Baslinux mailing list

["Greg Mayman" <gmone AT tpg.com.au>]

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:54:19 -0600, S. Porter wrote:

> Furthering Steven's point:
> In order to develop skills as a power user (which, granted, not all aspire
> to become), one must learn to use the tools at hand by using the tools at
> hand, not by using a crutch (in this case, mc); i.e., in order to learn to
> use linux command line tools, one must use linux command line tools.

I agree wholeheartedly!

But I would remind you that, in the medical field, a crutch is a
very useful thing to use until the user developes sufficient
strength to be able to do without it.

I believe the same would apply here.

> I do not speak on the
> behalf of other DOS users, but it was an easy step for me to go from the DOS
> command line to the linux command line.

I can do most of the basic functions of linux exactly as I do them in
DOS, once I have become used to the different names (ls instead of dir,
for instance).

What I find difficult is the structure of linux. So many directories,
and stuff that has to be in the correct place or it won't work.
This is NOT a concept I am used to.

And which files are specially related to certain things, like /etc/rc. I
know that has one something to do with initializing linux on the startup,
but what?

My DOS experience hasn't help with that kind of thing. And doing
dumb exercises from the linux CLI isn't going to help me either.

> From what I have been reading here over the past month or so, I infer that
> Greg is a fairly new comer to linux.  I know that Ron meant only the best
> when he suggested mc, but it has always been my policy (whether teaching
> others or attempting to learn myself) to begin with the basics first so as
> to provide a good foundation to build upon before introducing them to
> alternative measures.  Otherwise, the basics may not be learned fully enough
> to build upon later, which becomes a hindrance in the "long run".

I know what you are saying, and I agree with you, in principle
anyway.

But there is something wrong with your argument. I don't think
the way to learn something like linux is to concentrate on just
the CLI commands to the exclusion of the various applications
available.

And mc is just one such application, as is links.

.   ,-./\
.  /     \     from Greg Mayman, in Adelaide, South Australia
.  \_,-*_/     "Queen City of The South"    34:55 S  138:36 E
.       v