linuxgeek: Re: [LINUX_Newbies] How to learn Linux

On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 4:43 PM, Michael Sullivan msulli1355@gmail.com
[LINUX_Newbies] <LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> On 02/25/2016 03:24 PM, J dreadpiratejeff@gmail.com [LINUX_Newbies] wrote:
>> On Thu, Feb 25, 2016 at 12:54 PM, Michael Sullivan
>> msulli1355@gmail.com [LINUX_Newbies] <LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com>
>> wrote:
>> > This seems like a VERY general question, and I've probably lost about
>> > half of you, but this is something I very much would like to know. I've
>> > found hundreds of websites offering tutorials for how to learn Linux,
>> > but every one of them give a tiny bit of information and no clear step
>> > how to continue. Basically, I'm at point A. I want to get to point C,
>> > but have no clear idea where point B is. I have been using Gentoo since
>> > 2005, but not because it's the "expert" distribution. I use it because
>> > it's fairly easy to find software that works with my hardware. I
>> > started using Gentoo shortly after I got the PC I'm typing this message
>> > on. I seem to have problems all the time, and I'd very much like to
>> > learn how to solve them myself. I'm the type that would rather do
>> > without than beg for help from strangers normally, but I feel like I'm
>> > ALWAYS having problems with Gentoo. I need help, and not a handout. I
>> > need a hand-up. Can anyone recommend a (free) website or book series to
>> > help me reach my goal: not to be a noob anymore?
>> > -Michael Sullivan-
>>
>> You're not the Michael Sullivan who worked on a PhD at Carnegie Mellon
>> are you?
>
> No. If he's got a PhD, then he's got a LOT more patience than I do. I
> am working on the patience thing though.

Same here. I have very little patience unless, like you mention with
your apache problem it annoys or bugs me to the point that I can't let
go, or it's a project that just sucks me in.

>> IN any case, if you want to learn it, you have to use it. And try
>> different distributions. I'd suggest Fedora, OpenSuSE and Ubuntu to
>> start. Run them in VMs, it's the easiest way to learn them.
>
> I agree that to learn to do something, I have to do it. Unfortunately
> for me, my conditioning works against me and I have had a VERY difficult
> time overcoming it. My parents taught me, "If at first you don't
> succeed, accept that you're Inferior and give up." This has been
> extremely unhelpful to me, but I can't seem to reject it.

Yeah, it's hard to overcome conditioning, I agree. Doing so takes a
lot of time and effort.

>> As for me, I'm completely self-taught. No books or classes or
>> anything, so my perspective is a bit different. I turned a hobby into
>> a career and learned the most by screwing things up accidentally then
>> having to research and ask how to fix them.
>
> See my paragraph above. The Internet has made it much easier to learn
> things than it used to be. The problem with the Internet is that there
> is simply too much out there and I have a difficult time staying focused
> on the idea I start with. I discovered this Apache problem yesterday.
> It amazes me that now, twenty-four hours later, I'm still working on it.
> I'm not happy that it's not solved, but then again it's nobody's job
> to keep ME happy. Rather I'm impressed that a single idea was important
> enough to me to hold onto it this long.

See, when my friends as me "WHERE do you find this stuff" whenever I
share some traumatic, eye-melting video or image or whatever from the
Internet, it is because there is just so much of it and I'm easily
dis-... SQUIRREL!

>> So I can't recommend a website or books or anything like that.
>> Personally, there is just no substitute for experience if you want to
>> really understand an OS. So just ask questions, that's what this
>> group is for (and it's usually responsive). For more in depth
>> discussions or questions, there is the other group:
>> linux@yahoogroups.com. A bunch of us are members of both groups, but
>> may or may not have time to respond immediately.
>>
>> Also, Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSuSE have their own communities, forums
>> and mailing lists that are also great places to ask questions and
>> learn.
>>
>> Finally, if you really want a book, Running Linux from O'Reilly was a
>> good general one (there may be others, I dont know).
>> http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596007607.do
>>
>> Anyway, hope that helps,
>>
>> Jeff
> As for running other distros in a VM, I mentioned in the other thread
> that I bought this machine new in 2005. It is 32-bit. I have an eight
> GB flash drive plugged into the USB port all the time that I use as swap
> space. At one time I had virtualbox installed and running, but even if
> it's still installed and still working, I highly doubt that I would have
> enough RAM to run it, and at the same time a web browser to look up all
> the stuff that I would need to look up. A long time ago my parents had
> me declared legally mentally disabled. I am not, but for many years I
> tried to be. This effected my concentration (as you've probably already
> deduced from my posts). I do not work. My wife works, and I attempt to
> be as thrifty as possible, trying to be as little of a financial problem
> as I possibly can. As a result, I seek out free and almost free
> alternatives as often as possible. I used to be a computer science
> student, I have about fifty computer science and programming related
> books, but unfortunately, they're all over 10 - 15+ years old. I hope
> you'll still be willing to advise me even knowing all this. Thank you
> for your help so far, and any you might give me in the future.
> -Michael Sullivan-

I understand. My systems aren't THAT old, but they are old. My last
"desktop" machine was a 6 year old Alienware gaming laptop that I
bought specifically for this job. I temporarily replaced it with a
workstation that I "borrowed" from one of my test labs because it was
on the list of things to send to the shredder and it was decently
proportioned. But it had issues, being a long term test and
development machine, so I finally bit the bullet and built a new
desktop with the best things I could squeeze into it, for well over
$1200. BUT, I'll probably be using this desktop for the next 8 to 10
years, so the cost will even out over time.

That said, you can still run multiple distros if you don't mind
rebooting. Most of them provide a Live image that can be put on a USB
drive, and providing your computer will boot from USB, you can try
them all that way. Just keeping in mind that booting from USB and
running a "live" environment can be slow, especially on an older 32bit
system.

You can also find better equipped refurb systems from places like
NewEgg that are not outrageously priced. I was recently looking at
some refurb Lenovo workstations, IIRC, that were less than $300 but
had 16GB RAM and at least 320GB HDDs with dual or quad core 64bit
processors.

AND if you're really feeling froggy, get a Raspberry Pi 2 for less
than $45 and run Linux from an SD card (there are several distros that
will run on the Pi2). Or other ARM based systems like the BeagleBone
Black and so on that can be bought for very little.

You should talk to Joan in Reno (if she's on this list, she is/was on
the Linux@ list) as she is VERY frugal when it comes to hardware and
knows a lot about making old machines stretch.

Cheers
Jeff