work ok. the linux distro will run as a virtual machine inside
your windows setup. If you find yourself not needing the linux distro
anymore simply delete that machine from your VMWare and then uninstall
VMWare and you are back to where you started. You can install multiple
Linux variants with VMWare at the same time and can even install another
flavor or Windows on the same machine too.

Hope that helps
Jim

--
Linux Websites Links http://myweb.cableone.net/okieman7/linux.htm

Ivan Marsh · External Since: Jan 26, 2005 Posts: 438

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 06:37:05 +0000, west wrote:

> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.

I would look into what *nix OS your university uses in it's computer labs
and try to use the same OS you'll be working with in the labs if possible.

Here the UW uses various incarnations of BSD and Linux so the students
don't have to learn and experiment on a platform other than the one they
will be working and testing on.

Happily since all *nix OS's are ~POSIX if you know one you know a lot
about all the others.

Leo · External Since: Jan 04, 2005 Posts: 63

west wrote:
> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
> math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
> just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
> hard drive intact?
> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.
>
> west
> college freshman
>
>
You can add a drive or if there is room you can repartition your present drive
to accommodate linux. Easiest is to add the extra drive.
I use the boot manager that comes with almost every version of Linux and thus
dual boot to either operating system. Linux can now see the MS system so you can
copy files or read them from Linux. Some Linuxs can even write them now.
One place to look for information on Linux is:
http://www.linuxquestions.org

--
Leo (Bing) Whiteway in Kelowna, BC, Canada: Ham calls: VE7UW and VE7OKV
A computer without Microsoft is like a chocolate cake without mustard.
< running Linux >

jellybean stonerfish · External Since: Jan 07, 2007 Posts: 52

west wrote:
> My advisors told me to prepare learning some languages like Perl, Python,
> C++, in the UNIX/Linux environment. These and more will be used for solving
> math problems in astro-physics. Do I need another computer? Perhaps I can
> just add a separate hard drive for the aforementioned and keep my windows
> hard drive intact?
> How should I start? Should I find a Unix site and download the operating
> system? I really do not know where to start. Any help will be most
> appreciated. Thank you.
>
> west
> college freshman
>
>

A simple system should work. No need for email, desktop or all that
bloat. Build an lfs system. When you are finished, you will know how
to compile programs in each of those languages. And you will have a
stable and fast system, with all the compilers needed for homework.

stonerfish