HowTo for people coming from Windows?

[Guest charles]

Hi, I've gotten through installing everything for Mandrake 9.1 on a dual boot win2k laptop. I'm trying

to get everything working for Mandrake before dropping the W2k partition.

 

I've having problems finding all of the different howto's I need to replace the windows programs I'm used to using. There's one for wine, a different one for java, etc. Is there a single howto for people coming from windows that shows how to do all this at once? It feels like I'm wasting two days searching for all these different howtos.

 

Thanks,

Charles

[tyme]

there are a lot of sites out there that may be able to help you. however, there is no one central place that covers everything under the sun...

 

check the links portion of this page for some of the websites that may be helpful to you. also, if there are specific things you want to know you could just ask and the people who frequent this board would be more than happy to help out.

[kmack]

Ditto what tyme said:

One of the biggest challenges you'll face in the switch is finding documentation. I don't think there is an easy answer. You'll get good at using Google and searching for key words + linux! :roll:

 

I get lots of help from the documentation included with 9.1. It is located on KDE desktop at K--Documentation--HOW TO's ENGLISH. Some of it is outdated, but most will apply. (The 9.1 manual is not yet released unless you are a Mdk Club member. But the 9.0 manual is mostly the same.)

 

You need to get comfortable with reading man pages for the commands and configuration files too. I like to use Konqueror and type man:whateverthenameis and read it there. I often find it helps me to print out the ones I really need to study or read carefully.

 

The OLD DOCS link at the top of this page is one of the best overall sources I have found.

 

http://icculus.org/~dolson/mdkxp/ has a section on command line comparisons between DOS and Linux that is interesting.

 

http://sunsite.dk/linux-newbie/ is another basic site that I like for quick reference.

 

Mostly I search this forum and lurk on a couple others to find what I need.

 

Sorry I don't have a more precise answer than that...not sure there is one. Mostly it takes time, but I didn't become a power user on MS overnite either now that I think of it. I hope this info helps.

:)

[SoulSe]

Just ask man. Like tyme said.

 

Tell us what program you are trying to replace and we will tell you what to use and where to get it. Also check out www.freshmeat.net and www.sourceforge.net where you can search for just about anything.

 

And if you need help installing, read up on urpmi, this tool is a saviour if you are new to installing stuff on Linux. Or, once again, just ask :wink:

[VeeDubb]

I just recently came from windows my self, and you know what? The best advice I can give you, is make sure your hardware is supported and you can connect to the internet, then format your hard-drive and get rid of windows. If you dualboot, you will spend that much longer switching. Some times it's just best to dive in head first.

[ezroller]

I just recently came from windows my self, and you know what?  The best advice I can give you, is make sure your hardware is supported and you can connect to the internet, then format your hard-drive and get rid of windows.  If you dualboot, you will spend that much longer switching.  Some times it's just best to dive in head first.

 

I second this one. Just fight through it, check back here, get used to using the shit ou tof google. You'll find a lot of people willing to go the extra mile here to help, just ask away? O and use the search feature here. There's a wealth of knowledge, and more often than not, someones had your problem before.

[VeeDubb]

I don't blame you for wanting to dual boot, it just that I tried that, and it's a bit like loaning money to a drug addict. You do it to help, but it's realy not helping anyone. You will learn so much more and so much faster by just diving in.

 

I have always been considered a computer guru by eeryone I know and make a fair amount of money on the side building Windows machines to custom spec. But untill I tried linux, I never knew how much more there was out there to know. I have re-learned everything I thought I knew about hardware and networking and opperating systems, because I said to heck with it, and as soon as I knew I could boot, load X and connect tot he net, I dumped windows. Of course, I wouldn't switch untill you've got those three down, but I wouldn't wait a minute longer.

[aRTee]

It's tough to get going if you're alone in this, but there are some websites that list loads of linux equivalents; check the link section of my site for instance...

 

Google is your friend, try

konqueror man:/

to read manpages, and ask here.

Read newbie websites (like mine, there are plenty more), come back here if you still can't find it.

 

I don't completely agree with not dual booting; if you know the software )equivalents) you need are there in linux and your hardware is supported, all is fine. But how do you know if you don't know linux?

 

Second reason to dualboot: mandrake has such a nice feature to import the fonts from the windows partition... ;)

 

I dual boot, or: I have a dual boot system. Haven't booted windows this year (not since Nov 02...) and going strong.. :)

 

edit: btw I'm working on an extra page, not specifically for windows switchers but for everyone new to linux (even new to computers), on how to get started,.... have most worked out on paper, unfortunately I'm very busy at the moment.. hope to get round to it sometime next week(s)..

[Gowator]

Sorry I started writing this before and lost my track!

 

Since then ezroller and VeeDubb have really said it all.

I'd used linux for ages but my new laptop last X-MAS (present to myself) had Win XP home.

The biggest setback I had was watching DVD's .... The graphics support for the inbuilt card was lousy...

I dual booted for ages and it really was a bad idea.

I never quite bother fixing the niggles and then had to use windows for an occiasional thing. In the end I jumped in and blatted the whole NTFS partiion after copying off data etc.

 

It really waas the best step... I concentrated getting the linmodem working, proper graphics support and I havn't missed it.

 

Then I reversed the process and stuck a VMWARE win98 instance on for a couple of things I just couldn't live without.

 

Your kinda stuck with the hardware since its a laptop but just get the fundamentals all working and go for it!

 

Remember there isn't a single best answer for software, Linux is all about choice... Not only that but what you get is usually a front end to standard libraries not the monlithic type apps from MS.

You could RIP MP3's using GRIP (my choice) but you don't have to....

Then you choose your encoder and .... its all about choice.

See the discussion/poll on best office product.

It depends what you want. KWord is quick has italian support etc etc. and I use it for small docs. If I want the full bloatware experience I use StarOffice/OpenOffice. This is better for other things.....

 

Has anyone worked out how to get multilingual staroffice.... Including the menu's etc. I chose several on install for OO and only the last one from RPM worked. That is I couldn't start it up in the language of choice.

I can change the spellchecker etc. but not the interface. ????

 

Anyway, whats really important is that what you leanr now will be carried froward into everything. Its not like windows where you can't see the cludges under the skin. This means as you learn one thing it is almost always reusuable and Linux is very logically laidout and open.

 

Use the tools to configure it sure but try and go back to the files it writes and try and work em out. The whole point is the choice.....

I do quite a lot just from the command line because its simpler/quicker/easier... but also because I come from a traditional UNIX background. You learn a hell of a lot that way.....

Now I use the tools more and more (like the Drak wizards) but in the end the fine tuning is done by hand......

Get under the bonnet when you can, its like having a classic car that is beautiful to work on, especially if you are coming from windows which is like having a consumer injection model where the mechanic plugs it into the tuner and voila, its either fixed or scrap!