Using Linux Created Documents in Android

We are now living in a digital age where more people are consuming content on mobile devices because it's convenient, for one. I remember the days when I worked as a Field Engineer traveling all over the U.S. I had to carry a heavy laptop and printer to major airports and get through the hassle of security before the days of 9-11. Being petite, it was a struggle to have to deal with carrying those two heavy items, my suitcase and purse. Then once I got to a company office, I had to hook up my laptop and printer with cables to crunch numbers on an Excel spreadsheet with massive amounts of data.  These Excel spreadsheets were used to determine staffing levels or how to rearrange freight at specific doors at a break-bulk dock.

Due to huge improvements in technology, my job executing those studies would be so much easier today. If I were using Canonical's Android phone concept, I could just plug in my phone to the hotel television and use LibreOffice's Calc to change formulas on spreadsheets equivalent to Excel. I could even view these spreadsheets on an airplane, whether I was using Canonical's phone or an Android tablet downloading them from either Dropbox or Google Drive.

Today, I'm going to show you that you can take documents created in LibreOffice on a Linux desktop, store them on a cloud drive, retrieve and edit them using apps on my Android phone, upload them to the cloud drive and review the Android edited documents on a Linux desktop again. What you will be witnessing is the magic of inter-Linux collaboration. Now, it is possible to collaborate with a MAC or a Windows device using the documents stored in the cloud, assuming they share the same common format like .doc, .ppt, pdf, .xls, etc. Remember, LibreOffice is capable of opening, editing and saving Windows documents. Yes, there are some exceptional cases where complex formatting may experience issues in LibreOffice. However, there should be no problem, whatsoever, viewing in PDF format. That's about as universal as the language of "English" spoken to conduct business all over the world.

Here is a summary of the collaboration scenario I executed:

Devices used for collaboration - Ubuntu 12.04 Toshiba laptop, Moto X smartphone with Android KitKat and Linux Mint 17 HP Pavilion laptop.

Cloud Storage Provider - Dropbox



Wordprocessor - LibreOffice Writer on Linux: OpenDocument Reader on Android



Presentations - LibreOffice Impress on Linux: QuickOffice and Impress Remote on Android



Spreadsheets - LibreOffice Calc on Linux: QuickOffice on Android



What I was able to do successfully is take each type of document above, whether it was a wordprocessor, presentation or spreadsheet, create it on Ubuntu 12.04 and upload it to Dropbox. Then I was able to retrieve the document on my Moto X, edit the document on Moto X and save the revised document to Dropbox. Finally, I downloaded the document from Dropbox to Linux Mint 17 and viewed or edited it.

Please note that the Android app "OpenDocument Reader" can read and edit .odt and .ods format pretty easily. However, the .odp format does not completely work. I get the headings of each slide but not the details on each slide. A potential workaround is to save the presentation in .pptx format and use the Android App "QuickOffice" to modify the presentation file. Then save the presentation file onto your smartphone and upload it to Dropbox. Once in Dropbox, you can rename the presentation file to the original filename.

If you plan to review a presentation on your Android device, you can use the Android App "Impress Remote". You have to be using LibreOffice Impress 4.3 on a Linux desktop with the presentation file opened. The app "Impress Remote" will display the name of the PC on the same WiFi network as your Android device. Before you click on the name of the PC, it will prompt you to enter the PIN number displayed within LibreOffice Impress on your Linux desktop. Then it will display the presentation file slide by slide on your Android device. You will be able to swipe through each slide on Android, which will be "mirrored" on the Linux desktop, you're viewing it from. That's a pretty cool way to train an employee or present to a customer while you're doing the controlling from your Android device.

Transitioning from Windows Vista/XP/7 to Linux Mint

Here's a list of common tasks you routinely perform in Windows, followed by a detailed description of the how to perform each task in Linux, if applicable.  (This is based on Linux Mint Xfce 14.  The locations may vary depending upon the version of Mint you're using and Windows manager, such as Cinnamon or Mate.)

1. How do I log off/shut down?  You will find the last selection "Log Out" within the Menu on the lower left hand corner of your desktop.


2. 
   

   Where is the Start menu?  In Linux Mint, the Start menu is simply called "Menu" on the lower left hand corner of the desktop.

   
   


3. 
   

   Where is My Computer?  In Windows, you normally go to My Computer to view your different directories like A:/ or C:/ drive.  In Linux Mint, the equivalent is called File System.  In Linux, there is no drive A:/ to view CD's, DVD's or attachable hard drives.  Instead you will see the icon with the name of the CD, DVD or attachable hard drive.  There is a folder called "media" at the top (or root) level of the Linux filesystem where you will find the removable media mounted.  There is no C:/ drive in Linux either.  The root level of the Linux filesystem is almost equivalent to the C:/ drive in Windows but not the same because the "media" file is a subset file of the root level and not a separate root file system.  For example, in Windows media is viewed in the A:/ drive which is completely separate from the C:/ drive where all the main program files are stored.

   
   


4. 
   

   Where is the Control Panel?  In Linux Mint, think of the Control Panel as 2 categories.  There's "System" to perform typical System Administration tasks.  Then there's "Settings" to configure the appearance of the desktop.  Both of these categories can be found in the "Menu" at the lower left hand corner of the desktop.

   
   


5. 
   

   Where is All Programs?  By going into the "Menu" you have the ability to view all loaded programs by category except if you executed a custom install of special programs in your /home directory.

   
   


6. 
   

   Where is Device and Printers?  To configure Devices, click on "Menu".  Then click on "Settings" and select "Removable Drives and Media".  To configure Printers, click on "Menu".  Then click on "System" and select "Printers".

   
   


7. 
   

   Where is My Documents?  The Linux equivalent is called "Documents" and can usually be found by clicking on the File System icon, which will bring you to the top level directory of the Linux file system, which is also called the root.  You will find folders which store program files and configuration data similar to Windows program files or system folders.  However, to find the location of the "Documents" folder, you would have to find the Home folder.  The Home folder stores all the data and programs related to particular user accounts.  In it, you will find folders for each username.  Within each username are standard folders Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos.  Depending on your distro, you can click on shortcut icons on the desktop to get to the "Documents" folder.  To find "Documents" in Linux Mint, click on File System/home/(your username)/Documents OR Home/(your username)/Documents OR at the bottom left icon called "Places" in the picture below.  Hovering over the grey square icon will display the name of the icon "Places".

   
   


8. 
   

   Where is Pictures?  See explanation in #7.  Usually, you can find this folder as an icon on the desktop.  If it's not on the desktop, you easily create a shortcut icon for it on the desktop.

   
   


9. 
   

   Where is Music?  See explanation in #7.  Usually, you can find this folder as an icon on the desktop.  If it's not on the desktop, you easily create a shortcut icon for it on the desktop.

   
   


10. 
    

    Where is Games?  "Games" will be a folder located as a category for programs within your Linux distro menu.

    
    


11. 
    

    How do I Add/Remove Programs?  There are 3 methods to adding and removing programs within Linux. Chances are if you have a distro which is tailored for non-geeks, there will be an easy-to-use tool where you just use your mouse to point and click.  In Linux Mint, the name of this tool is Software Manager, which can be found as the fifth item from the top in the Menu.The second method is to use Synaptic Package Manager, which allows you to use your mouse to point and click your selections.  However, the programs are at a package level which can be too technical for a non-geek to deal with.  The third way is like executing DOS commands to run programs in Windows without the GUI.  It's called Command Line Interface (CLI) or Terminal Emulator prompt.  You simply type commands specific to your distro.  If your distro is Debian based, you will be using apt-get commands.  Since Linux Mint is a derivative of the Ubuntu distro, which is based on Debian, you will be using apt-get commands to install packages from the Terminal Emulator prompt.

    
    


12. 
    

    How do I add Shortcut Icons?  Depending on the distro, you can usually right click your mouse and find the menu item that allows you to add a shortcut icon to the desktop.  In Linux Mint, right click your mouse on the desktop and select Create Launcher.  You can then select which program to launch in the drop-down menu displayed after you type into the "Name" field.

    
    


13. 
    

    How do I check disk usage?  To find out where in Linux Mint, click Menu|System|Disk Usage Analyzer.

    
    


14. 
    

    Do I need to install an Anti-Virus program?  You don't really need one because there aren't that many viruses that execute on Linux and in order for a downloaded program to execute on Linux, you would have to specifically grant it permission as the Systems Administrator of your Linux OS.  However, if it makes you feel more secure having one, install Clam AV.

    
    


15. 
    

    Do I need to defrag Linux?  No.  The Linux filesystem does not store data non-sequentially like Windows does, which causes fragmentation.

    
    


16. 
    

    What if my screen is frozen?  You will need to execute commands to close the Windows manager specific to your Linux distro.  To find out where in Linux Mint, click here.

    
    


17. 
    

    How do I install operating system updates?  Click on Menu|System|Update Manager.  Or click the Blue Badge icon at the bottom right hand corner of your desktop.

    
    


18. 
    

    Where is Outlook?  Mozilla's Thunderbird comes pre-installed on some popular distros while Novell's Evolution is a worthy equivalent.

    
    


19. 
    

    Where is MS Office?  You can pay for Cross-over or use Wine emulator for free to run MS Office programs.  Or you can use LibreOffice, which I found very capable of doing a lot things I used to use MS Office for.  LibreOffice comes pre-installed with Linux Mint.

    
    


20. 
    

    Where is MS Word?  LibreOffice Writer is what I use in place of MS Word.  You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Writer.

    
    


21. 
    

    Where is MS Excel?  LibreOffice Calc is what I use in place of MS Excel.  You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Calc.

    
    


22. 
    

    Where is MS PowerPoint?  LibreOffice Impress is what I use in place of MS PowerPoint.  You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Impress.

    
    


23. 
    

    Where is MS Access?  LibreOffice Base is a bit too basic to fully replace MS Access.  (You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Base.)  However, since most businesses are becoming more web-based, your best bet is to use a database built for the web like PostgresSQL, MariaDb or MySQL.  If you plan on using any of the web-based databases, you can develop custom front-ends based on Python, PHP and RubyonRails languages.

    
    


24. 
    

    Where is Paint?  LibreOffice Draw can perform functions similar to Paint.  (You can find it by clicking Menu|Office|LibreOffice Draw.)  It can also be supplemented by Gimp and Inkscape for more advanced functions.  Gimp is like Adobe Photoshop while Inkscape is like Adobe Illustrator, handling 2 dimensional drawings.

    
    


25. 
    

    Where is Accessories?  Linux does have an Accessories category for programs.  You can find it by clicking Menu and then Accessories.

    
    


26. 
    

    Where is NotePad?  I've been successfully using Gedit in place of NotePad for several years now and I haven't missed a beat as far as functionality.  You can find it by clicking on Menu|Accessories|gedit.

    
    


27. 
    

    Where is the Command Prompt?  To find it in Linux Mint, click on Menu and Terminal Emulator at the top of the menu.

    
    


28. 
    

    Where is the Calculator?  It will be located in the Accessories folder of your Linux distro like Windows.

    
    


29. 
    

    Where is the WebCam?  For the most part, Cheese has been able to do the job adequately.  If it's not installed on your PC, find it in the Software Manager and install it.  Once it's installed, click on Menu|Multimedia|Cheese.

    
    


30. 
    

    Where is Windows Media Player?  Banshee Media Player or Rhythmbox can be used as a replacement for Windows Media Player.  To find it, click on Menu|Multimedia|Banshee.

    
    


31. 
    

    Where is Windows DVD Maker?  Brasero can be used to make DVD's.  To find it, click on Menu|Multimedia|Brasero.

    
    


32. 
    

    Where is Windows Fax and Scan?  Linux Mint comes pre-installed with Simple Scan for scanning capabilities.  You may need to download drivers and execute some commands using the Terminal prompt to configure your Scanner, depending upon the Manufacturer.  To find it, click on Menu|Graphics|Simple Scan.

    
    


33. 
    

    Where is Windows Live Movie Maker?  I've been using OpenShot Video Editor for creating and editing simple personal videos.  OpenShot is not pre-installed with Linux Mint.  Therefore, you must find it from the Software Manager and install it.  Once it's installed, you can find it by clicking on Menu|Multimedia|OpenShot Video Editor.

    
    


34. 
    

    Where is Windows Live Photo Gallery?  In Linux Mint, Ristretto Image Viewer displays images stored on your PC.  Shotwell can be used manage your photos.  You can download it from the Software Manager and install it.

    
    


35. 
    

    How do I transfer Android files to my desktop?  If you're lucky, some distros enable you to do this with their File Manager without installing extra software and performing additional configuration.  Some distros, especially older versions of their OS, will require additional software and configuration.  See ADB File Manager.

    
    


36. 
    

    How do I backup my data or entire OS?  Linux Mint has APTonCD to backup just the packages installed on your OS.  Click on Menu|System|APTonCD to find it.  For data, click on click on Menu|System|Backup Tool.  If you want to reliably back up the entire OS, including the data, I recommend downloading and installing Clonezilla on a USB stick.  To use Clonezilla, you would insert the Clonezilla USB stick into your PC and insert a hard drive that's large enough to store the backup into your PC as well.

    
    

Workaround Syncing Android with Banshee Media Player

In the Linux world, it's great to have the Windows equivalent of "Windows Media Player" to organize, sync and maintain your music, movies, videos, audiobooks and podcasts across your mobile and desktop devices. On Ubuntu and Linux Mint, the default media program that comes pre-installed with these two distros is "Banshee Media Player".

Using it is about as intuitive as using "Windows Media Player" so it works pretty well. However, you may run into situations where it may not work with some mobile devices as I found out recently with my Samsung Stellar smartphone. So to relieve the frustration of some users using Android devices, I came up with a workaround which will allow you to sync your Android device with Banshee Media Player.

1.  Install Android ADB File Manager. The instructions are here.

2.  Plug your Android smartphone into the USB slot of your PC.

3.  Create a new folder called "Android Music" on your Linux PC.

4.  Drag and drop the music files stored in your Android sdcard directory labeled "Music" to the "Android Music" folder on your Linux PC.  (To drag and drop more than one file simultaneously, select your first file and hold down the <CTRL> button.  Then select every file with your mouse that you want to move and let go of the <CTRL> button.  Drag one of the files to your new folder "Android Music".  All the other files you selected should transfer to "Android Music".)

5.  Open Banshee Media Player on your Linux PC.

6.  Select the "Music" section of the Banshee Library.

7.  Right click on "Music" and then select "Import Media" from the drop down menu that pops up.

8.  Click on the "Choose Folders..." button.

9.  Navigate to the "Android Music" folder you created.

10.  Click on the "Import" button.

You can then repeat the above steps for your other media folders such as Movies, Playlists, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Sound, etc.

Here's the video I made which accompanies the above instructions:

Scan and Crop Old Photos from Albums using Linux Tools

We now live in this world of instant socializing by sharing our photos and tweets on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  Sometimes, you want to relive your past memories from long ago (before the age of smartphones) and share these treasured photos on Facebook, Instagram or Flickr.  I've got great news if you're Linux user.  It's possible.  Just follow my instructions and you'll be on your way to digitizing photos from your old albums back when Kodak was the main player in capturing and processing photos.

1.  Hook up your scanner to your Linux PC.  (I'm using Linux Mint 14.)

2.  Scan the photos with Simple Scan.



3.  Save and rename the scanned image.





4.  Open Gimp Editor.



5.  Open the scanned image.



6.  Go to Tools and choose Select | Rectangular Select.



7.  Move the mouse pointer to upper left corner of scanned image and hold down left mouse button



and drag the pointer to the lower right hand corner of scanned image until it is completely outlined.  Release left mouse button.



8.  Go to Edit | Cut.



9.  Go to File | Close.  (Closes new Gimp session.)







10.  Go to Edit | Paste.  (Saves scanned image over first Gimp session.)



11.  Go to File | Export.



12.  Type name of file



13.  Select PNG format.



14.  Click on Export.





15.  After you close out of Gimp, the finished product looks like this!



Here's a video tutorial I did on this topic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Transfer Files Between Android and a Linux Mint PC

1.  For USB connections, use Android ADB File Manager.  In order to use this method, you will have to clone a developer repository, download the Android SDK and set up a bash script that will be called by the Removable Devices on the Menu.  The detailed instructions can be found here.  Once you've finished installing and configuring the necessary programs for this method, you simply plug in your Android device to your Linux PC USB and Android ADB File Manager will display on the screen like it does below.  The window is split in half, with the left side displaying your PC files/directories and the right side displaying your Android device files/directories.  You can now drag and drop files between directories.



2.  For wireless transfers, use Cloud Storage Providers.  I've had direct experience using Google Drive and UbuntuOne to back up the files on my Android smartphone.  Any time you take a new picture from your Android phone, both providers will store those new photos on their remote servers.  Then when you log into your Linux PC, you will be able to access them by logging into either Google Drive or UbuntuOne.  All you need to do is find UbuntuOne in the GooglePlay store and download the app on your Android smartphone.  Then follow the instructions within the UbuntuOne app to choose which directories to back up on your Android smartphone.  When you're on your Linux PC, click on this link to download UbuntuOne to your PC.  If you have an Android phone, you automatically have Google Drive installed so all you have to do is set it up to select which directories within your phone to back up.

Use WINE to Play Windows Games on Linux

When it comes to games, most people are playing games on-line via their tablet or smartphone rather than buying a CD or DVD of the latest electronic game.  Yes, I know there are still board games and sports but those type of games are not going to be covered on this site.  However, for those of you who would like to preserve the legacy of your past favorite games on other non-Linux operating systems, there is a potential solution for you using the WINE Emulator program.  This program will enable you to play a Windows game on your Linux PC.  For this post, I will be using a Hoyle Board game as an example.



Before you can install the Windows game, you need to install the WINE Emulator program.  The WINE Emulator program enables you to run Windows applications on a non-Windows PC.  This program creates a virtual Windows directory on your Linux PC using the Windows File system.  This means that if you download (*.EXE) files, you can use the WINE program to emulate Windows by installing and running Windows programs in your new Windows directory.

Although WINE is available in the Software Manager for Linux Mint and the Software Center for Ubuntu, I recommend following the instructions directly from the WINE website to download the package appropriate for your Linux distribution and to install the WINE program correctly.  The reason why I recommend this is I went through the Software Manager on Linux Mint to install PlayonLinux, which automatically installed both PlayonLinux and WINE but I was unable to get it working without additional steps.  Incidentally, PlayonLinux is the front-end UI for WINE.  I detailed this experience on my Blog post.  To make a long story short, I ended up removing PlayonLinux and WINE, then re-installing WINE from Software Manager and executing additional steps to get it working properly.  "Why did this happen?"  You are probably asking.  Well, it's because the version of WINE I had downloaded from Software Manager was obsolete and there were areas specific to my Laptop hardware that needed to be addressed.  So to save you from enduring my situation, just go straight to the source, the WINE website and follow THEIR instructions.

Once you get WINE working properly, installing a Windows game is a piece of cake.  Make sure you configure WINE for the Windows version your game is designed to run on, locate the Window game Executable file (*.EXE), right click on it and select 'WINE Configuration loader'.   The game will execute the installation process as if you were using a Windows PC.  Here's my Blog post with a Youtube tutorial on the process.

Resolving Linux Mint Issues

This section will help the end user resolve issues that may occur when using Linux Mint.  The following errors commonly occur when using CPU intensive activities (i.e. using multiple applications at the same time) or graphic intensive applications (i.e. playing a video game or using a a video editor).  To alleviate these problems try to use Linux Mint on a partition with enough memory to handle the application or use a stronger graphics card and make sure the drivers are updated.  There are Linux vendors who can make sure you don't experience these types of problems because they certify and configure their hardware and components to ensure they are optimized to work well with your Linux distribution.  I never purchased a Linux laptop so I have run into these issues as a Linux newbie.

MENU FROZE:

1.  Press keys <CTRL><ALT><F2> simultaneously to exit to the login prompt.
2.  Press keys <CTRL><ALT><DEL> simultaneously to reboot the computer.

MINIMIZE(-)/MAXIMIZE(+) BUTTONS DISAPPEARED ON WINDOWS:

1. Click on Menu.
2. Click on Terminal Emulator.
3. Type the following linux command at the prompt:

xfwm4 --replace



4.  Press <ENTER>.

Install ADB (Android Debug Bridge) for Android File Transfer to Linux Mint

Equivalent Linux Applications to Common Windows Applications

Taking Linux Mint for a Test Drive

BACK UP, BABY! BACKUP!!! - Before you take the plunge with trying Linux on your Laptop, PC or workstation, be sure you either have a spare machine with your Windows OS installed on it and all of your important files backed up. (There's nothing worse than trying something new and having something go wrong during the process of trying something new and not being able to go back to how it was before.)

TRY A LIVE CD, DVD OR USB - Before you install something new to your treasured Laptop, make sure you feel comfortable with the look and feel of using the new OS. Linux Mint (Download Linux Mint) gives you the option of using a Windows installer (Wubi) or an ISO file. The ISO file is a container storing all of the programs necessary to run the OS all compressed in one file that is represented with a Disc image graphically and with the extension .iso (i.e. myfile.iso)

• What you need to do is download the ISO file of the version of Linux Mint you want to use based on whether your hardware is 64-bit or 32-bit onto your Laptop.


• Then you need to download this program called Universal USB Installer (Download UUI) to create the LIVE CD, DVD or USB.


• Follow the instructions of the UUI site to create the LIVE CD, DVD or USB OR you can use the Wubi from either the Linux Mint Download sites.


• After you are done creating the LIVE CD, DVD or USB. Shut down your Windows Laptop.


• Plug in your CD, DVD or USB.


• Turn on your Laptop.


• Hit whatever key brings you to the BIOS on your Laptop. Mine was <F12>.

The Linux Mascot (aka TUX)

• Select the Linux Mint from the Options menu and Voila!!! You're off and running Linux Mint.

Installing and Configuring Apps in Linux Mint

In Linux Mint, there are 3 ways to install applications:

1. Software Manager -This is the easiest way to install most applications on Linux Mint. You can navigate to it by:
   
   
   
   • Clicking on Menu
   
   
   • Clicking on Software Manager
   
   
   • Entering your password at the Dialog box prompt
   
   
   
   


2. Synaptic Package Manager - This is another way to install applications at a package component level, which makes it easier for Developers or System Administrators to review software components which are missing and need to be installed. You can navigate to it by:
   
   
   
   • Clicking on Menu
   
   
   • Clicking on System
   
   
   • Clicking on Synaptic Package Manager
   
   
   
   


3. Terminal Emulator- This is the quickest way to install applications and missing software package components for more Technical users. It is very similar to the DOS Command Prompt in Windows. Users enter commands to execute processes within the operating system, including the installation of software. You can navigate to it by:
   
   
   
   • Clicking on Menu
   
   
   • Clicking on Terminal Emulator
   
   
   
   

• As for configuring applications in Linux Mint, most of the time, you can use the applications within Settings to change how your operating system looks and behaves. You can navigate to it by:
  
  
  
  • Clicking on Menu
  
  
  • Clicking on Settings
  
  
  
  Alternatively, it is possible to configure applications by executing commands with Terminal Emulator.

For some applications which are not found in Software Manager, you may be instructed by the Developers who created the applications to use the Terminal Emulator to install their applications.

 

Using Linux Mint with Windows on a Dual Partition

TRY A LIVE CD, DVD OR USB - Before you install something new to your treasured Laptop, make sure you feel comfortable with the look and feel of using the new OS. Linux Mint (Download Linux Mint) gives you the option of using a Windows installer (Wubi) for versions earlier than 13.04 or an ISO file. The ISO file is a container storing all of the programs necessary to run the OS all compressed in one file that is represented with a Disc image graphically and with the extension .iso (i.e. myfile.iso)

• What you need to do is download the ISO file of the version of Ubuntu you want to use based on whether your hardware is 64-bit or 32-bit onto your Laptop.


• Then you need to download this program called Universal USB Installer (Download UUI) to create the LIVE CD, DVD or USB.


• Follow the instructions of the UUI site to create the LIVE CD, DVD or USB OR you can use the Wubi from either the Ubuntu Download site.


• After you are done creating the LIVE CD, DVD or USB. Shut down your Windows Laptop.


• Plug in your CD, DVD or USB.


• Turn on your Laptop.


• Hit whatever key brings you to the BIOS on your Laptop. Mine was <F12>.

The Linux Mascot (aka TUX)

• Select Linux Mint from the Options menu and Voila!!! You're off and running Linux Mint.

DUAL BOOT LINUX AND WINDOWS - You know that CD, DVD or USB you created in the step ABOVE You can use that same media to install a dual boot of Linux alongside Windows. That way, if you are playing conservative and don't want to end up in the deep end being a newbie and all with Linux, you can at BOOT UP decide which OS you want to use. This allows you to gain some experience in using Linux, its free Office and other applications and see how they compare to Windows and its commercial applications.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Plug in the CD, DVD or USB you created.


2. Hit the <F12> key or whatever key you need to on your computer to display the BIOS.


3. Select the option that corresponds to your optical device whether it be DVD/CD or USB from the BIOS menu. Hit <Enter>.


4. Select the the first option "Start Linux Mint".


5. Click on the Disc icon that says "Install Linux Mint".


6. Go through and select the appropriate options until you get to Installation Type Window.


7. Select the first option "Install Linux Mint alongside them".


8. Select how much space to allocate to Linux Mint on a separate partition from your Windows OS.


9. Go through the rest of the installation process choosing values specific to your Country.


10. You can use the link below to help you with the rest of the installation process even though the tutorial is about removing Windows from its partition and replacing the whole computer with Linux Mint.


11. When it is time to boot up the computer, you will now have Linux Mint as an option to boot into besides Windows.

Installing Linux Mint Tutorial

 

 

Basic Navigation in Linux Mint

If you are familiar with Windows 7 operating system, the navigation within Linux Mint 14 is very similar. You access most of the applications by clicking on the Menu bar at the lower left hand corner of your Screen, which is just like clicking on the Startup bar in the same area in Windows 7.

Once you click on the Menu bar in Linux Mint, you will access a small window that displays the different categories of applications to navigate to. The top items on this window are 5 applications you will use frequently that is why they are singled out at the top. I think this is more compact than the current equivalent Startup Menu bar in Windows 7, which is a little bit excessive in how it lists several applications without the categorization.

It is easy enough to move the mouse over one of the five applications and click to select them or move the mouse to one of the categories to select the applications displayed within that category.