We’re not going to list every piece of software that can be installed; you can make most of these decisions on your own. However, there are some things to note as the disk sets are installed:

•  Linux will install a kernel best suited for your PC configuration; most of the precompiled kernels should meet the needs of most users. However, during the installation process, you’ll be asked about installing various kernels that are not applicable to your PC configuration. In fact, one of the first disk sets includes support for a Linux kernel lacking SCSI support. Because the setup program doesn’t know anything about your hardware, it will ask if you want to install this kernel. In most cases, you’ll want to install the kernel from your bootdisk—setup gives you this option once all the packages are installed.

•  During the installation process you’ll be asked whether you want to install a package called gpm, which manages the mouse for Linux running in character mode. This package can cause conflicts with the X Window System and its mouse control, so if you planning on using X, you shouldn’t install this software. (However, if you don’t plan on using X, you should install gpm, because it allows you to better use the Midnight Commander, a useful text-based disk utility.)

•  There are many text editors available in the Linux disk sets, including emacs and vi clones called elvis and vim. These should meet your needs; if you’re tight on space, you can avoid the other text editors, such as jove and joe. (Not that we’re saying anything bad about jove or joe, mind you.)

•  You’ll be asked about alternate shells, including zsh, ash, and tcsh. The default Linux shell is bash (Bourne Again shell), and most users—especially beginners—will find that it works well. However, you may find that one of the alternate shells better fits your needs or works more like a shell you’ve used in the past. Because the shells don’t take up much disk space, go ahead and install them all.

•  If you install the GNU C compiler, you also need to install binutils, libc, and the linuxinc package (this contains the include file from the Linux kernel source). Some of these packages are tagged mandatory by the Linux setup program; the warning applies if you use your own tagfiles.)

•  The version of emacs that’s initially installed from the CD-ROM was compiled with the assumption that it would be running under the X Window System. If you don’t plan on using X, be sure to install the emac_nox package, which doesn’t contain the X Window support and can be run in character mode. It’s also smaller and will save some disk space.

•  If you install the x series of disk sets, you’ll be asked about the chipset used in your graphics card, as there are some X Window servers tailored to specific chipsets. If you’re not sure which chipset you have, don’t respond to any specific chipsets and install the SuperVGA or VGA X server; you can always change this when you install XFree86 (as described in Chapter 3).

•  Some of the older applications require some older libraries to run, and at some point you’ll be asked about including those libraries. You should install them.

•  Generally speaking, you should install as many fonts as possible.

Being a Good Linux Citizen

As you install the disk sets, you’ll occasionally see a message pointing out that Linux is installing unregistered software. This means that the UNIX freeware is being included as a service, and it’s up to you to pay a registration fee. (The best example of this is xv, an outstanding graphics program from John Bradley.) As a good Linux citizen, you’ll want to check through the online-manual pages or README documents associated with these programs and register the software.

Dealing with Errors

Although it is a very infrequent occurrence, you may experience an error message or two when installing Linux from the disk sets. One of the errors may be Device Full, which means that you’ve filled your hard drive. Slackware, however, will continue to attempt to install software, even if the disk is full.

To end the installation program, either hit the Esc key a few times or type Ctrl-C.

Configuring the Installed Software

There are two main tasks involved after the Linux disk sets are installed: configuring XFree86 and setting up boot options.

Installing a Kernel

The first Linux configuration task is to install a Linux kernel on your hard drive. It’s possible that you’ve already installed a kernel from the A series (there are two kernels on the A series, an IDE and a SCSI generic kernel), but in most cases it is preferable to replace this kernel with the one you’ve used to install. That way, there won’t be any surprises when you reboot; you’ve installed a kernel that you know works on your machine.

To do this, select the bootdisk option on the Kernel Installation menu. You’ll be asked to reinsert your installation bootdisk, and the kernel will be copied from it onto your hard drive. Other options on this menu include installing a kernel from a DOS floppy or from the Slackware CD-ROM drive. If you know exactly which kernel you need, you can try one of these options. You should be aware that installing the wrong kernel here can leave Linux unbootable, requiring you to use your bootdisk or Loadlin to start the system.

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NOTE:  When you install a kernel from this menu, all it does is put the kernel file onto your root Linux partition as /vmlinuz. Until you make a system bootdisk from it or install LILO, your system is not ready to boot. So, you’ll want to make a system bootdisk from the next menu.

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Creating a Boot Floppy

Linux will boot from either a floppy drive or a hard drive. However, it’s recommended that you set up the means to boot either way; that way, if you have hardware problems, you can always boot the system from a floppy drive. Hence, the request from the setup program to create a boot floppy. This floppy can be used to boot Linux at any point. This will be handy should you experience some hard disk problems or screw up your hard disk so severely that the system won’t load.

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NOTE:  If you don’t create a boot floppy at this time, you can always do so later. The topic is covered in some depth in Chapter 6.

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