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closeyourwindows
May 17th, 2006, 05:33 AM
So how did you learn linux and why? I started to use Linux a few years ago when I was attending school and that was on of the required courses. All of the students in the class hated it and thought it was a waste of time to learn new commands and since most of the workstations at big businesses are M$, why bother. I have used it ever since and for the most part I use it more that the other brand. I cant say that I have gone cold turkey only because I dont know enough to survive without M$.

I have problems installing my printers and compiling software, so when it comes to printing or scanning, its M$ and when its security and writing, I am here. my question is how did you become proficient at linux? what tools did you use and how long did it take?

amunimanghi
May 17th, 2006, 05:53 AM
brother. he came one day and said, "were deleting windows and im going to install linux". he then took my computer and came back a week later with Gentoo. I thought it was too confusing so I switched to Ubuntu. he basically told what i needed to survive and i ended up learned the rest with a few occasional visits from him. im still not proficient but i new a whole lot more than when i did in the begining. im still learning but i'de say give me a year or 2 and ill be proficient.

amunimanghi
May 17th, 2006, 05:55 AM
shouldnt this be in the ubuntu cafe or a subsection of the cafe?

siccness
May 17th, 2006, 06:01 AM
I haven't really learnt Linux to be honest, but i've done the big switch and completely removed Windows from my system. I still haven't managed to get graphic acceleration to work for my ATI card, but I'll get there. Still struggle with the whole compiling/installing of particular programs. But I've learnt and understood a lot more about it all since, (such as dependencies, and some of the major ones which are required to compile).

I do have a Linux book beside me which is called "Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification". An expensive book, around $100 AUD (Australian Dollar). But I've used it a number of times to get me through a problems.

Also having such a wonderful support group (such as these forums, and the IRC channels) makes learning Linux a lot easier.

Resurrection
May 17th, 2006, 06:51 AM
I'm doing the CompTIA Linux+ Certification right now. Only thing is, its costing me nothing because I am doing it as a benefit from the military. :cool:
And I get to do it as an online course.

tbresson
May 17th, 2006, 09:13 AM
I looked around the net for linux distro's trying out different ones and mostly just seaching for distributions that had a simple update feature so my box would be secure, but also where I could install some of the few applications I use.

I tried a lot of them but I liked Ubuntu the best - I started with the Hoary edition, and simply by writing down my experience when I configured stuff, talked to people on the forum etc I found myself a little bit wizer than before, though I still need to look stuff up when configuring samba, vsftpd, and disk mounting. But when you have ****** up your install by adding tons of apps you can't even figure out how to work, you reinstall so often, you can set up a linux box in a few minutes :-) At least the way I want it.

bluenova
May 17th, 2006, 09:33 AM
First I tried to forget how Windows works, and then made a LOT of visits to google.com (luckly my internet connection worked streight out of the box after installing Linux) I've never read any books on linux, everything I've learned has been from people trying to do the same thing before me and seeing how they did it.

Once I lost my internet connection, and thought 'crap, how am I gonna search to find out how to fix it?' Luckly it was a problem with my provider. :D

daWabbit
May 17th, 2006, 09:50 AM
I got a copy of RH 5.2 when it came out. The whole boxed set. I've had at least one Linux machine running ever since. I am not proficient with Linux, but have managed to live with almost all my work on it for a few years now. The only exception is when I use Windows to show a client how to do something or to test software for them.

Everyone thought I was a Linux ace because I had sound under RH 5.2! The truth was that I found a tutorial using exactly the hardware I had for an example and followed that.

And places like this are what keep me going.

Jack

DougC
May 17th, 2006, 10:07 AM
Well I was using UNIX before windows was big, I started on Solaris ( or SunOS as it was then) and have done HP-UX with bit of AIX. Started on linux with RedHat 5.2 (interesting installs back then ;) and have tried SUSE, Mandrake, Gentoo, Ubuntu, Damn Small.

I've just learned it by doing it.

Ramses de Norre
May 17th, 2006, 12:40 PM
I came to linux 6 months ago and I've learned it very quickly by just using it.
I boot windows xp approximately once in a month to copy music to my sony mp3 which wont work in linux.

It really isn't that hard if you're just willing to accept the differences and learn how to do things the linux way. (and you'll notice the advantages very quick!)

Lord Illidan
May 17th, 2006, 01:05 PM
Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification:

I got that book. However, I found I already knew most of the basics.

How did I get the basics? By Practicing on my linux pc. Why did I switch? The challenge of it.

I also had a guide to fedora core 1, the latest distro at that time, with a DVD release, and I liked it, and learned much more about Linux through that excellent book.

Then I googled my way through answers, and used my own intution. I do not consider myself a real linux geek however. I still use MS for gaming, for example, and I have yet to install gentoo. However, I manage to get around, and can help other people.

gwpritch
May 17th, 2006, 01:45 PM
I'm new to Ubuntu, but I originally switched back in the days of RH 5.? because I'm a stubborn SOB who doesn't like to be told 'just do it our way and don't ask questions!'.
How did I do it....I just did it. Lost track of the number of installs and reinstalls...compiles and recompiles. And I've enjoyed every minute of it. Not that there haven't been incredible frustrations...wireless for example...but lets not go there just now.
I'd like to thank the members of the Academy....and....
Google.ca
Ubuntuforums.org
Justlinux.com
Using Linux 6th edition.
The Members of the linux communitee are the greatest resource imaginable.

nolongerlivecd
May 17th, 2006, 02:42 PM
Hah. I'm the newest by far.

I switched in March/April after getting sick of Windows (still dual-boot though for CS:CZ, Palm Desktop and LifeDrive Manager. And oh yes, the occaisonal Chinese input).

My decision proved right when my Windows partition suddenly went kaputt. Last week. I reformatted everything (it gave me the excuse to do an upheaval of my system), and I'm now running Ubuntu on 30GB, Windows on 30GB, 5GB for CS:CZ, because I can't risk another accident happening and destroying my saved files again :), and finally 40GB of storage.

How I actually got used to Ubuntu is a totally different story though. At first, I had nothing after installing. I tried to install into an utterly corrupted external HDD, but it was too corrupted. So, on the spur of the moment, I installed Ubuntu on a ~6GB partition. However, I stupidly put "noacpi" instead of "noapic nolapic", which caused me much grief (no wireless). Then, I faced the trouble with fglrx. So, I used ethernet to connect to my router, and I downloaded xorg-driver-fglrx.

Then, I realised that it was like 1024x768 instead of my laptop's 1280x800. So, I decided to install ATi drivers, which after some fiddling even had OpenGL working.

I got fed up with my wireless problems and decided to completely overhaul it with a proper reinstallation after realising my mistake. It worked.

For 1 month, I ran Ubuntu on a 6GB partition. Then, I realised that I wanted more space.

The reformatting gave me a good excuse.

LerninLinux
May 17th, 2006, 03:29 PM
I bought Red Hat 5.2 and starting reading the book, Red Hat Linux unleashed. I had already been using freeware as much as possible (do to needs verses income). I have jumped around distros a lot to try new things (recently got Ubuntu and am assembling a system for it). I have been running strictly Linux since XP came out (and I have a licensed copy of that, still waiting to install on a machine for games). I need to go strictly command line for a bit, to get proficent, as right now, I MIGHT be an advanced user, but definatly not a confident one. Proficency = confidence in what you can do, you can undo, in my book.

jazzgossen
May 17th, 2006, 03:31 PM
I started using Unix (HP and Solaris) at uni in 1997, and learned how to use it pretty well. Then I installed Cygwin on my home computer and learned a bit more about setting up and installing a Unix-like system. And last year I installed Ubuntu on my home computer, and since then I've learnt a lot more about administering a Linux system.

Toxicity999
May 17th, 2006, 03:51 PM
completely of free will... I wanted to start forever.. contemplated gentoo and others like it... settled on Ubuntu as the up and coming star. Went with ti, only using man pages after I learned that command from a friend... and lottttts of howtos on the forums... now here I am... I guess..

Omnios
May 17th, 2006, 03:57 PM
I started using Ubuntu Linux and Linux about a year ago. I did a lot of reading on online tutorials for command line stuff etc and a lot of reading on the forums. I also researched a lot of stuff I was trying to do with Linux that realy helped. There is also a lot of good stuff in some of the members signatures with common problems.

shrimphead
May 17th, 2006, 04:40 PM
man pages helped me learn, that and forums

obnibolongo
May 17th, 2006, 04:53 PM
Installed Gentoo.
Seriously, couldn't properly deal with my Debian/SuSE/Red Hat.
But now I'm on Ubuntu; Gentoo is too much work.

kspr
May 17th, 2006, 05:47 PM
By doing.

pillypoon
May 17th, 2006, 06:00 PM
HOw did I learn LInux? Forums,forums and more forums.:mrgreen:

mjm115
May 17th, 2006, 06:12 PM
I got tired of Windows 98 crashing and I had read an article about Mandrake Linux and decided to give it a try. That was back in 1999. Although I do have a computer with Windows XP that I built myself, I only use it for Quickbooks.

I can proudly say that I am 99.995% off of Microsoft :-)

Shay Stephens
May 17th, 2006, 06:25 PM
A number of years ago I wanted to host my own website. I wanted to do it on the cheap too, so Linux was the clear solution. I bought Redhat 6 or something and a bunch of books. After a few weeks I gave up. It was just too hard, and too dos like. At that moment, I was really enjoying Windows 98 and couldn't mentally embrace Linux.

A few years later, I tried again. Better, but still not usable for me.

A few years later, XP came out. I resisted buying it due to the activation scheme. Eventually I was forced to buy it with a laptop purchase. After getting a desktop with it, the activation limitations started affecting me due to hardware changes and of course needing to reinstall every so often.

So that takes me to the end of last year. The writing was on the wall with Vista and DRM and trusted computing and I said that was it. Never will I buy or use Vista. I began my search yet again to see how I could get Linux to work for me. I tried a number of distro's and was pleased to find Ubuntu as the only one that worked out of the box on my laptop. So I commited myself to learn and use Ubuntu.

Enter the forum. I read it every day. I copy helpful commands, tips, instructions to a text file. I document my install and when I screw something up and have to reinstall, I can get myself back to good using my notes and continue on. Over the course of the year, I have been learning slowly and surely. There are only two things that are keeping me dual booting right now (photoshop 7 and thermal cd printer). But once I figure out how to get around that, I will dump windows until they come out with something that does not restrict my freedom (probably never).

I would like to pick up a book, but as yet have not found one. My biggest source is this forum and hands on experience in screwing up and fixing things...the same way I learned Windows too hehehe.

pillypoon
May 17th, 2006, 06:51 PM
I would like to pick up a book, but as yet have not found one. My biggest source is this forum and hands on experience in screwing up and fixing things...the same way I learned Windows too hehehe.


Did you try amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-8068441-6680865?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=blended&field-keywords=ubuntu

mfarquhar
May 17th, 2006, 07:16 PM
i was intoduced by a guy named Karsten

(http://linuxmafia.com/~karsten/ or http://home.netcom.com/~kmself/) (http://home.netcom.com/~kmself/)

who voluntereed at our class to teach linux to us. since then about a year ago iv'e learned from
Linux For Dummies,
Linux for Dummies: all-in-one Desk refrence,
several other linux books,
and i just got a Linux+ book.
but the most helpful source of information were these forums.
thanks all of you 8) :cool: 8) :cool:

Al3xanR0
May 17th, 2006, 07:35 PM
So how did you learn linux and why? I started to use Linux a few years ago when I was attending school and that was on of the required courses. All of the students in the class hated it and thought it was a waste of time to learn new commands and since most of the workstations at big businesses are M$, why bother. I have used it ever since and for the most part I use it more that the other brand. I cant say that I have gone cold turkey only because I dont know enough to survive without M$.

I have problems installing my printers and compiling software, so when it comes to printing or scanning, its M$ and when its security and writing, I am here. my question is how did you become proficient at linux? what tools did you use and how long did it take?

I Began using GNU/Linux while I was attending courses to become MCSE certified. RedHat 7.3 was my first distro, I learned by just diving in. There were of course a lot of growing pains the learning curve was steap, however, I did not relent. I am glad I have been free of Window OS since 2003 when my Windows 2000 machine died; I was so busy learning and so bent straightening the curve, I just never bothered to reinstall it.

Shay Stephens
May 17th, 2006, 08:01 PM
Did you try amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-8068441-6680865?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=blended&field-keywords=ubuntu

Thank you, I just made an order :D

simonn
May 17th, 2006, 11:59 PM
I really got to know linux fairly early in my linux adventure by using Core Linux and then Linux From Scratch.

Both of them force you to understand what you are doing.

I then swapped to Fedora Core 2 (then 3, then 4) and swapped to Ubuntu Breezy early this year.

Don't bother buying a book, unless you want to support an author (make a donation?) - it is open source! Everything you need is on t'interweb.

e.g. http://linux.2038bug.com/rute-home.html

IMO, learn to do everything you possibly can via the command line. This forces you to learn the OS rather than a GUI.

xXx 0wn3d xXx
May 18th, 2006, 12:07 AM
The only reason I learned to use Linux is because of these forums. All of my questions have been answered due to all the people on this forum. Thanks for all your help. :) I also "had" to use Linux because Windows 98 died on my old computer and system restore didn't work. Now I use nothing but Linux.

bored2k
May 18th, 2006, 12:25 AM
I got in touch with Linux thanks to my systems engineering neighbor, which exposed to this -at the time- new and fairly unheard of world. I've been continuosly learning it grâce à forums and online documentation.

Rhapsody
May 18th, 2006, 01:08 AM
A chain of events in March this year led me to the fact that I really didn't want to be using Windows. I then found that I wasn't doing anything with Windows that couldn't be done with other operating systems, and my wish to switch to Linux (which has been around since the late 90s) suddenly took over. Two weeks later, I found myself installing Kubuntu while not really having any idea what it would be like to use on a daily basis. A regular at a chatroom I visit daily gave me three weeks to a month until I quit and went back to Windows. That was on April 15th.

I'm still here, gradually figuring out how Linux works, a process I expect will take months to get even close to complete. So I didn't learn Linux and then start to use it, I started using Linux and then began to learn what it was all about. It's a process I wouldn't recommend.

DirtDawg
May 18th, 2006, 03:31 AM
A few years ago, I got a free imac G3 (my first computer!) from a magazine I was cartoonist for when it folded. However, the publisher neglected to give me the os9 disks (or Photoshop, Quark, or any disks) and I wasn't going to complain when getting a free mac. Several months later, the os crashed and all I could see was a folder with a '?' mark in it on bootup. Being dirt poor, I gave up and stored the mac in a closet.

A few months later, there were IBM sponsered Linux commercials on television which peaked my intrest. I knew absolutely not a soul who even knew what Linux was so I spent a great deal of time researching and reading about Linux before finally downloading Knoppix. Considering I was expecting nothing more than a command line, I was blown away.

Since then, it's all about trial/error/trial/error/trial/error/error/error.

nalmeth
May 18th, 2006, 04:22 AM
I was introduced to the subject by a friend, who ended up hooking up my Xbox with Gentoox and Xebian. I became very interested, and before trying linux, I took most all the lesson's on linux.org/ and read most of the software licenses.

I'm still learning

Reshin
May 18th, 2006, 07:08 AM
Short story: got interested in gentoo :D

Before that most of the distros I used recognized my hardware so that I didn't have to touch anything.

Klaidas
May 18th, 2006, 12:16 PM
Well, at my computer school it was one af the subjects. All the class hated it, but I loved it. After this sibject finished, I started reading http://www.linux.org/lessons/ (still do) and installed linux. Tried a few distros, but Ubuntu is the best so far! :)

FredSambo
May 18th, 2006, 02:27 PM
i started with fedora core 1 because i needed a simple DNS server and firewall and i had absolutely no budget. a friend gave me his old copy of the unix administrators handbook and i read it from cover to cover. i configured everything on that server from the command line and it ran untouched for a couple years.

i just switched my linux servers over to ubuntu breezy and i picked up the linux administrators handbook, which hasn't left my immediate posession in a month.

these two books are, in my opinion, simply the best source of information for linux/unix system administration.

http://www.admin.com/

wrtrdood
May 18th, 2006, 02:37 PM
Natural progression. After my introduction to *nix in the mid-80s nothing else was satisfactory. Granted, the systems I was using then had limited graphics designed for CAD but I discovered the Korn shell and the power it offered a SysAdmin and the love affair began. About the same time I got an Amiga 1000 and spent most of my time looking for ways to turn it into a Unix-like system with limited success. I fiddled around with Minix some but it was obvious that it was going to be a while before there was a suitable Unix-like environment from it for PCs. It worked but you couldn't really do much. I finally got into Linux with Red Hat 5 and it wasn't long before the only M$ Windows machine I had was running Linux. I never looked back.

kagashe
May 18th, 2006, 02:48 PM
Hi,

In Sep 2004, I wanted to buy a Laptop. I found that HP was selling COMPAQ Presario 2500 Laptop with Mandrake Linux 9.1 CDs. I bought it, installed Mandrake 9.1 on it and started using it while learning Linux (command line) simultaneously.

Around May/June 2005, I found Ubuntu and have been using it since then.

kagashe

skinnygmg
May 18th, 2006, 03:25 PM
i lost my job in 2001, and was eligible for $5K from the "Workforce Investment Act". so i took 3 non accredited Red Hat courses at the University of Scranton. i was trying to make a career change, and took these 3 classes and 6 development courses. things worked well as i am now a software developer for prudential financial. i'm a cubicle rat, but that's to be expected these days, and it's a good job.

Dr_Deadmeat
May 18th, 2006, 04:13 PM
I learned Linux (or ubuntu) when a friend of mine switched to linux... I wanted to try myself, and I'd ordered 5.04, but I never really tried that except the live cd... So I'd waited til 5.10 and I am very happy with that... I now borrow a book called accelerated c++ of my same friend, and I am just starting to learn C++. Anyway I haven't really learnt linux(Ubuntu), but now I know how to compile programs with and without a make file, I do a lot of things now that I could not do with windows... I have learned linux by trying/failing, forums and from friends... (I have formated my CPU 3 times past 4 months because of trying, but failed and ruined my whole computer ](*,) )

Jucato
May 18th, 2006, 06:29 PM
My Linux conversion began when I was looking for a cheap/free 3D Graphics program and got introduced to Blender last November 2005. I was amazed at how a free app like that could do so much. Then I learned about open-source and wondered if there was an open-source OS. I typed into Google "open source operating system" and that started my romance with Linux. Ubuntu is my first and (currently) only distribution.

Almost all of my knowledge of Linux comes from the internet: sites, online books, forums, etc. Computer books here are waaay too expensive, and there are barely any Linux books available (To date, I have only seen one copy of Linux for Dummies, in only one bookstore). I also don't know anyone personally that knows about or uses Linux. Here, we still live in an age where M$ reigns supreme (specially because of the proliferation of online games). *sigh*

Nana
May 18th, 2006, 06:45 PM
In 1997, I read an article about Linux in a computer magazine I had subscribed to. The magazine came with a Slackware CD and a brief introduction to Linux. I got curious, because I was completely fed up with my (illegal copy of) Windows 95 system and because the openness and freedom of Linux appealed to my angsty communist teenage self.

I didn't really learn Linux at all when I started with it. I just popped the Slack CD in and jumped straight on to Linux without actually knowing anything about it. It was rather painful (but oh so fun :cool:) because Slackware 3.something wasn't really the best newbie distro, and because the only documentation I had was the brief introductions that came with the computer magazine. Of course, when I got my internet connection up and running, I learned a lot about Linux online. Especially the discussion forums have been helpful.

I've grown up since 1997, and I've tried a bajillion different Linux distros before settling to Ubuntu, but I haven't really changed since then - I still learn Linux by doing something crazy, totally messing up my computer, reading online Linux tutorials, and spamming up some Linux discussion forums.

AndyCooll
May 19th, 2006, 12:54 AM
I started off with an Amiga back in the mid 90's. Next step was a graduation to a ******* pc. From the beginning all of my M$ OS's were pirate copies (as was practically all the other software too).

About a year and a half ago I bought a new computer and my consience got the better of me. I purchased a legal copy of XP. At about the same time I also found about Firefox. My conscience piqued I went in search of other legal free software and found Open Office and other stuff. Indeed I soon had a legal ******* system where the only software I had purchased was the OS itself. However ...I had more than one computer.

My other boxes were legal except for the OS. I made the decision that as soon as possible I would rid myself completely of pirate software (and I considered buying further copies of XP). However by this stage I had also come across Linux.
I first installed Fedora Core 4 on one of them ...and from the beginning I was hooked. I then tried a few other distros. And I tried Ubuntu. The fact that it essentially "just worked" gave me the confidence to switch over all my boxes ...and then dual boot my XP machine ...and then relegate XP to not being the default ...and finally to remove it completely. And since then I've become a free/open source advocate.

And what by chance I've also found has happened is that I been learning loads about my computer ...and hence learning about Linux. I've learnt through these forums, through books I've bought, and through Googling. I'm certainly no expert, but I've learnt more about computer administration, networking, Linux etc in the last twelve months than I'd learnt in 10 years of using M$ stuff

:cool:

gmcle454
May 19th, 2006, 04:43 AM
I'm another one of the "used Gentoo" croud. A friend suggested that if I wanted to learn Linux, I should start with a stage-1 Gentoo install. It was kind of a shock, since I had never even seen anything Linux before--not even a desktop! Not something I'd recommend to some one just starting out; but on the other hand, it taught me Linux--fast.

whoa_551
May 19th, 2006, 11:49 AM
A few months ago, I suddenly remembered that thing I read about in 1996 called "Linux", which I didn't try then because I thought it would be too difficult for my nascent computer skills. So, one day I was in a bookstore, and I saw a Linux magazine on sale with a linux DVD included. It was so damn cheap, I thought, "How can I go wrong? The least I will do is learn that I don't like it/can't figure it out". There was a live distro on the DVD which I booted on my laptop, and I was absolutely stunned. I was like, "Wow. This is incredible" It was so stable, and all the software that was included with it (for free, no less) left me both exhilirated and regretful that I didn't switch to it years earlier (and saved myself who knows how much money).

So, I've been working with it ever since, just trying to increase it's usability every day. I am still shocked at the amount of high-quality free software that is available for it, and the fact that people create this great technology for their enjoyment, and not to make money or advance some selfish corporate agenda. It really turns this for-profit model (in which quality results can only come from the desire to make money) totally on its ear. Keep it up, Linuxers!

jeremy
May 22nd, 2006, 12:10 PM
In my case it was (is) a mixture of trial and error and forums.

Gustav
May 22nd, 2006, 12:26 PM
I had some friends running GNU/Linux so I knew what it was and had availability to some sort of support :).

Then, on a trip to Paris, France, I saw people giving out linux CD:s, it was Mandrake 9.0. I took a CD and when I got home I installed it (dual-boot with XP). I was quite dissapointed since my friends GNU/Linux was better in many ways than mine. I soon understood that it was because they used Debian instead of Mandrake. Then I installed Debian and everything was great.

After a while I heard of Ubuntu and eventually I installed it (it was 4.10 Warty Warthog), after that I've never looked back.

Sammi
May 22nd, 2006, 04:49 PM
90% ubuntuforums.org
10% else

Lucifiel
June 5th, 2007, 09:29 AM
Been a Linux user for over 2 months.

Well, I learnt Linux by having to do repeated installs and by borking up my entire system.

Also, the fact that I'm a user who loves to tinker around, probably pushed me to learn more. :)

Also, it was thanks to Bodhi and everyone at #ubuntuforums-beginners who walked me through some of my mistakes.