Chapter 13: Where to Now? Overview Over the course of this book, we have examined the Linux operating system in detail, covering everything from its history and installation to everyday administration and even an introduction to programming in Perl. But that’s not all! Linux has much more to offer; we have only scratched the surface of what is possible. There are hundreds upon hundreds of open source applications that are able to run on Linux. Whether it is exciting games, office productivity applications, or sophisticated development tools, you will be able to find software that meets your needs. Therefore, our main goal in this chapter is to get a taste of this vast frontier of the open source movement. We will break this chapter into three sections: In the first section, we’ll give a brief snapshot of where to look for resources online, what you will find, and a summary of widely used licensing schemes. In the second section, we will discuss several administration applications that we can use on a daily basis to monitor and optimize our Linux system. The third section will be of particular interest if you are interested in development. It looks at a number of programming languages, development utilities, and database engines that can be used effectively with Linux. For each of the applications covered in this chapter, we will examine the reason for using the application, where to obtain it, and how to install it properly on your system. Before we take a hard look at the applications themselves, we’ll start with some references and background information about helpful documentation and online resources that you can use to find applications and utilities that may interest you. Online Resources and Licensing Schemes It seems that more than ever these days, there is a proliferation of information on Linux and open source – discussions on the open source initiative, articles on whether open source is good or bad, and references to the success of Linux. However, the best resources on Linux arguably can be found at the Open Source Development Network (OSDN). OSDN is a network of a number of web sites, including the famous Slashdot.org, SourceForge.net, and Freshmeat.net. Software Resources Suppose you are in the mood to play a game of Battleship – the game where you try to sink your opponent’s ships – but you are not sure if a version exists for Linux. How do you find out? Just head on over to Freshmeat.net and search for Battleship, and see what you get. Or better yet, take a look at the figure below: 434

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