Get Help
Whether you’re a long time Linux enthusiast or a newbie, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the vast amount of Linux information available. We’ve compiled a short list of places you can most easily start your search for help. And remember, no matter what your skill level, you’re not alone. Help is always available.
Software
- The FSF/UNESCO Free Software Directory is a project of the Free Software Foundation and the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
- freshmeat.net is a huge index of software and GUI themes with comment boards for every item.
- Wikipedia features a list of software that runs natively on Linux.
- Linux Journal has thousands and thousands of articles about, and reviews of, Linux software.
Hardware
- The Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO lists most of the hardware known to be either supported or unsupported under Linux.
Laptops and mobile devices
- Linux on Laptops: full installation notes for hundreds of laptop and notebook computers.
- tuxmobil.org: Linux With Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs and Mobile Cell Phones. Start here for information on getting a net connection with your mobile phone.
Distribution hardware support lists
Your distribution’s list is the best way to tell if a piece of hardware will work when you first install Linux. Products listed on other hardware support lists may require manual configuration or a software upgrade.
- Gentoo Hardware Compatibility
- Linspire Hardware Compatibility
- Mandriva Hardware Compatibility
- MEPIS Hardware Compatibility
- PCLinuxOS Hardware Compatibility
- Red Hat Certified Hardware
- SUSE Linux Hardware Database
- Turbolinux Hardware Compatibility
- Ubuntu Hardware Support
Sound hardware
- ALSA Soundcard Matrix: the big list of what sound hardware works “out of the box” with recent versions of Linux.
Printers
Still can’t find the help you need? Wait! There’s more…
Linux Documentation Project
The LDP is an immense collection of free Linux documentation ranging from complete books to some of the best HOWTOs.
- LDP Home Page: headquarters of the documentation project
- HOWTOS: a collection of the more popular Linux primers
General Linux Discussions
- Linux Journal forums allow users to interact with each other.
- linux-list is a Linux mailing list hosted by Linux Journal that covers a variety of Linux topics with a high signal-to-noise ratio.
- USENET features thousands of newsgroups specific to Linux.
Linux Journal
Linux Journal is one of the best places to learn about everything-Linux. Crawl through LinuxJournal.com for thousands of articles open to the public, many of which are presented in a hands-on, how-to style to help you learn the ropes. And whatever you do, don’t forget to start your print subscription today so you can stay on top of it all.
