Linux

December 4th, 2007
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So…I very frequently go through geeky phases where I want to learn a new skill. I’m computer savvy enough to say that I’m well versed in Windows and Mac OS X – comfortable with using the command line on occasion. But I’m not a programmer, and I don’t know any code. (Nor do I really want to at present, if I’m honest with myself.) I do, however, want to learn Linux. A lot. I watched all the screencasts available from the Ubuntu crew, to give you an example.

I’ve read up on it from time to time, and I think – as shallow as it is – the videos I saw on YouTube of the Compiz / Beryl 3D eye candy made me consider going for it again. (I once had installed Fedora Core 4 on my desktop for a summer before selling it to my little sister, at which point I wiped it and slapped a fresh coat of Windows XP SP2 on it. But I never even figured out how to install stuff on it. I successfully changed the background and set screen savers. Still. It got me interested. At the time, I didn’t even know how Linux’s file system worked, let alone what packages were and whatnot.)

Anyway, I’m now considering attempting to find an old secondhand laptop for use at school. At the moment, I’m always using the school computers, and I feel in the way. I want to get out of the way. I’m thinking that I want to learn Linux. Maybe I’ll go the “safe” way and wet my toes with Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibbon release. Or Mandriva. Or even Fedora 8. Is anyone out there knowledgeable about Linux? Any ideas for how I can learn about it without access to a Linux machine just yet?

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  • I've currently got Ubuntu Gutsy installed via Parallels. But the device drivers are insane. ATI's open source stuff isn't exactly easy to use. (Part of it is because I'm a total newbie and trying to get instantaneously to the eye candy like a dope instead of testing the usability and productivity of the free software available.) Ha ha. :-)
  • Scott
    Well, there is the Live CD... Ubuntu has a CD which lets you play with the basic features without having to install it on a partition just yet. It's a bit laggy as it's running from the CD, and is a pretty basic install, but at least lets you see what you're dealing with before you install it. I don't even know that all the device drivers are on it.
  • I put Ubuntu on an empty partition on my work computer, since they wouldn't let me use my own laptop on the yakuba LAN.

    Re: trying Linux.... put it on your existing computer, via virtualization (Parallels, VMWare) or the normal way? Try making shell scripts in OS X? What about Linux are you so interested in? My guess is it isn't the underlying OS that you're after, it's probably the desktop environment. In that case, you can get KDE (and maybe Gnome) on OS X through Fink.

    Aaron's last blog post: Block E is dead to me
  • Any ideas for learning about it before I get a computer for it? (Obviously, hands-on is the fastest way to learn an OS. Tinkering = studying. And sometimes breaking everything and starting from scratch again. Ha ha.) Did the screencasts. I dunno. Forums are iffy. Hit and miss.
  • Scott
    Also tried out Ubuntu before my laptop died... Compiz/Beryl is awesome, but you have to make sure you have a graphics card that supports it. I've tried running it on this old desktop but Beryl won't run on it. Not surprising since it's a 8 year old machine.

    I can help you out with some basics, but I don't claim to be an expert in any way.
  • So Ubuntu sounds like the way to go for a complete newbie like myself, then. Cool. Can I ask - does this mean you've installed Ubuntu on a work computer...or are you using a personal computer? (And have you played with Compiz / Beryl? Looks like after I play with it for four minutes it will bore me and cease to be helpful, but the impress your coworkers with non-Windows strangeness factor gives it some staying power in my mind... I am a sucker for eye candy.)
  • I run Ubuntu at work because they locked Windows down so tight that I couldn't install the apps I needed to do my job. Stupid IT people.

    You already have the friendliest *NIX platform out there: OS X. If you want something less polished but still accessible, I recommend Ubuntu. When I've dabbled in distros pre-Ubuntu, even wildly basic things (at least for OS X) like enabling Japanese input support, were nearly impossible.

    Aaron's last blog post: Block E is dead to me
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