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Learning a New OS... and Fast!?

Posted by Cliff on from the accelerated-learning dept.

Inexile2002 asks: "I've been asked to assist a consultant on a project using VMS and basically have four days to figure out enough that I'm actually of some use. (We're not doing development, just security reviews, so I'm not totally screwed.) Originally I was going to ask for advice on how to start teaching myself VMS from scratch including best books and support websites when I realized that there is a more generic issue here. What are people's thoughts on learning a new OS and learning it fast? Have people found optimal ways to pick things up quickly, get a familiarity with commands and underlying logic? How about learning the basics when you can't actually install and play with the OS in question?"

2 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. As with any project... by zulux · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that you need to do in a short amount of time: the best advice I could give is to stay the hell away from Slashdot.

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  2. And the old VMS farts will tell you... by devphil · · Score: 5, Informative


    ...that on any decent VMS system,

    HELP topic

    will start a surprisingly friendly hierarchical help menu on "topic". Or don't specify a topic and just wander around the help tree.

    Just as "man man" is a useful command to give to Unix newbies, "HELP HELP" is a good starting point for VMS. My first networked machine was a VMS. When I finally moved to Unix, I was so diappointed in the man pages. "You have to type the whole name of the topic? It can't figure it out? Sheesh..."

    Like the tagline goes: VMS is a text-based adventure game. If you win, you get to use Unix.

    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)