Category: Linux

When I first started using Linux, I visited several Linux forums. No one targeted the RTFM (read the fucking manual) response specifically at me, but I did see it used on other new users, and I didn’t appreciate that. After I joined the Ubuntu Forums, I realized that life without RTFM is a good life… Continue reading What if the TFM sucks? Do I still have to R it?

What’s the issue? I’ve seen it mentioned many times on the Ubuntu Forums that KDE is “more Windows-like” than Gnome. To what extent is this true? Why do people say KDE is Windows-like? Well, if you press the people who assert KDE’s Windows-likeness, they often offer up as “proof” the single toolbar at the bottom… Continue reading Is KDE ‘more Windows-like’ than Gnome?

The Issue at Hand It’s entirely possible that you may not have heard of Linux. Maybe you own a Mac or Windows computer and don’t read the technology news. You may have a TiVo, but it doesn’t have a huge sticker on the box that reads “Powered by Linux” (even though it is). You may… Continue reading The Linux Desktop Myth

Note: This was originally written in September of 2005. A lot has changed since then. For example, you don’t need to install SMEG to edit the Gnome applications menu, and I no longer dual-boot KDE and Gnome (right now I’m using IceWM, actually). Nevertheless, you may find this a helpful read to just get a… Continue reading KDE vs. Gnome

Every now and then, someone on a Linux forum will suggest that—in order to make inroads into the desktop market—Linux should make a unified distribution. While that may, in fact, be one model for success in the desktop market, it’s also a pointless suggestion for several reasons: The current model is just as likely to… Continue reading Linux Doesn’t Need a Unified Distro

A troll will always be successful on a Linux forum, and I’m about to explain why. Despite numerous protests of “Don’t feed the trolls” and “The best thing to do is ignore posts like these,” people will continue to respond to trolls because trolls (like Linux distros) come in different flavors and varieties. One troll… Continue reading Anatomy of a well-intentioned Linux Troll (or how I learned to stop worrying and love the penguin)

Which distro is right for me? Which distro should I use? What version of Linux is the best for beginners? How do I choose a distribution? I frequent Linux forums to offer and receive support, and these questions are asked almost every day by someone new to Linux. I asked it myself when I began.… Continue reading Picking a Linux Distro

I still remember my family’s very first computer. It was an NEC that had floppy disks that were about 8″ long and 8″ wide. It was entirely text-only and monochromatic. The only thing I used it for as a kid was playing a text-only game called “Millionaire,” in which you could buy and sell fake… Continue reading My Linux Switch Story