[newbie] A true newbie asks...

[Ed Lyons]

Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I'll review the sites as you suggested.
I'm coming from a plain vanilla Windows 98 system/background with no
upgrading background, no Unix background (took a few minutes to get *nix
reference...).

I use the standard MS Office (97) packages for word processing, spreadsheet,
task management, IE5 for internet/email, and am planning to move into GIS
(MapInfo??) and picture manipulation (Photoshop) in early 2004. Perhaps some
specific geology software in 2004, too.
Pretty utilitarian, actually. No games, no DVD, MP3, etc. Boring, eh?

My "hope" for a new system is more stability, better security, no extra
not-wanted bells-n-whistles to kludge the system. (Trivial: no card games,
kill Clippy, etc.) And no killer fees to upgrade gear and software just to
do the same darn things I've been doing OK for years. (To go from my present
config to Windows 2000 XP would cost about $3K!) (:<<(

Ed Lyons

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Willard" <linux1@shaw.ca>
To: <newbie@vlug.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2003 9:29 AM
Subject: Re: [newbie] A true newbie asks...


> On Saturday, December 6, 2003, at 10:12  PM, Ed Lyons wrote:
>
> > From what I've briefly read on VLUG and LWN sites, the types of distros
> > seem to come with varying levels of stability, development, security
> > applications, ease-of-use, etc., so the question of which one best suits
> > my daily use applications is a key issue for me.
>
> The topic of 'which to use' is one of the greatest challenges that anyone
> faces when they first enter the world of Linux. Most people are not used
> to
> being given a choice, they are given a system with a specific desktop
> and told
> that's it live with it. In the Open Source community the individual is
> given the
> power to use and do what they wish. Too many choices is sometimes used
> by those
> in the media to convey the difficulties of new users entering the Linux
> world, this
> may or may not be true depending on how you view the word "choice".
>
> As far actually deciding upon a distro you should spend some time
> reading any number
> of web sites dedicated to keeping track of all the distributions. I
> could spend an hour
> or two writing down all the pros & cons of each one but truthfully these
> websites
> have done the work already... it's just a matter of
> reading/understanding.
>
> > I know many folks in LinuxLand are keen developers and that make's
> > it interesting. But I want to buy a hammer and pound nails to start
> > with! I
> > use a computer principally for work and better utility encourages me to
> > change technology more than the techno stuff qua. That's me.
>
> So maybe a brief synopsis of the applications you use on a daily basis
> and possibly what you hope a completely new operating environment will
> provide you
> will help us to make a more informed decision.
>
> > I reiterate my willingness to pay for some
> > "consulting"/handholding/intense
> > guidance, as I want to get to a minimum comfort level quickly (business
> > /time reasons), then continue on my own with help from friends. I have
> > found
> > this works best for me.
>
> Willingness to pay is fine, but it does not guarantee that your skill
> level will
> approach the level required for 'pounding nails' as you put it. If
> you've had little
> or no exposure to *nix systems switching to one of those systems can
> seem like
> a very steep learning curve... picture a line straight up into the
> stratosphere :(
> On the other hand I've hand-held a number of people that have caught on
> very quickly
> and have taken the credo of the Open Source movement to heart, becoming
> extremely well
> informed in very short order.
>
> > To recap, I'm using the computer in a stand-alone (non-networked)
> > desktop
> > environment that won't likely change in the next several years.
>
> Will this system be capable to sporadic network access? For system
> updates etc??
>
> > I would like a more stable and "lighter" (on computer resources) OS
> > than Windows.
>
> Stability is not a problem, however being light on resources is not
> something I'm
> familiar with... I tend to push my machines to the edge! ;)
>
> _______________________________________________
> Newbie mailing list
> Newbie@vlug.org
> http://vlug.org/mailman/listinfo/newbie