Newbie alert!
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| grouch Mar 22, 2006 9:50 PM EDT |
~snicker~ Lookit da newb! Just kidding you, Scott. You tell it. There's a whole flock of penguins behind you. The only person who can say there are no 'old hands' with Linux who came before him is Torvalds. You will make it easier for the next batch. |
| sharkscott Mar 22, 2006 11:00 PM EDT |
Thanks grouch..I think. :-) What started me on this was the fact that no matter how hard I look, I have a hard time finding "How-To's" and "Beginners Guide's" that actually are for beginners. Even the good one's assume that someone might know some kind of programming conventions. Most people don't want to read a bunch of books or how-to's that they will barely understand just to learn a thing or two. Plus most people lose their enthusiasm after hitting that many walls. The way I figure it, if I can teach myself how to do something then I can show it to others. I have been told I have a knack for explaining things, that's how I sorta fell into studying to become a Special Education Teacher. I have studied History, Geology, Anthropology and of course, Music. Ever since I was a kid I was always the one student that all the other students would ask "what did the teacher just say?". It was recently that I finally got the "hint", maybe I should just get a degree in education. WHAM! I coulda' had a V-8! Am I a newbie? you bet. I know it, you know it, they know it. I want them too. If I do it right, I will not come off as someone who is "too big for their britches". If I can impart know-how and get someone who would otherwise not feel comfortable asking a question, to ask. Then it will be more then worth any amount of ribbing I take for it. Even from you. ;-) |
| grouch Mar 23, 2006 10:42 AM EDT |
Scott: I had "Linux The Complete Reference" which was all of the HOWTOs and guides from the Linux Documentation Project at the time, in book form, and some CDs. No Internet connection. It was extremely frustrating and took me ages to do anything useful at all. When an ISP finally arrived in my area, I discovered that things were much easier than what I had been through, my CDs were outdated, and there was a community willing to help with every problem. That was when I found out that HOWTOs cover more information than one is likely to need in a given situation. The trick is picking out what part applies to your problem and ignoring those parts your distribution has already taken care of. It's astounding how far things have come so fast. Someone with no computer experience can pop in one of the live CDs out there and be using the computer in minutes. A handful of command line tips: http://edge-op.org/grouch/new.html |
| sharkscott Mar 23, 2006 11:02 AM EDT |
Thanks for the link, great site! I will be soaking it for information presently. Quote: "It's astounding how far things have come so fast. Someone with no computer experience can pop in one of the live CD's out there and be using the computer in minutes." That's pretty close to describing me. Just insert "some" instead of "no" computer experience. I will say that I have learned a thing or two in the last couple of years and especially since November of last year. One of the best parts of this whole thing? I'm starting to lose my Windows skills, if that's what they could have been called. I'm not a total newb, not totally. :-) |
| grouch Mar 23, 2006 12:00 PM EDT |
It's pretty obvious you're not a total newb. Judging by your writing, you didn't just pop in a CD and go. You've been tinkering! That's something I don't think we tell enough people about, the fact that Linux is now at the point where they don't have to tinker, but it won't stop them from it and the world won't necessarily end if they do tinker. Are you going to do a series of articles following up this one? |
| sharkscott Mar 23, 2006 1:39 PM EDT |
Yes I am. Of course I list Konquerer first and its the "biggest" of all of them to try and explain. I'm working on it, its just kicking me in the pants. Once I get it to where I think it is OK, I'll have "the eagles" look at it. They know who they are. |
| sharkscott Mar 24, 2006 12:15 AM EDT |
Quote: "the fact that Linux is now at the point where they don't have to tinker" I agree completely except for the fact that as Linux users we still have to go and get the codec's that will allow us to view jpegs, watch mpegs and the like. It is unfortunate that almost all Windows users are accustomed to having these capabilities ready to go when they start up their computer. That simple fact has kept most of the "masses" from even considering the move to Linux. Microsoft has made the "hand feeding" of the masses their mantra. Its like automobiles, get in, turn the key, and go. If something goes wrong, get another one, or pay someone else to fix it. I don't like it, I know you don't. But that is what we have to deal with. We may say that Ubuntu or SuSE or some other distro is "as easy as pie" but as Linux users we look at our computers in a fundamentally different way. We see our "compy's" as something to explore, tinker or customize. Windows users do not. They see it as a means to an end. Linux has allowed us to be free to look at our computers as a toolbox full of whatever we want to fill it with. Windows users see it as they do a car or truck. We like to know the how's and why's of its functions. Windows users just want to know what it can do. Until Linux is as easy as getting in and turning a key, it is going to be an uphill battle. That's OK though, I like having to climb mountains. I fight better when my opponent thinks I am 'below' him, just ask my brother. :-) |
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