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Linux Desktop Guide
codergeek42 writes "The International Open-Source Network has created a desktop manual aimed at end-users with little or no prior knowledge of PCs. This manual goes through using The Fedora Project to do things from file-management to using the internet (as in browsing the WWW and using email), how to use the OpenOffice.org office suite, and even a basic intro to using the shell. This is definitely a step in the right direction for GNU/Linux, and the Free Software and Open-Source Software movements. And the cool part is that the entire thing is under an attributions-required OSI-approved Creative Common license, and is available in .sxw (OpenOffice.org Writer) or PDF formats."
For a first-time user?
Hey, this is great, you've got your first Linux system. Whoops! Time's up. If you want security updates, it's time to wipe and reinstall!
the entire thing is [...] available in .sxw (OpenOffice.org Writer) or PDF formats.
That's one way of ensuring the user has broadband and a large enough hard drive...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Wouldn't something like Mandrake or SuSe be better for beginners?
I think this is a step in the right direction. Now i'm not for dumbing down linux, but I think there should be a user-friendly (ouch) option on some of the major distrobustions so that people who know little about and will not learn about computer systems will use linux. If more common people use linux than more governments and institutions will, meaning more donations for projects, more press, and better defence against the Microsofts and SCOs out there.
-- Checking emails and kicking cheats `till the day I die.
Not bit torrent, but it'll have to do...
Google Cache
-jim
...please invest in a link checker. You can't be trusted to get them right.
http://www.openoffce.org/
http://www.openoffice.org/
I wonder if manual/guide is the solution to the 'problems' in desktop territory.
Will grandma get such guide and follow through step by step command lines to achieve something?
Uselessful technology (Air-Charged
This kind of stuff is a great step in the right direction, but lots of people in the target demographic would still prefer a dead-tree version. I'd really like to see a couple of those big, glossy, step-by-step picture books put out for Linux. There's a bunch for Win/Mac already, so I'm sure it'll just be a matter of time.
Been using Windows XP Home for 3 years, and never looked back.
Not enough time to look back between security updates, and A/V, anti-spyware and personal firewall software installations I guess...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Does Linux have top home marketshare? No.
Does Linux have top education marketshare? No.
So is the chance that people's very first system will be Linux high? No.
Does this make this whole thing pointless? Yes.
What do stores sell a new user if they don't know what they want? Windows. Therefore they will learn Windows. The only way they'll find out about this report is if they go online and find it, and then if they're not a techy user, they're not going to want to install something like an OS for themselves. This is a pointless exercise to make the open-source community hope for an influx of new users, when the fact is while stores still sell Windows machines, while mummy and daddy still have a Windows machine in the living room, while little Johnny's school uses Windows machines... Microsoft's monopoly is self-sustaining.
It doesn't matter how many guides you put out for Linux aimed at the 'new user', there are no users who've never used a computer before who are likely to run Linux - they're going to run what the store tells them to run, or what the computers in their house already run - Windows. The monopoly self-sustains. Unless all us nerds train our kids from birth to use *nix, and they all train their kids, etc, etc, etc, only Microsoft can destroy their own monopoly. Our only hope is that a catastrophic worm makes it impossible to ever use Windows, as other than that, reguardless of how many 'Linux for Total Newbies' PDFs people put out, those 'total newbies' will be reading it from a Windows machine, and the vast majority of them will be too scared or too stubborn to switch.
This will probably get modded troll, but that's the way it is - this is the wrong approach to be taking, and for all the people us few thousand nerds convert (very few), there's going to be a few thousand more kids growing up using mummy and daddy's Windows machine, perpetuating Microsoft's mindshare. We need to find a way to deal with it, and this is not it.
Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
This is an admirable effort, however why Fedora for a beginner's distro? The problem I see is that Fedora is just getting it's feet wet and entire reinstalls are needed to update from core 1 -> 2. This harks back to my days with Red Hat 5 and Mdk 6. Without trying to start a flamewar, I really think a Debian based system with Synaptic setup for updating is the best solution. Lastly, I don't know if a beginner's guide should include the commandline, that will likely scare some off. Let them get completely comfy in the GUI, then let them start exploring off the path.
Still, efforts like this NEED to be undertaken, if it's one thing OSS projects often lack is documentation.
CV*)($#B
free ipod and free gmail!
And the cool part is that the entire thing is under an attributions-required OSI-approved Creative Common license, and is available in .sxw (OpenOffice.org Writer) or PDF formats.
.sxw or a PDF one would be very useful for someone new to PCs - they need some basic knowledge to even view it, and it would get incredibly confusing to try to use the computer and read instructions off it at the same time. The alternative is to get the manual printed by someone you know who already knows how to use a PC and has a lot of paper and ink to waste and... If you were learning a computer for the first time, what would be more convenient, this or a reasonably cheap, easy to find Dummies guide to PCs (which would refer to Windows)?
Neither a
I know we're into OSS evangelism here, but honestly, for someone new to PCs, it would be much better to choose the platform most common and hence easiest to find advice and help for, and that's Windows. As I've seen with my grandparents, learning PCs for the first time is hard enough as it is without the extra trouble of pursuing a minority desktop OS.
Would the average home user even be capable of knowing if his/her Linux box had been "0wned" ?
Mandrake and Suse would be better for ANY desktop user, and certainly better for the IOSN to promote since both distributions have long-term commitments to the desktop.
Step 1: Buy a Mac.
Step 2: Put Mac on desk; power up.
Step 3: There is no step 3!
While I commend them on their efforts, I don't think very many people are going to find this useful.
I would have chosen Mandrake over Fedora because Fedora is meant to be Red Hat's bleeding edge test bed. Mandrake is easy to set up and as long as don't care to tweak around with it much, it'll do you fine.
Computer use is getting so complex and most of us here don't even realize it. To explain the simplest tasks to someone who knows nothing about computers is not easy and I think it needs to be taught rather than dictated to in a book. And a book at that, a pdf is only useful if someone is going to print it out in lieu of teaching someone.
Nobody learns to drive a car by reading a manual, and no one should be expected to learn a computer by manual either.
After perusing it, I gave this one to my sisters and mother. It covers all the same things, but in print, with Figures:
Teach Yourself Red Hat Linux Fedora
STOP . AMERICA . NOW
Happy mandrake 10 user here. It just makes my life easier. Finally without a windows partition!!
I've been using mandrake for 2 years now... before that I was a windows fanboy.
Anyways... linux has been great. I am able to do everything I need to for my job in linux (CXOffice has been wonderful).
...Fedora is designed to be a more or less bleeding edge perpetual beta, even though they call it a release. Sorta like moz in a way. Call it a stable~beta, freebie community/developer/enthusiast edition. If you want "more" stable and more and longer support, you go to the redhat pay per view version, or stick to legacy Rh 7-9 as long as that lasts.
With that said I like fedora, it works fine,seems perfectly stable to me with only a few minor hiccups, no showe stoppers, and twice a year to plop a few Cds in isn't hard, and updating even on my old coal burner system and rural slow dialup is not hard either.
Basically, you can't have it both ways at the same time. If you want new and improved, well, the developers ain't lazy and come out with new and improved all the time, so there ya go. If you want to run a distro for a long time, then just run a distro for a long time. If it's gotta-haveit security updates, you might have to compile it in. thems the breaks. You can't have a 5 ton truck that gets 50 MPG, just ain't happening, some times ya got to make some compromises. I bet there's folks here still running RH6 probably, and similar vintage older various distros/OSes. Heck, I run new linux but I still crank up some old macs running 7.x and 8.x sometimes, and still got a laptop with win 95 on it that I (and who knows who else, heh) fool with occassionaly just for sport.
Plus, if it fails, it's the writer's time that is wasted, not yours.
-- Checking emails and kicking cheats `till the day I die.
Some of you guys may not suggest Fedora for a linux beginner, but wait, I have seen quite a few users hop on to linux, completely abandoning Windows right with Fedora Core 1, and they are actuallly happy with it!
Installing applications are not that hard unlike the earlier days. I recommend rpm.pbone.net to find your applications packaging for Fedora, I have been 99.99% successfull! And with the brand new Yum, staying upto date is always a breeze.
I also recommend adding Dag Wieers repository in your yum configuration and this particular one releases very useful applications/updates. Needless to stay, once you load fancy themes and eye-candy like gDesklets you really can grab the eyes of people around you while giving you a pleasurable user experience.
This is my sig. There are thousands more, but this one is mine.
Nice troll - these silly fudsters would sound almost believable to someone who doesn't know better...
While I use suse, not fedora, I have installed fedora on several computers, and had no trouble whatsoever with the install or setup.
The nvidia issue is like a newbie 101 type question, - the fudster tripped up a few times, one of them was in the nvidia driver install. No, you don't recompile the kernel. You simply install the nvidia driver (without the GUI running), edit 1 line in the X config file, and restart X. Actually, this is all clearly spelled out in the readme at nvidia.com.
With suse, the nvidia driver is even easier. You just check the box in yast that says "install nvidia drivers". that's it.
Well, I could point out his other howlers, but my time is worth something too.
how is Linux supposed to be usable for someone new to Linux such as myself
when your new 9800 PRO isn't supported by X?
Knoppix. Include directions for installing to hard drive and setting up Debian. It still needs a bit more polish, but it could be killer.
In Soviet America the banks rob you!
This manual goes through ... how to use the OpenOffice.org office suite ... and is available in .sxw (OpenOffice.org Writer) ... formats.
Erm... This reminds me, I have to go watch that videotape that'll show me how to use my VCR.
Since SuSE Linux is the only distro I have extensive experience with, I use it as an example. Installation is as easy as booting off your DVD, selecting your language, accepting a few default options for partitioning and package selection, choosing your username and passwords, and waiting about half an hour for the system to install. And off you go surfing the net and writing letters with OpenOffice! The last time I ran into serious difficulties with a SuSE install was more than a few years ago.
A Windows install? The first few steps are quite similar, but once the system is installed the fun begins: insert manufacturer disk to install custom drivers; insert MS Office CDs to install word processor; hop on the web to download Acrobat Reader; install IM client, jukebox, IE replacement, firewall, and whatnot. With Linux all the stuff a beginner needs is already there; no need to hunt around for programs. And no need to reinstall every few months because a worm messed up the system.
Granted, with Linux you have to pay attention what hardware you choose, especially concerning printers and modems. But the time where you have to touch the command line in order to get Linux to run has passed quite some time ago.
By this logic, the GNU project never should have been started at all and neither should have the Linux kernel. Even by the narrow dictates of popularity, in order to make something popular one first must make something. This particular work is licensed to allow sharing, improvement, and commercial distribution which strikes me as being remarkably generous. We can't afford to believe that we must sequence our steps of progress because if we do we'll never accomplish anything.
I think it would be far healthier to continue to let a thousand flowers bloom.
Digital Citizen
I haven't read the PDF yet but I suspect its not directly aimed at Joe User. It is aimed at US(Linux user ITs or geeks) to GIVE to Joe User with a copy of Fedora or Mandrake. Yes you are correct that the stores will sell you windows but the end users are getting frustrated with Windows enough to be looking for solutions. This is one. They aren't likely to know about Linux but they may know about you. So get off your duff and show them the better way.
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
This is exactly what holds Slashdot back. Arrogant people spouting the same old stuff labeled as 'insightful.'
The original poster complained about some stuff. The reply pointed out some places where his complaints are inconsistant with reality (i.e. you don't need to recompile the kernel for nVidia drivers).
This person is not necessarily representative of the Linux community. Yes, he came off elitist. However, we're also reading Slashdot, where every elitist nerd comes to post his tripe. There are plenty of friendly people in the Linux community ready to help out newbies. Slashdot is not the place they hang out to do tech support, though.
Also, the "not worthy of my time" type comment was aimed at pointing out the other arguments the original poster made that aren't consistant with reality, not with providing tech support.
But, posting "blah blah Linux elitism blah blah will never succeed," is guaranteed to be modded insightful, even though it's bullshit. You think there aren't elitist Windows or Mac users? If you do, you're deluding yourself.
I've come for the woman, and your head.
Seriously. Mandrake is easy to install, has excellent hardware detection, and passed the "my-non-techie-mother can use it" test. Once you set up the urpmi system (a lot like apt-get for Debian, and has a graphical front-end for it as well), updating and upgrading is straightforward and simple.
"What do you think?" "I think 'What, do you think?!'"
I think this guide is a fantastic idea for people like my uncle. The guy absolutely hates Microsoft, for a variety of reasons that will be familiar to most Slashdot readers. But he has never switched to anything else because he's too afraid of losing compatibility, not being able to use MS Office, etc. I should say he *was* afraid, because I recently gave him an old G3/500 iBook running Mac OSX, and he loves it.
Now he is ready to take his old Wintel box and put Linux on it. This manual will be perfect. I can pass it his way, have him give it a read-through, and then I'll go over to his place and we'll run through a Linux installation together.
There are a variety of folks out there who have a strong dislike for Microsoft products, but have no real experience with anything but Microsoft. They know that many pundits say OS X is a better user experience. They know that Linux is out there too. But they need all the help they can get in pushing past the extremely strong inertia that Microsoft has created.
You are quite right in saying that "the vast majority of them will be too scared or too stubborn to switch," but I believe that if there are multiple avenues (in the true *NIX tradition) for people to take in their quest to find alternatives to Microsoft, so much the better. Linux has never been about "The One True Way" and I think it's a bit much to expect that we will ever find "a way to deal with it." Why not present multiple paths?
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
I've looked through it, and I still have no idea how to use the three shells.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
ATI provides a 9800 pro driver. I've installed it myself. The reason X distro's don't include it is because they are proprietary (non-free). However, their generic radeon driver runs just fine as long as you aren't doing any 3d acceleration. Funny, thats the same way it is with windows...built-in driver works but for 3d accel you need the ATI version.
"!" after a command in vi usually means "do the operation without prompting", or, to put it another way, forcibly do the operation, even though you may lose information (e.g., ":w!" will overwrite a file that you have opened read-only (i.e., with "view"), or that you indicated was read-only with the ":se readonly" command).
Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
I've set up a mirror at http://ftp.ftlight.net/pub/mirrors/linux-userguide /.
e /print.html.
e /linux-userguide-sxw.torrent for OpenOffice files ande /linux-userguide-pdf.torrent for PDFs.
The original page with links is http://ftp.ftlight.net/pub/mirrors/linux-userguid
Files are still being downloaded, you can see how many are present from the first link.
Torrents will be available when downloads are complete at:
http://ftp.ftlight.net/pub/mirrors/linux-userguid
http://ftp.ftlight.net/pub/mirrors/linux-userguid
Now go around your office and find out which Windows Luser ever read the manual...none. That is how many will read this one. 90% of all users got their sorry little knowledge by routinely watching as their admins were forced to hold their little hands. Laziness, not ignorance, is what stands in the way of switching platforms.
As for me, I'm familiar with all (up to M$AS2003) not only 95/98. Has clippy maybe gone away. Ok, now you have to enable it.
.Net doesn't mean more security. Otherwise Java would be most secure until now. It's just runtime controlled software, nothing else. Controlled software is just as secure as environment and runtime engine is.
;)
The truth is that anyone who follows the advice of Windows and their ISP can be secure with a minimum of effort
ISP can never secure your box. ISP has to be defaulted to be open at least for it's internal network, which is often large. And can't block too much, because ISP could loose customers. Most of ISP's don't know shit about securing your box, because common ISP technical support mostly isn't qualified for that. I must admit that I was surprised once, when I talked to a guy on a level. It just turned out that he was from other department and temporally filling the gap in support.
With Service Pack 2, where Windows enforces it and doesn't just suggest it, it's even easier. The Linux community is out-of-touch...
1. Linux doesn't suggest firewall, it is enabled by default
2. So, having firewall that works in both directions is out-of-touch? Windows fw blocks only outside traffic, inside is not checked.
The fact is that Windows XP is actually a really good operating system...
Every fool has it's own horse! me? I got Linux
it's faster than Linux
Yeah, Windows starts Office faster, otherwise everything is dog slow
it's stable
Me and you obviously live on different planet. On our planet Windows is like a magnet to viruses, spyware and other malware.
it's a hell of a lot easier to use
Not for my needs. I agree that everyone without a clue what to do with his computer or someone who just wants to play games it is easier. But then again I have a clue and I have PS2.
it has a better security model than Linux.
Better security model as in....???? Windows hasn't got even real multi user environment. Two or three months ago M$ posted article how to write software for multiuser environment. To get a clue what I'm talking about. Start photoshop, Swithch user, Start another photoshop. Photoshop preferences blow, Ctrl-Alt-Shift become your friends (either that or that's $35 for Adobe support). This is the same tragedy as in most of Windows software.
Firewall-Like-One-Way-Toy was introduced with SP2???
So much talked-about
Windows is just getting with security where Linux was 5 years ago. For your information. Linux is moving away again with SELinux to be enabled by default.
And now the obligatory: "But of course this post opposed the Slashbot groupthink and will be modded down."
No, your comment is just stupid, that's all
(I think people say that because those posts always get modded up.)
Your comment is too stupid to be modded up, even if you beg as you do.
Signature Pro version 1.13.2-3 release 83.5 beta3try7 after-breakfast edition