Linux Friendliness

[Sleeping Dog]

This is an excerpt from an an email that I sent to our kind and benevolent webmaster.

An Observation Note:  As I muddle my way through trying to learn Linux as an alternative OS, I believe that I have made one important and valuable observation.  Most of the information "out there" about Linux and it's iterations seems to be written in `Geek-Speak' that is not easily understood by the average person.  Of course, most of the documentation is written by folks for whom the UNIX/Linux world is second nature due to their exposure to it.  However, if "Microsoft Eradication" is truly a goal, then efforts should be made to bring Linux and other alternatives "to the people" with instructions, explanations and documentation that are written and described in a way that makes the information more user friendly to the novice.  Regrettably, this is one part of the game where the tech-writers at Microsoft are still winning hands-down.  In fairness, I have found a couple of sites that were pretty good for starters, but they are far too rare.

How do we get the info "out there" if the average Jill or Joe thinks that it is beyond them?

Has anyone yet written "LINUX For The Functionally Stupid" so that I can play too?

[Calum]

You might want to try here for a start.

Also, now i'm warmed up, here's a resource deliberately designed with newbies in mind. These people acknowledge your dilemma and have made the effort to rewrite the docs into newbie speak.

Having said that, i reckon that many of the actual manuals for linux are quite easy to understand, just that a lot of people do not bother getting the manuals when they get their distro. I have the manual for red hat 7 and i must say it helped me a lot when i was a slightly newerbie than i am now! All the red hat manuals can be downloaded from their site, and i'm sure many other distros do a similar thing.

Sooner or later though, using linux will teach you a lot just by you using it, how much depends on how varied the things are that you use your machine for.

addendum, i often recommend Unix Unleashedto people, that's the first edition, here's the system administrator's edition. Just have a look through the first few chapters, they assume that you know absolutely nothing, and they do not rush you into anything. If you go through the entire book, you will end up knowing all about how to confidently administrate your own box.

[preacher]

Just one look at the man pages was enough to make me want to cry when I was new. Fortunately there were a few college classes around here that went over unix bash commands and the teacher was a true linux lover. Plus I had willingness to learn.

[hoojchoons]

The first experience with Linux can be really frustrating. Believe me, I've gone through numerous disapointments until I finally set up Linux right on my machine. When you come from the world of Windows, you're most certainly accustomed to a different way of thinking. For example you're used to drive letters which relate to your storage media whereas in Linux you have to strugle with a huge filesystem. You're also used to greater interoperability between different apps due to the fact that M$ tends to bundle their apps into the OS. With Linux you have to be patient and devote a lot of your time and effort. However if you're willing to learn you'll be generously compensated. It's worth your time...

[creedon]

Learning as much as you can is one of the BENEFITS of Linux.  
Linux forces you to find out how it works; then you're not shelling out $$$$$ to have some arrogant jerk look down his pimply nose at you while he's fixing something that you could easily do yourself.  (While looking down your OWN pimply nose >grin< .
Seriously, one of the biggest problems with MS products is the fact that a shaved ape can (and often does) use Windows for almost any computing purpose, but when it breaks (and it WILL) then the individual is screwed.  Most WIN users know where the power button is and that's it, whereas mos Linux users understand, in fairly great detail, how their hardware and, more importantly, their operating system works.

[jtpenrod]

If you're looking for easy to understand tips on Linux, give this article:Tips for New Linux Users, Pt. Ia read. Very well written, and it hits all the high points in an easy to understand way. This is the first of a proposed three-parter.
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[ May 31, 2002: Message edited by: jtpenrod ]