What are your top tips for a Newbie?

[cjsnow1]

and remember to have fun with it

+1

Linux is fun, and learning how to properly use it is amazing.

Linux is awesome, fun, and SO much better than Wind<insert profane language here>!

[xdunlapx]

I highly recommend installing dropbox in Mint (or any distro). I use it all the time. I've been using Linux since 2002. I've gone through I don't know how many different distros over the years. At least 50 that I can remember by going through the distrowatch list. Haha

With all the files you'll lose every time you switch distros it's a great idea to use dropbox. Now other's will say it's perfectly fine to NOT format the /home directory but every time I've left it intact I've had problems with files and apps. So that's why I use dropbox.

Dropbox is a backup for your folders, or actually anything in the dropbox directory. I save my important files in there. Dropbox automatically gives you 2 free gigs of storage. I say use it if you need it.

When you do a fresh install, you'll have to reinstall dropbox but that's easy. Then sign in and it downloads your files to your dropbox directory. I've only recently started using it (in the past 2 years). Hope that tip helps!

Brittany

[Lostwithaclue]

Linux is a journey that is a joy to experience just remember a few basic things.

If you have a problem, google it, you will find that you are not the only one who has had that problem.
Search the forum, most of the time the answer is in here somewhere.
If you can't find an answer just ask, someone will help you.
You should also consider dual booting for a while until you are comfortable with Linux. I took the plunge a year ago then I found out I needed Windows for one program. I use Virtual Box to VM XP. If Windows catches a cold I will just wipe the machine clean and reinstall without loosing anything.

[shiwa436]

Hi all, I have a question here..

I am using Julia for last one month, and I don't have any internet connection on my system. I want to have a VLC Player on my mint 10, where can I get a binary for this and I how can install it.

And I am seeing so many posts with codes with a select all token with them, Do they work on a mint10 system with out internet connection?

How can I connect to internet using my Nokia 6600 mobile and my Uninor Sim?

I have googled these questions and left with unanswered questions..

Help me by informing the posts in this forum where can I get answers for these questions..

Thanking you....

[Anshargal]

Great to see you're wanting to learn Linux.

As far as learning goes I would start with reading a little about Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds. Find you some good books and keep them close, you will be reading a lot. That's one of the great things about Linux, it forces you to understand how the computers work. I've been messing with it for about six months and I'm nowhere near knowing everything. Keep playing around and reading you will learn to love it and learn a lot too. This is the main book from which I have learned from. I would highly suggest it. You might want to download VM Player and make you some virtual machines of multiple distros.

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-F ... 0137142951

I chopped up some pics and put this wallpaper together. I have it on my physical server as well as my VMs.

[casey972oo]

Hi there ! ... ' shiwa436 ' ! ...

for to config LINUX ... you need some Internet-connection ... to get those packages for your system ! ...
once you did your configuration ... you can run LINUX without internet-connection ! ...
it depends on what you wanna do with it ! ... don't be scared about ' virus ' and stuff like this ! ...
is realy seltem when LINUX got infected ! ...
there are not so many ' virus ' for LINUX like they have for ' Windows ' ! ...

there are VLC in the ' repositories ' for LINUX Mint 1o Julia ! ...

and maybe you find something by ... videolan.org ... or ... videolan.com ... ( I'm not sure by now) ...

for the broadband connection with the SIM-card from your ' Nokia ' ... you need a ' HSPA USB Modem-stick ' ! ...

http://draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/
http://sakis.tel4u.gr/blog/sakis3g/


casey972oo

.

[rijnsma]

My tip:

Learn as fast as you can to make a backup of your system and to restore it fully.
Imaging is essential for your nerves.
Remastersys or Clonezilla are not too difficult.

And then study this topic. And the the rest which is without borders.

And learn that everything keeps changing in Linux, nothing you can 'count on'.
And not all software always works right.

[casey972oo]

ok ! .. ok ! .. ok ! ... ' rijnsma ' ! ...

LINUX is not ... ' Windows ' ! ... and for sure you can depend on ! ... depend on ' LINUX Mint 1o Julia ' ! ...

[rijnsma]

Yes, I use it now after Mint 6 and 8 (and I do have LMDE on another partition and more).

[trollboy]

My top tips would be:

1. To start with, dual boot with your current system; which will probably be some form of Windows - that way you will have a safety net. The installer should take care of that for you
2. But boot Linux by default.
3. Don't think that you have to learn a new operating system. You don't; just learn the things you need as you need them. It's far less daunting that way.
4. If you have used Open/LibreOffice, Firefox or Thunderbird on Windows then a lot of your everyday applications are going to be very familiar.
5. If you are downloading lots of software from the web to install, then you are doing it wrong.

[marrylee]

Everything you could possibly need to know about Mint and Linux is somewhere on these forums. Read thoroughly the Newbie and Installation and Boot sections....

[lmintnewb]

For all thy lowly newbish type people, (*hmph). Who can stand linux newbs ? They are so taxing and trying ... (hmph* again).

Two words for ya .... Google +Clonezilla ... (hmph*)

Hey wait a minute I'm a newb meself and shouldn't be giving advice, lol. Though google does have the potential to make someone a linux guru depending on the time factor and backing up just makes sense. PLUS saves a person endless amounts of time/pain.

O course this has no doubt been said and re-said who knows how many times through-out the course of this thread, shrugs.



PS, ( post smiley ) Definitely not a linux master. But I have 3 black belts in googlology.

[casey972oo]

Nice to meet you all.

.
Yeah ! ... pleased to meet you ! ... hope you got my name ! ...

casey972oo

.

[tru23]

Actually, when you first saw Windows (whenever that was), remember, you were a newbie just like in Linux, nowadays. Nothing comes instantly, take your time, and don't be ashamed to ask for help. Community is a huge advantage.

Don't think that using Linux system is a big, hard, and special thing. Of course it's special in a way, but not in a way that you should feel it's some kind of magic. It's just about getting used to a new environment. No big deal.

[prateek]

Actually, when you first saw Windows (whenever that was), remember, you were a newbie just like in Linux, nowadays. Nothing comes instantly, take your time, and don't be ashamed to ask for help. Community is a huge advantage.

Don't think that using Linux system is a big, hard, and special thing. Of course it's special in a way, but not in a way that you should feel it's some kind of magic. It's just about getting used to a new environment. No big deal.

I agree

It's just gonna take a little more learning but you'll get used to it.

And once you do, you are gonna have LOTS of fun (and might even think why you didn't try Mint earlier xD)

[Mintified]

I chopped up some pics and put this wallpaper together. I have it on my physical server as well as my VMs.

That looks like it might be a fairly useful desktop background image, but that particular one you've provided there is too low quality to read clearly. Would you be so kind as to provide a higher res version please?

TIA.

[casey972oo]

Yeah ! ... there is a difference in the File-System-Typ ! ...

Windows is working with a File-System ... \backslash\like\this\ ! ... is called ' ntfs ' ! ...
and LINUX is workin' with a simple ... /slash/like/that/ ! ... is called ' ext4 ' ! ...

that's why this two System can't match ! ...

casey972oo

.

[since1876]

While I myself am no longer a complete newbie to Mint, the thing that I don't think anyone here has said is this,

DO NOT GIVE UP

If you don't give up, and you do what the rest of the posts here say, you will do fine with Mint and Linux in general. You will learn a lot and you will be frustrated at times. But if you don't give up, you will find an answer to any question you might have, and most of them will be answered right here in this forum...somewhere!

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw this... giving up is the worst thing you can do! Think about it, you want to install Linux for a reason, right? Free software, decision not to support Bill Gates, boredom, etc. If you give up and go back to Windows, you'll have wasted a couple weeks with a better operating system, just because you didn't TRY to learn it! That doesn't sound like fun!

And just be glad that your network card drivers work out of the box! That's the ONE computer problem that I truly hate!! Even with a second computer it still sucks because normally you need to dust off the external drive and copy things, try them, figure out they didn't work, rinse lather repeat for 2 hours..... all the other problems you'll encounter will be easily (usually lol) fixed with a quick trip to Google and some good keywords! Which reminds me, if you're searching for an answer, make sure you try a few phrases to get Google to give you slightly different answers! "Reinstall grub" isn't going to give you the exact answers as "install grub after installing windows", for example, and the results can be the difference between finding the answer quickly or becoming frustrated!

[luisgf]

I chopped up some pics and put this wallpaper together. I have it on my physical server as well as my VMs.

That looks like it might be a fairly useful desktop background image, but that particular one you've provided there is too low quality to read clearly. Would you be so kind as to provide a higher res version please?

TIA.

+1 on a higher quality version... looks very useful!

[Pranaone]

Try to wipe the silly
smile off your face when you
realise you understand things
that the "experts" at your local
computer shop haven't even
heard of.

been there done that ..