Welcome to Linux! (pithy advice for newbies)

[blackbelt_jones]

So if you could give any advice to somebody who's just starting out, what would you say? (And please keep it brief and as unpreachy as possible.)

Here's mine:

Whatever disto you pick, make sure it has a good automated package managment system: e.g., yum for fedora, urpmi for madriva, apt-get for the debian-based distros, etc. Know how to set it up and use it with the net.

Especially if you come from Windows, start right in using the command line as soon as possible. You can save a lot of time using the terminal window to copy, move, rename, and sort files, and to make directories. it's very simple to learn. Discover how cool command-line applications like wget ( a simple download manager) really are.

This isn't how I learned... it's how I WISH I'd learned. When you've got a good package manager in place, and you've discovered the power of the command line interface, Linux really starts to make sense. Until I discovered these two benefits, it was only my insane distrust of the microsoft corporation that kept me here. Thank god for anti-corporate paranoia!

[gnuoob]

what is the difference between work and play?

having fun while doing it.
;)





DONT STRESS.

have a back up before you do anything and use a different hdrive if you can.

[Calipso]

- READ FIRST!!
- Read a little about Linux before you try. Forums are a great place to start your reading. It will get you familiar with various problems that others have and it may have an impact on your decision.
- Decide what you need your computer for. Is it work?? server?? hobby?? GAMES?! This can have an impact on whether or not Linux is for you.
- Try a LiveCD! I think this is very important. It will let you get a little familiar with the system without making any changes to your current system. This way if you decide that its not for you, then you just take the cd out, reboot, and you're back to your old system. I used a Knoppix cd for a while before I installed Linux for the first time. (I was able to watch videos using the live cd that for some reason I couldnt watch in Windows :) )
- Always keep in mind that Linux is NOT, I repeat NOT, Windows. It will require some learning on your part because things will be different.
- Oh and the last and most important one....If you have to ask WHY you should use Linux...then you probably SHOULDN'T use Linux :) (because obviously your current system is just fine for you)

[WayStar]

http://linux-newbie.sunsite.dk/

When I first started, I used it so much that I had it printed and bound at Kinko's. And for those times where I needed more in-depth help, the guide helped me to figure out how to phrase my Google search.

-Way

[q6z4k]

useless post++;

[gnuoob]

useless post++;

so why did you post then?

its like me posting a "i have nothing to say"


kinda retarded if you ask me :p

[TheSpeedoBeast]

useless post++;

*Cough* Postwhore *Ahem*

[q6z4k]

so why did you post then?
Sorry, I ment:

So if you could give any advice to somebody who's just starting out, what would you say?
useless post++;

[blackbelt_jones]

Elitist snob that I am, I only really care about the opinons of people who use complete sentences.

Also, I maintain that someone, somewhere, just might find "start in using the command line as soon as possible" to be useful. It could happen.