There are quite a couple of new Linux heads around on the mailing list. I am subscribed to the website desktoplinux.com since it tackles mundane topics for Linux users rather than programmers. I came across this post which might contain links which you might find interesting. Here is the article:
A relatively new website devoted to laptops has posted several articles that may interest beginning Linux desktop users. One offers advice on identifying malicious script commands, while another offers advice on installing software packaged in various different formats (deb, rpm, tar.gz, etc). The articles were written by Blair Mathis, a self-described "Linux guru" who writes about Linux and video gaming. In *one story*<http://laptoplogic.com/resources/understanding-and-avoiding-malicious-code-attacks-in-linux>, Mathis suggest that new Linux users can be lulled into a false sense of security by their new OS's relative lack of large-scale security threats (like the *Conficker Worm*<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Cleaning-Conficker-Keeping-Your-Network-Safe-From-Windows-Worm/>currently wreaking havoc among Windows users). This can induce them to run scripts without really examining them first, she notes. It's good advice. There's an unfortunate tradition, among some Linux users, of documenting command-line operations in their most abstruse possible form, in order to show off the poster's coding prowess. Instead of explaining what's happening one step at a time, Linux documentation in forums and how-to's often strings together multiple commands in a dense series of pipes that users are expected to paste in and execute in good faith. Mathis offers some advice about how to evaluate such scripts and judge their potential to do harm. She suggests Googling unknown commands, and being wary of commands like rm -rf, dd, mkfs, and even tar, all of which have the potential to destroy your Linux filesystem. In *another article*<http://laptoplogic.com/resources/a-beginners-guide-on-how-to-install-linux-software>, Mathis explains how to install Linux applications in Ubuntu, even when no deb file can be found. She offers high-level instructions for rpm (via alien), bin, and tar.gz's that come with shell-script installers. In a *third piece*<http://laptoplogic.com/resources/top-50-linux-alternatives-to-popular-apps>, Mathis looks at Linux/open source analogs to popular Windows applications. You can find Mathis's work at *Laptoplogic.com*<http://www.laptoplogic.com/>(not affiliated with Ziff Davis Enterprise or DesktopLinux). It's great to see some fresh voices in computer journalism getting back to the basics, for all the new Linux users out there. http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS3583255815.html?kc=rss -- Raphael
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