linuxgeek: [LINUX_Newbies] Re: questions from a real newbie

--- In LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com, Roy <linuxcanuck@...> wrote:
>
> We can be patient, so ask whatever you want. When asking for help be sure to
> tell us as much as you are able about your computer and installation. We are
> all using different computers and there are over 300 Linux distributions.
> Some language is common to all, but some is unique to whatever flavour you
> are using.
>
> Also make sure when you ask for help to let us know if you prefer graphical
> or comman line solutions. Some power users and oldtimers prefer the command
> line and forget that new users have never used a terminal and only know how
> to user the GUI (graphical user interface which has windows and icons on the
> screen). Some new users recognize the speed and power of the commands so
> want to learn them. You have a choice with Linux most of the time.
>
> Roy
> <snip>
I think that Roy made a great point here. Most Linux users gravitate to the command line at some point because it offers much more control and flexibility than the graphical environment. However, most distro's would work just fine for someone who wanted to stick with GUI's. When I began to play with Linux about 3 years ago I hardly even thought about the CLI (Command Line Interface), aka "the terminal". I clicked on an icon to open Firefox or Konqueror, OpenOffice word processor, a music or game app, etc., and all was well. Not perfect, as I was running OpenSUSE along with Win ME on a 2001 E-Tower with 127(not a typo) megs of RAM. Long story made slightly shorter- I had a p.o.s. computer, I had used Windows exclusively, I knew of no one who had the slightest idea of what Linux was, and I had an "OpenSUSE For Dummies" book with CD that came from the local library. I didn't know why I didn't like SUSE (later I realized that it was the KDE desktop I didn't like for aesthetic reasons) but I knew that I would try every distro I could until I found one that I liked and then Micro$oft was gone.
Anyway, I found several distro's I liked to different degrees and, as the search was going on, it was obvious that distro's were becoming more and more user-friendly, increasingly able to recognize hardware, and had more apps available. With many thanks to Loyal ("Hi, man!") I dumped Vista from my newest computer and replaced it with Linux Mint (a derivative of Ubuntu), freeing up many gigs of my hard drive, and loaded XP in a virtual machine for the few apps where Windows was needed.
Forgive the rant but look to the penguin...you won't regret it.
Mark