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> On 13 Feb 2017, at 13:21, Neil via list <list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > A while ago a friend asked me if I would be willing to teach him about Linux. I > said I would think about it. Since then his circumstances have changed and he has > moved away from the area. However, it got me thinking about this, especially as I > know that some of the people on the list are interested in getting more converts > to the cause. So here are some of my thoughts and questions. > > The scenario is that someone has asked me to get them started on Linux, having > heard that it is a good system and being fed up with Windows. > > First thing, the computer. I just do not like the dual boot with Windows set up, I > think it can easily cause problems. So, we need an old computer which is no longer > required, not too old I hope, or even a new one bought especially for the purpose. > > Next comes the big question, which distro? I use Xubuntu so I know the xfce > desktop well. There are other recommended distros for beginners such as Peppermint > and Linux Lite which also use xfce. But what about others that I don't know so > well? Would it be fair to restrict them to a distro just because I know it well, > or would that simply be the sensible thing to do? > > Then, how should we start? I could begin at the beginning with downloading the > iso file, getting it on to a USB stick and then installing it. Or perhaps it would > be better to do all that myself and to go straight to working with the new distro > and come back to the installation etc afterwards. > > Most Windows users know little or nothing about using a terminal screen, yet it is > so useful and powerful. So what would be the best way to get that across? I think > this would be one of the stumbling blocks to the whole scheme. Yet I feel that it > is a very important part of the training. > > Then the packages. Inevitably my personal likes and dislikes are going to come > into this. For example, the browser. I hate Chrome/Chromium. I think that Firefox > has become too bloated, so it is installed but rarely used. I do use one called > Pale Moon (what FF should have become), and also a fairly new one called Vivaldi, > which is my current favourite. There will be other package examples as well, no > doubt. Of course, if it is one I Iike then it will be one I know well and should > be one that I therefore teach well. > > There are other questions that came to my mind about all this, but I don't want to > keep on too long. However, one final thought, it would not be a good idea, or > fair, to set them up and then just leave them to it. They will have problems and > questions, a fairly steep learning curve, so I ought to be available to provide > help and further training for some time. > > I must admit that, when I heard that my friend was moving away, one reaction was > relief. Providing training in Linux should not be taken lightly. It is quite a > commitment. Or, to put it another way, a nightmare. > > Any comments would be welcomed, > Curate the necessary videos from youtube onto a website and point people there. if you find any gaps - make a video :) > Neil > > -- > The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG > https://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list > FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG https://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq