--- eric brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 09:06:21 -0800 (PST) > From: eric brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Install Report from a Linux newbie - some > comments > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hello, > > I tough of posting my Linux experience as a complete > Linux & Unix newbie that chose Debian to start > playing > with linux. (out of laziness and pure ignorance - I > wanted to do a net install instead of waiting for > entire cds iso to download and had no clue that > Debian > was an "hard distro") > > First the installers: tried the new one and the old > one. > > My first try: sarge & new installer > > The new one is real simple to use but it scared the > hell out of me: after installing x the only thing my > sceen could display was: "warning sync error will > shut > down in 5 sec" > > But, after rebooting, magic, tadam!, I was welcomed > by > KDM! still didn't figure out what happened. > > I managed to got everything net installed by > configuring pppoeconf right at the very beginning > (and > played for the first time with apt, wget and lynx). > After choosing a rather random selection containing > gnome and KDE with taskel, I never managed to get my > dsl connection to work again (yes I was loggin as > root, rebooted etc...)!!! After intense googling > with > my powerbook (I was installing linux on an old > Aptiva > desktop) I found some bug report on debian > mentionning > a somehow similar problem with the new installer and > needing hacking in many .conf files that seemed > obsolete... And went through too many cryptic > howtos. > I almost quit linux at that point... I had enough! > > Untill I found an excellent document in French: > "Formation Linux" (this NEEDS translation) > http://www.via.ecp.fr/~alexis/formation-linux/. That > was way more detailed on how to install Woody and > get > some real things done (Play cds, burn, configure and > optimize X etc...) > I still haven't found any document matching it in > english. > > That is what is missing from Debian. An interest in > producing documentation aimed at getting things done > and not about knowing all the possible ways to > configure everything. Also the too many "use your > brain to solve your problems" answers to newbies > post > I ran accross surfing many newsgroups are > inacceptable, if Debian is to become anything more > than a geek toy. > > Anyway, I decided to give Linux (for me at that > point > Linux and Debian were synonyms) a second chance > following carefully every steps from "Formation > linux." > > Installing Woody the old way: > > Actually I found installing the old way was simpler > because now I had proper documentation and new what > I > was doing. I managed to get everything (almost) to > work the way I wanted. > > After a week of Woody I easily upgraded to Sid. > (following again the clear instructions from > "formation Linux") I can now use my usb wheel mouse, > print to my usb printer, surf web, play movies, rip > mp3, get e-mail, burn cds, process my tex documents > with Kile, run open office, run Matlab (I own the > full > product copy - but now consider mooving to python > numeric) etc... Life is good!!!. Sincere thanks to > the Debian community. > > Problems I still have to solve: > > Get pon dsl-provider to work for users: > > (still have to login has root everytime) and > continue > it to work evenafter I unplugged the ethernet cable > for more than 5 minutes... > > Networking: > > After too many tries with samba SWAT to communicate > with my osX powerbook, I gave netatalk a try. I > didn't > work untill until I ran classic on top of X and > access > the good old chooser from the mac side. Still don't > understand this trick. I have connected many samba > macs osX and windows box lately without problems. > Would like to get samba working! (Still haven't > played > with NFS) Again clear instruction on how to achieve > this probably trivial thing are just lacking. > > What package to get?: > > From a newbie perspective the debian choice can be > overwhelming. I still didn't find a better way than > apt-cache search to get packages that probably do > what > I want to do. I normaly guess what is appropriate > but > I would really appreciate a place where you can see: > want to do this : this is the best tool. > > Finally I would just like to say that are truly > enjoy > the freedom Debian-linux now gives me: I somehow > fell > that I emerged from the MS matrix and now live in > the > free world. I think that if the Debian community > put > more efforts in documenting more with a DOTHIS than > a > HOWTO approach would help getting more people into > Zion. > > That's it, thanks for reading > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard > http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
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