So I decided to take the plunge and try out Mandrake. I am downloading the 3 ISOs right now. I am going to need help. Is there a good Linux for Dummies website to tell me how to get started?? Also, I saw ATI has Linux drivers. Where do i go to get drivers for my motherboard and all the other stuff in my system.
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Linux Newbie: need help getting started
- Thread starter moemac8
- Start date
Actually you wont have to worry about getting drivers for your mainboard, etc. the linux documentation project is a great place hor help. Mandrake is actually pretty windows-like so you probably won't have any problems getting used to it. You might want to head here to grab urpmi.setup, which adds a bunch of sources to your package manager so that you won't have to go searching for binaries whenever you need a program that isn't on a cd.
Google is your friend.
Linux is something that wouldn't of existed without the internet. The Internet was created by using Unix. There is a 100x better (real/usefull) information for Linux then for Windows.
Most trouble comes from installing drivers. In linux drivers are called modules. Modules are bits of the kernel that can be added and removed from memory. etc etc.
Command line = power. You don't have to learn howto use it, but it is worth it if you do, eventually you'll use it.
Linux is something that wouldn't of existed without the internet. The Internet was created by using Unix. There is a 100x better (real/usefull) information for Linux then for Windows.
Most trouble comes from installing drivers. In linux drivers are called modules. Modules are bits of the kernel that can be added and removed from memory. etc etc.
Command line = power. You don't have to learn howto use it, but it is worth it if you do, eventually you'll use it.
That brings up a good question I've been meaning to ask: Is there a good book on just the various CLI commands and what they do?
I know there are the MAN pages and you can get information up the wazzu if you search for individual commands but it would be awesome to have that all in one book.
anyone?
Sorry...I don't mean to hijack this thread 🙂
I started out with Redhat about 7 months ago and progressed into Gentoo where I learned the most, but with many growing pains. I am now using Mandrake and loving it. Best advice I can give you is don't give up and it will eventually start to gell. Also, make your /home directory on it's own partition. Makes re-installs a breeze because all your filles and setings are saved there. BTW, try rute's guide for the basics and beyond... olias
I am kinda feeling a little wishy washy about installing. Guess i can just try it and if I hate it i can just delete that partition. I tried Red Hat once last year for like 4 days. Couldnt figure it out so I reformatted. Thanks for the web sites to look at. Guess I'll read up a bit and then decide.
Like I said before, the internet is full of usefull Linux information. A book is good since it's nice to have a reference close to you. Say you put in a new ethernet card, but forgot a command to get the drivers installed, so you can look it up in the book since you don't have access to the internet.
It also depends on how you read and learn stuff. I had a friend that when he read any sort of reference book, math, cars, or computers, he would highlight everything and use tags to mark important stuff. Me on the other hand just kinda flips around....
If you want to learn the comand line (actually the proper Unix word is shell) you can find all sorts of tutorials, references and howto's about anything. For instance here
Another thing you can do that's interesting is sign up for a shell account. Since the internet is mostly Unix it was very common for people just to allow anyone to log onto any computer via telnet. As crackers and script kiddies got more popular, this has died off, but it's still fun sometimes to send a dollar or 2 in and get a shell account on some internet server. Some ISP's still have shell accounts as part of their service, even if they don't advertise it much. There are still many free shell accounts out their, but often it is limited in what you can do on one.
A popular one is this. They have a limited shell for free, but once you confirm your identity (issues with crackers stopped anonymous accounts) by sending in a dollar in a envelope with your address you can get full access to a shell account, plus you get some webspace, too. It's nice to mess around it, and has forums and stuff for asking questions and stuff and is nice for testing your internet services from something outside your own firewall.
You know the internet isn't just all email, chat, and advertisments! 😛
edit: But then again, with modern Linux, if you don't feel comfortable with a Shell, you don't have to use it all.
It also depends on how you read and learn stuff. I had a friend that when he read any sort of reference book, math, cars, or computers, he would highlight everything and use tags to mark important stuff. Me on the other hand just kinda flips around....
If you want to learn the comand line (actually the proper Unix word is shell) you can find all sorts of tutorials, references and howto's about anything. For instance here
Another thing you can do that's interesting is sign up for a shell account. Since the internet is mostly Unix it was very common for people just to allow anyone to log onto any computer via telnet. As crackers and script kiddies got more popular, this has died off, but it's still fun sometimes to send a dollar or 2 in and get a shell account on some internet server. Some ISP's still have shell accounts as part of their service, even if they don't advertise it much. There are still many free shell accounts out their, but often it is limited in what you can do on one.
A popular one is this. They have a limited shell for free, but once you confirm your identity (issues with crackers stopped anonymous accounts) by sending in a dollar in a envelope with your address you can get full access to a shell account, plus you get some webspace, too. It's nice to mess around it, and has forums and stuff for asking questions and stuff and is nice for testing your internet services from something outside your own firewall.
You know the internet isn't just all email, chat, and advertisments! 😛
edit: But then again, with modern Linux, if you don't feel comfortable with a Shell, you don't have to use it all.
Whatever you do dont dump your windows partition until you give it a try. Use partitioin magic and check it out first. That is my suggestion. I have used both and I am reading a book now on Linux Red Hat 9 just to learn it before I take the dive again for the 3rd time. That is what I suggest. It isnt for the impatient as it is a new thing and you have to be patient to learn it. Dont expect to play too many games on it until you learn it well. Take your time!!!
I was kinda hoping that a modern Linux version would be more GUI oriented and less command line driven. One thing that really chaps my ass is that Windows is supposed to be such a great GUI but if you have to boot up from a floppy(win 98/ME) or the CD (WinXP) you are thrown into a command line DOS enviroment which sucks for someone that does'nt have any expeirience with it. I have to say Apple had a good thing, all there boot up CD's boot you up to a limited GUI so you can reformat and install the OS and it still looks like a Mac.
You can launch a terminal while you're using the Linux gui, or just punch ctrl-altf1 if you are feeling homesick 😛. It doesn't have to be either/or, but, with mandrake, you never even have to look at the CLI if you don't want to, and a home user doesn't really lose the power of the cli since they would never use it. Besides, when they finally decide to deal with it it will be right there under their nose.
CLI = aughh... 🙁
Shell = ahhh.. 🙂
I just sounds better.
There is no reason why a home use wouldn't want to use a command line to do their work with. It's powerfull and bash is easy to use. It just depends on what your comfortable with.
Which is what Linux's strength for the home user. You can take what you like and leave what you don't.
As a example look at the customized Gui setups that people have made for themselves in Windows vs Gui setups in Linux.
here
here, too
here, three
again
again again
and now for something completely different
You see you can have it any way you want it. Instead of being a one size fits all solution like Windows, you can set it up how best it fits your situation.
Mostly what you face when you use Linux for the first time will seem very windows-like. They just do that on purpose to make the transition as easy for you as possible, it doesn't have to stay that way.
Shell = ahhh.. 🙂
I just sounds better.
There is no reason why a home use wouldn't want to use a command line to do their work with. It's powerfull and bash is easy to use. It just depends on what your comfortable with.
Which is what Linux's strength for the home user. You can take what you like and leave what you don't.
As a example look at the customized Gui setups that people have made for themselves in Windows vs Gui setups in Linux.
here
here, too
here, three
again
again again
and now for something completely different
You see you can have it any way you want it. Instead of being a one size fits all solution like Windows, you can set it up how best it fits your situation.
Mostly what you face when you use Linux for the first time will seem very windows-like. They just do that on purpose to make the transition as easy for you as possible, it doesn't have to stay that way.
Mandrake 9.2 will be released in a couple weeks and you can D/L it then. I am currently using release candidate one with the KDE windows manger. KDE is most like windows. The install is very automated and takes about 30 minutes. I would recomend creating your own partitions as follows...
boot = 100MB (ext3)
swap = 1GB (swap)
root = 6GB (reiser)
home = remainder (reiser)
...or you can go with the auto partitioning. Ultimately you get out what you put in to it so I you're not willing to stretch a wee bit then stick with Windows.
boot = 100MB (ext3)
swap = 1GB (swap)
root = 6GB (reiser)
home = remainder (reiser)
...or you can go with the auto partitioning. Ultimately you get out what you put in to it so I you're not willing to stretch a wee bit then stick with Windows.
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