So you want to use Linux?

I certainly hope you wish to do so for the right reasons. Because if you wish to use Linux for the wrong reasons you will not enjoy using it and give up thinking that it is too difficult.

Some right reasons

• You want a transparent platform for your computing needs which will not be restrictive on you.
• You think existing software does not do what you want to do and would therefore possibly write your own.
• It takes more than a few programs to do what you wish to do and you want these programs to play nicely with each other.
• You wish to have a better understanding of how programs work, even if you yourself do not program.
• It is not just free software you are after. If so, you can get most free software running on M$ OS and do not need Linux at all.

The main pre-requisite is that you should be willing to learn the basics of Linux. These include:

• Understanding to some extent the hardware you have
• Understanding what happens during installation
• Understanding what partitions, mountpoints, filesystems are.
• Learn to find your way around the file system.
• Become confortable with the command line interface.
• Understand users, groups and permissions
• Package management for software installation
• What the routine tasks of system administration are.
• Finally you should be willing to carry on learning for the rest of your life. Unix and Linux have been under development for a long time by a lot of people. So, don't expect to master it within your life time.

If you have the right reasons and have understood the pre-requisites. You are ready to go. Remember, it will take time before you become really comfortable with Linux. It will help greatly if you can ask a more knowledgeable friend for help and hints when needed.

What software to install? Well, you could do what almost everybody does - install OpenOffice and start using your computer as you would use any M$ windows machine. There is lots of good software available for linux just look around to see what is available for your distro of choice and install whatever you find interesting. If you have some interest in star gazing you will find Stellarium very useful. If you maintain a collection of any sort, model cars, music, books, stamps then you can try to use a database to manage the collection. In the process you can learn all about relational databases. On most Linux distros you have choice of running MySQL or PostgreSQL (or both). No matter what your interests, you are likely to find useful software on Linux. Need to keep accounts for your business? Try SQL-Ledger.

My last suggestion is that you give the programmer inside you a chance. Try to learn to program. The programming language in not important. Pick up the one for which you can get some help. There may not be a programmer inside you. If that is the case you will still begin to appreciate what programming is and hopefully communicate better with programmers. You will also understand why software is not perfect and why there is no single software solution for any complex problem. If there is a programmer inside you then you will be able to do things much more efficiently because you can program. You will not need a word processor, you will not need a spreadsheet. You might still need a (R)DBMS but in the end you will be able to do all that you wish to do just using plain text.

When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night ---
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

From At Swim-Two-Birds
by Flann O'Brien