On Wed, 2008-02-20 at 13:26 -0500, Bill and Jan Klemme wrote: > Hello folks, > I am considering using Fedora and have downloaded R.8, but done nothing > else yet. Is there any email list I can go to that uses language more > newbie-friendly? I have no clue what you people are talking about...the > terminology is super-proprietary and without a dictionary or years of > experience I am totally lost. > > BTW I am not computer-illiterate. My working career was IBM mainframe > tech support. I am still lost in here. With all respect for what you > all seem to know, I need to go somewhere else to learn about this OS. > Any suggestions? > > Additionally, reading these emails has given me the thought that I may > have to become a Systems Programmer again just to keep my teeny desktop > running. Not an attractive proposition at this stage of the game.... Nah, I'm a complete idiot, after they left out line numbers in basic, and manage to get by. Usually a simple reply stating that I don't get something and someone will shift gears and reply in Non-Geek to explain. It only takes several emails for us to figure out your user-level and most will accommodate you, according to your needs. Saying that you needs a "step-by-step" will suffice, and save ones inherent dignity. The hardest thing to wrap around in a newbie's head is that everything is a file, -somewhere- in the directories. Including memory and basement processes (the /proc directory that doesn't exist when you turn off the computer) and that drives aren't named A: B: C: Say your first harddrive is a Windows machine is drive C. In a UNIX system it is what it really is; a device (found in /dev for device along with all your other hardware) and it's got a filename Scsi (sda for the entire drive, sda1 or sda2 for it's partitions) in the /dev directory. Most program settings are in /etc, user binaries are in /usr/bin, stuff like that. You'll get it figured out in no time. And, you may come to prefer things that way! IMHO, it's beats Windows like a white-mouth mule. Welcome! Enjoy! Expect to take a few lumps with the rest of us, this IS the cutting edge and it moves along sometimes too swiftly for some of us. Ric -- ================================================ My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say: "There are two Great Sins in the world... ..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity. Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad. Linux user# 44256 Sign up at: http://counter.li.org/ http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/oar http://www.wayward4now.net <---down4now too ================================================
