| wIndependence Day Essay: Learning Linux |
by Mark Finlay (July 18, 2002)
After 10 months of non-use, my MS Windows 98 partition has gathered a thick layer of dust. People talk about missing features when they try to switch to Linux, but I am at a loss when I try to find any. When it comes to missing features in windows: I could write a book! No virtual desktops, no gtk themes, no bash, no easy to edit config files. Even when one sets the software aside, there is nothing like the feeling of working with an international community of Open Source programmers and users, all participating in what I have always considered to be the only successful application of socialism in human history.
I love Linux, but learning to use it has been no pleasure cruise. My experiences started 3 or 4 years ago, when Corel Linux 1.0 came out and was stuck to the front cover of my favorite computer magazine. I was only about 14 y/o at the time so it was all very new to me. I installed it on a 486, and as far as I remember and the performance was less that impressive. Looking back I think that there must have been a hardware problem – It usually doesn’t take 12 hours to install Linux :) . But even with its 15 minute boot-up time and its crippling inability to connect to the internet I already loved Linux. It was just so much cooler than windows, and when you’re 14 coolness is very important. Unfortunately because of my under-powered computer, problems with hardware and being unable to connect to the Internet, and my general ignorance of what Linux was, I went back to Windows for a year or two. During this time I played with Linux on and off. I don’t really remember much of what I did, but my CD collection includes such relics as Mandrake 7.2, Redhat 6.3 and some old Debian and Best Linux CDs, so I must have been doing something useful.
Everything changed when I got Redhat 7.0 – It was sufficiently good to entice me to use it but sufficiently broken to entice me to fix it. And so my learning experience began. I was able to get online, and I had Mozilla instead of the terrible versions of Netscape that came with the versions of Linux that I had used previously. At to top it off, I delighted in Linux’s stability and flexibility.
My fist major learning experience was when I decided to upgrade to the latest version of X to get 3D support for my video card. I had nothing fancy like RPM’s to use, only console-based install scripts. So I was thrown in to the dark and murky world of the console and config files. It was at this time that I learned how to use the console, how to execute seripts and how to edit config files. When I finished installing the new X it failed to auto-detect KDE. But unlike when I had repeatedly broken windows as a child and felt sick to my stomach, I felt calm and confident. Linux is transparent in the way things are done, so when I’m using Linux the only limit to what I can do is my ability to learn, unlike in MS Windows where I can only do what Microsoft decide I should.
Things got even better when I got Redhat 7.1 – X came with full support for my video card. I started playing around with the Wine Half-Life tutorial, trying to get my favorite game to run in Linux, but I had no luck. After that, my next major experience with Linux was when I got my hands on Mandrake 8.1 last October. Mandrake finally provided me with a GNU/Linux based OS that was sufficiently feature rich to completely replace windows. I spent a lot of time working out how to do the things I was used to being about to do in Windows. But an even more enjoyable journey was learning all the things that I could do in Linux that I couldn’t do in Windows.
At that stage I was 16 y/o and still much happier in the GUI than in the console. Mandrake provided me with a huge set of toys to play with: the was KDE and GNOME to play with as well as many other WMs, there was the GIMP, Galeon etc…
Mandrake gave me a platform on which to design my perfect OS. I went from one feature I wanted to another, beating away at them for a few days, working out how I wanted to add this particular piece of functionality, adding it to my website, and ticking it off my list of 'Things I want to do in Linux'. Among my 'projects' was trying to make Mandrake 8.1, including X, boot off a CD-ROM, and I actually managed this and learned a huge amount about the power of the console and underlying structure of the Linux system in the process.
That brought me up to last March. In 6 Months I had gone from a Windows user with a RedHat dual-boot to Linux user with a thorough knowledge of the Linux OS (I even wrote an Article for my website, called 'The Layers of Linux'). I am very quick to point out that Microsoft Windows could never have inspired that extremely rapid learning process, or the enthusiasm or passion involved. I owe a lot to Linux, and especially to Open Source. The philosophies underlying Open Source Software, as set out by Richard Stallman, are the most admirable I have ever encountered. I strive to live my live according to the principles of Open Source and I think that if everyone was to adopt these philosophies, of sharing and of a community pushing forward together for the greater good, we would live in a better world.
More recently I got my hands on Mandrake 8.2 and OpenOffice.org. Mandrake 8.2 was a great update but had no major effect on my 'Linux Experience'. OpenOffice.org on the other hand I found very intriguing. I installed it under GNOME, and, setting its bad integration with the system aside, it was an excellent Office Suite. As I got to know it I added a section on my website detailing with how to get OpenOffice.org up and running as well as a few extras like hot to use the Quick Starter.
Soon I became frustrated with just adding articles to my small website that no-one was going to read, and decided to get involved with the OpenOffice.org project. But like any big project it is slow to adopt new features, and I’m and impatient person. So I started the 'Evolved OpenOffice' project to provide integration and extra features for OpenOffice.org users on the GNOME and KDE desktops. It’s currently 2 weeks old but already at the 95th percentile on the activity chart on sourceforge. (Drop by for a look here.)
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think that that’s not bad for someone who doesn’t need to shave every day yet ;)
Look out for me in the future. I plan on making a name for myself!
Talk back! Do you have comments or questions about this story? talkback here
Please note: The opinions expressed in this essay are those of the writer, not of the management or staff of DesktopLinux.com.
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of
Service and Privacy Policy.
Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008
Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is
prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
news feed