Tuesday April 02, 2002 - [ 09:27 AM GMT ]
- by Tina Gasperson -
This is for people who want to learn the basics of Linux at home, on the Internet. You don't have to be a "learn all alone" kind of person to do it this way -- there's plenty of human help out there. These three venues offer current, interactive, real-life Linux help for real people.
Newchix http://mailman.linuxchix.org/mailman/listinfo/newchix
The Newchix mailing list is an offshoot of the popular LinuxChix community built around female Linux users. There is no set curriculum or structure to this beginner's forum -- just bring your questions and join in. The LinuxChix lists have a reputation for polite repartee that is rare in tech discussions of any kind, and the Newchix list is no exception. All questions are welcomed and treated with care by experienced and not-so-experienced members of the list. The membership is mostly female, but men are welcome.
List traffic is moderate but growing. Previous topics have included "firewalls," "Mandrake install problem," "cannot load desktop manager," "baud and bps," "does Linux crash?" "about downloading Red Hat," and "PCMCIA card config."
MandrakeUser.org http://www.mandrakeuser.org/index.php
Obviously, this is a Mandrake-specific site. But because it is geared to beginners, go ahead, pick up a copy of Mandrake and get busy installing. This is the best site out there for current docs and tutorials. I've used this site extensively to find out which files to edit, how to edit them, what programs I need to install and when; and also to learn about .rpm packages and the dependency game.
There's no "step-by-step" installation guide here, but that's one of the nice things about Mandrake (and many of the other distributions) -- the process is so automated you won't need that kind of help. If you get stuck on X configuration, you will find help for that here.
A nice feature is the interactive discussion forum, which in itself serves as a nice, big archive of solutions. You should search the current posts before you ask your question, because it is likely someone else has had the same problem you're having.
Basic Linux Training http://www.basiclinux.net/
Henry and Anita White run this low-key mailing list and Web site that is the best free program on the 'Net, dedicated to the Linux newbie who is willing to do some studying to learn the basics. They're so low-key they didn't want us to give them too much publicity because "idle-curiosity seekers" take up too much bandwidth, according to Henry White, and he pays for that out of his own pocket. So, no visiting unless you're a serious newbie who's ready to learn!
They're tolerant of all questions that come up on the "BLT" list, and don't allow flaming or "RTFM" comments. But don't expect to get your hand held too much -- after all, this is Linux, and you have to be ready to read up.
Potential students should be prepared to wait; the class size is limited and there's usually a backlog of registrants, says White. Once you're in, you'll get two or three lessons at a time to work through on your own. The mailing list is for lesson-related questions or other difficulties.
From the site: "Basic Linux Training is a brief, introductory level course written specifically for those coming from a DOS/Windows background, without any knowledge of Unix or programming. (Those coming from Apple/Mac are welcome and should get a lot out of this course despite the orientation. Just be aware that Mac users have always been rare on the mailing list so you'll almost certainly have to supplement this course with other Mac users who have Linux installed.) The course is designed to be used with virtually any introductory Linux textbook, and is vendor and distribution neutral."
Loads of Linux Links project at: http://loll.sourceforge.net/linux/links/. This site contains 3000+ GPLed, subject-classified,
and searchable Linux links for all levels of Linux users.
techpubs library http://techpubs.sgi.com/library/tpl/cgi-bin/init.cgi
linux documentary project http://www.linuxdoc.org/
YoLinux Information Portal http://www.yolinux.com/
