---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Subject: New column
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 18:18:03 -0400
From: Randy Donohoe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I'm writing to ask your help in evaluating a column I'm considering
submitting to some sites and newspapers. The column is called "The
Curve", and is basically a tutorial on Linux for the raw beginner.
There's help for the beginner out there now, but it's so fragmented
it's frustrating at best. If you don't live near a college that teaches
Linux, have friends running it, or have a LUG in your area the learning
"curve" is a nasty one. I picked these lists because I've belonged to
all of them in my whole eight months of Linux usage, consider them
fair, and are a more serious forum than the chat rooms. I know some of
you could care less if the community attracts the mainstream, but due
to attrition and stagnation it's a necessity, and besides, maybe other
people like me, who live in the middle of nowhere, would like some
fellow users to commiserate with. If you don't want to use list
resources to help or flame me, use [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Thanks,
Randy Donohoe
The Curve
by Randy Donohoe
A Beginner's Guide To Linux Proficiency
"The Curve" is a roadmap for learning the Linux operating system by
use of the information superhighway. If you've wanted to try Linux ,
but don't have a college or university nearby, a friend using it, or a
local Linux users' group, here's your reasonably assured of success
chance. The column will be,for the most part, lineal, although I
reserve the right to digress at times. I will try to keep it a little
on the light side, with some humor thrown in like a grenade here and
there, so it won't be like eating cotton balls. The writing will be as
non-technical as possible with respect to a computer operating system,
and where technical I'll explain profoundly. Each week will deal with
the next progressive step(IMHO) and I will assume you'll deal with each
in the correct order. Everything necessary to learn and use Linux is on
the internet, although not in a cohesive unit. My experience is very
limited but by using the internet I've went from Windows to being able
to setup, run, maintain, compile kernels(the Holy Grail), switch
hardware, and perform most everyday tasks with Linux. If, through
inexperience, I drag you through gravel, mud, and broken glass, I'm
counting on the gurus out there to get us back on the paved road and
tell me what other professions I also wouldn't be suitable for. This
first installment will consist mostly of background you'll need to get
started. If you're of reasonable intelligence, aren't terrified of your
computer, and want to give Linux a try, let's go.
I won't bore you with the history of Linux as I'll assume most
people have some knowledge of it if they're interested enough to try
it, but it's a pretty good story of a young, unintentional dragonslayer
if you get a chance to read about it. What I will bore you with is a
little of the politics of the movement. Microsoft is considered to be
the antithesis of the Linux movement by a great majority of that
movement. Linux and it's applications are generally free, although a
lot of the users believe in buying the CD's from the companies to help
with development costs and a lot don't mind buying applications if they
fill a niche. You can download most distibutions for free over the
internet if you have a big enough pipeline and whether you bought the
CD's or downloaded for free, you can actually modify the code. Those
last nine words probably have them bending over and reaching for
garbage cans at Microsoft headquarters. Microsoft charges exorbitant
prices for buggy software, doesn't allow any modification of it's code,
has licensing restrictions tighter than a whalebone corset, is
determined to control every aspect of your computing,and even has a
neat little clause in those licenses that they can come in and go
through your hard drive with a fine tooth comb(which they're doing with
greater and greater frequency these days). On top of all this Microsoft
has called Open Source(even though they use it themselves) un-American
and communistic. They've dug up ole Senator Joseph McCarthy and brought
him back to life somehow. If they want to talk about un-American they
should compare that clause in their license to the amendment in the
Bill of Rights about unreasonable searches. If they want to call us
communists for a bit of community spirit they should should look at
those dangerous groups like the Amish(they actually help each other
build barns and gather crops, can you imagine?) or maybe the Pilgrim
story could be rewritten to tell what pinko commies they were. As much
as most religions warn about greed and the thirst for power I'll bet
there's more than one person in Redmond with 110110110 on his scalp
under those Dennis the Menace haircuts up there. Too much work for one
Antichrist. OK, I've digressed enough for this week, and besides, Billy
G's cadre of winged, big-teethed monkeys with law degrees have probably
already been dispatched in my general direction.
The politics having been taken care of, let's go to your first
step, picking a distibution. The best way to do this is to read
everything you can find about the different distibutions out there. If
you put Linux in the search box of any search engine out there you'll
get enough hits to guarantee blindness before you read all the hits.
Each distribution is a little different and sometimes a lot. There are
ones aimed at the home user, servers, security(firewalls), size, even
one specialized for music. Once you find one that seems to fit your
need, get on their mailing list and get a feel for the distro and it's
community. A word of advice about the mailing lists, hang around awhile
before you post anything. The people on these lists are on there
because they like or use that distro and they also are probably not
that fond of Microsoft. If you dis their distro or try to advance the
Microsoft cause you'll be smokin' when they get done if not outright
incinerated. If I can find someone to buy this rag next time we'll get
started on the resources available on the internet.
Randy Donohoe
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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