At 03:05 PM 7/3/99 , Richard Salts wrote:
>System maintenance: Does Linux have anything like Windows for system
>maintenance? Like, for example, Windows has 'Disk Defragmenter', which I
>understand Linux doesn't need but does Linux need any kind of regular
>Windows-like maintenance program(s) to keem itself and computer in optimum
>running order?
There's a defrag tool for Linux (not that you need it half as much
as you need it for windows); there's at least 3 or 4 backup programs out
there for Linux, including tar; there's no equivalent to the disk 'compress
on the fly' thing that comes with 98, at least none that I know; there's a
scandisk for Linux...you'll notice it the first time you kill your computer
with the filesystem not getting properly unmounted...there's, of course, a
way to run it for diagnosis, but that's one thing I haven't tried yet, so I
have no clue how to do it :) there's at least 1 equivalent to the Resource
Meter that I've seen (in Gnome), but they work much better (lot's more info
available in them), and they include the stuff that you get to see with the
System Monitor too; I don't know about the Net Watcher, never used it in
windows :)
>Messy file installations or not? When installing and uninstalling (I'm
>assuming that Linux has some sort of 'uninstall' for removing unwanted
>software?) programs for Linux to use or not to use, how does Linux put
>programs on the hard drive? Does it scatter the various program files
>helter-skelter like DOS/Windows does or does it install its programs in a
>more uniform manner that does not require much, if any, constant
>straightening up of files?
Well...it depends on what you mean by 'scattering all over' :) in
Linux you get (usually, at least in my short experience), the docs in one
place, the executables in one of two places and the data in your own home
directory, As for install/uninstall, RPM does have a useful
install/uninstall routine, tho is not as pretty as InstallShield (I said
pretty...InstallShield sucks in many aspects :) If you use tarballs to
install, some of them (I've seen at least 2) have an uninstall script as
part of the package...those that don't have one (most) you have to
uninstall by hand...that can get messy if you don't keep proper notes.
>Anti Virus programs? Is there any kind of anti-virus program(s) available
>for Linux? Or is Linux not troubled as much as the MS-Windows crowd is by
>the virus vandals?
There's 2 known virus out there that attack Linux (according to
the long discussion there's been in the last couple of days in Linux Today
about virus on windows and Linux), and there's a few a-vir programs out
there...but all the ones I've seen scan for windows' virii, not for Linux
virii...so...the idea is "we don't get virii, and we can also try and stop
em from infecting the poor windows computers in the network". If your
Linux box is a standalone program with no windows machines behind it, you
don't need a-vir programs, just good system security :)
All of these opinions come from my contact with Red Hat 6 and
windows98, YMMV
Vox
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