[ale] What would you like to see in an "Intro to Linux" Course.

[Beddingfield, Allen]

Good points.
For moving to Linux as a desktop, the following are going to have to work for users:
1.  EVERY website.  If they hit some site that they normally frequent and have a problem, they will blame the browser, Linux, etc...  That is becoming less of a problem, but Flash is the big obstacle here.  It isn't being updated for Firefox, etc... anymore, so the only way to get modern flash support on Linux is through Chrome.  Some discussion of this situation should be included.

2.  Printers.  They are going to want to print off pictures of the grandchildren.  Most of the consumer-grade inkjets are not going to work.  Some discussion of what to buy should be included.


--
Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
The University of Alabama
________________________________
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [ale-bounces at ale.org] on behalf of Sean Kilpatrick [kilpatms at gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 3:23 PM
To: goozbach at friocorte.com; Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [ale] What would you like to see in an "Intro to Linux" Course.


Let me look at this from a slightly different perspective; elderly, fixed income, with three year-old computer; is fed up with trying to keep the Windoze OS free from virus/malware. Forced to work from an unprotected LAN. He/she needs the following: email, web surfing/research (ability to handle web-based video), streaming, office suite, while remaining malware resistant.

Current Win-8 and Office licenses out of reach because of cost, as is moving to Mac.

Linux instructional needs:

1. intro to distro differences (stable vs. bleeding edge;

Debian/SuSE/Fedora/etc.);

2. intro to desktop differences;

3. how to back up critical files before reformatting and install.

a. list less obvious critical files (bookmarks, etc)

4. install

a. What is necessary;

b. What is nice;

c. What to ignore

d. What is GRUB

5. how to configure dektop

6. difference between root and user

7. intro to the command line as sometimes things are easier to do there.

a. man and apropos commands

b. chmod & chown (files transferred from my wife's Mac always come with

the perms screwed up.)

c. I also would throw into the pot these commands: ls, rm, ps, top,

kill, mv, sudo, whois, yum/apt-get.

8. intro to web security/best practices/password strength, etc.

My experience watching newbies (who are fed up with Micro$oft) try out a Linux desktop has been mostly positive. The hardest habits to break seem to be centered around IE -- but then I have only shown them Firefox, not Chrome or any of the other browsers available. Transition to Libre Office seems relatively painless.

Sean

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On Wednesday, November 06, 2013 02:38:25 pm Derek Carter (aka goozbach) wrote:

> I've been toying with creating an intro-to-linux course and would like

> to know what topics you would think would be best.

>

> It would be a 15-20hour course. Taught over a couple of days.

>

> What would you want to learn if you had *ZERO* Linux experience?