Point and Click Linux 192
| Point and Click Linux | |
| author | Robin "Roblimo" Miller |
| pages | 270 |
| publisher | Prentice Hall |
| rating | 9 |
| reviewer | timothy |
| ISBN | 0131488724 |
| summary | Friendly, casual, hands-on approach to Linux; blasts users' fears that Linux is hard to use for everyday tasks. |
The Linux with which to point and click
SimplyMepis is a KDE-centric Live CD Linux which is also well suited for hard-drive installation. Before talking about Point and Click's text, Mepis itself deserves some description, because it's the basis for the examples in this example-laden book.
Not many years ago, books that came with a Linux distribution usually had the user prepare an initial pair of floppies, cross his fingers, and sacrifice at least a hard drive partition just to try it out by installing either from a CD or over the network. If the user wanted to keep an existing Windows partition, things were even more complicated, because there were no newbie-friendly non-destructive partition editors. Having bored (suffered) through that process, and seemingly tried every possible combination of boot+root floppy images before hitting the one that actually worked all my hardware enough to let the installation begin, I'm a big fan of Live CD Linux distros: this is progress.
Until sometime last winter, I would have suggested that any Linux book come with a copy of Knoppix, which is so astoundingly useful it's nearly impossible to overpraise. (I'm glad to see that several books are now coming bundled with it. Marcel Gagne's Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodbye and Knoppix Hacks both come with pressed versions of Knoppix.) Mepis, though, deserves the acclaim that's been heaped on it in the last several months, and makes a perfect choice to include with a book for Linux newcomers. And while a Live CD has obvious advantages, a user can follow the bulk of this book with any computer running KDE under Linux (or one of the BSDs, for that matter).
Mepis is at present my most-used distribution; I've used it recently to:
- Rescue data from a friends' grandmother's malware-hobbled Windows PC, on which the Windows goo was so thick that even booting up was at best a sometimes thing. (Switching her to Linux entirely is the next project.)
- Install Mepis's version of Debian on several of my computers; in fact, Live CDs like Mepis and Knoppix are the only way I've installed Linux for the past year.
- Show some kids TuxKart. (One of them beat my all-time high on his first attempt. Beginner's luck.)
Compared to Knoppix and most other live CDs, Mepis has what I consider a slightly friendlier feel; in particular, it gathers several of the more annoying and potentially intimidating sysadmin tasks into two groups, each with an icon on the desktop: the "System Center," for tweaking display, network and mouse parameters; and "User utilities," which for now contains only a "Clean User Space" program to clear one's browser history and cache, as well as purge the current bash history and recent documents. (Most people, at birth, don't even know what "sysadmin" means; having desktop icons to common admin tasks is considerate of new users.)
Though it will work on a wide range of x86 machines, like any Live CD (and any OS, really) Mepis benefits from running on a fast system with lots of RAM. 128MB of free RAM is what I'd call a realistic minimum; my system is perfectly run-of-the-mill by current new-PC standards (Sempron 2800+ processor, 512MB of RAM), and far more than necessary.
Get clicking
Point and Click Linux is aimed squarely at those new -- including perfectly new -- to using Linux at all, and it would make a fine non-intimidating manual for someone sitting down at his first computer.
To that end, Roblimo does not assume that the reader will be installing Mepis onto his hard drive; the whole point of the book is that all the point-and-click magic can be tried on a typical Windows PC with nothing more than a reboot. That said, current hard drives are much faster than current optical drives, and a system installed to a hard disk makes saving files a simpler process. I had brand-new system bought from a local megastore which was all set for a Free operating system, and decided to put this version of Mepis onto it. I used this book as my guide to the system, as I suspect a new user would -- as an actual step-by-step guide, not a random-access source of knowledge. So I installed the system and then tried the examples throughout.
The first four chapters make up a section called "Getting Started." Chapters here stray toward the short and snappy rather than comprehensive; all four of these might be condensed into a single chapter in a book meant for technophiles. Getting Started details some of Linux's advantages (lack of spyware, quick bug fixes, low price), booting Mepis from the CD-ROM drive (or installing it to hard disk) and working with KDE. The level is perfect for a literate but ignorant user: Roblimo explains in simple terms how to log in to the system (user "demo," password "demo" for the live CD), moving about on the KDE desktop, and using the KDE panel and K menu. He sneaks in one application in this section, too (KWrite), not so much as an application in itself, but because it demonstrates how other well-behaved KDE programs should act when it comes to opening and saving files, navigating the directory structure, etc.
An early snag: Chapter 4's instructions on reformatting a hard drive to let Windows and Linux both exist happily on the same PC didn't work for me. I was installing onto a brand new hard drive, and I thought I'd give dual-booting a shot to see what Windows was like nowadays, and so followed the instructions on setting up a machine to dual-boot. The disk-partitioning and formatting program QTParted (as user friendly as anything I've seen in that category on any platform) recognized the Windows partition that came with the machine, and let me shrink it to make room for installing Linux. But after divvying up the hard drive space and actually copying Mepis onto the drive, the machine would happily start Linux, but never actually booted Windows -- only generated an error message that it couldn't. I repeated the whole process, with the same result. It could be a quirk of my hardware (or more likely, pilot error, since I don't see similar complaints in the Mepis forums), but I never did get it to boot into Windows.
For many users, though, a functioning Windows install is probably a non-negotiable requirement. If any readers run into the same problem I did, and can't just shrug and toss Windows completely, my happy-overkill advice would be to invest in a second hard drive and skip all the hassles of dual- or multi-booting. (Storage is cheap, and it's hard to have too much of it.) If your drives are big enough, it also means you can back up the important data from each one onto the other, which is a nice bonus. Since Windows is to me only a curiosity, I decided not to pursue the partitioning problem -- I did the install one more time, this time choosing to use the entire hard disk.
That hitch aside, the book is straightforward, practical and accurate. It's also limited to a small subset of tasks and activities, which is perfectly reasonable given the intended audience.
Section II, "Linux Applications" is the book's largest, mostly because here too chapters are divided by application, rather than throwing several apps into a small number of longer chapters. It's also the most important, in my view, because the point of using Linux -- for most people, at least -- is not to simply appreciate its aesthetics, but to get things done. ("Getting things done" includes playing games!)
The applications covered start with Kppp (also given its own video segment on the DVD) -- a handy choice, because while Mepis will automatically detect and set up a DHCP broadband connection, readers who don't have broadband set up will benefit from many of the other apps (email, web-browsing, IM) only if they have a working Internet connection. Since I'm using a DSL connection, I didn't need to follow the advice here, but as a long-time Kppp user, I can vouch for the accuracy of its instructions. Yes, readers will need a Linux-friendly ISP and a phone line; the book as well as the video address this reality.
With Internet connection in place, the section proceeds apace, introducing Mozilla across not one but four separate chapters. (An introductory chapter to the Mozilla suite, followed by one apiece on Mozilla as a browser, email client, and web-page editor.) Firefox and Thunderbird are given a quick mention, but for the purposes of this book, Mozilla it is. I've recently moved almost completely to Firefox as a web browser, and I wish that Firefox had been emphasized instead, but the same principles apply at any rate. Windows users unused to browsers besides IE are likely to be pleased with the lucid instructions on blocking pop-up ads.
Chapters 10 through 15 also introduce a software suite in several easy chunks, this time the OpenOffice.org applications. While 5 chapters in 30-some pages is clearly not enough to make anyone an expert, it is plenty to establish the basic operations it takes to create and manipulate documents containing text, numbers and graphics in OO.o. The short (one-page!) Chapter 15 succinctly addresses working with Microsoft Word: "But don't expect 100% compatibility with MS Office. You won't get it. Instead, expect to get enough compatibility for everyday work, with some of the 'frills' left out."
The other chapters introduce some of the other Linux standbys included with Mepis: the multi-IM wonder Kopete (my current favorite AIM client), The GIMP, Frozen Bubble (fair warning is given about its addictive nature) and more. Especially worthy of note is the finance application called CheckBook Tracker, which is simpler than GNUcash but allows for low-key tracking and balancing of passbook accounts, and is a good start for putting money management on a computer. I'd never heard of it before reading this book, and I'm impressed.
A third section, "Beyond the Basics," is still pretty basic by Linux-world standards, but provides some appetite-whetting for new users, with instructions on the rudiments of installing new software using Kpackage, changing the look of one's desktop, cooperating with Windows (using Samba, Win4Lin and CrossOver Office), and customizing the included firewall application. Worms and the viruses aren't the problem under Linux that they are for Windows users, but they certainly could become more of a problem, and it's good to have some information on limiting outside access to one's PC.
While Kpackage is a perfectly competent package, I hope that the next version of Mepis will include by default the even-friendlier Synaptic as well as Kpackage. This section is one where I wish the short chapters had been at least a bit longer, because much of the coolest software for Linux is out there waiting to be grabbed. Maybe that's for the next set of readers up the totem pole, though.
However, a nice chapter (written by Joe Barr) at least gives some of the command-line rudiments that readers will need to get beyond pointing and clicking, which even in a book about getting along with the GUI is useful information.
A few appendices round out the book; one gives additional information on Mepis, and the other two list currently popular distributions and books, for readers who want to take the next steps toward Linux proficiency.
The small screen
The included video -- 13 short videos, actually -- are fun, and a nice touch. They illustrate in what will for experienced users be excruciating detail the same things the book talks about. When Roblimo says "put it in your computer's CD drive," you see his hand putting the disc into his computer's CD drive. When he says to move the mouse to a certain point, you see his pointer (helpfully highlighted with a translucent yellow circle) move to the appropriate spot.
For new users especially, I think it's much easier to follow something being done on screen than it is to interpret written instructions. The production on the DVD is what you might expect from the guy who for years ran a site called cheapcomputing.com; strictly functional and a bit rough around the edges, with adequate but lo-fi sound and picture, including Roblimo's web-cam captured face as he talks the user through each step. Having a human face on screen blunts the strangeness of watching someone else's disembodied pointer move around the screen pointing and clicking away, which is the case with some video-training material.(One wrinkle: unless you have both a CD ROM drive and a DVD drive in your PC, you won't be watching the videos and running Mepis as a live CD at the same time. Mepis will be occupying at least one optical drive until you decide to exit it completely.)
You can probably tell already whether Point and Click Linux is suited for you, and the answer is likely No. Just the same, I discovered a few things about Linux and KDE that I'd never tried before reading the book, and know at least a dozen people I think would benefit from a copy.
You can purchase Point and Click Linux from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews. To see your own review here, carefully read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Cool kernel version (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Cool kernel version (Score:2)
It is a good book (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It is a good book (Score:5, Funny)
Do you bunk with SirHaxalot, or what?
Re:It is a good book (Score:1)
Who made him King? (Score:5, Funny)
Well I never voted for 'im
Re:Who made him King? (Score:2, Funny)
Nobody votes for a king, they just show up one day and proclaim to be King, and as long as nobody challenges them, they stay King.
Re:Who made him King? (no watery tarts) (Score:2)
mark "the Baron of NASA is sitting
next to me...."
Re:It is a good book (Score:1)
Version? (Score:5, Funny)
Point and Click Linuxcomes with version XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gee, Linux is way ahead of Apple these days. They're only up to OS X.
That's some up-to-date software! (Score:4, Funny)
Interesting (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Interesting (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Was he looking over your shoulder? (Score:5, Funny)
Was he looking over your shoulder and threatening you with unemployment when you typed that? Holy typos Batman!
Re:Was he looking over your shoulder? (Score:3, Funny)
pooint and clickRobin "Roblimo" Miller
I've been waiting for a point-and-click Roblimo. It's sure to be easier to use than the CLI CowboyNeal I've been using for the pasty few years now.
Re:Was he looking over your shoulder? (Score:1, Funny)
pasty few years now
Your lack of sunlight qualifies you for the elite "UberGeek" status. I bow before you.
Commendable, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
The reason I should say this is because my mom is extremely typical. Things "power users" take for granted (or, rather, don't even think about for one second) are very puzzling to many average computer users. Not to mention the scare factor of going away from something well known (Windows + Office).
This said however, I commend this new effort to promote Linux, but sadly I doubt it'll change much from all the previous such attempts.
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:5, Interesting)
Other than learning a few new icons, the Linux learning curve for basic tasks is very shallow. As a previous poster pointed out, not so much for more advanced tasks, but we aren't talking about power users here.
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
It's more natural to click on a "programs" menu or some KDE-theme-related icon to get to a program than it is to click "Start". Yes, Microsoft got some good names, but that's all they have. That, and no Unix desktop uses a "start" menu
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:1)
Look... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
There's plenty though about using Windows, or OS X. And after spending 10 minutes working out how to extract the shelves and drawers from my fridge to clean them, a video for that isn't really such a dumb idea. Doing anything for the first time is much harder than you remember it.
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:1, Insightful)
User: "How do I turn off the computer? I read that I can't just hit the power button."
Me (irritated): "Yeah, well, first you open the Start menu and..."
User: "What?! To stop the computer, I click on the start button?"
Me: "Well, yes, of course that's how... Wait, yeah, that's
It does make sense. (Score:2)
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:1)
A 6-part narrative is hardly Point-n-Click...
I can usually make it through the first 2 minutes of an instructional video, before I want to kill whoever is boring the shit out of me.
/*sound of DVD getting snapped in half
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:4, Insightful)
While it IS extremely typical, it's not an issue that should be addressed by linux distributions changing. Even moms should learn to cope with stuff like that. It's not like fridges all have identical handles, people don't even complain as much about cars being different models (or even stick shift in stead of automatic gear), they cope and adapt, even though operating a car in the wrong way is a million times more likely to kill them. Guess what, the differenlty shaped and colored steering wheel does the same thing!
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
Really, why bother for her to change? The videos do look interesting though and really, the car analogy probably works for anyone born much after 1950;)
MOD PARENT DOWN (Score:1)
Rosco seems to think that point and click == Windows. It seems to me that your calling "bullcrap" to point-and-click linux because it doesn't have a 0 learning curve when your coming from windows.
Your mum would take a week or so to become fully productive in an OS such as OSX which some configure to be the most usable operating system in existance. Is OSX bullcrap?
Do yourself (or your mother) a favour. Buy a box of SUSE 9.2 (personal is nice, pro has more apps) or MEPIS, read the manuals, play
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:3, Insightful)
For that matter, better keep her with her current version of office. Microsoft often adds new features and rearranges existing layouts when they release a new version of Office.
Also, for the love of god, don't ever get her a new car. New cars often look and feel quite different from olde
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
Conversely, when I first started up Windows 95 as a "power user" with decades of computer experience on big iron, minis and micros and perfectly at home with Windows 3.11 I couldn't figure out how to do anything.
There was not only no command line, but no menus and no icons of any interest to me (No, I didn't want to hook up to AOL), no nothin' that would even let me type a memo. Yeah, there was this really stupid button labeled "start," but I was already started. I didn't want to "start," I wanted to open the preinstalled copy of Office and type something.
I basically stared at it for about five minutes and then said aloud, "Where the hell are my programs?"
At that point my wife came over and showed me. She'd been using 95 at work for a few months already.
At which point I said aloud, "Well, that's really stupid, and who the hell would look for their menus at the bottom of the screen anyway?"
So . .
At least the big "K" is a button right where a current Windows user would expect the menu button to be.
Look, It's "Point-and-click" Linux, exactly as advertised, not "Exactly like your current version of Windows" Linux. Just like every version of MacOS is point and click, and just as Windows 3.11 was point and click.
Even though they all differ markedly.
And for what it's worth, my 70 year old mom, who has only been using micros for about a year, both Windows and Mac (Mac OS8 at home, Windows (in languages she doesn't read) in internet cafes when she's traveling), was able to get down and dirty with KDE set up for a "power user" in about 2 minutes flat.
How do you know your mom is "extremely typical." You have a mom data point of one.
KFG
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:5, Interesting)
You see, Microsoft had bought into the fad of "document centric" computing. Applications were out. File types were in.
What you were supposed when you encountered your brand spankin' new Win95 desktop (a COMPLETELY BLANK desktop) was create a new document or create a shortcut to an application that did not produce documents.
Here is a typical scenario:
Right click on the desktop, select new->folder
Name the folder Anderson Account info (or what ever you want).
Now open the folder you just created.
Right click and select new->Excel spreadsheet.
Name the new spreadsheet Anderson_Q1.
Double click on your new spreadsheet shortcut and voila... here comes MS Excel.
Folders first->then shortcuts->then finally your application.
The tester just stared at the screens too. Document centric computing was not to be and so MS cobbled together the start menu we have today.
Best Regards -Briber
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
Not to mention, wouldn't "extremely typical" be an oxymoron?
Seriously though, after reading your post, I remember having the EXACT SAME thoughts about 95. A decade has dulled my memory though. I even remember clicking the Start button, only to see stuff I didn't want to use.. Documents, Settings, Shut Down, and, of course, Programs, with a bunch of sub-menus after it. I remember thinking what a ridiculous way that was to organize my programs. Although,
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:3, Insightful)
Just because your mom has used windows doesn't mean linux should look exactly like windows to be easy to use. If the computer came pre-installed with linux, they would learn it just like they did with windows.
My wife who had no experience with either had no trouble figuring out where the games were or how to send email.
My mother is completely baffled by windows.
She calls me with the MOST retarded questions on earth, and it takes me a few
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:4, Interesting)
Welcome to "culture shock" associated with leaving a software monoculture. Someday, I hope to see someone stare in incredulity when told that all desktops used to have the same icon for the desktop main menu.
This has nothing to do with ease of use, and if such first impressions were a guideline, the PARC/Apple/Windows/CDE desktop UI gestalt would have died in its infancy. Typewriter users were railing against it for ages because it emphasized removing your hands from the keyboard (a major taboo), using backspace (just plain anti-social), and many other modes of interaction that were foreign to the typewriter age.
Your mother will eventually either have to learn to get along without the word "start" or be phased out, just as typewriter users were, sorry.
The same goes for the "my document is in Office 97 format, can you re-save, export, decrypt and send yours again?" office of the past. People are learning to use new tools and adapting to the future. Some won't... oh well.
What truly limits Linux desktop acceptance in a wider context is the lack of some key legacy application interoperability like Peachtree, but that's a much higher bar than Linux was attempting to measure up to 3 years ago, and the bar isn't moving down!
"I doubt it'll change much from all the previous such attempts."
You misunderstand. There are no previous attempts. This is it. What I'm running on my desktop at work and at home is what I've been running for years. Nothing new here, just incremental improvements that will go on for centuries to come, I'm sure (though at some point so many components may have been re-built or replaced that we would not recognize it).
What do you say to the folks who grow up with Linux today and encounter Windows for the first time... what happens when they say, "what's that start thing where the Fedora should be?"
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
You mean the "Start" button that is, among other things, used for shutting down Windows? Yes, that's one of the features that usability alone dictates Linux shouldn't emulate.
The reason I should say this is because my mom is extremely typical. Things "power users" take for granted (or, rather, don't even think about for one second) are very puzzling to many average computer users.
Yes, which is why Linux should copy Windows's usability problems. Linux has to do better, and that breaks compatibility. Linux has to appeal to the next generation of users, both here and abroad, not to the old Windows and Macintosh fogeys, who keep complaining and will never be really satisfied with anything other than the platform they grew up on anyway.
If your mother refuses to use Linux because she can't deal that the "Start" menu has a "K" on it, that's her problem. Most people are smart enough to figure it out that a menu that looks the same and is in the same place roughly does the same thing even if it has a K on it (the menu down there is already a concession; I think the Gnome default is preferable and clearer anyway). And most people also find savings of thousands of dollars in software enough of a motivation to get off their lazy butts and bother engaging their brain for a few minutes. But, ultimately, what your mother considers a "good UI" after years of having her mind warped by Microsoft software simply doesn't matter because the choices she makes don't matter to the long term future of the Linux desktop.
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the start of the shutdown.
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
Jesus crhist. if your mom isn't clever enough to guess that if the K and the Start are in similar places, they might do similar things, or at the very least click on it and see what happens, then I don't think the problem is with Linux. That's not computer idiocy, that's just plain idiocy.
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
The problem is similarity. That's one of the reasons why the Gnome-based desktops tend to be different;
SuSE 9 [osdir.com]
Fedora Core 3 [osdir.com]
Ubuntu [osdir.com]
If it doesn't match what is expected, people will not click on the wrong thing or get confused when everything isn't exactly the same. By being different, people wil
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
Gnome did a lot of User testing, and has a HIG (Human Interface Guideline) and yet distributions want to throw that all away to "make it look like Windows".
Kinda sad if you ask me.
(interesting, those screenshots show Suse 9 to be very much like standard Gnome.... and Fedora to have the standard gnome layout, but when I installed Fedor
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
Yep. I think Fedora Core 1 defaulted to the 'Gnome and KDE look alike' design. That's no longer the case. The tweaking of the Gnome default layout isn't happening as much as before for most distros that have both KDE and Gnome.
So far, I've not deployed Gnome to a customer site though with all the work
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2, Interesting)
I've been in that situation relatively recently and can assure you that if you can't count linux as "point and click" then neither is Windows.
It's a complete myth that Linux is harder than Windows for a "muppet" user (especially if they only use basic functions). It's just that most muppet users have learned Windows first and hate the idea of having to relearn anything.
Linux doesn't need to be eas
Re:Commendable, but... (Score:2)
I doubt your mother is really such an idiot. She coped with going from a typewriter to a PC, rotary to push button phones, she can cope with clicking on a K to pull up a menu.
Look at the other responses to this question... (Score:2)
These responses should not be centered around the ideas that "fuck, you mom is stupid" and "well cars aren't all the same". These responses should be pointing to themes that are windows-esque or at least design
Okay... (Score:5, Funny)
I really wanted to read the review and get something out of it, I just kept fumbling over the writing.
Dear Slashdot "Editors"... Please for christmas, can Santa bring you all an unabridged grammar book and a spell checker.
Re:Okay... (Score:4, Funny)
Really? It was like an unholy "bet in which you pick the first three winners of a horse race" of the English language?
Re:Okay... (Score:4, Funny)
Our new processor wordy hqs a spiel chequer it in, but languag bad so is that we not print out even label understandingable to send it back! Until come refound we cant buy new since spreadsheet for finance from same plaice com.
It's a secret code. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Okay... (Score:2, Informative)
Excuse me Mr Pot, but the Kettle has asked me to point out that:
Re:Okay... (Score:3, Funny)
Keep this up and I fully expect the Sun to go super nova any moment now...
Re:Okay... (Score:2)
Rubbish. The editors are paid staff. Each uploads 4 or 6 stories per day. Each story is average 1-2 paragraphs. It takes approximately 5 seconds to spellcheck and correct that much text (if the submitted text is particularly bad or long, up to 30 seconds -- I know this as despite having excellent
Re:Okay...not inglish (Score:2)
1337 (Score:5, Funny)
This Linux book is 1337!
Nope (Score:3, Funny)
<groans
Re:Nope (Score:2)
MOD PARENT UPWARDS (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Nope (Score:2)
Though how to interpret this cryptic reference to dairy products, I don't know.
inappropriate (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:inappropriate (Score:2, Insightful)
Either it's a link to one of Apple's press releases, or to Roland Piquepilles blog, etc..
This is not really any different.
Re:inappropriate (Score:2)
Mepis is a step in the right direction. (Score:4, Interesting)
There is one problem with the KDE alsa user permissions, when you create a new user after install. A easier to understand root user permission tool might help, so one would not have to understand unix group and user permissions. If the Gui had a more bonehead simple help file the issue would go away. Of course typing $man ls -l or $man chown before you su to create a new account does help. But how can someone who is a small buisiness who needs an alternative to the MS treadmill afford the time to learn these things? That said I firmly believe that prepackaged Mepis like Linux distros are the future.
Two, two, two drives in one! (Score:2, Insightful)
This is exactly how I have my primary box set up. Are you suggesting that newbies open their cases and swap drive plugs when they want to change OSes? (Been there. Done that.)
If not, how on earth does it save one from dual booting?
Methinks you had some other concept in mind, relating to part
Re:Two, two, two drives in one! (Score:2)
If only we had some sort of software that allowed us to specify which devices (virtual or otherwise) to boot from when the system comes up...
Re:Two, two, two drives in one! (Score:2, Insightful)
Yeah, that would be pretty slick. Someone should grub around a bit with that idea. Then we could dual boot.
KFG
Re:Two, two, two drives in one! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Two, two, two drives in one! (Score:2, Insightful)
Yeah, exactly. Someone should Stitch one up.
KFG
Re:Two, two, two drives in one! (Score:2)
Reminds me of.... (Score:4, Funny)
The last ad I saw from him, he was hawking a CD tutoring on "avoiding identity theft" of which he said "I decided to do this special CD because I was recently a victim myself."
Now THERE's a guy you should be taking advice from.
(Actually having stupid users write tech tutorials isn't that bad. Only they understand the problems of other stupid users firsthand.)
Re:Reminds me of.... (Score:2)
Raise Time? (Score:1)
Good review, but still funny that its his boss's book lol.
An early snag (Score:5, Informative)
That's because Linux doesn't play well with NTFS (mounts it read-only), and NTFS (or some variant thereof) lies under WinXP. If you were truly starting with a new hard drive, your best bet is to set up your partitions ahead of time, install XP where you want XP and Linux where you want Linux.
Messing around with the partition-size probably hosed whatever checksum XP does on the partition, and it refused to boot from it.
Not really newbie-friendly, is it?
Re:An early snag (Score:2, Informative)
From my experience, if you are going to make a new drive dual boot you *must* install Windows first. Then install any alternate OS's you want with it.
Windows will not respect your boot loader, and stick its own (which will only recognize FAT and NTFS partitions typically) in the MBR.
As a side note, some newer machines I received from Gateway had a interesting BIOS feature where if you had grub or lilo modify the MBR the machine would cras
Re:An early snag (Score:2)
Re:An early snag (Score:2)
Re:An early snag (Score:2)
What I meant to say is "NTFS is not as well-supported as XFS, JFS, FAT, FAT-32, QNX partitions, etc." I've never had an ill-willed Linux installer, either. If anything, I've had installers that are TOO compliant, even when I didn't know what I was doing.
For example, using cfdisk to resize a FAT-32 partition, even after defragging it. I
Re:An early snag (Score:2)
Who needs endorsements? (Score:4, Funny)
Timothy... you're fired. :)
Easy of Linux vs Complexity of Windows Updates (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Easy of Linux vs Complexity of Windows Updates (Score:2)
Yes. When you must be constantly patching things and find out that your update isn't working because of some spyware...
Re:Easy of Linux vs Complexity of Windows Updates (Score:2)
No, I don't. I don't run Windows -- at home or at work. But, I see people all the time that cannot figure out why their systems simply have stopped working the way they used to. They find out that they clicked the wrong thing, and *poof*, the system now sucks.
It is amazing to me that sometimes just hooking up a piece of equipment to a computer sends it over the edge. There is no explanation you
Re:Easy of Linux vs Complexity of Windows Updates (Score:2)
Apple has a similar update. However, I find that it involves less attention from me and also tends to interrupt me
Point and Click Linux? (Score:1, Funny)
I'm off to GNU/Hurd
Mepis (Score:2, Funny)
Woo hoo! (Score:2, Funny)
Alright! Feature #1! I'm sold. :)
Outstanding! (Score:2)
Re:If you think linux is hard... (Score:1)
Whatever.
Re:Isn't this (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Isn't this (Score:2)
Re:Isn't this (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Isn't this (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Isn't this (Score:2)
Nah.... it's just beleagured.
;^P
Re:Isn't this (Score:2)
(1) You can get a sluggish end-of-life under-$1000 Macintosh with almost no software on it, shell out about $100/year to keep it up to date (not to mention the cost of all the other software upgrades), and then fiddle with CDs and downloads to install the latest versions of everything, or
(2) You can get a blazing under-$1000 Linux system that leaves the Macintosh in the dust, lets you pick the user interface and theme you like, comes with thousands of applications preinstalled,
no, it isn't (Score:3, Informative)
Re:bi2nAtch (Score:1, Troll)
Wow... (Score:2)
Re:Who is Roblimo? (Score:2)
Re:Why write a book on "easy to use linux"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Parted, 2.6 and a non-bootable win partition (Score:2)
"in order to do it right, undress, dance around at full moon and eat twelve frogs."