(psyche:)
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2001, Rebecca J. Walter wrote:
>> psyche -- i am rather new to this whole linux thing... ive been using it
>> for about 2 years and i have this constant fear that i will make my
>> puter blow up or something.
>
> My general message to newbies (or semi-newbies, or even experienced
> folks who are not used to working at the command line much) is--don't
> be afraid to type in new commands just to try---just don't do it as
> root! The things to be careful of are changing any file permissions (do
> this only on test files you've written, when you're just practicing), and
> rm'ing or overwriting anything. If you stick to these rules the worst
> thing you're likely to do is make your console unreadable (setterm -reset
> fixes that usually). Be a brave adventurer, and just play with stuff and
> have fun. :)
Profound advice. Keep backups of the stuff that is really
important, then go nuts. =)
I think the whole attitude towards computers has changed since the
beginning of the PC era, and very much towards the worst,
unfortunately. I got my first computer, a Commodore Vic-20,
in 1982 or thereabouts. (I was 6.) I distinctly remember that
one of the first things that the manual said was that
THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU CAN BREAK YOUR COMPUTER BY TYPING AT THE
KEYBOARD, UNLESS YOU ARE AN ELEPHANT.
(pardon my caps.) Things have changed a bit, what with massive
amounts of important data being manipulated on computers these
days, but I still wish that more people of all genders wouldn't
be so damned afraid of the overgrown abaci. =)
Rick
--
key CF8F8A75 / print C5C1 F87D 5056 D2C0 D5CE D58F 970F 04D1 CF8F 8A75
APPEAL, v.t. In law, to put the dice into the box for another throw.
:Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary" (1911)
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