What are your top tips for a Newbie?

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

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Otyugh »

My tip ! Because I want to participate o/

--->Have a <friend>/<someone you like> to help you. This is the cherry on the cake. You can learn being hardworker, or appreciating communities on the web (forums, IRCs, chats...).
But, at the end of the day, having someone is the best. You will chat of everything ; about spirit, about application design, about bugs... Again, it will be soooo much nicer than talking of the weather at the dinner. You will just start to be... Good at this. And you will be able to help another in demise.
You'll learn a lot, and without any work but a bit of curiosity. Because work is hard, and computing is somehow coming better with a more "ludic" (&lazy) approach. The computer is a tool to help, not a bad guy, at least, with a free system.

Society is best way to GNU/linux. The "fraternity" society, just because helping is nice.
You don't know any guy using linux ? Or no sympatic guy ? Just see on your city if there is one of theses "install party". You'll find some random (random is the word : old&young, and from any strate of society)passionate that are ready to help.
Nilla Wafer

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Nilla Wafer »

Otyugh wrote: Society is best way to GNU/linux. The "fraternity" society, just because helping is nice.
You don't know any guy using linux ? Or no sympatic guy ? Just see on your city if there is one of theses "install parties."
Or a local LUG (Linux Users Group). Easy to find in a Google search for your town or nearby. My school as a computer club but I was the only Linux user, and I'm not a big gamer so I didn't stick around. The club is misnamed anyway. It should be the computer gamers' club.

But if there's no "install fest" around (and I think they are usually devoted to a single distro), try the LUG.

~nilla
InkKnife
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by InkKnife »

My n00b tip is install Mint and enjoy it.
While this thread has lots and lots of great info it also has way too much of the kind of comments that make people afraid of Linux. The impression is given that one must hunker down and study to use Mint, or any other distro. Some you do of course, Arch for example.
But Mint really is a first class OS. It is easy to use and requires no more technical knowledge to use (and enjoy) than Windows or OSX.
I switched from OSX to Mint 18 months ago and making that jump was way, way easier than I thought it would be. I switched my wife to Mint and after I gave here a 5 minut tour, organized her menu and quick launch area she was good to go and has only asked me questions a couple of times since the switch.
I bet I have not opened a terminal Window in a long time and have never had to, when I dip into the terminal it's me getting my geek on, it is not required.
Mint is all grown up and ready for the most baby faced of n00bies.
i7 3770, 12GB of ram, 256GB SSD, 64GB SSD, 750GB HDD, 1TB HDD, Cinnamon.
Otyugh

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Otyugh »

@InkKnife : I don' totally agree. You can break a system quite fast enought using ".deb files" or not seeing what things are uninstalled when you install something.

If you use only firefox and LibreOffice, and a few "community" packages, no problem. More ? Not sure.
InkKnife
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by InkKnife »

Otyugh wrote:@InkKnife : I don' totally agree. You can break a system quite fast enought using ".deb files" or not seeing what things are uninstalled when you install something.

If you use only firefox and LibreOffice, and a few "community" packages, no problem. More ? Not sure.
Ya, but your typical end used is just going to be using the provided repository, the more adventurous may learn up about PPA.
Sure, us geeks are going to be doing daring things and experimenting but the vast majority of user don't ever do any of that. I can't think of anything better for a non-technical user than Mint and simply sticking to the Mint repo.
i7 3770, 12GB of ram, 256GB SSD, 64GB SSD, 750GB HDD, 1TB HDD, Cinnamon.
Nilla Wafer

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Nilla Wafer »

Oh no, PPAs? You need to add them in order to get some certain software - surprisingly even some pretty common software like Seamonkey or the Faenza icon set.

In my experience (admittedly very limited, I´m still a noob too), adding a PPA multiplies the chances of an update breaking something! I would not recommend PPAs to new Minties.

~nilla
nomko

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by nomko »

Nilla Wafer wrote:Oh no, PPAs? You need to add them in order to get some certain software - surprisingly even some pretty common software like Seamonkey or the Faenza icon set. In my experience (admittedly very limited, I´m still a noob too), adding a PPA multiplies the chances of an update breaking something! I would not recommend PPAs to new Minties.
Unless you're using PPA's from trusted sources. Can you give us an example were it went wrong with your system when you added a PPA and from which site? I'm very curious about that since i'm using Linux about 6 years now and always used PPA's and never had any issues with it.

My tip of the day is mainly for new users: avoid using tools like Bleachbit and Ubuntu Tweak if you don't have any clue about what those are doing and how to use them. Especially Ubuntu Tweak has some options which can harm your system badly (like adding PPA's from non-trusted sources). If you, as a new user, want to some terminal commands for cleaning up your system, please first inform here which command to use and what that command does.
Nilla Wafer

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Nilla Wafer »

I've had no trouble personally with PPAs, but have read accounts on some Ubuntu-related web sites and forums about others having breakages when one repository update conflicted with another. I hear that some repositories are safer than others, and some more compatible with any given OS, but that the chance of breakage multiplies with added PPAs is a well documented fact.

I'm not saying they're all bad, only that I wouldn't recommend to any Linux novice adding PPAs.

The two examples I offered earlier - Seamonkey and Faenza - have to come from added PPAs in Ubuntu/Mint. Yet they appear in the "regular" repositories of other distros, no PPA needed. So I think I would tell a newbie that if he or she has some particular "must have" software that isn't offered in the Ubuntu/Mint repositories, he or she should do a little research of several distros to see if they offer it in their repositories, or at least to know the risks of added PPAs.

~nilla
Otyugh

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Otyugh »

I know someone that destoyed his entire installation adding a .deb (gsharkdown)
millpond
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by millpond »

Having used Linux on and off since v0.96 I still feel like a newbie as there are constant changes and additions to the architecture.
Random tips I might offer are:

1. Always use a dual boot system. Place Linux on a SECOND hard drive on a desktop. Before installing make sure to make a copy of your Win boot sector, because grub will overwrite it, killing your entire system if Liniu goes down. If using a laptop be VERY careful with gparted and other partitioning utils. Linux has an ever changing way of handling drives, so b very careful the the google instructions you are following are recent.

2. Work into Linux slowly. Start off with web browsing and then work into the Office suites such as LibreOffice, and media apps.

3. Most default Linux apps suck rocks. Really: Ktorrent instead of Vuze???? Especially meda stuff. But play around and experiment until you find something decent and that you like. Learn to use SourceForge as wll as the repositories. Most will have DEB packages for Linux.

4. Beginners should stick with STABLE releases. Nothing *new*. Things do break in new releases, and they can take months to fix.

5. Check hardware and make sure your video cards (ATI or Radeon especially) is well supported. As well as your printer. And be aware that many of the drivers. even when available are inferior. It may actually be better to use Linux on an *older* machine and network it.

6. Wine emulation is pretty good for the most part and will run most Win apps. But forget the latest bleeding edge commercial games and such. Use the Win boot for those. Ultimately it will be all its good for. But not yet!

7. Understand that Linux and Win are the products of two different *cultures*. This is the reason Linux got its 'geek' notoriety. It was never really designed to be a consumer system. It was designed to be an Open Source version of Unix, which is an OS designed for large corporate and institutional systems, and with security built into it from the very first, as originally it was used on mainframes with user terminals (with own accounts) attached. Whereas Win started as a toy home computer operating system, and tried to work its way up into the Enterprise class - Linux started from the top, and is working its way *down* to a comsumer oriented system.

Just take a look at the dreadful and mostly incomprehensible man pages - still rarely populated with actual examples, designed for IT professionals.
However for the past few years a typical user should *never* need to call up a man (help) page. Since ubuntu maverick and distros like Mandriva, Linux has become as simple to use as a Mac.

8. Beginners should avoid the command line (terminal apps) until they can appreciate and understand its power. With it you can make a dream system, or destroy one. When one decides to 'get under the cover' and use it to make ones system fully customized through such wonders as scripts I would personally recommend one first learn Perl - it is a much more powerful language than the shells . It is to me at least, much more easy to learn than Java, a well as being truly open source, rather than Java which is commercially controlled. Perl for ones system. java for the web. And always remember the keen difference between the two.

9. Be aware that there are TWO 'Mints' - Ubuntu and Debian. And a key distinction between the two. For beginning users I would probably recommend Ubuntu Mint. Between the Debian archives and the Canonical PPA's there should be everything a typical user would need in the Ubuntu version.Or want.
But Ubuntu has 'fixed' releases: At some point in time the version will expire, and updates will cease. The world wil move on, but the OS wil not. Sometimes that can be a good thing. Red hat makes it money supplying tried and true releases that do not attempt to be cutting edge, and for most users that is not something they should go near. Particularly if one has on online business!!! Personally I have never had any luck migrating Ubuntu releases, noting that my installs are typically very large.
Debian Mint is typically Debian Testing - which is normally pretty stable, though the latest release seems a bit buggy in annoying places. Its a Rolling Release which means that there are normally updates, a lull, and then another flood of updates which takes one into the next 'version of testing (now Jesse). I've been though two of these tidal waves, and successfully migrated after a few days of a tedious whack-a-mole installation process.
ubuntu is based on Debian, but the converse is not true. Ubuntu PPAs should in general NOT be used on debian systems. Debian is a completely Open Source system which tries to avoid 'non-free' software. Ubuntu is Canonical - a corporate system which is slowly trying to monetize Linux and which i have serious security concerns about.

10. Despite some corporate encroachemnts, and keeping in mind that some of the largest corporations such as IBM and Amazon run Linux, Linux means freedom. Read or google youtube on Richard Stallman, for a full explanation of the meaning of freedom in the digital age, especially after the 'Snowden revelations' which most of us have known about for years. Linux is also freemdom from expensive repair shop bills from malware attacks despite expensive 'security suites' that are simply incapable of catching the majority of new Win boogers. Dont even think of doing online banking with a Win system. Perfectly safe in Linux, though!


Bedtime
gaweph

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by gaweph »

A good tip to remember is dont just blindly copy->paste code from this or any other forum into your console. Particularly if its Sudo related.
Try adn use your head a little and work out what the command might be trying to do. If in doubt ask.

Also, Don't Give Up was a good piece of advice above.
feelsgood

Just hello and where is BASIC

Post by feelsgood »

I am a Newbee. Not to Linux in general but Mint. I did something I never did with woman. Go back and try again but with Linux I did. Never fell in love or was very comfortable but still tried. Then back again to Windows for a while and then came LinuxMint Cinamon accross my path. I think I have managed the change. I am hanging on to my Windows HD because there are some programs which I still have some need off occasionally but time will help to find replacement programs in Linux environment to replace them. Just one Q I have at this moment is
How to you program in something like BASIC in the Linux evironment?
Tried to search for Basic but only found something for kids to cut there teeth.
Anything on the line of QBASIC available? Would need it to write some simple programs to controll some instrument and record readings.

Thank you for any help
cessanfrancisco

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by cessanfrancisco »

My tip: have tons of patience.
JohnBobSmith

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by JohnBobSmith »

Here are my tips for a newbie, from a newbie.

My first tip is to experiment with what works and what doesn't. Obviously you wouldnt want to go and compile your own kernel if your a new guy like me. However, you could start by modifying simple things. Things like the login screen, menu's, custom desktop icons, etc.

My next tip would be to learn a programming language. Depending on what you want to do, you would want to learn different languages. However, python, in my opinion, is a good all around language for learning basic concepts of programming. Things like loops, conditional flow, how an object oriented language is supposed to work, etc. From there, learn the difference between high-level and low-level programming languages. After that, start programming in a different language, one that is very different from what you'd be used to. For me, I started with Python and I now I am learning C++. While I am by no means an expert in python, it's a good introductory language. They say if you know how to program, you can do almost anything. 8) And linux is a programmers heaven.

Thats pretty much it. Enjoy your linux adventure, and welcome everyone to the tribe of the penguins. :mrgreen:
Hvilsted

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Hvilsted »

Dedication.
Do you want it or not? If you want it, read about whatever problems you might encounter, try to understand the commands and remember them. Never give up. Find joy in getting things to work.

And simply: Can it do what you want it to do? Pick your battles.
I work with music production with Cubase and Pro Tools. I have a RME Hammerfall HDSP 96/52 sound card. There is no way I could go with another system than Windows on that workstation.


On my laptop it does it's thing an it's amazing.
phoenix5

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by phoenix5 »

* Ask lots of questions
* Be prepared to learn and make mistakes
* You will catch on
* Everyone was new at one point
* People who run GNU / Linux are at all skill levels from casual to hardcore

* Use man pages. Stands for manual. There is a page for every command. cd - change directory. man cd. Shows you how it can be used.
* If someone tells you RTFM ( read manual ) don't sweat it. They waste a database entry with that response. Combing through man pages is harder than just asking someone
* Lot's of answers can be found by a Google search
* Things will break. You will learn by fixing them.
* You will learn more with Linux than Windows

* I also advise installing on an old computer or do a dual boot rather than dive in head first.
* Ask more questions
* Don't panic
whs

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by whs »

I am a Newbee myself but I have a lot of fun with Mint Mate. Not that I know a lot of tricks of the trade, but what I know I have documented in 9 video tutorials. You can download a PDF from my Skydrive which gives you control to the videos. You can also read it with the Word Web App directly in your browser. Just double click on the little box. Enjoy.

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=475a0a48 ... 035%211856
mbutterman

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by mbutterman »

While the grapical interface is easy to interact with, learn the command line interface or better known as the terminal. If you subscribe to you tube, "jthelinuxguy" has a awesome set of tutorials to learn terminal (as well as other useful information) I would also recommend the book "How Linux Works" by Brian Ward. It's a great companion when you are learning and using linux. Also a good skill is learning to access and read the system logs, often times the members of the forums will ask you to copy and paste them so the more advanced can view them and advise you.

Understand that patience is a virtue and there might be a period between your post and an answer, courtesy and respect helps that process. I would also suggest a linux support group in your area, it's a great means of learning from others and taking to the masses. http://linuxsurvival.com/ is a online tutorial series that got the ball rolling for me.

Finally, have fun and realize rome wasn't built in a day. Teach others what you have learned and it will enhance your own learning. Heck, take some time to brag and show off some of the "geek cred" you have.

hope this helps
M
Wompoo
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Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by Wompoo »

I have just ordered a Linux Mint startup boot disk. This is my very first post on these forums.
Question:
When I get the new operating system installed, how do I export my address book from my existing Windows XP Outlook Express, can someone tell me please?

Oh, and apologies if I have posted this in the wrong place.

Jim.
Desktop PC #1
Linux Mint 20.3 MATE desktop (64-bit), Asus
ASUSTeK model: P5G41T-M LX, 8 Gb RAM
palourie

Re: What are your top tips for a Newbie?

Post by palourie »

Question:

When I get the new operating system installed, how do I export my address book from my existing Windows XP Outlook Express, can someone tell me please?
There should be an option in Outlook Express to export to something like "Business Card", "vCard" or "VCF". That will export the address book as a .VCF file, which is a standard (albeit ancient) format. Then your email package should have an option to import the same. (Unfortunately, I don't use Thunderbird, which is the Mint standard, so can't check this for myself).

BTW make sure you export all addresses, not just one!
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