Intro.

Thu Oct 5 23:49:42 UTC 2023

I agree with Rastislav. I've been using Linux since the 1990s. I think 
it's important to understand that the culture associated with Linux is 
different from what you'll find elsewhere.

If you enjoy learning new skills and new software, there are endless 
opportunities for expanding your knowledge and for improving your 
software environment in large and small ways. There is also a cultural 
expectation that you will learn to solve problems and to use the 
software primarily on your own, with support from the community as needed.

If you don't enjoy learning new skills, then Linux may not be a good 
choice, unless you have someone available to set it up, customize and 
maintain it for you.

Also, learning the Linux command line can fundamentally change the way 
you work. Those skills can be of benefit for the rest of your life. I 
first learned UNIX (and later Linux) command line skills in the 1990s. 
This knowledge is no less relevant today than it was then. It may still 
be applicable if I'm using a computer thirty years from now. Investments 
in learning pay real rewards.

On 5/10/23 18:00, Linux for blind general discussion wrote:
> Hello Billy,
>
> yes, it is perfectly possible to run Ubuntu and Windows in parallel,
> back in the time when I was beginning with Linux, this was my goto
> strategy, as I wanted to have a working backup Windows system in case I
> needed anything.
>
> Originally I wanted to try Linux just for a month, a little while back,
> the third year of my one month trial period has passed. :D
>
> In the end, I booted the Windows instance like once or twice when I
> needed to compile some programs for Windows users, so I eventually
> deleted it, as a VM has been more than enough to satisfy my needs.
>
> Though, if you do have things you can do only from Windows, then having
> a real windows installation is something I definitely recommend, doing
> any serious work in a VM is rather inconvenient.
>
>
> I see many recommendations in this thread regarding terminals, console
> environments etc.
>
> My personal, subjective advice though, would be to just go with a
> standard GUI system like Ubuntu Mate.
>
> Linux is an indefinitely flexible system, unlike Windows or MacOS, which
> you see in one consistent, ubiquitous form, you will see Linux developed
> and distributed in countless shapes, forms and variations.
>
> As you may already know, the term Linux in fact doesn't name the whole
> operating system, Linux is just an OS kernel developed by Linus
> Torvalds, but while this component is crucial and very complex part of
> an OS, a complete system embraces far more than that, kernel is
> something you actually don't even get to see as an user, because
> everything you communicate with (the desktop environment, mouse,
> keyboard, audio, etc.) are just additions on top of this core element.
>
>
> I like to use an analogy of Linux kernel being an organic heart. Heart
> is a crucial part for every animal, but it's not the only-one and
> in-fact, you usually won't even get to see the heart of a living
> creature, what you see and interact with are body, limbs, some humans
> have brains, etc.
>
>
> It's similar with Linux. Developers take the core, surround it with
> software, shell and functionality they want, and release the package as
> something you can install on your hardware (computer, mobile phone etc.)
> That's why it's called linux distribution.
>
>
> And it's also the source of the flexibility. You will see distributions
> reminding Windows / mac, not in graphical design, but in the philosophy
> of a full-GUI system.
>
> But there are also distributions without GUI, that use just terminal,
> there are distributions you can access only remotely through a web
> browser, there are distributions specialized for running on USB keys, in
> sandboxes, in computational clusters etc. etc. etc.
>
>
> This ecosystem is something you'll likely as a member of Linux community
> get to love after some time.
>
> However, making use of it requires some knowledge I myself did not have
> when coming to the open platform, so while I did have an idea what is it
> capable of, even as a developer, I was by no means prepared to handle
> the full power of the Linux world.
>
>
> A stable GUI system provides more than enough opportunities for one to
> familiarize themselves with the concepts of Linux terminal, filesystem,
> package management, individual components that make up the OS,
> everything at a calm pace and, importantly, on a route where nothing
> breaks, and most of the things don't require reading through a pile of
> books and manpages (man is a short version of manual, in case you
> wondered) to setup.
>
>
> That's just my personal take
>
>
> Best regards
>
>
> Rastislav
>
>
> Dňa 5. 10. 2023 o 8:53 Linux for blind general discussion napísal(a):
>> Hi Rastislav, This is so helpful indeed and the linkswill come in really handy. Is it possible for me to tun Linux with windows on the same computer system?, Billy
>>
>> Sent from Mail for Windows
>>
>> From: Linux for blind general discussion
>> Sent: 04 October 2023 16:10
>> To: blinux-list at redhat.com
>> Subject: Re: Intro.
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> since you're new to Linux, I would recommend going with Ubuntu Mate. It
>> will provide you with the most stable while still uptodate experience,
>> so you can fully focus on discovering the open platform.
>>
>> Though, I would recommend to wait a week, Ubuntu 23.10 is scheduled to
>> be released on 12th October, shipping the latest atspi packages and
>> other things.
>>
>>
>> If this is the choice you decide to take, you may also be interested in
>> some of my related projects, namely:
>>
>> https://github.com/RastislavKish/umai
>>
>>
>> for setting up accessibility on UM,
>>
>> https://github.com/RastislavKish/mlock
>>
>>
>> for fixing one annoying bug with focus if it appears on your machine, and:
>>
>> https://github.com/RastislavKish/mtg
>>
>>
>> for turning off your monitor.
>>
>>
>> Regarding umai and support for UM 23.10, it should be prepared by the
>> date of the distro's release, see the project's readme for an uptodate
>> list of supported UM versions.
>>
>>
>> Have a lot of fun, and the best experience!
>>
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>>
>> Rastislav
>>
>>
>> Dňa 4. 10. 2023 o 13:18 Linux for blind general discussion napísal(a):
>>> Hi guys, so glad to be joining this group. I know nothing about Linux platform but would like to try Linux for myself. The problem is I wouldn’t know which version to try out first and that is one reason for joining this group. I am a blind pensioner living in Scotland UK. IF you could provide me with help/advice on which version of Linux would be best for me I would appreciate it indeed, Billy
>>>
>>> Sent from Mail for Windows
>>>
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