[plug] Newbie Guide - The beginning

[Craig Ringer]

On Sat, 2005-01-29 at 00:21 +0800, Mark J Gaynor wrote:

> In helping people get the Linux feeling on their computer, I think we
> need to first identify the problems that people have converting to a
> new operating system. Lets start here and expand.

Sure.

a) Understanding the way their computer works, ie partitioning, what an
operating system is, etc. In particular, understanding what files, file
formats, and programs are. Understanding that that Windows programs do
not run on Linux, though there may be a Linux version of their program
or a functionally similar app under Linux (that may, or may not, do what
they need / be compatible with their documents).

b) Making the hardware ready (making space, etc)

c) Inadquate hardware, eg just not having enough RAM to run a modern
desktop.

d) Having been told by somebody that Linux will do everything for them
(common examples I run into are desktop publishing, advanced video and
photo editing, and accounting - including things like automatic payroll
with a bank), then discovering it won't.

e) Finding documentation. Sometimes it's good, sometimes its bad,
sometimes its sparse but OK, and sometimes it just doesn't exist. Not
only that, but locating it can sometimes be a nightmare rivalling
figuring the problem out for yourself. Figuring out what the *right*
documentation is can also be a major challenge.

f) Actually reading the documentation.

g) Knowing where to look for answers, and how to best obtain those
answers.

e) Understanding what the heck is going on when getting into anything
even slightly technical. A basic overview of a Linux system is put
together would be a very handy thing .... but it'd be *extremely* hard
to write in an approachable, but still useful, way. Explaning the
kernel, X server, desktops, window managers, command line, user
accounts, root, processes, the concept of the filesystem as a tree, how
drivers work in Linux (and how there are different kinds, eg kernel and
X), why the heck they're being told to go *compile* a program, etc. This
is what gave me trouble when I was getting started.

> My suggestion is to start with hardware compatibility requirements.
> I think this is where most of the problems arise, followed closely by
> choosing a distro that suits you. The one biggest problems Linux has
> is choice, with windows you get what Microsoft want you to have and
> nothing more.

Things to watch out for:

- Insufficient RAM. I don't care if Linux can run in 4MB, don't ask a
newbie looking to migrate their desktop to "just use console apps" or
install fluxbox...

- Peripheral incompatibility. Winmodems, 3D video cards that aren't
supported for 3D, getting cameras working, etc.

- Hardware that "worked fine with Windows" but is unstable under Linux.
I remember running into this (crappy video card and drivers causing X to
segfault, though at the time I had *no* idea about that).

> http://www.linuxquestions.org/

I can't overstate how darn good that site is.

> http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/

I think the LDP is becoming a bit less useful these days, personally...
much of the content is ageing to the point where it's more harmful than
helpful even to an experienced user who may know that. I think it's
important to suggest checking how up to date the document they're
looking at is.

The hardware HOWTO looks pretty good in that regard :-)

> http://www.linuxhq.com/
> http://www.linux.ie/LWR/

The classics:

http://www.plug.org.au/archives/splash/index.html
http://google.com/
http://groups.google.com/
/usr/share/doc
man packagename
apropos ; man -k

PS, if you want newbie hostile ... check out `man chmod'. Even the first
paragraph is ... not what i'd call a clear explanation of the purpose of
the tool, unless of course you already know what it does. The rest
continues in the same vein.

That said, I'm not volunteering to re-write it, and some documentation
is certainly better than none at all.

When it comes to newbies, I'd like to see one thing from those people
saying today that PLUG was insufficiently newbie friendly. Put your
money where your mouth is, and start spending *your* time helping out
newbies when they ask questions.

-- 
Craig Ringer