Further to the suggestion of learning a CLI only distro, I believe Slackware is still a CLI only system. You *can* run a GUI but that requires a specific command. Of course, my knowledge of Slack is from version 10, and the current version is 13.
If any user really wants to have a true CLI only experience, I'd suggest taking a look at the list on www.linux.org, where you can perform a search for various distributions. There's an option to search based on language, category and platform.
Searching for minimalist versions in English that are Intel compatible gave me a whopping 61 distros.
Septymus Spyder
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
-----Original Message-----
From: Roy <linuxcanuck@gmail.com>
Sender: LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 09:11:48
To: <LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com>
Reply-To: LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] Re: Linux is awesome
I did not suggest that he switch distros, only that he run a basic distro in
a VM such as Arch in VirtualBox. People are reading too much into the
suggestion that someone use another distro. It is not the end of the world.
This is not an Ubuntu or Mint only group. All distros should be considered.
I would be the first to say that if he is happy with Mint then use it.
However, it is hard to do what he asked in Mint which is to work exclusively
from the commandline. Mint gives you a GUI by default and a fully
operational system which is good for those who want it. If you want to work
from a bash prompt only then you could login from the terminal and work from
there, but you risk messing up a perfectly good system which is why I
suggested the VM approach. He can create it, take a snapshot and work from
it and if it becomes unusable then he can just go back to the original and
start over.
This discussion shows how some users are locked into narrow thinking and get
defensive when someone suggests using something different. Nobody is raiding
your user base. So relax.
Using another distro is not a bad thing. It is a good thing. Linux is about
freedom and choice. What good is freedom if you don't use it? You are boxing
yourself in needlessly and you never know what is on the other side of the
fence. It could be better, but it could also convince you that there is no
place like home. I routinely run other distros and this only convinces me
that I have made the right decision (for me) and I always come back to
Kubuntu.
Roy
Using Kubuntu 10.10, 64-bit
Location: Canada
On 6 December 2010 00:35, dbneeley <dbneeley@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Sorry, gentlemen, but the OP was *not* looking for a different distro. He
> clearly stated he is running Mint on two computers and is happy with it.
>
> Instead, he asked whether anyone had any suggestions for his continuing his
> learning process, especially with the command line.
>
> To that request, I would have several suggestions:
>
> There are various texts regarding getting into detail on the command line,
> some are retail books and quite a few are downloadable from the Net.
>
> I also suggest looking into several of the various command interpreters
> rather than only using bash. You may find advantages that may be to your
> liking, plus you gain a depth of understanding that can be helpful later.
> One I have used a bit is called "fish" (Friendly Interactive SHell), which
> makes some tasks quite simple. As you get into it, there are a multitude of
> others-- sh, ksh, etc.
>
> However, even with bash, there are many things that most users never really
> take advantage of, chiefly regarding shell scripting. A good understanding
> of scripts is greatly empowering in Linux. For those who have been around
> long enough to have used DOS prior to Windows--or CPM before that--you may
> recall using batch files for many useful things--UNIX or Linux shell scripts
> are far more powerful than that and even more useful.
>
> David
>
>
> --- In LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com <LINUX_Newbies%40yahoogroups.com>,
> Roy <linuxcanuck@...> wrote:
> >
> > We must be talking about different users. The user I was responding to
> said
> > that he was a power user wanted to learn using only the commandline and
> no
> > GUI. So I originally suggested Arch in a VM. I know that this is a
> newbies
> > forum, but he was not a newbie or so he said.
> >
> > I would recommend Arch to a new user, if that new user wanted such a
> > distribution and experience. Users enter Linux at all levels and can
> bring
> > to Linux advanced skills. And some do not want to start with a box that
> just
> > works. They may want a Heathkit kind of experience. It takes all kinds
> and
> > fortunately Linux offers a full range of options and experiences. I do
> > recommend Mint to a newbie who had no experience and wanted things to
> just
> > work OTB. I did post that my wife was now using Mint.
> >
> > Anyway, no harm done, he can take advice or not as he sees fit. If I am
> > wrong in this (my memory isn't what it used to be) I apologise in
> advance. I
> > do not have the full conversation as I get this by email and am too lazy
> to
> > go to the forum. I know that you are an advocate for Mint and that is
> good,
> > however I did not see this discussion as detracting from Mint (save the
> > green comment and I happen to like green). :)
> >
> > Roy
> >
> > Using Kubuntu 10.10, 64-bit
> > Location: Canada
> >
> >
> > On 5 December 2010 10:54, loyal_barber <loyal_barber@...> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com <LINUX_Newbies%40yahoogroups.com><LINUX_Newbies%
> 40yahoogroups.com>,
>
> > > Roy <linuxcanuck@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I think Loyal you need to reread the post.
> > >
> > > I did Roy and my feelings are the same. It is a bad idea to
> > > recommend a difficult version to a Newbie. I always subscribe to
> > > "walk before you run."
> > >
> > > > He says that Mint is friendly and
> > >
> > > He suggests in his last statement that this is a drawback. Read
> > > it again.
> > >
> > >
> > > > suggests that the user might want to try an "unfriendly" distro to
> learn
> > > > basics on. He was not knocking Mint, except the green bit and green
> can
> > > mean
> > > > several things. Mint has tried to make a name for itself as user
> friendly
> > > > and I think that you would concur that it has succeeded.
> > > >
> > > > You can learn basics on Mint or Ubuntu or any other big name distro,
> but
> > > you
> > > > need to go to great lengths to do so. Something like Arch installs to
> a
> > > > command prompt and you take it from there. The suggestion was that
> the
> > > > person could learn the basic better and become a power user if the
> tried
> > > a
> > > > more basic distro such as Arch, Slack or Gentoo. That does not
> preclude
> > > > using Mint for daily use. I don't think that anyone was suggesting
> Mint
> > > is
> > > > not good for using, just not a learner's distro in the same way that
> the
> > > > others are. Comments such as "deranged" mean that the writer was
> poking
> > > fun
> > > > not at Mint but at anyone who would want to use the commandline only.
> > > >
> > > > Roy
> > > > <snip>
> > >
> > > Sorry, Roy, I just think you are wrong. I think you read what
> > > you wanted into his reply. I am sure I am doing the same. That
> > > said, I would NEVER recommend Arch to a new user. Would I recommend
> > > Arch later? Absolutely. Again, walk before you run or better
> > > stated: ready, aim, fire, not ready, fire, aim. There is enough to
> > > get used to in Linux using Ubuntu or Mint first. Suggesting the user
> > > would be better suited to go to Arch or Slackware first is an
> > > excellent way to get the new user to convert back to Windows and
> > > say, "Linux is just too hard to learn."
> > >
> > > Loyal
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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