3. Getting Ready for your Session

GNU/Linux is a multiuser system which means more than one user can access your machine, each with the ability to keep his own data and configuration files private and protected from other users. The different user accounts must be created by the administrator who is called root. You must have set his password during the installation, and he has no restrictions at all on the system.

It's very important to understand the terms “to log in” and “to log out”. To log in means to identify yourself to the computer. Think of it as a security officer verifying who you are before letting you in. After logging in, the system takes a number of actions in order to give you access to the system's resources. By logging in, you start a so-called “session”.

When you log out you are telling the system you no longer need to use its resources. Your personal session is closed, you exit the graphical interface and the login screen appears once more.

[Note]Note

Although these definitions are valid within the scope of this chapter, they are oversimplified. As you read the following chapters, you will better understand these concepts, their advantages and options.