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On 13/02/17 13:21, Neil via list 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, > > Neil > Edx run a course that is developed by the Linux foundation https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-linux-linuxfoundationx-lfs101x-0 could be something we can point people at but also provide support via Lug meets, tech jams, pi jams and the list of course. Paul -- http://www.zleap.net diaspora : zleap@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx sign up at : https://joindiaspora.com/users/sign_up Torbay Tech Jam http://torbaytechjam.org.uk Next Tech jam Saturday 11th March 2017 -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG https://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq