Peter Cornelius wrote: >What a tin of worms I've opened up. All I wanted was some documentation >which would tell me, amongst other things, > But you asked the question in a general way, not telling us exactly what you wanted to know. Therefore you got a general discussion about linux documentation.
> how to unzip, > Linux has several major compressed file formats: 1) .zip - This is exactly the same as the windows zip files. unzip -l file.zip - list the contents unzip file.zip - extract unzip -h - help stuff 2) .gz - This is an enhanced compressed format which was created to get around the LZW patent and produces a better compression ratio gunzip file.gz - uncompress the file gunzip --help - help stuff 3) .bz2 - This is a superior compressor intended specifically for binary data as opposed to text files. It is about 20% - 25% better than gzip. bunzip2 file.bz2 - uncompress the file bunzip2 --help - help stuff 4) .Z this is the original format created by the original unix compress utility. see gunzip, which is able to uncompress these files. There is also the tape archive format which is the one normally by unix and its lookalikes. Open a konsole by clicking of the picture of a black screen with a scollop shell on it. To list to contents of an archive type the commands below into the konsole you have just opened:- For files named: file.tgz; file.tar.Z; or file.tar.gz tar -tvzf file.tar.gz For files named: file.tar.bz2 or file.tbz2 tar -tvjf file.tbz2 for file.tar.gz or file.tgz tar -tvzf file.tar.gz to extract the file substitute x for t in the above lines > install a printer > Start the printtool from a konsole, then point and click in the fashion to which you are used. I'm very surprised this didn't happen as part of the install process. Any idea why? >and print a manual for myself. > Type the following into the konsole. wget http://rute.sourceforge.net/rute.pdf.bz2 bunzip2 rute.pdf.bz2 xpdf rute.pdf or gv rute.pdf Both of these utilities have viewing and printing facilities for pdf files in them. All these utilities are in the Mandrake distribution. to install or upgrade a utility from your RPMs rpm -Uvh file.rpm You can read more somewhat cryptic documentation using the man command:- For example the command:- man wget will tell you all about the wget command used to get files off the Internet. There is also the directory /usr/share/doc which is full of documentation about all the utilities installed on your computer. Lots of the utilities have comprehensive www pages in there, however some are rather lacking. the command:- find /usr/share/doc -name '*.html' will list out all the ones with web page documentation. As an exaple here is the URL for some very comprehensive doco about image printing:- file:///usr/share/doc/gimpprint-4.1.99/manual-html/gimpprint_toc.html and the rather cryptic README file for the bzip2 (un)compression utility. file:///usr/share/doc/bzip2-1.0.1/README All clear as mud now? >But since I don't have such a manual I was >simply hoping that someone could possibly print one off/photocopy for me - >for my personal use, signed to that effect in blood if required. >Meanwhile my newly installed Mandrake stands idle while you guys argue as >to whether it would be legal for me to have such a book and whether a >properly printed book looks nicer than a photocopied book; and my interest >in Linux wanes by the hour. >I'm not concerned as to whether the book is in PC print or printer's print >as I only want to use it as a reference and not as a `nice to look at' on >the bookshelf. The thickness is also immaterial as I should simply punch >the pages and mount in a two/three ring binder which makes for easier >reference than a bound book, anyway. > >Q.E.D. > >Peter. > > > >
