[Techtalk] hello, anyone out there

[Andrew]

>On Friday 02 August 2002 03:38 pm, Sam Bradshaw wrote:
>>  Hi, my name is Sam, I am a fairly experienced NT/Novell user. I have been
>>  working in IT for a few years and have mainly been involved in Network
>>  Admin, DB admin, routers, firewalls, that type of thing.
>>
>>  I just installed my first version of Linux Mandrake 8.0 and have a very
>>  uncomfortable feeling like I am a complete dummy.
>>
>>  Is this what "normal" users feel like when they use their "windows pc"??
>  > Maybe I have more sympathy now.
>>

Hi

	On the theory that misery likes company, consider my 
situation. As a 10+ year Macintosh only user, I could always find a 
program to do what was needed. Even scripting more than a dedicated 
macro program would provide, was avoided studiously. Networking was 
simple as plugging in a telephone wire.
	E-bay came along and I began to notice I could put together a 
fast machine for less than 20% the cost of a Mac. Using Microshaft 
and/or Novell was more expensive than Mac for me. SO... I bought a 
$50 p150 found a donated old monochrome monitor and first felt my way 
around the Red Hat distribution of Linux OS using only the command 
line, only moderately successful, then went and bought a vid-card and 
found another this time color monitor. Now using a mix of GUI (KDE 
mostly) and Command line is my current mode.
	I have 3 (P150. P200, P200) netatalk servers using Mandrake 
8.0 as a foundation. Mandrake practically set itself up. Netatalk was 
a problem, one that was eventually solved by people on the Netatalk 
Administrators list. For the almost three months they have been 
running, calling no attention to them, just working, routing, 
Firewall, file server.
	 When you realize some/many of the how to's are often written 
a few years ago and your distribution of Linux probably already has 
what you need, things get easier. Remember Google and lists are 
invaluable resources. The Mandrake site is a super learning tool too.
	Most confusing is the huge number of similar programs doing 
nearly the same thing. Many are just GUI's for the same small program 
often in different stages of GUI development or stressing differing 
uses. Find a list of basic commands for the command line, get in the 
habit of using the GUI's and the terminals in the GUI's. Eventually 
you can move to the command line only if you want. The CL and GUI 
together will ease your learning curve. Many How to's do not even 
mention GUI alternatives, they are out there and very likely on your 
Mandrake CD's.

	From my reading Mandrake 8.0 has some GUI usability problems 
fixed in 8.2. I have not been able to use the up-date GUI. Any 
suggestions welcome.
-- 

	    Have a nice Day!,
		Andrew