If this is your first encounter with a Linux system you probably want to learn something about the basic concepts of Linux before getting started. The graphical user interfaces of Linux, Mac OS* and Windows* show rather similar desktop components which makes it easy to move from one graphical environment to the next. However, if you take a look at the underlying system you will soon notice some differences.
The following sections are meant to guide you through the first steps
with your Linux system and to help Linux newbies
to orientate
themselves in their new operating system. You will learn about the user
concept of Linux, the structure of the Linux file system (where to find
what in the directory tree) and how to deal with access permissions for files
and directories which are an essential feature in Linux.
Users who have been working with Mac OS will probably recognize that the concepts explained in the following sections are rather similar to what they know already from Mac OS. Windows users may realize some crucial differences which are worth noticing.