hello there

Quick to answer questions about finding your way around Linux Mint as a new user.
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mach1steve

hello there

Post by mach1steve »

my name is steve and once this finishes downloading, i shall be a completely blank slate linux user. i'm quite excited as i've heard great things, but i'm worried about nuking my laptop... luckily i'm doing this on my back up laptop, but it's still a fear...

any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
remoulder
Level 17
Level 17
Posts: 7621
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 1:14 pm

Re: hello there

Post by remoulder »

Welcome. Contrary to popular belief, the end of the world is not nigh :wink:
[Edit] your original post and add [SOLVED] once your question is resolved.

“The people are my God” stressing the factor determining man’s destiny lies within man not in anything outside man, and thereby defining man as the dominator and remoulder of the world.
markcynt

Re: hello there

Post by markcynt »

Just as a spring breeze awakens tender new shoots of green, sincere encouragement can thaw a frozen heart and instill courage.
User avatar
Oscar799
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 10398
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:21 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: hello there

Post by Oscar799 »

steve,

Starting out with something new is often a bit scary.
Take a deep breath and do it anyway.
If you do get into any difficulty you can't google your way out of there are lots of people here to help you.
Welcome to Linux,have fun with it.
Image
plumm

Re: hello there

Post by plumm »

Welcome to Linux Mint! Say hello to backupninja. No matter what predicament you can manage to get yourself into, backupninja is no less resourceful. In addition to /home on separate partition running backupninja once a week or once a month, depending on how many files you generate, will save you from many a sleepless night. You can set cron to do this for you when you get more acquainted with it.

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install backupninja rdiff-backup duplicity hwinfo genisoimage wodim dvd+rw-tools
sudo ninjahelper 
n
m
y
/home/backupninja or /tmp/backupninja
backup.iso
[enter]
(exclude most of .files, include bookmarks, cookies, everyday work files, etc.)
sudo gedit /etc/cron.d/backupninja (comment out the line "0 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/backupninja ]; then /usr/sbin backupninja; fi" otherwise it will run every hour)
You will find more information at https://labs.riseup.net/code/projects/show/backupninja/. Most important, have fun!

Regards,

plumm
gibbs1984
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 825
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 2:40 pm
Location: Hemel Hempstead, England

Re: hello there

Post by gibbs1984 »

Read this for starters.

Read the Linux Mint User Guide, sorry can't find a link.

Don't fear the worst when something goes slightly wrong, there's magnificent help here and Google is a good source also.

Then, install, use and remember to enjoy.
Linux Mint 20.3 (Cinnamon) 64bit.
vrkalak

Re: hello there

Post by vrkalak »

Welcome to LinuxMint!!

Read and learn everything. There's a lot learn and experience. But, most of all have fun.

We're here, if you need us. :mrgreen:

LinuxMint is Ubuntu compatible ...
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntucat/get ... ux-forums/
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/index.php
mach1steve

Re: hello there

Post by mach1steve »

plumm wrote:Welcome to Linux Mint! Say hello to backupninja. No matter what predicament you can manage to get yourself into, backupninja is no less resourceful. In addition to /home on separate partition running backupninja once a week or once a month, depending on how many files you generate, will save you from many a sleepless night. You can set cron to do this for you when you get more acquainted with it.

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install backupninja rdiff-backup duplicity hwinfo genisoimage wodim dvd+rw-tools
sudo ninjahelper 
n
m
y
/home/backupninja or /tmp/backupninja
backup.iso
[enter]
(exclude most of .files, include bookmarks, cookies, everyday work files, etc.)
sudo gedit /etc/cron.d/backupninja (comment out the line "0 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/backupninja ]; then /usr/sbin backupninja; fi" otherwise it will run every hour)
You will find more information at https://labs.riseup.net/code/projects/show/backupninja/. Most important, have fun!

Regards,

plumm
to give you all an idea, i have no idea what ^^^ this means...
Kaye

Re: hello there

Post by Kaye »

mach1steve wrote:
plumm wrote:Welcome to Linux Mint! Say hello to backupninja. No matter what predicament you can manage to get yourself into, backupninja is no less resourceful. In addition to /home on separate partition running backupninja once a week or once a month, depending on how many files you generate, will save you from many a sleepless night. You can set cron to do this for you when you get more acquainted with it.

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install backupninja rdiff-backup duplicity hwinfo genisoimage wodim dvd+rw-tools
sudo ninjahelper 
n
m
y
/home/backupninja or /tmp/backupninja
backup.iso
[enter]
(exclude most of .files, include bookmarks, cookies, everyday work files, etc.)
sudo gedit /etc/cron.d/backupninja (comment out the line "0 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/backupninja ]; then /usr/sbin backupninja; fi" otherwise it will run every hour)
You will find more information at https://labs.riseup.net/code/projects/show/backupninja/. Most important, have fun!

Regards,

plumm
to give you all an idea, i have no idea what ^^^ this means...
The best part is you don't have to. You'll never have to open a terminal if you don't want to, it's just an option that's there (and many people find it simpler than using a GUI once they become more comfortable with Linux). Don't worry about not understanding anything, no one did when they first tried it :)
gibbs1984
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 825
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 2:40 pm
Location: Hemel Hempstead, England

Re: hello there

Post by gibbs1984 »

Kaye wrote:Don't worry about not understanding anything, no one did when they first tried it :)
As they didn't when they first started with Windows, just a new learning curve imo.
Linux Mint 20.3 (Cinnamon) 64bit.
mach1steve

Re: hello there

Post by mach1steve »

what the heck are "GUI's" and "terminals"?

edit: google either gave me results that were over my head or didn't give me what i was looking for...
Kaye

Re: hello there

Post by Kaye »

mach1steve wrote:what the heck are "GUI's" and "terminals"?

edit: google either gave me results that were over my head or didn't give me what i was looking for...
GUI is just an acronym for graphical user interface.. Basically every program you've ever seen has an interface that you can interact with (think menus and buttons). The terminal is another way to run programs using only text and commands - no buttons or windows. For most beginners the terminal is scary and you'll avoid it for a long time and stick to GUI's (you're already familiar with these).

It will all make sense once you try the system :)
Aging Technogeek

Re: hello there

Post by Aging Technogeek »

Welcome to Mint. Hope you like and enjoy it as much as we all do.

A link to the Mint User Guide can be found on the Mint home page the first time you start Firefox.

Also, check out this thread for somewhat more advanced info.

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 72&start=0
vrkalak

Re: hello there

Post by vrkalak »

mach1steve wrote: to give you all an idea, i have no idea what ^^^ this means...
I am not so new to Linux and have, even, been working on compiling my own version of Mint-Debian.
And I don't understand it either. :lol:

Well, in all, honesty I do understand, just a little of it. But most makes no sense to me .... :lol:
kaye wrote:The best part is you don't have to. You'll never have to open a terminal if you don't want to, it's just an option that's there (and many people find it simpler than using a GUI once they become more comfortable with Linux). Don't worry about not understanding anything, no one did when they first tried it :)
GNU/Linux is sooo cool. Freedom of choice, and all. You can compile/change anything and everything.

Read this, it will help >> http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/ ... oducti.php
mach1steve

Re: hello there

Post by mach1steve »

well in all fairness, i barely have an operational understanding of Windows as it is... though you'll all be happy, the install of Mint is at 94%, i ran the live cd, poked around for a few seconds and decided that since i have my Win7 laptop as well, it seemed simple enough that even if it takes me months to understand, it should be a fun learning curve...
conslie

Your chacterization of it as "a fun learning curve" is

Post by conslie »

exactly right, As an oldster re: computers and a slow-learning newbie in Linux I am reminded of the contrast between early games that followed two models, build-discover-create vs.kill-or-die. Seems the latter won that contest in the Empire. Using Windows since the Amiga died, I found half of what I learned was that I was under constant attack and could load a half-dozen free programs (being adequately informed) or if more ignorant (not the same as stupid) get conned into paying significant money for "protection." And then discovering in many cases that the promised "protection" was just one more mugging.

Two different worlds. Welcome.

As for nuking your laptop, as others have said, if there is any valuable data on it, save it first. But after you run the LiveCD in test mode and think you might like it, the installation process allows you to reduce the HD space allocated to Windows and install LinuxMint ias an alternative boot. Before doing this, use the the defragment program within Windows to make sufficient HD space available to Linux.

(edit tiny typo and over-type in the header)
mach1steve

Re: hello there

Post by mach1steve »

no partitioning here... i went through the files that WERE on this computer and got what i needed... now there is no more windows on this computer... i'm still learning and accidentally deleted the icons in the bottom corner by the clock... got some of them, but not all of them, back...
Kaye

Re: hello there

Post by Kaye »

Right click the panel -> add to panel -> notification area
gravelbay

Re: hello there

Post by gravelbay »

Don't feel bad Steve. I lost count of how many times I broke or dented my Linux installations by experimenting. I did the same under Window$, but Linux seems to be easier to fix. And there is a ton of good help here. Like they say, and like you already know, just keep a backup and enjoy the learning experiences. :P
holastickboy

Re: hello there

Post by holastickboy »

I think you chose the right distribution to start learning Linux. Linux Mint has pretty much everything done for you when you install it, and its looks nice too!
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