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   From: bigjon    
   Subject: Re: My ubuntu experience   
   Newsgroups: alt.os.linux.ubuntu   
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   Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:37:32 GMT   
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   Xref: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com alt.os.linux.ubuntu:8430   
      
   SINNER wrote:   
      
   > * bigjon wrote in alt.os.linux.ubuntu:   
   >> Sybren Stuvel wrote:   
   >    
   >>> ["Followup-To:" header set to alt.os.linux.ubuntu.]   
   >>> Topaz_Crow enlightened us with:   
   >>>> It's fine and dandy to have a system like Ubuntu that makes it   
   >>>> possible to stick with the GUI. My point is that the command line is   
   >>>> an available tool. Everyone looks at the command line like something   
   >>>> to be avoided because people are scared of it.   
   >    
   >>> Indeed. A friend of mine is a complete Linux newbie and a total   
   >>> computer illiterate. He loves the command line interface.  If he has a   
   >>> problem he only needs to copy & paste my answer into a terminal, and   
   >>> his problem is fixed. That's a lot easier than sending screenshots and   
   >>> describing where to click.   
   >    
   >>> Sybren   
   >    
   >> Surely that defeats the object - I can copy and paste, a monkey can   
   >> probably copy and paste, I am trying to learn what it _means_   
   >    
   > So? Analyze the statement and review the help/man pages for the command   
   > used. Just because a monkey can do it does not mean you should act like   
   > a monkey.   
   >   
   Give me a chance - I'm still reading about how to create launchers...   
   Even us Monkeys need to be thrown a few peanuts sometimes :-)   
       
   >> - I have used Windows   
   >> for years and used the CMDline for lots of things, but now after finally   
   >> deciding that OS's like XP are very wasteful and greedy, I want to try   
   >> something new.   
   >    
   > But in your past experience I am sure you would forget a commandline   
   > switch or 2 in which case you typed command/? to prompt your memory,   
   > Linux man pages blow Dos help away.   
      
   Yes, the help on the system is great...   
       
   >> My initial problem withh Linux (ubuntu) is learning what the commands   
   >> mean, and the consequences - just typing SUDO and a few commands is all   
   >> very well, but I need to know what is actually happening.   
   >    
   > What is stopping you from finding out?   
      
   Time - I only installed the thing two days ago, but I learn fast. I was not   
   really complaining about the method, just the consequences and knowing what   
   to expect - Windows is quite simplistic in that respect, you open a window   
   and follow the prompts. The terminal gives little in the way of clues. I   
   don't expect to be led by the nose, but there is so much to read, and   
   everybody has a different way of doing the same thing. On the face of it,   
   it seems that you can accomplish an action or command several ways, I just   
   need to find the way that is right for _me_ ...   
       
   >> I find it frustrating that, although all the help and tips are welcome   
   >> (very welcome ATM, don't think I'm moaning about that!), nobody tells me   
   >> what does what.   
   >    
   > They expect you to do some due diligence. Pasting a command into a   
   > terminal from a stranger isn't exactly the safe, smart thing to do   
   > without at least having an idea of what is going to happen.   
      
   Obviously not - although not as stupid as doing it in windows...   
   I have discovered that if you make a simple mistake, the terminal just   
   ignores your stupidity. Click the wrong option in windows and you can   
   create havoc :-)   
       
   >> I mean, I suppose, When I type sudo, what am I actually telling the OS to   
   >> do?   
   >    
   > Give you the necessary permission to run what would normally be command   
   > that can only be run by the superuser (root). Using sudo also causes a   
   > log entry to be written, unlike executing the command when logged in as   
   > root.   
   >    
   > $ man sudo   
   > $ man sudoers   
   >    
   > Safe, I promise :)   
      
   I know now - a steep learning curve, as I said before!   
      
   >> In a gui environment I have text to explain what I am about to do...   
   >    
   > Not always, in a GUI, you get a couple more words in the menu which may   
   > or may not be descriptive enough to explain the function. It depends   
   > very much on the complexity of the application.   
      
   Whereas in Ubuntu there is no text theree to help, I have to refer to the   
   help menu or forum ATM. It will get better once I am used to it.   
       
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