Show me the way!

[teachu]

Dear friends,
This is for the first time that i have registered in a forum with Linux in mind. The purpose of this join is to learn Linux and gradually shift to it leaving Windows behind so please tell me from where or how can i start my learning. You can either give links to good sites or post replies giving details of things. Hope to get a good COOPERATION from all of U.

[lazlow]

teachu

Welcome, keep a good attitude. Keep in mind that this will take a while. If you are like the rest of us you have had years of unoffical windows training. Unfortunately most of that training will not apply to linux.

If you can find an older box say a PIII with 512mb ram and 40 gb HD or anthing faster that will make life easier. If you can run this separate box it will make the transition easier in that when you get stuck or something goes wrong you will still have your regular system to fall back on.

If you cannot get a separate box, my next suggestion would be to get a set of removable drive drawers for your current box. Keeping your current install on your current drive(incased in one of the new drive drawers) and the new install on a separate drive/drive drawer. These drive drawers are about $20 each at newegg. The advantage to this system is similar to having a separate system box. If something goes wrong with the FC install (simple mistakes happen in real life), you just shut down the machine, turn a key, pull out the drawer, install other drawer and reboot.

The last option is to run dual boot(running both os off of one drive). Many people have absolutely no problem doing this. Many people have problems. The main hazzard in running this way is that either os can (can not will) totally hose the other or both os. This is almost always due to operator error. I do not know about you, but this operator makes plenty of errors.

With all the above being said, the best and fastest way to learn is to install. When you get stuck or need help just post back and someone should be able to help you. (This is why I always keep one system separate).

Good Luck
Lazlow

[teachu]

Dear Lazlow,
Thanks for taking the initiative to help me out. Now this is for all the members, Please give me a detailed instruction on how to install FC and make the PC dual-boot with XP. Also tell me do i need to learn commands, if yes then how and from where?

[ilja]

Please before you start your way read the http://www.fedoraforum.org/?view=guide and don't post questions in the Howto-Articles forum...
But if you are anyway in tthe Howto-Articles forum, just look at one of the stickies and find this thread : http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=53362
Please read it and find the answer to most of the questions, which pop up in your mind. If you don't find an answer, you are welcome to come back and report to us and we'll be glad to help you...

[JN4OldSchool]

To add to what Lazlo was saying about dual/multi boots: There will come a time when Linux becomes more than just a toy for you. You will have to make a concerted effort to actually USE Linux in your day to day activities. This is really the only way to become comfortable with it. On the plus side, I was just reading another thread and pondering about a thought I have had many times too. Linux is EASIER to use than Windows! Now, I dont mean this from a geek prespective, I mean for grandma, your kids, your dog...The hardest part is UNLEARNING all your Windows preconceptions. You will need some bash commands. You will need to open a terminal now and then. But these days 99.99% of anything you do in Linux can be accomplished through a GUI tool or program. Just like Windows. Point and click. What you will discover as you get more comfortable with things is that whereas in Windows you are LIMITED to the GUI tool and it's options, in Linux you have infinitly more power using the CLI. In closing, it is all mindset. If you dont try to compare Windows to Linux initially and make up your mind Linux is really where you want to be, then as rocky as the road may at first seem, within a month or two you will never look back.

edit: Oh, BTW, hopefully you already have your FC5 install disc. As you know, FC6 is coming out in a few days/weeks at most. I wouldnt be in any hurry to upgrade. Take my advice, install FC5 for now, it is proven and all the bugs ironed out. It is solid as it now sits. Within a month, 2 at the outside, you will start getting fairly knowledgable about Linux. You will know more about how you wnat to partition your drive(s), set up your network, what programs and options you like best (for instance, KDE or Gnome?) and if you are anything like me you will probably have botched your test system once or twice requireing a fresh install anyway. In 2 months, say by Jan., FC 6 should have all the kinks worked out and you should be ready for it. Good luck!

[Flounder]

Just be persistent. And the steps to finding an answer to linux problems are generally as follows (not necessarily in this order). Check the forum for the problem you have with a search. If it turns up nothing check google with your problem. If that comes up with nothing then post the problem. This way the people trying to help you won't get to irritated with the fact you may not have looked for a solution to something that has just been solved for the n-th time. Not all of us get irritated with this but it generally doesn't hurt to put a little effort into searching for a solution. Also if you really want to learn the command line do the following: Attempt to setup apache, mysql, php, web mail (I've gotten no where with this to date), and try and do as much as possible from command line. From web browsing to programming. You'll soon learn that command line is a users best friend. Also be persistent expect a lot of problems at first. As the others have said Windows knowledge kind of works against you in linux but you will learn eventually.

[kylevan]

another suggestion I would have for you...

if you're following directions from a website and they tell you "enter such and such command" don't JUST enter the command. read the manual page for the command by typing 'man (whatever)' at the command prompt. understanding exactly what you're doing will help greatly with understanding how Linux works as a whole.

this website was a great help to me when initially setting up:
http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_cor...ion_notes.html

as others have said keep in mind that you're probably not the first to encounter a problem, so doing a search on these forums or google will usually get you the answer to your question. I would recommend searching here first, as the information is fedora-specific.

good luck!