After running Linux for quite a few years now it’s sometimes tough to remember all of the seemingly ‘simple’ questions that we all initially had but have since forgotten over the years. Many of these questions can be potential road blocks for new Linux users as they try and adopt our favourite open source operating system.
With that in mind we’re starting a new series on The Linux Experiment called Linux Basics where we take simple questions and try to provide a quick little answer. Hopefully this will help out those who might have otherwise been turned off from Linux to stick around long enough to get past that initial hump of trying something new.
If you have any ideas or want your own questions to be answered please feel free to comment below 🙂
Thinking back on my own first experiences with Linux, I had the most trouble and frustration with file sharing. The only reason I stuck with Linux after hitting that brick wall was thinking about how much worse the alternatives (Windows and Apple computers) were.
I eventually found a couple of good articles that helped me successfully set up the file sharing environment I wanted for my home network. It was a good while ago and I don’t think I could find those articles again or I would link them here.
The point here is to expect trouble with file sharing to begin with. But know that the solution is out there. Just search Google/Bing/Yahoo and your particular distro’s forums for the solutions.
Another separate, but somewhat related, speed bump on the road to getting started with Linux is realizing up front that there will be some software applications not provided automatically with your Linux installation.
Everyone’s needs and wants will be different but a good example would be your browser. Most Linux distros come with Firefox which is a very good browser. But, if you’re already a long time Chrome user, you’ll need to download and install Chrome so that you can sync up all your familiar bookmarks and settings in there. That’s just one typical example.
Anyway, those two things came immediately to mind when I thought back about what I struggled with during my initial experience with Linux.
Those are excellent examples Len and I’m sure we can all relate (I know I can!). Thanks for sharing.
As time passed by, he collaborated with other programmers in places like MIT and applications for Linux started to appear. So around 1991, a working Linux operating system with some applications was officially launched, and this was the start of one of the most loved and open-source OS options available today .