The Internet is a Beautiful Thing

[aluminumspleen]

Hello all,
I'm writing to you through my school's network on my laptop running Vista. Connected to this network and to the internet it holds, I've learned unbelievable amounts of information about Linux and the Linux Community. I've also downloaded about 15 different liveCD's from different distros...but that's not the point.

Recently, I underwent a project to build a new computer that will run Linux exclusively. I decided that I had done so much learning about computers through articles, books, and websites, I really wanted to both put together the pieces of a computer, and explore in depth an OS. So, I bought the components, put it together, and installed a working version of Ubuntu 8.04.

Building the actual box was the easiest part. Aside from sitting puzzled at why the motherboard wouldn't screw into the case (i was using the wrong screws), it took a fairly short time. Then came the software. I put in the CD, it loaded, and...nothing.

After some searching (and some posts on this forum) I figured out my video card didn't have the appropriate "open-source" driver. Easy enough to fix, right? Wrong. This new computer is not connected to the internet, and I'm not allowed to connect it based on the college network usage policy. Needless to say, "apt-get install" does me nothing.

So, while I knew before the vast amount of knowledge and information out there on the World Wide Web, this endeavor into the Linux world has given me a total new respect at the wonders of the internet. Without it, I'm google-searching packages, downloading them to my memory stick, and then installing them manually. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a package manager...

[glaston]

That's the best way to learn.
The more research you do beforehand the more prepared you are.

But at some point you just have to jump in.
The hardware is the easiest part, I agree.
Especially if you've planned it well and know what to expect from that hardware configuration.
This IMO, is where Virtualization helps a great deal.
So you know what to expect during the installation.
You can familiarize yourself with the commands you'll most likely need should you encounter a problem.
Combine that with the fact that since you're building an entire machine specifically for this purpose and can buy hardware that's predictable.