On Wed, 18 Apr 2001, - wrote: > I have a few prospects that I'm trying to talk into doing Linux, Debian > in particular. The problem is they have very little experience except > using MS Windows for internet and games. I've written some very basic > instructions for them just so they can at least log on and navigate > through the directories. Much of my own experience comes from trial and > error.
IMHO that's the best way to learn. Having a group (like this one) to ask questions is also good - but being *willing* to experiment is essential to learning anything, in my experience. (That even goes for Windows and the MacOS) I don't know where you're located, but if you're in or near a major city, odds are you're also near a Linux User Group. They can be a *big* help, and they usually have "Installfests" which will at least help get Linux up an running for anyone having difficulty. If you can get it set up so that they can use the Internet, use StarOffice, KOffice or something similar and their printer and sound work, they're pretty much set if their needs aren't great. It's not necessary for a beginner to understand, say, how to set up iptables or Apache. > I haven't seen any documentation that is suitable for anyone with their > limited experience, nothing on internet, not in bookstores, and not in > boxed sets. Everything seems to be geared towards people who, > colloquially speaking, at least know how to multiply large numbers, > whereas my proteges and I are just learning how to add single numbers. Is "Linux for Dummies" beyond them, or have you not seen it? I believe there's a "Debian GNU/Linux for Dummies" coming out or already available. > Does anyone know of any documentation that doesn't require extensive > experience to comprehend? > I don't consider myself to be an expert so I could benefit from that > kind of documentation too. The Newbiedoc project probably has some good docs, but I don't think that they're comprehensive yet. > Should I tell my friends to forget Linux for now and come back after > they have experience with other operating systems because otherwise, you > can't get there from here? Absolutely not. Learn something correctly the first time, if possible. Yes, Linux seems more difficult inititally, but that's largely because it does not attempt to protect you from the computer or vice-versa. You'll learn much more about Linux and the computer it's installed on than if you use Windows. Frankly, I wish they taught UNIX/Linux in schools at the first or second grade level, and I'm horrified at the prospect of children being exposed only to Windows or the MacOS. You don't learn anything but how to use a particular interface, which is guaranteed to change within three years. (I know many users who had only just mastered using Windows 3.11 when Windows 95 came out, and they were stymied...) All of the shiny wizards and such are basically crutches - and you're toast if they don't solve your problem. If kids learned a *nix type system it would also teach them to think for themselves a bit and solve problems - a skill sorely overlooked these days IMHO. Well, that's my two cents... Take care, Zonker -- Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 43599611 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books... Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that." "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" -- James Stewart
