Other than this forum and me trying to learn on my own, is there a good way to learn Linux maybe a good course or online tutorial? I don't necessarily want to be a Unix Administrator, but I just want to learn. I am a Land Surveyor by trade,(since 1986) but in 1994 I enrolled in a Unix/c++ training course, (I thought at the time that would be the next big thing, I like to think I was ahead of my time) but dropped out due to high cost. What I would really like is to find a guru who would be willing to make house calls, and teach one on one, is this reasonable.

Give the Linux Newbie Guide a try,
I think it's not too bad :)

Cheers,
Tink

I think the best way to learn Linux is to sit down and use it every day. Having a friend who can guide you through the tough steps can be nice, but I don't think there's any better teacher than first-hand experience. There are more than enough online resources, messageboards, books, and other sources of information to answer just about any question you may have.

For a cost-effective solution, see about picking up a beginner's Linux book (there are tons of them). Much cheaper than a training course, and you can go at your own pace.

No, no, no, not other than. Every one of those in combination is the way to learn how to use Linux.
The question is also what you consider learning Linux. Does that involve the simpler task of learning useful programs, getting online, etc; or more complex tasks like mastering the CLI, shell scripting, or programing?
Picking up useful links over 6 months or a year from a bulletin board like this can be a great source of learning.
A good general Linux book is great for a reference when you need to research how to do something, but are usually lacking when it comes to why you are doing any research. I.E. they provide no projects.
This bulletin board can also be useful for pointing you in the direction of possible projects you may want to try.
Don't expect everything to happen in an hour and avoid becoming frustrated when things don't work out, and you will be well on your way.
Good Luck.

beginners courses and there will be a new, intermediate one in june.

Thanks alot guys, I'm learning new stuff already, I guess mainly what I want to learn is the CLI

Ditto..

Not as root though

Why not?!

Cheers,
Tink

p.s.: Some mistakes *have* to be made as root in
an early stage

I run as root!. I know, I know, baaaaahhdd idea.. I just like living dangerously I guess.

I couldn't agree more with this statement.

What helped me a lot ( and I am still very much a newbie), was to find several (4) old computers - from 486 to slightly younger machines, and then to go crazy installing different distros on them - TinyLinux, Slack, and now Debian. Because the machines were not important, and the fact that I could still access the net with my "real" machine, I had no fear in experimenting. I did need to buy some used network cards as well. None of these machines has more than 48 MB of RAM, and the fastest is a Pentium 166. You learn MUCH more with the smaller distros.

Old machines can be had for close to free - speak to any computer repair store about machines they need to get off their hands.

HTH
Steve

Rule number one is not to run as root.
Rule number two is to not tell anyone if you do.

just come here a lot and you''l be a whiz!

When i think of running as root, I don't see a sky diver (ie. live dangerously). I think of sky diving without a parachute: sooner or later you'll hit the ground, so: are you just testing how long you can stay in the air?

I don't understand why it's so dangerous to run as root ... what can you do to mess up your system? I think you'd have to be a bonehead to mess up your computer until it doesn't work ... (but this is biased because I have used ms for a long time).