[Richard Baldwin]

I bought Debian and installed it. Using (out of desperation) "Learning the Unix Operating System" I Made it to p-17 when the suggested commands hit a stone wall. I also bought "Libranet" which loads one CD and quits. Having spent a bundle on Linux texts which, to me, begin in thin air and go no place which I can comprehend... I ask, is there such a thing as a Linux manual starting on the ground and proceeding to rung one (but not a "proprietary" e.g. Red Hat, Fedora etc.... - I've already junked too many of them). Just a plain vanilla Linux OS manual for a rank beginner? Debian, from what little I've seen is just what I'm looking for if I can find a guide to bash. Any help from fellow sufferers who have vaulted the stone wall and regained sanity will be well appreciated! (sorry to sound so acrimonious...too much dissaointment over 4 years does that to me.)
richard baldwin

[Headrush]

When you say guide to Linux, what exactly do you mean by Linux?

Are you talking about command options? If so, this is not really Linux, but a shell. Several guides to using the BASH shell are online. (most distros default to BASH)

If you are talking about installing Linux, this is very distro specific. Most distro have a graphic install that will walk you through it like Windows.

If you want to learn Linux in an allround way I would suggest taking one of the friendlier distros, like Xandros 3.0, Mandrake, and just install it. This will give you a system you can follow if have used windows before.

Then dabble from there, maybe learning the command line options, tools, etc. Get your feet wet first.

[Whiteskin]

(most _major_ distros... but not all. And many small distros have no installer period.)

That said, yes, learning the CLI should really be your first step. Or, if you want to start with a good graphical environment, it most likely would be worth your time to investigate Ubuntu linux. It's debian, but modernized.

[Ezor]

I feel your pain. Bought several books which weren't much help for a beginner and returned some. I wanted a book confined to Bash and found one. It's "From Bash to ZShell" available from Amazon. There's another titled "Rute User's Manual" that you can view on the net. Google for it. I don't like to page thru documentation on the screen so I ordered a hardcopy from Amazon. There's one that I think concentrates on Debian, "Linux In A Nutshell." It's out of print and probably not up to date, available used from Amazon. Hope this helps.

[lynch]

http://www.linux-tutorial.info/modul...ial&pageid=224
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1728

[Squashman]

Linux for Dummies
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...880640-5375155

[short101]

So far this guide is the one that I have found the easiest for me to follow. There is also an advanced guide as well.

[Richard Baldwin]

Thank you indeed for your kind reply! My problem seems to narrow down to 1.)the urgent need of a ground zero starting point for bash syntax and 2.) the vast problem of the catalogue of "operations" or programs, how to find them in the distributions CDs, and how to investigate their function(s). Every book I've bought has been written for those with prior experience. Debian has installed easily, I like it, but am stalled at the bash promptwitout any secure guidance how to proceed beyond that point.
richard baldwin

[lynch]

http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~squa...inuxmanual.pdf

[asdfqwerty]

Originally Posted by Richard Baldwin

Debian has installed easily, I like it, but am stalled at the bash promptwitout any secure guidance how to proceed beyond that point.
richard baldwin

type

startx

then hit enter to start X.
Then you should be in a graphical User Intereface if everything is configured properly.

Learning CLI is very intimidating at first, but easy once you get the hang of it.

[Richard Baldwin]

Thank you for your kind and informative reply. I shall assiduously follow every valuable lead!
richard baldwin

[Richard Baldwin]

Thank you for replying to me. Unfortuantely startx doesn't do anything yet. What is CLI? A GUI? I take heart from your implication that getting started is one of the most difficult learning phases.
richard baldwin

[Richard Baldwin]

Somehow I missed your great suggestion. Thank you! I have not been too impressed by The Idiot... books but shall certainly get this one! I'm not sure I'm replying correctly...your message has dissapeared???
richard baldwin

[jakoval]

CLI=Command Line Interface (like DOS)
GUI=Graphical User Interface (like Windows)

The best way to ease into Linux, IMO, is to start with one (or more) of the live CD's. The ones that are recommended most often are the Debian-based ones like Knoppix or Mepis; PCLinuxOS is another good one. A couple listings of live cd's are HERE and HERE. There is an interesting overview of various live distros HERE

A good beginner's book is Marcel Gagne's Moving to Linux - Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodbye. He also has a variety of other books for more advance users.

A good collection of handy tips can be found at BrunoLinux

[Richard Baldwin]

Thanks so much! Acronyms are over my head as yet. The book sounds excellent!
richard baldwin