Taking the Linux plunge - Sources of help required
Discussion
I have been contemplating setting up a Linux box and I'm now ready to try and set-up a Knoppix distro on an old box I've got lying around.
I used to be pretty comfortable with DOS, but the Linux jargon gives me the willies, mount this, unmount that, patching & recompiling kernels etc. etc. etc.
Is there a website source available that might be aimed at a low enough level to explain what I should be doing and why and not so challenging that only someone fluent in geekspeak can understand?
I am principally trying to learn MySQL - What the hell is it? and does it have an interface like MS Access or Excel?
Any thoughts?
I used to be pretty comfortable with DOS, but the Linux jargon gives me the willies, mount this, unmount that, patching & recompiling kernels etc. etc. etc.
Is there a website source available that might be aimed at a low enough level to explain what I should be doing and why and not so challenging that only someone fluent in geekspeak can understand?
I am principally trying to learn MySQL - What the hell is it? and does it have an interface like MS Access or Excel?
Any thoughts?
Well MySQL is a *horrible* reason to learn Linux IMHO!
1. Try Postgresql, much more robust and flexible database.
2. Knoppix will be a great start - you can't damage your existing setup by booting Knoppix and poking around for a bit - it runs entirely from the CD and won't (shouldn't perhaps ;-) do anything to your hard drive.
3. There are tons of resources out there for starting out with Linux; newsgroups, IRC channels, web sites, forums, etc. There will even be a local Linux User's Group somewhere near you. They will normally run what are called Install Fests where they help new guys get Linux installed.
4. DOS has nothing at all in common with Linux except that they are both operating systems. The fact that DOS has a commandline that looks similar to many of the shells available to Linux is purely due to the fact that they all re character based. Most shells available to Linux have more power and are far more usable than DOS ever was. Bash (Bourne Again SHell - little Un*x in-joke) for instance features tab-completion of file names, iterative scripting, for, if, while statements, variables, and much more. DOS' commandline is a Trabant to bash's McLaren F1 ;-)
5. You can run Linux without a keyboard, mouse or monitor. Just have it connected to a LAN and use putty (a free SSH client for MS Windows) to connect to it. Even a Pentium 1 will run MySQL (or preferrably Postgresql) with ease. If you have an older box lying around it's the perfect thing to get comfortable with Linux in this way. When you feel a little more confident, try it as a desktop OS.
Hope that helps!
Ciao
Zak
1. Try Postgresql, much more robust and flexible database.
2. Knoppix will be a great start - you can't damage your existing setup by booting Knoppix and poking around for a bit - it runs entirely from the CD and won't (shouldn't perhaps ;-) do anything to your hard drive.
3. There are tons of resources out there for starting out with Linux; newsgroups, IRC channels, web sites, forums, etc. There will even be a local Linux User's Group somewhere near you. They will normally run what are called Install Fests where they help new guys get Linux installed.
4. DOS has nothing at all in common with Linux except that they are both operating systems. The fact that DOS has a commandline that looks similar to many of the shells available to Linux is purely due to the fact that they all re character based. Most shells available to Linux have more power and are far more usable than DOS ever was. Bash (Bourne Again SHell - little Un*x in-joke) for instance features tab-completion of file names, iterative scripting, for, if, while statements, variables, and much more. DOS' commandline is a Trabant to bash's McLaren F1 ;-)
5. You can run Linux without a keyboard, mouse or monitor. Just have it connected to a LAN and use putty (a free SSH client for MS Windows) to connect to it. Even a Pentium 1 will run MySQL (or preferrably Postgresql) with ease. If you have an older box lying around it's the perfect thing to get comfortable with Linux in this way. When you feel a little more confident, try it as a desktop OS.
Hope that helps!
Ciao
Zak
zaktoo said:
Well MySQL is a *horrible* reason to learn Linux IMHO!
1. Try Postgresql, much more robust and flexible database.
2. Knoppix will be a great start - you can't damage your existing setup by booting Knoppix and poking around for a bit - it runs entirely from the CD and won't (shouldn't perhaps ;-) do anything to your hard drive.
3. There are tons of resources out there for starting out with Linux; newsgroups, IRC channels, web sites, forums, etc. There will even be a local Linux User's Group somewhere near you. They will normally run what are called Install Fests where they help new guys get Linux installed.
4. DOS has nothing at all in common with Linux except that they are both operating systems. The fact that DOS has a commandline that looks similar to many of the shells available to Linux is purely due to the fact that they all re character based. Most shells available to Linux have more power and are far more usable than DOS ever was. Bash (Bourne Again SHell - little Un*x in-joke) for instance features tab-completion of file names, iterative scripting, for, if, while statements, variables, and much more. DOS' commandline is a Trabant to bash's McLaren F1 ;-)
5. You can run Linux without a keyboard, mouse or monitor. Just have it connected to a LAN and use putty (a free SSH client for MS Windows) to connect to it. Even a Pentium 1 will run MySQL (or preferrably Postgresql) with ease. If you have an older box lying around it's the perfect thing to get comfortable with Linux in this way. When you feel a little more confident, try it as a desktop OS.
Hope that helps!
Ciao
Zak
1. MySQL is what my cart software (click cart pro) could use other than the clunky .csv files its using now. Haven't a clue what Postgresql is or the likelihood of it breaking my cart software, never mind whether a new host would allow it to be run on their servers.
2. I ran Knoppix just now and it appears to be a good bit of kit, no problem with my system that I could see of and was straight on to the internet. Woo Hoo.
3. Its getting a resource that is at my mediocre level thats the problem, went to WYLUG in Leeds once about 5 years ago, but it was completely over my head and I never managed to pluck up the courage to go back.
4. TMI, brain about to explode.
5. SSH client? Feel like the little guy in the Worms game whose head is about to explode 5...4...3...2...
I thought MySQL was on the Knoppix V3.6 Distro, am I right and just not found it yet or do I have to do something a bit more adventureous and actually download the thing (or even worse - pay to download it :-) )
thepeoplespal said:
Just buy yourself 'An Idiots Guide to Unix'
no joke, should be all you need to get started.
Enjoy and Goodluck
I see a Unix for Dummies, but no 'An Idiots Guide to Unix' on Amazon.co.uk. Anyone shed any further light on the situation
might be the same one.
Yellow Book, black Background.
All much of a muchness.
Fedora Core 3 gets my vote; much improved on earlier revisions from RedHat, and the automatic updating via apt is sooooo handy (think of it like Windows Update but for Linux). mySQL built in to the distribution so just head over to redhat, download the ISOs (or single DVD ISO) and install away if that's your decision.
brumster said:I tested Fedora Core 3, and it gets my vote too. Probably the best value approach to start with Linux in a hurry.
Fedora Core 3 gets my vote; much improved on earlier revisions from RedHat, and the automatic updating via apt is sooooo handy (think of it like Windows Update but for Linux). mySQL built in to the distribution so just head over to redhat, download the ISOs (or single DVD ISO) and install away if that's your decision.
Some help resources:
http://fedora.redhat.com/
www.fedora.us/
www.fedorafaq.org/
www.linuxquestions.org/
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