Newbie questions (was hijacked thread!)

[Bill and Jan Klemme]

Les wrote:
> On Wed, 2008-02-20 at 13:37 -0500, Mark Haney wrote:
>   
>> Bill and Jan Klemme wrote:
>>     
>>> Hello folks,
>>> I am considering using Fedora and have downloaded R.8, but done nothing 
>>> else yet.  Is there any email list I can go to that uses language more 
>>> newbie-friendly?  I have no clue what you people are talking about...the 
>>> terminology is super-proprietary and without a dictionary or years of 
>>> experience I am totally lost.
>>>
>>> BTW I am not computer-illiterate.  My working career was IBM mainframe 
>>> tech support.  I am still lost in here.  With all respect for what you 
>>> all seem to know,  I need to go somewhere else to learn about this OS.  
>>> Any suggestions?
>>>
>>> Additionally, reading these emails has given me the thought that I may 
>>> have to become a Systems Programmer again just to keep my teeny desktop 
>>> running.  Not an attractive proposition at this stage of the game....
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> Bill K
>>> PS  This post is the most familiar-sounding of any I have read today....
>>>       
>> Hi Bill, a couple of things to consider here.  Most of us can explain 
>> things to you at the level you are comfortable with.  You hear a lot of 
>> geek speak, but only because a lot of us do this for a living and know 
>> the lingo.  That said, and I can only speak for myself, if you are 
>> willing to learn, then I'm willing to teach you.  I would say that's 
>> true for most everyone here.  There's a lot of times we'll take things 
>> offlist to make it easier, but for the most part we'll walk you through 
>> whatever you help you need.
>>
>> We've recently had an issue with people who have refused to listen what 
>> was being told them and asking the same questions over and over again. 
>> I think that's spoiled the pot for some, but, as I said, if you are 
>> willing to learn, then we're here to help.  That's what this list is for.
>>
>> There are plenty of resources on-line (google is your friend here) to 
>> help with basic concepts and steps, but sometimes just asking is the way 
>> to go.  What are your problems, and we'll see what we can do to help.
>>
>> One more thing, a couple of notes on list etiquette, posting a reply at 
>> the TOP of a post is generally bad form.  Always try to remember to post 
>> at the bottom.  We read things from the top down and that helps with 
>> keeping track of the thread of the post.
>>
>> Also, replying to the thread like you did with an email that's not on 
>> the topic of what the subject line is about is called hijacking a thread 
>> and is also considered bad form.  For a n00b it's no big deal, just some 
>> friendly advice.
>>
>> HTH.
>>
>>     
> also, if you look at the signature, there are two links that will bring
> up the mail form.  The first is the one you can click to ask a new
> question, and the second is the unsubscribe link which will allow you to
> unsubscribe from the list if you ever wish to do so.
>
> Regards,
> Les H
>
>   
OK, right....here I go at the bottom!  Thanks for the courteous 
responses and hints. I notice that I am responding to the last poster as 
well as the entire group, which means that poster will get double.  Any 
way of avoiding that?  I did not "reply all". 

It sounds like I may want to go with that "ubuntu" as someone suggested? 
I love the bits and bytes stuff, but I just do not have the time now to 
get into that.  I want a replacement for Windows, but want to be able to 
run my Windows apps (like Quicken and Photoshop, etc). I am tired of 
firewalls and virus programs and having to buy new ones every year that 
haven't been debugged yet.

I was led to understand that some version of Linux would be much less 
vulnerable to hacking and viruses so thought I'd go that route with 
Fedora.  I would like an OS that would be able to run Windows 
underneath, but would be very user-friendly...maybe even look like 
Windows. (My wife uses the computer sometimes too. I don't want to have 
a lot of explaining to do.) Is a Mac a good solution, albeit an 
expensive one?

Again, thanks for the invitation to jump in.
Regards,
Bill K