...making Linux just a little more fun!

### Followup: please recommend books about Linux

JOHN INGRESS [ingress at sbcglobal.net]
Fri, 2 Feb 2007 21:57:22 -0800 (PST)

[[[ This is a followup to http://linuxgazette.net/134/misc/lg/please_recommend_books_about_linux.html - Kat ]]]

Thanks. I have to admit I have not yet taken your advice, though they sound like good suggestions. I did, however, find Marcel Gagne's book Moving to Linux at the library. He mentioned Mandrake. I went to their site, now Mandriva, and downloaded Mandriva One, a free release (I'm willing to pay, but my needs are light...no gaming, just music, video, word processing.) However, when I try to open it, Microsoft says it can't find the file to open it, and I get lost after that. I've had MS Windows for 5 years, which I installed, and I have downloaded a dozen or two programs, but I'm still a newbie, I need specific instructions in some cases. Like this one. Any help would be most appreciated. The "Blue screen of Death" is killing me! Thanks. John

Top Back

Lew Pitcher [lpitcher at sympatico.ca]
Sat, 3 Feb 2007 11:32:12 -0500

Hi, John

Perhaps I can help a bit...

On Saturday 03 February 2007 00:57, JOHN INGRESS wrote:

    > Thanks. I have to admit I have not yet taken your
    > advice, though they sound like good suggestions. I
    > did, however, find Marcel Gagne's book Moving to Linux
    > at the library.

/Excellent/ choice. Marcel writes well and covers the basics to a "tee". It sounds like you got the 1st edition of M2L from the library; the 2nd edition is more up to date, and Marcel has come out with "Moving to Ubuntu Linux" just recently. All these books come with a "live boot" cdrom (although, it sounds like your library removed the one in M2L) that makes learning and migration a lot easier.

For what it's worth, Marcel also runs an internet-based user group (the WFTL-LUG), with webpage, email and IRC support. You are always welcome to come over to http://www.marcelgagne.com/wftl-lug/index.html or email wftl-lug at salmar.com, or even stop in for an IRC chat at chat.marcelgagne.com, channel #wftlchat. Marcel is usually around, and there are lots of us (you might have gathered that I'm involved ) to help.

    > He mentioned Mandrake. I went to their
    > site, now Mandriva, and downloaded Mandriva One, a
    > free release (I'm willing to pay, but my needs are
    > light...no gaming, just music, video, word
    > processing.) However, when I try to open it,

OK, I guess that this is the first problem we have to address. What you downloaded will be a file that, when burnt to CDROM or DVD, will be an entire CDROM's worth of files. Have you burnt the file to CDROM? (Note, you burn it as a "CDROM image", not as a file)

Most of those downloadable Linux systems (or "distributions", as we call them) are meant to be burnt directly to CDROM first. Installation (or "live boot" execution) is done from the CDROM. If you don't have a burner, or can't get the download to burn properly, then there are places that will sell you (for low dollars) a CDROM (cheapbytes.com, iirc) and some distributions (like Ubuntu) even offer a CDROM mailed to you for free (absolutely no cost, neither purchase nor postage, see https://shipit.ubuntu.com/ )

There /are/ a few downloadable distributions that are small enough to be unzipped to a floppy (tomsrtbt, for instance), but these distributions don't have the GUI tools that a beginner might feel more comfortable with. They are for hard-core commandline junkies, or people who want a "rescue" disk.

    > Microsoft
    > says it can't find the file to open it, and I get lost
    > after that. I've had MS Windows for 5 years, which I
    > installed, and I have downloaded a dozen or two
    > programs, but I'm still a newbie, I need specific
    > instructions in some cases. Like this one. Any help
    > would be most appreciated. The "Blue screen of Death"
    > is killing me! Thanks. John

Hope this helps.

    --
    Lew Pitcher

Top Back