# very novice question - KNOPPIX .exe



## Metaphoric (May 29, 2003)

I'm very new to linux, i have used windows all my life. i downloaded the knoppix distribution because i wanted to experience linux without having to do a full install.
The thing is its so different from what i imagined, as u will know, and i didn't, .exe files do not run, which was a shock to me. Is it possible to run applications and games with a windows installation in linux? and what is the standard executable file in linux?

If you could help me with these queries and maybe tell me some other things or point me in the direction of a good site, it would be much appreciated.
I'd like to get to know linux but i need to learn the basics first.

thanks alot,
Iain


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## Grinler (Mar 10, 2004)

It is not possible to run windows applications natively in linux. If you want to attempt to run windows apps you need an emulator such as Wine to do that, and not all programs work.

There are no executable extensions in linux as you know them from windows. How files can be used are determined by their permissions and whether or not they can actually be run.

This is really too much to go into on one post, but here is a good link for a tutorial on using linux:

http://www.linux-tutorial.info/cgi-bin/display.pl?224&0&0&0&3


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## utanja (Oct 22, 2003)

as Grinier state....there are no formal executible files in Unix/Linux....
the beauty is that you may write a script and just give it permissions and it will run 
provided it is coded correctly with proper syntax...


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## shadowcat (Oct 19, 2003)

Linux applications ends with .tar.gz at the end, not .exe.

You also have to have some knowledge about the linux file structure as well.

There are programs that will run Windows programs on linux, but from what I've read, it only OK, i.e., don't expect it to look pretty and there are some glitches (remember Windows is anti-linux and any other OS).

A good place to start learning about Linux are:

http://tldp.org/ (The Linux Documenation Project)
http://www.linuxiso.org/

Another place for the many flavors of linux is www.distrowatch.com.

Knoppix is a good place to start to become more comfortable with Linux because you do not need to install it onto your hard drive. Another decent distro is Mepis, which is another liveCD (i.e., it runs off the CD-ROM rather than install).

Personally, as a noob, I found a Unix book a handy guide to learn about the basic file structure and command lines linux also uses (since linux is based on unix, but each distro has it's own "personal touches"). The book I use is _Unix, 2nd Ed._ by Deborah S. Ray and Eric J. Ray. It gets you familiar with the command lines and file structures simply and with examples that take you through it.

I hope this helps!


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## Metaphoric (May 29, 2003)

Thanks for the help, it looks scary but ill give it a whirl  Hopefully ill be 'linuxing' in no time!


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## Grinler (Mar 10, 2004)

shadowcat said:


> Linux applications ends with .tar.gz at the end, not .exe.


Shadowcat's suggestions are great and I would advise you check out some of those links.

Just so you know, though, files that end with .tar.gz are not neccessarily applications. They are just files have been compressed with the tar command and then further compressed with gzip.


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## utanja (Oct 22, 2003)

> Linux applications ends with .tar.gz at the end, not .exe.


well i think that is stretching the point...but other executibles are *.bin....*.run....sh *.bin....etc.....in fact *.rpm and *.deb would also qualify...all qualify if the permissions so allow files to execute...


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## Metaphoric (May 29, 2003)

hi, ive been getting used to the KNOPPIX user interface, but two main problems so far.
I cant write to anything, if i try to change anything to write it says it cant write to the mount, then if i try to change the permissions of the mount hard drive, it says its NTFS file system and writing will change it then i will have to change it back. Please explain.
Also when i used the PPPoE and ADSL setup it finds 'eth0' and then i click yes and it brings up an error about that its currently in use. its that actually my USB ADSL modem? if not how do i manually set it up.

Thanks for help again,
Iain


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## Whiteskin (Nov 16, 2002)

Well... NTFS support is sketchy still. IT can actually cause some serious errors on your NTFS drive, so dont change it to write. Instead, you can have knoppix create a file somewhere that will contain your home directory (My documents sort...).

Not sure how it handles NTFS there though.

Second, are you using adsl through ethernet? If so, you might not even need ppoe. Try just going dhclient [or pump... not sure which is installed under knoppix]. Try to remove any un needed devices (usbADSL if your not using it etc.).


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## lynch (Aug 3, 2002)

Grinler said:


> Shadowcat's suggestions are great and I would advise you check out some of those links.
> 
> Just so you know, though, files that end with .tar.gz are not neccessarily applications. They are just files have been compressed with the tar command and then further compressed with gzip.


Actually, tar _archives_ groups of files and/or directories into one directory; gzip doe the compression.
lynch


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## tsunam (Sep 14, 2003)

what no one likes bz2 compression? /me pats bzip2 for being neglected 

*grumbles about perl and getting functions to work properly*


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## Grinler (Mar 10, 2004)

tsunam said:


> what no one likes bz2 compression? /me pats bzip2 for being neglected


I always froggen forget the command line tool for bz2 compression. You should see my history every time i use it:

1001 bzip
1002 bunzip
1003 bz2
1004 bzip
1005 bz
1006 bzip2

Finally...


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## Metaphoric (May 29, 2003)

Whiteskin said:


> you can have knoppix create a file somewhere that will contain your home directory (My documents sort...).
> Not sure how it handles NTFS there though.


How do i get knoppix to create a file anywhere? wherever i try to create any file it just brings up the NTFS permissions error.
So you guys who use linux, did u just install it to a FAT formated Hard Disk, or does linux have its own way to format a drive? Im sure there are quite a few people on this forum who use XP and linux, doesn't xp automaticly format to NTFS? If so, did these people just use your suggestion or will they just have multiple PCs?


Whiteskin said:


> Second, are you using adsl through ethernet? If so, you might not even need ppoe. Try just going dhclient [or pump... not sure which is installed under knoppix]. Try to remove any un needed devices (usbADSL if your not using it etc.).


I do have an ethernet network card but its not how i connect to the internet. I use my ADSLusb Modem, so i dont know if that changes your suggestion or not,

thanks again,
Iain

p.s. wow this has changed into more of a thread than i expected


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## Whiteskin (Nov 16, 2002)

For home dir. "K > Knoppix > Configure > Create a persistent KNOPPIX Home directory."

As for the USB modem, i'm not familliar with them, so.... i'm probably not the person to ask.


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