** Please Comment on this Article Below **
Welcome, Joseph. I have been trying to learn Linux for a few months now. I wanted to avoid Vista and get off the Microsoft merry-go-round. I come from 20+ years of Windows. I currently have a pc that has XP, Mint 4.0, Mepis 7.0, PCLOS 2007, and Fedora 8. Mepis and PCLOS are my favorites. I am waiting on Ubuntu 8.04 to come out and will try it. I will probably replace Mint with it.
I look forward to your articles about Linux and will be visiting your web site.
I was never a guru in Windows but I got deeper than most people ever intend to. I replaced a motherboard on one of my computers once and change out hard drives and ram.
The learning curve of Linux is great, especially for us older people (I will be 65 this year). I spend a lot of time reading and researching the web, forums, blogs, groups, and online magazines. If I think maybe I have learned something then right behind that something comes up that totally makes me go back to square one.
It has been a great learning experience so far and I hope to one day feel at home in Linux.
I'm looking fwd to more articles..
@Harold
It sounds like you are already on your way to becoming a Linux user. I learned Linux in the same way by installing different distros over the coarse of several years. I used Suse 9.0 as my only OS for about 6 months one time and it was okay. Then I used Ubuntu as my only OS for most of '06 and '07. Right now I'm using Mac OS X which is another adventure in Unix.
If you have any requests for articles, post them here and I'll see what I can do to accommodate.
I have Win XP Home on the three computers here. I work at a lawenforcement unit that
have over 30 computers,,from Win 98 to Win 2000, with Win XP Pro the main OS to date.
I ask the tech that keeps all that up and running if Ubuntu would work and download
well to one of my home PC's.
He states it could corrupt the Windows OS and
render the reinstall or recovery process useless.
I know he did something like this on some of the Windows 98 PC's and they went down for good. I do not wish to do that.
Have you experenced anything like this with Ubuntu.
Would like to try and learn Linux like the person that posted above,,and also get off the ( Microsoft merry-go-round)
Great letter,,,keep up the great work..
I've been seesawing back and forth between Linux and Windows for the better part of ten years. Due to one difficulty or another, I've always beat a hasty retreat to Win, sad to say. Debian, Suse, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Mepis, Slackware, Linspire,others have alway failed me. I've had pc's dedicated to Linux, dual-boot systems that worked for awhile. I'm still trying. Just picked up one of those Brit mags that includes a distro or three, plusl. Think I'll install it on my wife's old computer. See what happens. But I'll probably return to the arms of MS. One reason: I love freeware, and there's just so much good, usable stuff in every area that, leaving winx isn't just turning your back on Bill Gates; it's rejecting a host of good guys doing good work! Good luch with your efforts; enjoyed the column.
Robert
Welcome, Joseph, good to have you aboard!
Excellent article. I see you also write fiction (which I aspire to do -- SF/Fantasy). I'm a true geek also. I've been running various flavors of Linux in VMware for some time; I also have several flavors booting from USB thumb drives. If I didn't have to make my living supporting Microsoft's products, I would run nothing but Linux/Open Source. As it is, I use Open Source software whenever possible, rather than spending good money on bad software.
Dave's a great guy, this is a great newsletter, and you're going to enjoy working with us.
Drop me a line anytime at askthegeek"at"kennyhart.com.
Cheers!
Ken
http://askthegeek.kennyhart.com
http://itknowledgeexhcange.techt...security-
corner
http://www.lockergnome.com/gnomewriter
Dave & Joe,
Great idea for an article and a great start to a what I am sure will be a very helpful topic for many of us.
I had tried Live Ubuntu a few years ago.I used a live version so I just put the CD in the drive and rebooted so I didn't have to fret about the install.
But I struggled with out any guidance; I was simply walking in the dark because I didn't find a help file. Things like trying to get out of the DOS like interface to the GUI, and a host of other such hit and miss wanderings was a real hassle that finally caused me to finally abandon it.
But with your guidance I am looking forward to giving it another try.
With a dual boot system, Win98 and WinXp I am thinking of installing a version on a spare jump drive to make things real easy and avoiding any problems I might cause while I am learning.
What version would be best suited for this setup?
I will be awaiting the next lesson.
Thanks to both of you for the great service to the many readers of Dave's Newsletter.
BRIAN
After burning a Ubuntu to a CD-disk, I got
the Ubuntu OS by re-loading with the Ube iso in my Cd-drive.
I had a look at what I had and that's as far as I've got. That's why I think the Joseph Bales
articles will be a must for me.
Anything that gets me really into Linux and away from MS-Windows is good.
elwaltura
One aspect of Linux that wasn’t noted is most everything in M$ and Apple world can be done inside the pretty check boxed graphical user interface. In Linux, some understanding of the black and white command line will be essential. Also, because of DRM restrictions many DVD’s will not play. At least not legally.
