fancypiper... check out mythtv.org.
There is some awesome support via the mail lists and if you search the mail list archives there is a ton of helpful info.

When I change a distribution I wonder if I will be able to configure/use all I could do with the previous distribution.

Dual/multi booting with your current distro is the solution to this.
My thought is that if one switches distros cold turkey one places unnecessary difficulties in their Linux learning path.
My thought is also that they need NOT all be the same.

To me, the scariest thing about Linux is that I'm sure someday someone is going to catch on to me and realize I don't really know anything.

Coming from someone who has a Tecra running win95 I can sympathize. And if it weren't for my old logitech scanner (no linux support) I would Debianize my HP Brio. The only thing that scares me is the lack of developers of hardware/software to accept Linux. I can remember back in college going into a computer software store and seeing on the shelf two copies of everything, one for IBM one for Apple (did I just date myself???) I mean why does this idea seem so foreign to developers now? I could accept the lack of development when Linux was only 2.0 (I mean real linux, the kernel) But we've got a truely robust system to work with now. What is the problem?
Also, I'm not so scared as concerned that forking of linux in different areas might harken the Unix ghost back. Now the stuff going on with Xfree might be a good thing, but This crap with SCO is for the birds. And my verdict is out whether or not M$ has a hand in this. I get Corel Deja vous all over again.

Problem is with those older Toshibas. Propriatory pci bridges and other stuff keeps the linux kernel from running on them. I put a 4 gig hd in my Tecra just to try that and no go. It was so bad it actually made my memory unusable for a day. I had to unplug it from the laptop and let it sit/discharge before it was usable again (Not kidding). Funny thing is my big box has a mobo that Win95 doesn't like and became my Linux only box 3 years ago.

Oh one other thing that scares me, not about linux. The lack of durability of hardware now a days. I mean I had a pile of Epson EquityII 286's that sat in a warehouse for 3 years and I pulled two out last year and plugged them in and they booted up and merrily went into WordPerfect 5.1 for dos. I haven't changed my big box in 4 years (aside from bigger hard drives and more mem and a new vid card). It is distressing to see how some hardware is so easily trashed.

I am going to plead complete ignorance here.
I have aquired a nice DEC PC, 486, 32MB RAM, installed a working NE2000 clone ISA network card, ISA Y2K update and large drive support card, 3GB hard drive and deciding on a distro. The original hard drive is still working but is only 100+ MB, DOS 6.x and WIN 3.x
My HP will probably stop working before this does.

hahaha...that is hillarious. I feel the same way. Like we will get a broadcast message from root saying:

"I know what your up to. I know you don't know anything. I'm watching you."

well crashed_again, you are beating by a ton. You joined about a week before me and have 1700 more posts. but "I know you don't know anything. I'm watching you."

As for me the scariest ( I better put most frustrating thing) is to figure out how to run multiple levels of emulation

hehe, i tried vmware-d linux on a windoze platform and wishing to run vmware on that linux - it won't work :P

to me... the scariest thing is power down :|

Nothing in linux "Scares" me (as in I'm afraid to touch it or I'll break something). However, here are a few things I am unfamiliar with but would like to explore/know better.


* Server functions (mail, dns, nfs, samba, ftp, ??). I use my box mostly for mythtv and development. I am familiar with apache though.

* rc.d files

* awk/sed/xargs


I started learning linux by recompiling my kernel to get modem, sound card, network card, etc support... so I've done my share of killing a box and reviving it - unless actual data is at risk, I'm not scared. This is why I don't attempt to write to NTFS drives in linux
-----------------------------
And to those of you who said vi/vim scared you... It used to scare me, but once I learned it I realized that it is a wonderful tool. Just realize that there are 2 modes: command mode, and input mode.
command mode is where normal keys like h,j,k,l mean "move left, move up, move down, move right" (respectively)

Input mode is where keys like h,j,k,l actually insert those keys into your document as you would expect in Notepad or something.

Input mode is activated by typing an 'i' while in command mode
Input mode is exited by hitting escape.

To exit vi, be in command mode (hit escape), and then type one of...

:q - quits
:q! - the ! means quit, even if i havent saved
:wq - write the file out, and save

Or, from a trick learned long ago from a legend named Boris:
SHIFT + ZZ
to save and quit.

Cool

The first time I did rm -rf / as root, that really was scary.



slight

I would say VI not that i cant use it but i always have probs with it although i try do the right thing and use it. The most scary thing however would be that Torvalds:
A) Becomes bored with coding
B) Is bought by Micro$uck
C) Decides to lead a life in nature and ditch technology
Jikes!!!