KNOPPIX 101

[BajaPorsche]

Hi can some of you fine people give me a basic knoppix run down...
I have questions like.
1. Do I need to be connected to the internet to use Knoppix.
2. Do I even need internet access for Knoppix, or will it work without internet service?
3. Can I still recieve and send email on knoppix, if I have no internet service?

and other simple basic answers that anyone feels would benefit, a computer illiterate.

[tom p]

1. Do I need to be connected to the internet to use Knoppix.
no.

2. Do I even need internet access for Knoppix, or will it work without internet service?
no, and yes.

3. Can I still recieve and send email on knoppix, if I have no internet service?
no.

Ciao,
Thomas

[BajaPorsche]

Thanks Thomas...those were answers to simple questions I couldn't find, in simple terms, on any other website...
a few more questions for anyone out there.
1. Is the knoppix, something like a software application, that has alot of the features of a "completely independent software package" usually on a hard drive. But is in a CD form application? or is it a form of a independent hard drive?
2. Does knoppix have a windows type application, without accessing windows?

[pureone]

Thanks Thomas...those were answers to simple questions I couldn't find, in simple terms, on any other website...
a few more questions for anyone out there.
1. Is the knoppix, something like a software application, that has alot of the features of a "completely independent software package" usually on a hard drive. But is in a CD form application? or is it a form of a independent hard drive?
2. Does knoppix have a windows type application, without accessing windows?

1 knoppix is a live os. it does not need a hard drive AT ALL it runs 100% from the ram and doesnt touch the hard drive what so ever. it comes with 100% free software all ready compiled and ready to use. all knoppix needs to run is a cd rom 128mb and 200mhz cpu.

2 knoppix has something called wine which is a windows emulator. which basicly allows you to try and run windows applications (.exe files) while running linux. you can not run windows .exe files any other way in linux.

[Cuddles]

O M G !

Now THAT was a easy response - no and yes - hmmmmm....

Lets try this again, shall we???


Hi can some of you fine people give me a basic knoppix run down...
I have questions like.
1. Do I need to be connected to the internet to use Knoppix.
No. Knoppix is a "self-contained" operating system. No more needed to say than that.


2. Do I even need internet access for Knoppix, or will it work without internet service?
This is the "touchy" one. No you dont need internet, but, it can help. As with any OS, if you want any new "programs", Debian, which is what Knoppix is a "close proximity" to, using a program called apt to download, search, and install, new programs. This runs very nicely if you have internet. So, you answer is: no, you dont NEED internet, if you dont want to ever add more programs to the system, at least the way you would using apt. ( and ) Yes, you do need internet, if you want to add new programs, update current programs, etc...


3. Can I still recieve and send email on knoppix, if I have no internet service?
I dont think so, not unless you are connected to other computers through a Local Area Network, or a Wide Area Network, or can access another computer through an ethernet card or wireless network - of which - some computer will need to access the internet to receive "email" through that access. EMail, is either going to get to you through a ethernet connection - connecting to another computer that DOES get out into the internet, or, by your computer DIRECTLY connecting to the internet itself.

Now on to the new questions:

1. Is the knoppix, something like a software application, that has alot of the features of a "completely independent software package" usually on a hard drive. But is in a CD form application? or is it a form of a independent hard drive?
Huh? I dont understand your question...


2. Does knoppix have a windows type application, without accessing windows?
Two exist, as far as I know. But, I think one, requires the "windows" files to be accessable, like the /windows/system folder ) that would be WINE - for Windows Is Not Emulated ) - and the other is Cedega ( which doesnt require any windows at all )

Wine works with any windows program, that doesnt need, or require, DirectX. ( some windows programs may not work though, it depends on how severely the "windows program" uses "windows"

Cedega works great with those DirectX games, it comes with its own "DirectX" modules, and plays a ton of games, you can check their site for current games supported. Cedega is produced by TransGamers - so look for it on the transgamers site...

Hope this has helped, a little more,
Ms. Cuddles

[Harry Kuhman]

3. Can I still recieve and send email on knoppix, if I have no internet service?
I dont think so, not unless you are connected to other computers through a Local Area Network, or a Wide Area Network, or can access another computer through an ethernet card or wireless network - of which - some computer will need to access the internet to receive "email" through that access. EMail, is either going to get to you through a ethernet connection - connecting to another computer that DOES get out into the internet, or, by your computer DIRECTLY connecting to the internet itself.
I didn't respond to this when it was first posted, and wasn't (and am still not) sure that the original poster wasn't pulling our leg a little with this question (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll). But it's worth noting that I had an e-mail account several years before I had Internet access, and I was not connected to any sort of network at the time. My e-mail account was hosted on a mail server that a friend ran. It actually wasn't connected to the Internet either, but it did have a dial-up account and would call to his ISP on a dial-up connection about once an hour to get all new mail. Users could call into the server to get their e- mail, and to upload mail that was to be sent out (the server was even configured to dial into it's provider more frequently when it had outgoing mail in the queue). I simply used the e-mail program that came in Win95 and standard Windows dialer software to call directly into the mail server. (The nueron that remembered the name of that program has since died, it was before Outlook.) As I recall, the company Juno also got it's start by offering free dial-in e-mail only accounts (although I think they limited the number of times you could dial in to check or send mail each day). So there might even still be someone out there that would offer you diial-in e-mail either free or at a lower price than full Internet access. but finding them might be a problem. Inexpensive lmetered limited-use Internet dial-in accounts are still available pretty cheap if you shop around a bit and while they run up costs quickly if you actuallu use them to surf the web, they can be quite inexpensive if you just use them to send and receive mail, assuming that you read and write that mall off-line and only connect for transfers. Anyone considering this might be wise to get a free POP e-mail account elsewhere (such a Google's free gmail accounts) and not use the mail server provided by the service provider. That way when you do decide to switch service providers you don't have to track down and update a lot of people and systems that have your old e-mail address.

At the time there were also a number of servers around the world that would let you do many things simply by sending them an e-mail request. You could request a copy of any web page by URL and have it show up in your e-mail, and you could request a file be sent to you as an e-mail attachment as well (with the obvious size restrictions that e-mail attachments usually have). You could, of course, subscribe to many e-mail lists by sending an e-mail rather than visiting a web page and do a number of other handy things all by e-mail.

[BajaPorsche]

I didn't respond to this when it was first posted, and wasn't (and am still not) sure that the original poster wasn't pulling our leg a little with this question

Completely honest....I'm not too up to date on computer accessories/software. I thought I would ask, but I guess getting email without a internet connection would be difficult....

I thought the hard drive was the mechanical part that contains the softwar...well I'm confusing myself now.
here's another question,
1. What benefits would you say are gained from using knoppix.....is their an advantage against hackers?

[pureone]

yes in ways it has its advantages over hackers but that nots exactly why its used.

one of the main advantages of using knoppix is that its a live cd meaning everything is set up for you ready to use. when you boot knoppix your understand. most people including my self use it for its look and feel. plus its the first steping stone to learning the ways of linux. alot of people that use knoppix are newbies when it comes to linux and just want to learn what its really like(just like me). linux by default is much more secure then windows. but the end user (your self) can hider this if you change the configuration so its insecure in one way or another. either installing dangerous servers such as dns servers or use weak passwords or not using a firewall. when it comes to security the human factor is always involved.

linux its self can be used in many ways. it can just be used as a backup os for a computer without a hard drive. it can be used to recover data from a hard drive with windows or linux installed on it that may have been damaged someway or another. it can also be used a for teaching people about linux such as students or friends or even family members. alot of people use linux as a normal desktop pc . plus the fact your free to do with it what ever you want. the source code is open as well which is why alot of people trust linux.

[Harry Kuhman]

I thought the hard drive was the mechanical part that contains the softwar...well I'm confusing myself now.
The hard drive is the electro-mechanical part that contains data including software. Why do you no longer think this?


1. What benefits would you say are gained from using knoppix.....is their an advantage against hackers?
Knoppix in its intended form is a Live CD that boots on a computer right from the CD and runs from the CD. It contains a rich assortment of Linux applications, all free, many of which favorably compare to things the Microsoft charges hundreds of dollars for (like OpenOffice, contrasted to the expensive but buggy Microsoft Office). And, of course, the Operating System itself if free, where Microsoft charges hunders retail and nearly a hundred wolesale for each copy of their very bug infested software.

So the benefits include getting an operating system that is not controled by a company that has already been convicted in Federal Court of abusing their monopoly position, getting a wide array of free software that matches in function very expensive softeware, and a chance to try the Linux operating system and various programs that run under it without having to install anything on your hard drive (if you decide that you don't like it or it isn't right for you you can just remove the CD and reboot and you will have you computer back as it was before).

Linux is more secure from hackers. Microsoft makes claims that conflict with this, but Microsoft is not highly regarded for honesty. And Knoppix is much more secure, being that it runs from a CD that can no longer be changed by software. No virus or worm is going to find it's way into your computer and install itself on the Knoppix CD. That's not to say that normal precautions should not be taken even with Knoppix, but even if someone did have a virus targeted at Linux systems and did manage to get it into your system, it would be out of your system the next time you booted from CD. Contrast that to Windows, wich is becoming famous for not being able to be connected to the Internet after a reinstall to even download the newest "security updates" before the computer is attacked and taken over from the Internet.

Linux can also be installed to the hard drive. It is still far more secure than Windows, but in such a case again good security precautions should be taken; one should not assume that you are safe just because most hackers are attacking Windows systems. (I use a hardware firewall [router] in addition to a software firewall.) Some people install or try to install Knoppix to their hard drive, I believe because Knoppix configures itself so well from the CD and is so complete with many applications "pre-installed". I do not advise this, as there are certain design choices made to put as much as they did on one CD and to make it work as well as they did on CD that cause problems later when it is "installed" to hard disk. Debian may be a much better choice to install to hard disk; it will be more work and appliactions will have to be added, the look and feel will have to be taylored to what you want, but you will end up with a much more stable system in the long run.

Knoppix is itself based on the Debian Linux distribution, so Knoppix is both a handy way to learn Linux and to get a feel for the Debian way that things are done before making the choice to install it on a hard disk. If you don't have a strong background in Windows software, you might be at an advantage to other long time Windows users. Windows users sometimes have problems in learning the little differences between Windows and Linux. If you are just starting to learn to work with computers you likely will learn much faster by just starting with Linux than you would by Learning Windows and then learning Linux.

[turbinater]

.....is their an advantage against hackers?
You mean crackers, hackers are [usually] friendly people who are experts at using computers, and, or have programming experience.

There is an advantage against crackers, and malware (eg. spyware, and virus'), mostly because Windows is the primary target for attackers, but also because you need root access to do any real damage to a computer running Linux.


one, requires the "windows" files to be accessable
Untrue, Wine does NOT require any access to windows what so ever.


Wine works with any windows program, that doesnt need, or require, DirectX.
Also untrue. Wine has it's own built-in version of DirextX, however, it's currently unfinished, and many DirectX apps don't run. There's also many programs that don't require DirectX, and don't run under Wine.

[BajaPorsche]

You mean crackers, hackers are [usually] friendly people who are experts at using computers, and, or have programming experience.

There is an advantage against crackers, and malware (eg. spyware, and virus'), mostly because Windows is the primary target for attackers, but also because you need root access to do any real damage to a computer running Linux.

I'm new to even putting on my anti-spyware, just put up a firewall last week.....it's amazing to see all the "access denied" pop ups from ssources trying to access my comp...... maybe i used the wrong term, if so, my apologies!

BajaPorsche wrote:
I thought the hard drive was the mechanical part that contains the softwar...well I'm confusing myself now.

Harry Kuhman wrote
The hard drive is the electro-mechanical part that contains data including software. Why do you no longer think this?

bajaporsche response
Thanks for confirming that for me....that's what I thought the hard drive was at first.

In all... I take it that Knoppix is somewhat of a sample of what Linux is capable of.
Knoppix is at no cost, capable of performing all these software applications, from a bootable CD.
And, Knoppix does not Neccessarily need to use windows...it has Wine....but that knoppix can use windows if the user chooses to....... this part i don't understand yet, but if I re-read the other posts a few morte times, I should understand it.

Here is another question I have, but the answer might already be posted, I just have to re-read the other posts.....can a firewall be installed onto knoppix, without messing with the original intent of knoppix....(kinda like a simple application of a selected firewall, that is pretty safe to insatll for beginners, without messing up knoppix performance)

sorry for being almost non coherant, but there were too many terms i was unfamiliar with in the other posts....and I didn't want to make assumptions....esecially when i don't really know what was said....
thanks to everyone who posted a response

[Harry Kuhman]

.... And, Knoppix does not Neccessarily need to use windows...it has Wine....but that knoppix can use windows if the user chooses to....... this part i don't understand yet, but if I re-read the other posts a few morte times, I should understand it.
Actually, I would say that Knoppix does not use Windows and cannot use Windows, but exactly what use means is unclear and vague. Knoppix is a Live CD based distribution that includes an Operating System (Linux), Windows is a completely different OS. Knoppix can read Windows disks. It can write to many Windows disk types (partitions) but not to the NTFS type partition (although it can read it). It can exchange data with Windows, and can even network (connection of multiple computers, sharing files and even some hardware like printers) with Windows. But Linux (and so Knoppix) does not run Windows programs.

There are efforts to be able to run programs written for Windows under Linux (without rewriting the source code) . One of these is WINE. At this point WINE will run some Windows programs, but it will not run most programs that use DirectX or other complex graphics and it will not run many programs that do not need DirectX. The bottom line is don't build expectations that things that run under Windows can be run under Linux without getting Linux versions of those programs (sometimes Linux versions are available, sometimes thay are not).

[pureone]

dont worrie everyone has to start off learning somewere.

knoppix has a firewall built into it. such as gaurd dog which you can config. shutdown knoppix your configuration will be destroyed and you will have to config it each time you boot knoppix. you can how ever use certain software (klik) to install firewalls like firestarter on the fly. but as once you turn off the computer it will be gone.

[BajaPorsche]

wow.....this is why I asking about Knoppix....... I thought someone had cracked or hacked, whatever the proper term is, and was denying me access to discussion forums again...
thanks for the info... I usually get confused at this point.... but I want to ask questions about Knoppix and the internet.... but I will post that on KNOPPIX 102...
thanks all for the freindly advice!

[gildedlink]

BajaPorsche, i think I understand what confused you about the Hard Drive thing. This is from my understanding of this, so try to bear with me. The Hard Drive stores the programs, the RAM (Memory) Runs those programs.

Knoppix, as a live-cd, loads itself into the memory and runs from there. There is a small part of the HD taken up while it is running, but those files are automatically deleted when you shutdown/reboot the computer.

Again this is my experience, I have seen created Temporary files in the boot partition of my Hard drive (boot partition= part of the HD devoted to booting the machine, not the windows one normally) but they were generally very small.

For the email question you had, it sort of depends. Now obviously you need a connection to the internet, but once that is established, if it's broadband you can easily access a web based email account like yahoo or gmail. This has come in quite handy for me when I've gone to hotels, all I had to do was plug in the ethernet cable before booting, say yes to the hotel service page and check my gmail account easily. Yes, you need some sort of service, but you don't need to buy an email account (like outlook, aol, etc) if you already use a web based email account. I sorta had a hard time explaining that, i hope I didn't confuse you much though.

I have more but I think those questions are posted in the 102 topic so i'll post there now. Hope that helped ^_^