Comments on: Newbies: 7 Useful Ubuntu Tips

By: Tin t?c games

Tin t?c games — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:03:18 +0000

For command lines, Microsoft came up with PowerShell that programmer can develop new commands as demanded. I have see a guy managing mission critical web server with it

By: William

William — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:23:42 +0000

I agree with most of the things on this list, but telling newbies to download and compile source code (In the picasa instructions) really seems unnecessary.

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:02:30 +0000

For whatever it’s worth, I consider myself an ubuntu newbie (~2 months or so, using it as a project computer, not our main one). One of the first things I learned about was the terminal. I don’t know what all of those commands mean, but I do know what to do when I come across a command and want to enter it into the command line. If you’re willing to educate yourself, ubuntu is quite handy.

By: web

web — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:20:58 +0000

Should have wrote the title to reflect the article content.

By: Spackie

Spackie — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:24:10 +0000

Not “trolling” bigbluealien, just the facts.

Hell, I installed Vista and XP dual boot and the only time I use Vista is to use its boot loader to choose XP.

See, not trolling.

By: bigbluealien

bigbluealien — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:29:22 +0000

@Spackie post 22
That’s not Ubuntu’s or Linux’s fault, restricted packages are very tricky legal ground and oss groups simply don’t have the resources to risk treading on a license
@Spackie post 23
Now your just trolling

By: Spackie

Spackie — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:00:35 +0000

Another grovel … the adept Installer program … no sorting by alphabet …poor implementation/design. Linux X / GUI apps seems to be developed by amateurs.

Where is the professional polish and design??? What does LINUX offer that Windows XP doesn’t???? Linux still has a 1990′s borland pascal look … just checkout those CANCEL / OK buttons STILL with the icons next to them.

C’mon LINUX devs, lift your game.

By: Spackie

Spackie — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:54:03 +0000

I can’t believe the “ubuntu-restricted-extras” are so hidden given they are ESSENTIALS.

Why not have a “additional install options” post new install?

Where is Opera?

And to think Open Source is about “choice”.

Seems to be SELECTIVE CHOICE. Dissapointing.

By: UscitaObbligata

UscitaObbligata — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 10:09:58 +0000

I write the italian version of your Tips.
Thanx for the inspiration.

By: tmb_ayebe

tmb_ayebe — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:32:45 +0000

There is nothing wrong with the command line. It is an essential part of Linux and the sooner the newbie gets to grips with it the better for them.

It is far simpler to say “type this”, than “click here, go there, do you see the checkbox? click that, click apply, click next, click yes you’re sure”

In my opinion the command line has been given an unfair rap but it’s making a come back. Here’s what happened:

1) MS-DOS is command line based
2) Apple comes out with the Lisa (with only a GUI)
3) Microsoft wants to show it’s modern like Apple with Windows 3.1
4) The public are not convinced
5) Microsoft goes further with Windows 95 ditches the command line completely for ordinary use.
6) Linux arrives on the scene kicks butt on servers due to excellent command line
7) Microsoft wants to show it’s geeky like Linux
8) Microsoft makes Windows Server 2008 fully installable from the command line

On the desktop, we are still suffering the reverberations of the shock that Microsoft felt at seeing the Lisa. But don’t let Apple fool you, the command line is the best way to do certain tasks. It is part of what makes Linux strong, and part of the reason I love it so much.

By: Anonymous Test

Anonymous Test — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:04:52 +0000

The author was fired from Howtogeek and he republished his article on his site after the original was taken down.

By: Mojah

Mojah — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:15:43 +0000

This is the exact same same list that was posted on a while back too; http://digg.com/linux_unix/Newbies_7_Useful_Ubuntu_Tips (page currently offline). Seems like it was just reposted, it’s the exact same content?

By: Gomer Hauller

Gomer Hauller — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:03:03 +0000

I’m running 8.10 and ntfs-config is not in the repos.

By: alf

alf — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:29:13 +0000

This is a good article. I don’t know why some people have to start cussing and using language that I wouldn’t want my children to read (as they often look over my shoulder while I’m looking at websites). Please refrain from cussing, if not in your verbal language, then in your type written language. And yes, some newbies (I am one myself) don’t like to use the command line. I was so glad when MS brought out Win95 and I didn’t have to use the command line and DOS anymore. I do however understand the power of it, and have learned to use it in Linux and am not afraid to use it. I do what I need to in order to have a good working OS. I still prefer to use a GUI and any tools that are in the GUI, but will use the CLI in a terminal when needed.

By: Zac

Zac — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:57:02 +0000

Thanks for the info. I got some additional things from the Medibuntu repository as well.

By: Daeng Bo

Daeng Bo — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:43:52 +0000

apt-get dist-upgrade
doesn’t do what you think it does. You still need need to change the sources manually and run an update before that will work.

By: treadmillchinaOUTDO

treadmillchinaOUTDO — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:54:45 +0000

nice

By: erin gobrae

erin gobrae — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:23:03 +0000

Nice article, thank you! Ignore the trolls, this is good stuff.

By: dcortesi

dcortesi — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:52:33 +0000

Surely, surely this is a joke, right? Or what a strange conception of a “newbie” you have, it includes the ability to (1) know that “sudo…” is a command given in the terminal (2) know how to find & launch the terminal (3) understand and cope with the kind of message blizzard that an apt-get install scrolls out.

In other words, somebody who is a power-user of, say, a Sun or SGI box?

I keep reading these dreams of people who imagine hordes of newbies changing over from Windows XP because their systems don’t support Vista — and if THAT is your idea of “newbie” and you think they could do ANY of the above, you are smoking some high quality shit.

Re-do all your examples to use the click-n-drag interface of Synaptic, and throw out any that cannot be done that way and anything that requires the terminal. Then maybe you have something a genuine “newbie” could handle.

By: trev

trev — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:59:33 +0000

FUCKING COMMAND LINE!
PEOPLE DONT WANT TO USE THE FUCKING COMMAND LINE

this is coming from someone who uses it often in mac osx, i love it but regular people are fucking terrified of it