Anthony J. Albert wrote:
>
> However, since most people these days _are_ familiar with
> a window/icon/desktop metaphor environment, its gives a
> certain sense of achievement if one can work with the Linux
> GUI first, get a bit of a feel for it, successfully browsing
> the WWW, reading mail, etc., then start getting into the
> guts of the thing.

Sure, put an ordinary user on a fancy Linux GUI and let him
point-and-click his way to the WWW, mail, games, etc.
Just like Windows.  Easy peasy.  If this gives him a sense
of achievement, so be it.  But I don't see this leading to
a deeper understanding of Linux.  In fact, the danger is
the user will just sit in point-and-click-land and go no
further.

Still, sitting in point-and-click-land is not necessarily a
bad thing.  For the ordinary user (with reasonably up-to-date
hardware), this is probably the best place to be.  No CLI
commands to remember, no configuration files to edit.  Just
lots of eye-candy and pre-configured options.

So, yeah, give the ordinary user his GUI Linux.  However, I
don't expect to see ordinary users on this list.  We are
people who have honed our CLI skills on DOS (and even more
antiquated OS).  We are people with old computers that aren't
powerful enough for a full-blown GUI desktop.  We are people
who want to control our computers at the deepest level and not
just go for a ride on a pre-configured GUI.

So I say to the readers of survPC: embrace the Linux CLI, do
not be afraid.  Yes, there is a learning curve.  Yes, you will
have months of frustration.  Yes, you will smash the keyboard
with your fist.  But this is where you want to be.  This is
where the action is.  At the coalface.

Cheers,
Steven

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