linux tutorials

[psycho_100]

hi i am new to linux i used to use windows but i got bored of using it so i am asking what are the tutorials and books or learining cds i should have in order to be pretty good at linux and can someone tell me the average time that i need to become at an intermediate level in linux.

[techieMoe]

I would recommend your first stop be the "All New Users Read This" thread here in this very section of the forum. It will likely answer a lot of your basic questions:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/lin...ead-first.html

As far as how much time it will take, it's impossible to tell. If you're a quick learner or aren't particularly attached to the way you do things in MS Windows (because Linux is very different) then you probably won't take as long. However if you're unable to grasp any of the basic concepts of Linux (file system, user management, desktop environments) it will take you longer. It's all very subjective.

[psycho_100]

well i read "all new users read this" and i understood the filesystems, user management but i dont really understand what do you mean by the desktop environment do you mean getting used to either the kde or gnome, and i am currently using the CBTnuggets series including linux+, lpic, rhce.

[techieMoe]

well i read "all new users read this" and i understood the filesystems, user management but i dont really understand what do you mean by the desktop environment do you mean getting used to either the kde or gnome, and i am currently using the CBTnuggets series including linux+, lpic, rhce.

A lot of new users have problems with the idea that you actually have a choice between desktop environments in Linux (unlike MS Windows). That's why I brought it up.

[netstrider]

well i read "all new users read this" and i understood the filesystems, user management but i dont really understand what do you mean by the desktop environment do you mean getting used to either the kde or gnome, and i am currently using the CBTnuggets series including linux+, lpic, rhce.

A window manager is as you said KDE and Gnome, but there are also others like XFCE, Fluxbox and more.. If you have a fast computer you can easily run KDE and Gnome, but because you have a choice with Linux you can choose to run something that uses a little less resources such as XFCE which still looks good or Fluxbox which uses even less resources. Most bigger distributions come with either KDE or Gnome or some have both. They all look different. Gnome has more of a 'MAC' look to it and KDE has a windowish type of interface. The rest are all pretty much different in their own ways.

You can always choose to have more than one running on your computer and switch between them or try some and stick with the one you like most

NOTE: A window manager is NOT a skin, it is physically a whole new Program/Environment which CAN be skinned/themed. - Hope this helps

[Odyssey]

It really comes down to you. How much time are you willing to commit to doing lots of reading and google research? Do not expect the same degree of handholding in Linux that Windows gives you, or in the forums. Forum members tend to be very impatient with questions that they consider dumb (not that you will ask any) or that fail to measure up to their expectations of how quickly you should grasp (sometimes very cryptic) replies. In some cases, a question will get lots of reads and no replies even though many of the readers could easily reply, but for whatever reasons just don't (just look at the number of views that your question has had, 80+ when I started this reply). Or sometimes you get replies, and good ones, as in the case of the preceding replies, but that do not address essential parts of your question (notice that this is the first reply that gives some book references). Sometimes you get wonderful, detailed, highly educational replies and of course everthing in between. It can often take days, sometimes weeks, to resolve issues through forum help.

There are lots of books for every level of interest. I am still in the beginner stage and using Ubuntu and have read Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Linux for Non-Geeks, and Ubunutu for Dummies. These are very good for the basics, but that is about the limit.

If you want to figure out why your newly (physically) installed DVD-RW isn't recognized by Linux, as in my case for example, you will need to move to the "intermediate" level of instruction as you may not get much help in the forums (I have been trying to do this for many days now with no real forum help). I now have The Ubunutu Bible, and with Google, am making slow progress in figuring out whether my Ubunutu sees the drive, and if so, where it is within Ubunutu, so that I can mount it. Then I can try to figure out how to use it.

So if you are a quick learner and can get into the nitty gritty of how Linux works, you will love it (and will probably get good support in the forums as members like to talk on "their own level of understanding"). Linux makes Windoze look like a kindergarten playground in terms of its industrial strength, predictability, and security. You almost never need to restart Linux because of software conflicts or the O/S issues that plague Win$. Just understand that more often than not, Linux will not immediately recognize and implement usability of newly introduced hardware of all types, even new-ish ones, and you will have to figure out how to make it usable in your box. New software often will not work and will require additional research to finalize the install.

So even if you are not a quick learner, as in my case, but you have lots of time and plenty of perserverence, definitely go for it. I am firmly convinced that it will be worth the effort. Good luck and good computing!