i recently gave my daughter a new computer with linux. i am totally without knowledge of linux. i've heard great things about linux. i do know quite a bit about windows OS. what are the basics with linux? is there a firewall? are the antivirus programmes that linux uses like the antiviruses windows uses? are virus scans done basically the same way? are there free on-line scans available for linux? are updates necessary for linux?
i basically just want to equip my daughter with the knowledge necessary to keep her computer secure. she will learn about all the goodies on her own.

good for you! What Linux Distro is it ?

most all have one, built in, how you access it depends on your Linux distro. Are you(she) behind a router ? if so then it depends on your paranoia level, if not then It's a pretty good idea.

pretty much as they are for detecting windows viruses and the one I use only runs when I want it to , you don't really need a AV for Linux ( yet ) , and those of us who do use one , use it as a way to keep from being a possible "Typhoid Mary" to other windows users.

occasionally, and I find them easier to install than the M$ equivalent

sounds good , but don't let her have all the fun

no one,
it was an asus eee 4gb surf, and i bought it from amazon specifically for her 19th birthday. she's a relative newbie to computers. for her i thought linux would be perfect since she's not set in her ways yet.
i must admit i wanted to have "a little fun" with it myself. i was hoping i could "capture" a little bit of somebody elses wireless internet (supposedly the computer is capable of that), but i didn't know enough about it to get it to work. i just wanted to be sure that it worked, and didn't want to load a bunch of info into it to use it with my dial-up connection.
i don't know if there is a firewall, what distro of linux it has (distro means "variety" correct?), and whether or not she is using a router (i will ask all those things the next time i see her). the only thing i can remember is that the antivirus that it had was xandros. i didn't install anything. everything on it was installed by the asus company.
how would i find out which distro is on it?
where would i search for a firewall?
do you know of any online scanners for linux?
about updates:
a. how do you find out if you need one?
b. how is it done?
is there a programme that is equivalent to belarc advisor that runs on linux?

i have heard, and read enough about linux to know that it is far superior to windows (even xp), and probably better than mac as well, when updates for xp run out, or my hard drive fails, then i will become a linux user myself. vista is a mess, and i don't think windows 7 will be trustworthy. my faith in MS is dwindling, but i must admit i am lucky so far with xp.
thanks for the reply.

I think you answered my question , as Xandros is your OS according to here ("distro means variety" is 100% correct ) probably not the AV . never used it, sorry, but there is a Xandros forum here that should be able to help you out on the specifics of Xandros unless someone else here uses it. Like alot of the others Xandros uses a download and install manager that does all the work for you as far as installing new software so it should be pretty easy although I don't know what limitations there might be on your setup. Sounds like a neat little laptop though.

no one,
yeah, it's a great little computer. it was less than $400 too. it's amazing how much computer you get for so little money now.
downloading is easier on linux, that doesn't surprise me.
i am going to make a compilation of all the info that pertains to her computer for both myself and her. those links and websites like bleepingcomputer will be part of that compilation. i want her to register with websites like this one, and get the answers to the questions she'll have, and the xandros forum.
thanks for your help.

You're welcome, sounds like a good plan. Lots of bigger brains here than mine. I always join the forum of what ever distro I'm currently using as who better to know the quirks and tricks than people who have used it since the start ? even if you never post there is lots of good stuff just searching what others post. I havent used M$ in over 2 years and can't see any reason I ever will again. (maybe if it was a job requirement) Linux take alittle getting used to as you have to find something else to do with the time you used to spend Defraging, updating your AV, and other anti-malware

I have been using Ubuntu for close to a year. I started out with the "Feisty' version-what ever that was called and updated to Gutsy Gibbon. I did a presentation on it at our users group in April. At that time I also had the CD version of "Hardy Heron" and showed that. I probably will update to that when I get myself an external drive. I am using an old IBM NetVista machine and it only has the bare essentials inside and nothing can be updated. RAM is kind of sparse so it gets slow sometimes. I get a kick of kicking on the Ubuntu and WindowsXP machines at the same time. Guess which one is ready to go first even though the XP has at least twice the RAM. My only problem was i reset my display resolution and something did not like that. From Ubuntu forum I found out how to get to the Xserver and reset it back. I give Ubuntu a boost every chance I get.
Gyzmo