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Getting Started In Linux
In previous posts, I've asked for the Slashdot community to help me identify good books and websites for developers and I thought the response was really useful. This time, I'd like to ask you all for your recommendations for great Linux beginner books and also what you think is the best way of showing off Linux on TV. Read on for more info ...
I do this thing twice on month on TechTV's "The Screen Savers" where I try to show off something neat about Linux and Open Source software. At the end of each segment, I give out my email address for people to send questions. The question I get most is "What book should I get to help me learn Linux?" I have a couple of books that I do recommend, but I want to hear what you guys think so I can link to this conversation and have it be available for everyone to refer to.
Additionally, any tips on what you guys would think would make good open-source oriented TV and make people really want to try out Linux would be appreciated.
Let's just all get our RTFM's out of system now.
Great Expectations ... then follow it up with ...
The Great Failure
And dont forget The Communist Manifesto
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Killer Linux app to show off:
VMWare
Try THAT under Windows!
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Plus it makes you look cool to your friends when ur flying though the command line:)
......
*weeps for humanity*
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Getting started in Linux is easy. First, read this . Then, follow all the steps in it Backwards. Backwards is key. After that, you should be all setup.
Karma: Not Particularly Funny.
Good example for TV:
Go to a site that makes you play whack-a-mole with pop-up windows in Explorer. Then go there in Mozilla.
Yeah, but, how are you going to get away with showing porn on TV?
Karma: Not Particularly Funny.
We've all seen the IBM ads with the basketball team, and specifically the one featuring Linux ("Because He Loves The Game" So TRUE!). Now, here for all of /. to see, is my Linux Commercial pitch.
The commercial opens with the side of a large house shown. This house has many, many windows, some ornate, some plain. After a few seconds, a baseball smashes through one of them, shattering it. After a few more seconds, another baseball smashes another window. Several quick cuts of different windows being smashed by more and more baseballs. Cut to a pile of baseballs laying on the ground. After a moment, a black CG flipper reaches down and picks one up. The camera follows the ball to reveal Tux, wearing a ball cap bearing the "official" Tux logo, and he's got an EVIL grin. The final cut to the product screen, which says "Linux: Smashing Convention. http://www.linux.org" and a final sound of a ball shattering glass.
Let the Love Fest Begin...
Blog Prophyts - Right On, Man
or even better:
:"Corperation"
Big black on white title
followed pictures of people straining under the opressive yoke of Microsoft
Then "Co-operation" followed by happy smiley linux users and a large computer animated tux looking as if he's a belly full of cod.
# man man
*presses ctrl-z and looks up*
;)
Eh? What am I using here?
"player 4 hit player 1 with 0 stroms"
I think a late night infomercial with that Ronco guy would be extremely effective [It slices, it dices, and makes juliened fries].
Excitable Announcer: Are you sick and tired of this? [shot of some dude downloading porn then getting the BSOD. "Aw man!"]
Lame-ass closed-source software getting you down? [same dude hunched over with BSOD in background. thought balloon: "THIS SUXX0R5!!!!11"]
Well move over Winblowze, 'cause RONCO LINUX is here!
It slices, it dices, it humps, it dumps, it bakes a cake and takes a leak on the seat while it's in heat. fo shizzles ma nizzle, linux is the tops, ma man be linus (he's got his big penis!). it starts up a riot and it never stop, you want me be quiet? well then call the cops...
ahem
Yes, linux does it all and it's guaranteed to NOT make you gay. It's fun for the whole family, just watch:
[little girl using bash: "Heehee, I'm l337!! w00+!!!"]
[grandma using mozilla to view goatse.cx: "You M$ f4gg0ts can blow me!"]
[dude from earlier successfully downloading porn: "Dude! I feel less gay already!"]
How much would you expect to pay for such an amazing system?
$99.99?!?
$89.99?!?!
$79.99?!??!!
!?!?
Order the Ronco Distro today and pay only three easy instalments of $14.99!
BUT WAIT! That's not all!!
Order now and we'll toss in two CDs of free software at no extra cost!!!!
Operators are standing by! This is a limited-time offer!! ORDER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111
(ronco enterprises will not be held liable for time wasted setting up linux. ronco enterprises does not endorse rms or any of his views. ronco enterprises has never been affiliated with the communist party. ronco enterprises is a god-fearing corporation. ronco enterprises is required to reveal the following: ronco enterprises is being investigated for fraud in thirteen states; please check with your local authorities.) tt
What, no CLI? WTF are you thinking installing a GUI? Do you know how much space you can save by just installing a CLI with sh (definitely not bash), ls and rm??? Tons. Impress people by showing them how little space Linux needs on their 48TB drive. After that, you can show them nice programs such as grep and cat (no vi/nvi/vim or emacs bloat here). With cat, you can do anything, including creating your own ogg vorbis music files or Microsoft Office documents by hand (so they will understand how the programs work behind-the-scenes). And for the final show, you can show off Linux by backing up all the files created with cat with mount /dev/fd0 (for 5.25 floppies, of course) and mv *. Or, if you're feeling lucky, you can try the newfangled tar program.
Good luck with that GUI bloat.
Linux reads books on how to use YOU!!
You like your new Mac more than you like me, don't you, Dave? Dave? I asked...She said Yes.
I saw that, it was the episode that convinced me that Martin may be a tool. He basicaly said, "I don't want to type in some weird command, I want to click on an icon."