How to switch to linux by Nico

"Easy once you've learned to work with it."

How I did it: Short: Learn how it works and accept that it is not Windows or Mac OS or [some other OS].

Longer:
I tried SuSE linux 6.3 somewhere in the late nineties, but gave up rather quickly. I was just too much used to Photoshop and Windows.
A year or so later I tried it again, this time with more succes, using a dual-boot setup. I believe it was SuSE again.
This time I spend more time on it, and since Linux made a lot of progress by that time, it was easier to use and learn.
Several weeks later I noticed I still had an unused Windows partition on my disk, so I deleted it and never installed Windows on my machines ever again.

Look at the other sections for more useful info :)

Lessons & tips:

  • Realise that linux is not Windows or MacOS. Things will look different and work in slightly other ways.
  • Realise linux comes in lots of flavours, but in the end they're mostly the same.
  • Linux isn't what it was 5 years ago. Lose that image of having to use complicated text commands every day to get things working.
    Nowadays, linux can be, and often is, as userfriendly as any other OS, or even more.
  • Be prepared to look up info on the internet if something doesn't go the way you want it.
  • Use it. Keep using it, invest a little time and energy to get to know the system. Once you've done that, you'll soon notice the advantages it offers.
  • Linux has come a long way and made enormous progress lately. It's really easy to use, depending on the distro (linux distribution). For example, I noticed that with the new Ubuntu, all I had to do to use my printer is turn it on and print. The second I turned it on, linux detected it, installed it (no user input needed at all), and all I had to do is click the print button. It was that easy.
  • Linux comes in hundreds of flavours (distributions). Your experience will vary depending on which 'distro' you choose.
    For example, Slackware linux will require some research and reading text files, and more command line work from the inexperienced user, whereas the latest Fedora, Ubuntu, or SuSE will try to keep most of the user interaction graphical and as easy as possible.
  • Have fun!

Resources:

  • Google
  • No really, Google. Google is your friend. If you want to know something, ask Google. There's a 99.99% chance someone else has had the same problem/question and put it online.
  • Try out help functions (usually bound to the F1 key) and man pages. This will eventually save you a lot of time as they help you understand how software works and what it can do.
  • Try everything out. Just play with it. Take a look at everything you see, click everywhere, discover your system.
  • Read. Don't just click blindly, read what things say. It may just save your files in a (highly unlikely) doom scenario. :)

Other resources:


 

Dec 05, 2008, 06:27AM PST | 0 comments


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