Hack 20 Get Help

When you are lost or stuck, or you just have a question on Knoppix, there are a number of places you can go to get help.

Knoppix definitely makes it easy for a new user to get started on Linux, but even with all of the automated configuration tools and the easy-to-use desktop environment, you are bound to need help. Knoppix has a vibrant and multilingual community and a number of support outlets. Every Knoppix user is basically using the same exact software; if you are having a problem, someone else is probably having that problem too.

2.12.1 On the Disk

First of all, the Knoppix CD itself provides a good first line of support for any questions you might have. The Knoppix help page is actually the first page you see when the desktop environment loads. If you have closed your browser and want to get back to that page, click the icon labeled KNOPPIX on your desktop. Select your language along the bottom of the web page (for English, click EN) to see a basic help page that introduces Knoppix and provides some introductory information on the Knoppix project, and some links for getting further help.

If you need help with your desktop environment more than with Knoppix itself, click K MenuHelp to access KDE's full user manual. This help program also includes documentation for all of the main KDE applications, so you can use this resource if you have a question about the Konqueror web browser, for instance.

2.12.2 On the Web

There are a number of resources for getting help with Knoppix on the Internet. First of all, there is the official Knoppix site at http://www.knoppix.org, which maintains a FAQ you can view at http://www.linuxtag.org/2005/index.php. Corporate users of Knoppix might be interested in official commercial support provided by ed-media's Knoppix hotline located at http://www.ed-media.org/knoppix/en/index.html.

If you need more help, there are active online forums at http://www.linuxtag.org/2005/index.php (mostly a German-speaking forum) and at http://www.knoppix.net/forum (mostly an English-speaking forum). Knoppix.net is an excellent all-around resource for Knoppix questions with an active community because it answers questions on the forum and writes and maintains documentation and HOWTOs at http://www.knoppix.net/docs. You can track reported bugs in different versions of Knoppix at http://www.knoppix.net/bugs and file a bug report yourself. There are also forums dedicated to supporting Knoppix in many other languages, including French, Japanese, Polish, Russian, and others. Visit http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-links/index-en.html for a full listing.

When you ask for help, be sure to specify which version of Knoppix you are using and, if you have a hardware-related question, what hardware you are using with Knoppix and any cheat codes you have used.

If you would like more interactive support, you can also chat with other Knoppix users at the official IRC channel #knoppix on irc.freenode.net. For more information on how to connect to #knoppix with xchat, reference [Hack #19] .