Wal-Mart shipping PCs with Lindows preinstalled

[Tia Haenni]

I think that everyone is most comfortable using what they learn first, whether you are particularly 
fond of it or not. Most general users were brought up on either Windows or Mac and they usually 
hate using the other. I used Windows first and so I find it easy, because I don't have to stop and 
think about how to do things, not because I genuinely prefer it. I loaded RH 7.2 Pro on my laptop 
and inadvertently wiped out the windows partition. I found myself at the deep end of Linux with no 
life jacket. It was much like landing on a distant planet. I had to relearn how to logon, navigate, 
run programs, manipulate files, etc. It's just a different language. In joining the group, I hope 
to affiliate myself with other people of varying knowledge levels so that we all can learn 
something new and really cool about Linux. 

So, moving right along, if I have RH 7.2, has anyone tried RH 7.3 and can you tell me why I should 
move up to it? <Newbie question>....How does it work when you reinstall Linux, do you "upgrade" the 
OS, uninstall the old OS and install the new or what? TX

Tia

On 6/18/2002 10:22 PM, Don Theune <don at tuneslover.net> wrote:
>Welcome aboard.  You are right.  We all need to remember what it was 
>like
>when we first started using new operating systems.  I started with 
>OpenVMS
>a long time ago in college.  Turns out that Unix/Linux is a lot like 
>OpenVMS in
>many ways so they weren't much of a stretch for me.  I actually find 
>MS Windows
>products much more difficult.  I guess I'm a little strange.
>
>Hang in there, and when you have questions don't be afraid to ask.
>
>Cheers..
>
>Don
>
>
>At 04:14 PM 6/18/02 -0500, you wrote:
>>I totally agree. I am what you would term a newbie to Linux and 
>everyone 
>>here has to admit that there was a time when they, too, were not 
>
>>infinitely knowledgeable on Linux or Windows or any other OS for 
>that 
>>matter. I admit that most of what is discussed here regarding Linux 
>goes 
>>over my head, but does that mean that I can't comprehend topics 
>and become 
>>somewhat of an expert myself? Of course not. A condescending attitude 
>
>>towards those who are less knowledgeable than yourself only breeds 
>the 
>>kind of contempt that many hold for the folks at M$.
>>
>>On 6/18/2002 2:59 PM, \"GodfatherofSoul\" Bellamy <mbellamy at kc.rr.com> 
>
>>wrote:
>> >I think this is a very dangerous attitude to have towards newbies.
>> >
>> > Linux elitism breeds contempt for ease-of-use which leads to 
>neglect
>> >
>> >for features which make it easier for the newbs to adopt Linux.
>> > Lack
>> >of fresh blood leads to death.  We've got to be encouraging everyone
>> >we
>> >can to use Linux, even the friendlier distros.
>> >
>> >A stretched analogy for you, I was a big time Netrek player back
>> >in the
>> >heydays.  There's some pretty complicated strategy for such a 
>simple
>> >
>> >program, but after a while the experienced players would get annoyed
>> >
>> >with mistakes and persist in flaming the newbies every time the 
>screwed
>> >
>> >up.  The newbies started getting discouraged and stopped playing.
>> > Now,
>> >Netrek is a dinosaur of a network game and hasn't gone through 
>any
>> >
>> >considerable upgrade in years as the player population has dwindled.
>> >
>> > There's only one trafficked server now, as far as I know.  A 
>bit
>> >more
>> >dreary a future that Linux will ever have, but it doesn't take 
>mch
>> >to
>> >get going down that path.
>> >
>> >Teach.
>> >
>> >atechsol.net wrote:
>> >
>> >>Hang out in my chat room, you'll see it daily.  The wonders of 
>mandrake
>> >is it seems to attract the most clueless newbies.
>> >>Clueless to linux, clueless to maners, clueless to pretty much 
>everything.
>> > I've seen some give up, I've seen some excel.
>> >>I've seen some crash bang hack and reboot their way into a machine
>> >more broken than I've ever produced in _any_ OS.
>> >>(They dont call me crash for nothing.)  When a user joins my 
>room
>> >and asks 'how do I start windows' after a few minutes of teasing
>> >them we inform them to call it atleast X windows if not XFree86 
>and
>> >kindly tell them to 'startx/Xtart/X' whatever the choice of said
>> >person may be.  With proper support and not-so-broken releases 
>linux
>> >can go a really long way.
>> >>
>> >>>Of course.  But right now thier friend can't tell them that 
>they
>> >got screwed
>> >>>into buying a "non-compatible" operating system.  A retarded 
>monkey
>> >can run
>> >>>windows.  Maybe it's just my ego but I like to think that Linux
>> >takes some
>> >>>brains.  Think of all those clueless Windows users the first 
>time
>> >thier
>> >>>machine boots to runlevel 3 instead of 5.
>> >>>
>> >>>Aaron
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>