Basic working instructions
 

Hello, everyone. I have a very basic cry for help. I have been using a well-known system for many years, complete with all its bugs, arrogance, and limitations. I joined the computer industry via British Tab in 1959, and have spent my life in systems, programming, and teaching at uni level. I am now 69 years of age, and still very active.
I have seen and heard of Linux in many ways, and very much like the whole concept. I particularly fancy Linux 10.1, although I have no particular reason for preferring this.
So, the problem? For some time, I have subscribed to a Linux learners' magazine, read the on-line texts, installed 10.1, and I am baffled. I thought I was computer-literate, but every time I have a question I am told "write PAM>>> in your PIM££ and connect POM&& to your PUM ....." etcetera ... in a nutshell, I can't understand a word of it all. I cannot transfer other programs to my Linux, I can't get it to see my net connection, and I can't get it to send text to my (well-known model) printer.
Does anyone know of a childishly simple beginner's book (probably printed on washable card with big coloured pictures and ten simple words per page?) I know it's a bore amongst all you scientists, but I also know that you can be very helpful ... summary? HELP!

Welcome to LQ
Do you mean by Linux 10.1 suse 10.1 ?
I would suggest to break it down, and try to solve the problems one by one.

Give as much info as possible, hardware, errors.....

Welcome to LQ!!

As repo said: One question at a time. Tell us all the details of your system and exactly what the problem is.

There are MANY good books: Look at http://tldp.org and at the O'Reilly website.

Who told you this?? I don't understand it either. You haven't asked your questions here----No one here would give you such colorful advice......;)

Welcome! :hattip:

It took me a while, but I have also come over to Linux from that other well-marketed operating system. As one who has been through it, my recommendation to you is to give Ubuntu Linux 9.04 or 9.10 a try. This is a good Linux Distribution for people who have never used Linux or who have only a passing familiarity for a handful of reasons:

• It runs as a live desktop environment from the CD-ROM, so you can give it a try without changing your current environment. If your computer is modern (i.e. built within the last six or eight years) you will be able to boot directly to the CD-ROM and test it out.
• It tends to do a great job finding your hardware and configuring it properly.
• The interface will be very familiar to you as you begin to play around and work in it.
• It installs with a very nice set of software applications that make it productive from the very start.
• The package management system--the way you install software--is very simple to use and understand. And there is a lot of software out there to choose from.

Also, since it's based on Debian GNU/Linux, which is one of the oldest distributions out there, it's very stable.

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!

You could look at the 'Linux Books & Online Magazines' section of 'Slackware-Links'.

Just a few more links to aid you;

Linux Documentation Project
Rute Tutorial & Exposition
Linux Command Guide
Utimate Linux Newbie Guide
LinuxSelfHelp
Getting Started with Linux
Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide
Virtualiation- Top 10
:hattip:
The above links and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

Also instead of saying "Well Known Model", if you give your printer make and model number, it would be much easier to help you out. If we know what model and make your printer is, it would be easier to advice you the printer driver and how to install it.
If you have an HP printer, chance is driver is already there. You just need to add the printer.
Same for your internet. How do you connect? Dial up? Broadband? Mobile? How do you set it up in windows?

Also if you mean to say OpenSuse 10.1, then it is a bit old distribution by todays standards and there is already a newer version available for it.
You can also try to use Ubuntu, as already mentioned. It is one of the easiest distributions available.

I learnt most about linux just from reading the posts here on LQ.

Sad, but true.

That and http://www.google.com/linux <--- Yes, we have a special search-engine for all things linux, and just giving it the error message(s) along with the name of your distro (Eg Suse) is usually enough to find some explanations and solutions.

Wow! Fast replies indeed - thank you all very much for your kindness. I shall look at the recommended sites, and at the versions mentioned: health warning - I may be back!
I hope it's not too late to wish you all a happy, healthy, and successful New Year.

Hey again!
One more thing that occurred to me as I was driving to the office this morning: Ubuntu also distributes a release called wubi, which installs Ubuntu from Windoze. I have not used it myself, but I have heard good things about it.