You should make a webpage of your ideas for people to reference.
Lets start from the basics. Linux is about choices. Is hard to make a choice when you did not had a choice in the beginning (talking about Microsoft). Now you have a fresh install of Linux on your computer, now what? So many questions, so different, what is all about?
Ok, lets start easy. Pick the right Distribution, but which one? Well, I can not tell you but is a matter of taste. Is like, what would you like to drive, Ford, GM, Chrysler...? So many cars, but all drive the same... A steering wheel, brake pedal, leather seats vs cloth, manual, semi auto, full auto? So many choices you can not decide what to do !!! On the Microsoft world is one Car, One Setting (you can adjust the seat and choose car colors), 2 doors one trunk lid and not able to open the hood. You have to restart the car if the radio does not works.... that just sucks ! But we are all used to it.
Linux comes in, different car sizes, colors, 4 doors, hatchbacks, 2 seaters, so many choices...
We can not decide since the previous manufacturer made all the choices for us. Now, we have a car that we do not know how to drive, feels weird and you are able to do all the mechanical work on it !
Yikes !
That is way too much... That is how Linux feels like.
Now you are free to decide your faith, you customize all you want, but the biggest problem is how?
Some distributions are like Gentoo, yikes that is a fully manual distro. The advantage, you can get to the nuts and bolts of it, great for seasoned power users that have no live beside tweaking a PC.
Now you have Xandros, Mandriva, K/Ubuntu, Debian and so on... More for average users that all they want is to use a PC to surf the web and do some menial tasks.
What you need to know is simple....
Which applications to use?
You need a word processor, use Open Office ( is almost 98% like MS Office) there is an MS Office application and Linux too. One piece of advice, when you save a file, remember who is going to see it and with what. MS Office is so narrow minded (anal) that does not see it,lets say *.odt files, save them as *.doc
Open Office is not that bad, is very easy, but he furniture is moved around but not hard to figure out.
Thunderbird (with lightning integration) and/or Sunbird. There you have it, a mail client that works on MS and Linux with a Calendar, how neat is that?
And last....
Firefox.... Since we are going to web applications like, lets say... GMail< Google Docs, banking, CNET TV and so on, why you need more junk on your PC? Is all done on the web !
So as you see, if you install any Linux OS you can pretty much much do whatever you wish.
You want some games? Lets try ET (Return to Wolfenstein Castle: Enemy Territory) there is a free online version for RPM and APT-GET choose you packet manager (Debian or Red Hat). Second Life... download the Linux Version, uncompress and double click on the Second Life shell file, is that easy.
What I am trying to say is... Do not think that Linux is hard, is based on what you want it gets harder or easier. If you want to be just an user is easy as heck !
One tip about directories.....
Lets start with Windows.
There is an A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.... drives. How dumb is that? What happen when you end up on Z? Sucks to be you !
On Linux there is some that came from Mainframes and is called MOUNT !
A history lesson...
Back in the late 60s a Computer was Single tasking, someone came with the UNIX system to make it Multi Tasking and Multi User, so UNIX was born !
Back then, Platter Drives (early Hard Drives) where huge, so you are not going to turn the mainframe Off or On, hell no! Major disruption of service ! So you Mount and Dismount a drive... Oh wow is like remove hardware from Windows...!
Now, the drives looks like Directories. That is why, no Linux system has a C drive or a D drive they are all under MNT or MEDIA directory.
Here is the best part... since they look like folders, you never going to run out of letters, just name the drive.
How cool is that !
Sorry MS, UNIX and Linux had it first !
Each drive is treated like a Folder ![]()
That is why, you do not have Drives on your Linux system.
BTW, how come there is no B:/ (drive)? Easy that letter is reserved for the 5 1/4 real floppy drive and is not never used.
Now some about networks......................................................
To tell you how bad MS Sucks, they do not have some called SAMBA.
That is an IBM thing to allow MS and UNIX to coexist. How cool is that, MS is so anal that does not have that either.
Oh wait there is more.........................................................
People are so hung up on IP, there is some called IPX, that does not uses the already running out IPs out of the web. Is not widely used but there is there. Is a Novell thing but I think it needs further development.
What uses is the MAC Address from the NIC Card and a Network Address that does not follows the IP scheme. Is been left behind somehow but I see a lot potential for it.
Cisco Routers are capable of it.
I can say IP and IPX can co-exist and be invisible from each other, like having an internet inside the internet.... that sounds way cool !

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