Don't Fear the Penguin: A Newbie's Guide to Linux

pretty good. Next time try

pretty good. Next time try to go into a little detail about which brands of printers work well with Linux, and those that generally don't. For example HP printers work great with Linux, but Lexmark printers generally don't.

Ubuntu Guide and Kubuntu Guide

Installation is only the beginning of the adventure...

After that, see

Ubuntu Guide at ubuntuguide.org

or

Kubuntu Guide at kubuntuguide.org

great guide

Great job on a really basic guide for newbies, you guys need to do an entire series if you have a serious commitment to the community (and it seems as though 3 pages at a time wouldn't require a lot of work)- I would definitely recommend something specific to SOHO (*buntu may not be universally the best choice, but for sure easy for the home user to check out, and that's where a lot of SOHO and student users will start) as that's a great opportunity for the OS to truly add value (or at least limit costs). I have found some serious stumbling blocks this third time round w/ Pengy (since 2000), but there are things I can do with Linux and FOSS I can't even begin to afford were I limited to proprietary and I took religious vows to not steal, cheat, or gamble (that does beg the question as to why I am in business, but that's another blog...) so I don't see how I'm going to upgrade past XP (HW and SW I get essentially for free from people trashing their systems), nor why I would bother as there is no hardware newer than 10 years that I actually require to do what I do in my business or my engineering work.

Why

First why did I hear Blue Oyster Cult's don't fear the reaper when I read the title on this article?.

Besides that very well writen and I will agree that a series should be done on this. For those of us that work in a Microsoft shop actually getting time to play with something else is not exactly easy, and some help along the way would shorten the learning time.

Finally I would suggest also pointing out the similarities in other Linux distros such as Fedora, PC mint, etc. Unbutu is an excellant distro but it won't meet the needs of everyone.

Lacking Detail and Distorting the Truth

Pity help any person who has never tried Linux before who sees this very very basic guide as an incentive to try Linux. It only skims the bare bones functionality of using an OS that any user knows they need. First think about the everyday things you already do in Windows and ask does this guide address all that you need to know? Besides that there are truth distortions and purposeful lack of detail in the guide. For example "it makes installing Linux simple". That only holds true if Ubuntu recognises all your hardware properly. There can be plenty of frustration and scratching your head trying to figure out what's going on if it doesn't. Another example "you need to log in each time you boot". Unless you are still using Windows 9x or ME this is true for Windows also. Of course Windows allows you to have itself configured to auto login also. If you sensibly run Windows on a daily basis without being logged in to an Administrator Account, then you will also need to enter the Administrator password to do certain tasks. Therefore, Linux is no more secure in respect to these features. Linux Distributions always come loaded down with heaps of pre-installed software. This is only because this software is free. Microsoft could do the same with Windows but then they would be accused of anti-competitive practices. Isn't a Linux Distribution being anti-competitive if it comes with one free type of software (an office app for example) but fails to include any of the other free ones available. The user has the right to download and install any software they like in Windows just as with Linux. Easy software installation in Linux is another area which is misinterpreted in this article. For some apps it may work fine but for many it can be extremely confusing and frustrating especially for new users to Linux. Windows software installs, for the most part, are simply a matter of running one file and following a few simple instructions. The Update Manager in Ubuntu is a joke compared to the Windows Update Service from Microsoft. The Ubuntu version gives a bewildering list of items to update with very unclear details of what each is for and why it is needed. You need to be a Linux Techo to understand some of the descriptions. The Wine project is indeed improving in the abilities it has to run certain Windows Apps but for the most part this is still very hit and miss and the Windows App often has less functionality under Wine than what you would expect. Basically you have to make compromises. I will probably get flamed by the Linux Community for these comments as that seems to be the normal response to any criticism. I am not a Microsoft lover as they do plenty of things that are not desirable and there is plenty in Windows that frustrates also. Windows Vista of course really missed the mark. But Linux has a long way to go before it can be classed as an end user OS for the average home user.

Lacking Detail and Distorting the Truth

Pity help any person who has never tried Linux before who sees this very very basic guide as an incentive to try Linux. It only skims the bare bones functionality of using an OS that any user knows they need. First think about the everyday things you already do in Windows and ask does this guide address all that you need to know? Besides that there are truth distortions and purposeful lack of detail in the guide. For example "it makes installing Linux simple". That only holds true if Ubuntu recognises all your hardware properly. There can be plenty of frustration and scratching your head trying to figure out what's going on if it doesn't. Another example "you need to log in each time you boot". Unless you are still using Windows 9x or ME this is true for Windows also. Of course Windows allows you to have itself configured to auto login also. If you sensibly run Windows on a daily basis without being logged in to an Administrator Account, then you will also need to enter the Administrator password to do certain tasks. Therefore, Linux is no more secure in respect to these features. Linux Distributions always come loaded down with heaps of pre-installed software. This is only because this software is free. Microsoft could do the same with Windows but then they would be accused of anti-competitive practices. Isn't a Linux Distribution being anti-competitive if it comes with one free type of software (an office app for example) but fails to include any of the other free ones available. The user has the right to download and install any software they like in Windows just as with Linux. Easy software installation in Linux is another area which is misinterpreted in this article. For some apps it may work fine but for many it can be extremely confusing and frustrating especially for new users to Linux. Windows software installs, for the most part, are simply a matter of running one file and following a few simple instructions. The Update Manager in Ubuntu is a joke compared to the Windows Update Service from Microsoft. The Ubuntu version gives a bewildering list of items to update with very unclear details of what each is for and why it is needed. You need to be a Linux Techo to understand some of the descriptions. The Wine project is indeed improving in the abilities it has to run certain Windows Apps but for the most part this is still very hit and miss and the Windows App often has less functionality under Wine than what you would expect. Basically you have to make compromises. I will probably get flamed by the Linux Community for these comments as that seems to be the normal response to any criticism. I am not a Microsoft lover as they do plenty of things that are not desirable and there is plenty in Windows that frustrates also. Windows Vista of course really missed the mark. But Linux has a long way to go before it can be classed as an end user OS for the average home user.

RE: Lacking Detail and Distorting the Truth

Kevin, the author did address that certain limitations apply to Linux support through Wine, and that there is some lacking hardware support. This is the fault of hardware developers:

"In some cases, hardware manufacturers may choose not to release specifications for their devices, which can make Linux support difficult or impossible."

--Page 3 under Cross Platform Computing

I have found it to be quite annoying particularly with wireless cards, and as mentioned by another commentator hardware support is an issue with printers and scanners as well. For example, I will probably never buy a[nother] Canon product until they begin FOSS hardware support. (HP products work great with Linux.)

Wine does need improving, and I do not doubt that Mr. McAllister agrees:

"In such cases a software package called Wine--available through the Synaptic Package Manager--can sometimes help"

--Page 3 under Cross Platform Computing

But it was mentioned that it is a growing program, and if you research it a bit, it is an amazing piece of software, many years in the making.

My hopes lie in a future where hardware drivers and file standards are are FOSS. Hardware developers make money based upon actual items, and the anticipated software support from consumers, for them software support is more a liability than an actual moneymaker. FOSS could see a lot of growth in this arena, potentially reducing programmer overhead. I would like to see a FOSS document standard that would prevent M$ from forcing Office upgrades upon consumers, and rather force M$ to add value in order to entice consumers to upgrade.

Most mainstream gaming will never be open source, nor should it, many games and series sell well based upon their story lines. The actual intellectual rights of authors could be infringed upon if games were Open Sourced. I would like to see game (and other software developers) support Linux OSes, or at least provide hints to the developers of Wine. This would grant access to useful and unparalleled proprietary software to the Linux and Unix Communities. I don't object to paying for software provided it's worth something.

Unfortunately very little if any of my dream scenario is occurring, though the shift is more likely today than it was yesterday. It is unlikely that more Open Source support will begin until 1) Windoze becomes mixed source 2) more people switch to Open Source, or mixed source operating systems. Scenario 2 is unlikely until the support for FOSS expands, and thus you get a Chicken and Egg Paradox.

Assuming that there are no hardware issues, and you don't need proprietary software such as MS Access or Photoshop (Note: XP can be visualized in Linux, though I've never done it), switching to Linux should be no more difficult than switching to any other OS. If you can't figure out which software to use in order to complete a task: Google it, download it, use it.

As for the updates, yes sometimes updates make your system a little bit screwy, but I haven't seen it in Ubuntu version 8.04.1 LTS.

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