It probably should also be said that you can explore the internet natively from the command line using Lynx or Links. (these are called text based browsers)

In the course, you're probably using ssh to work, from the command line, on a shared Linux server. That is, needless to say, not how most people use their Linux desktops on a typical day.

Most distributions include graphical desktops that are friendlier than Windows. Linux Mint is a pretty popular one. Have a look at the screenshot in the Wikipedia article: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._with_MATE.png

HOW DO YOU DO THAT DavidLee1A?

---------- Post added 12-31-12 at 01:19 PM ----------

Great dugan

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!

Along side of your instruction material;Plus when forming posts/thread please have a look at;You can find more helpful information at Slackware®-Links. More than just Slackware links.
HTH!

Try typing lynx and hit return or links and hit return on your command line. Let me know what happens. (Note that ctrl-z, ctrl-c, or q <enter> will get you out of most things and back to the command line.)

http://linux.about.com/od/linux101/l/blnewbie0_4.htm <== This might help.

Personally, I got into using Linux by getting into the I.T. department at work. I love it because of it's power and flexibility. Not to mention the amount of money you save (LibreOffice, IMO, is just as good if not better than MS Office) and the almost non-existant worry about viruses. It's also lightweight and versatile, and if the distro you install doesn't have something you want, you can almost always get it for free from the repository. And if you don't like the distro at all, no harm done. You can always try out a different one (again for free) and there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of distros. It's incredible. Google search "linux distro tree."

I'm personally not a system admin, but my friend here is, and it's amazing what the Linux system is capable of doing, and, in my opinion, much easier to use once you get used to it.

This is a valid question.

Relevance of Gnu/Linux knowledge is anchored at the human computing needs that is essentially getting indispensable in today's civilization. Learning Gnu/Linux/BSD/*nix is learning from the Free and Open Source Software operating systems which is becoming popular today. There are though alternative OS's to learn to: Microsoft and OS X for the popular ones and you can ask this same question your self about why learning these operating systems, and the answer is still the same.

If you don't think that computing is indispensable in today's civilization then you have no reasons left why you must learn tinkering gnu/linux. The aspect of "internet" in today's civilization are nothing but a population of millions of servers, servers, and servers, (serving another millions of desktops) and more than half of server population is running gnu/linux/BSD/*nix --not microsoft nor OS X. If your mind cannot imagine the relevance of that magnitude then I cannot help anymore.

HOpe still that it helps.

There are many reasons why you should use linux; some of the reasons that I'm going to give below may have already been mentioned, but here goes anyway:

1. The internet is run off of linux and UNIX.

2. Most linux distros are free, and you can do whatever you want to them. Only a few, like red hat, cost money.

3. You have a great array of tools in linux, both in the graphical user interface, and the text prompt.

4. Linux is more powerful than windows and you can get an array of appearances in linux, linux never gets dry! Whereas in windows you have pretty much the same desktop environment most of the time.

5. Linux isn't controlled by a monopoly that tries to grab the whole market for itself.

6. If you know how to program you can even design your own linux distro.

7. In the security and forensic world linux has a great role to play, both the white hat hackers and the black hat hackers use Backtrack, a linux distro, as one of their tools of choice. In forensics Helix and knoppix are used quite often.

8. Linux is just downright neat in my opinion.

Hope this helps!