Some nice fodder for the debate here! Perhaps you'd like to speak Ally.
On Wednesday 13 Feb 2013 16:31:53 Ally Biggs wrote:
> Do you guys ever think there will be a day that Linux will be as popular as
> Windows in the desktop market.
Depends what the "desktop" market is, and what you intend to do with it. I see
a sort of power-user/home-user split being driven by Microsoft, but I don't
know where this will get them. I use both (Linux & windows) at work, mainly
for Legacy reasons and 1 piece of CAD software. At home I use Linux (more-or-
less) exclusively.
> Personally I can't see this happening anytime soon. This isn't a personal
> attack on Linux just want to get some thoughts and inspiration.
>
> I use both Windows and Linux have a strong interest in both but currently
> am having a tug of war with my thought patterns career wise. The majority
> of my thoughts are saying focus on learning Linux starting with Linux+
> with the eventual aim of going for the RHCSE. The other half is saying go
> down the Microsoft route taking a client exam and going for the server
> 2012 admin certs.
Do both if you can. If not, improve your Linux skills. However, you may find
yourself swearing at Windows servers. Also take note that both these systems
are not things that can be learnt quickly (Some time ago I estimated that the
kernel took 2000 man-years to write, so you can't expect it to be quick to
learn). You can only learn about parts of these systems by solving your
specific problems.
> Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Not really, the decision was pretty clear for me when I lost a load of work at
Uni. Regardless of the quality of Linux I was moving from XP.
> I would say that I enjoy Linux more the whole Open source ethos, I actually
> feel like I am learning when using the cli as opposed to clicking my way
> through the GUI in Windows.
I like the CLI; also scripting.
> Making the transition from Windows to Linux was challenging initially I
> probably will continue to learn Linux (Redhat, Debian) for server related
> tasks and use Win 7 for client tasks.
Depens what the client tasks are. You may find that you don't need Windows at
all.
> The thing which bothers me though about Linux ok it's free and if you have
> the skills you can do great things but why isn't it being adopted more for
> everyday use. Also why don't the developers standardise a distribution for
> the home user i.e same package manager and packages.
Awareness? Learning curve? Pre-installation? And many users don't care what
they use, as long as it works for them.
> The problem with desktop Linux I think is when the shit hits the fan and
> something needs to be configured or a driver needs to be added your
> average user isn't going to want to sit typing commands in a terminal or
> spending hours finding the solution into a community.
As others have said, that's rare, and, if they're running Windows, often the
point at which a home user buys a new computer. You are using Linux and there
IS a helpful community, but it doesn't mean that there are no problems, only
that there is a chance of fixing things.
> The other problem I found is the community alot of people expect you to be
> some kind of command line genius who is capable of reciting the whole
> encyclopaedia of man pages. So when you ask for help or guidance you often
> get a dismissive response.
I try not to be dismissive, but an amount of initial effort goes a long way.
Think of it like helping a student do homework. Are you willing to give
advice? yes. Are you willing to do it for them? No.
> Documentation is horrendous aswell especially if you are making the
> transition from Windows. Pick up a starting to learn Linux book and a
> couple of pages in you end up with the worlds worst headache.
Yes and no. The documentation that is there is often quite good in many cases
(I cite the QT4 documentation as the best ever written, and the MSDN
documentation as some of the worst, second only to CodeGear (formerly Borland
C++ Builder), which says "See the MSDN Docs" throughout). However, it might
not be simple, and that's often because what you're doing isn't simple. One
thing to note here is that error messages in Linux are often a lot more
helpful than they are in Windows.
> So how did you guys learn Linux? & Has anyone else made the transition
> from Windows?
I needed to do an interfacing job, and I'd just lost a load of work in XP, so
there was some impetus. From there, I tried to understand and solve problems
as they arose. Learning happens over time.
>Or what are the key areas to focus on to develop a good foundation.
> Need some inspiration if I go down the Linux route would I be missing
> out on much? Please help me resolve the tug of war it is driving me mad :)
Command line is important (obviously) but understand your shell (e.g. bash),
and how to script things.
Networking is also important, not only at the interface level, but doing some
socket programming and implementing a protocol is a really good learning
experience.
Some basic file-sharing, with NFS, configuring YP. Sharing with Windows boxes
with Samba (especially now with Samba 4).
Then look around and start solving some problems. What you learn will really
depend on what you're trying to do.
Hope this helps,
Tim B.
--
Hampshire Linux User Group Chairman
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Please post to: Hampshire@???
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https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire
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