Learning Linux For Pandora?

[CronoTriggerfan]

Seeing as I'm finally out of school, I've got a bit of spare time on my hands. Being a Linux-based device, do you think it would enrich the experience if I were to learn how to use Linux before getting the Pandora? I'm a Windows guy myself, but I do like what can be done with Ubuntu. Also, what would be a good "first" Linux distro, and does anyone know where any good beginner's Linux guides are on the internet? Thanks!

 

[Sphinxter]

Linux From Scratch may be one of the greatest software adventures of all time.

 

[Tom`]

Linux From Scratch may be one of the greatest software adventures of all time.


Sure, if an "adventure" is what you're looking for. Gentoo is probably better if you want an adventure, but actually want to use the computer for something useful afterward...or if you want to start doing normal desktop stuff immediately, if the idea of compiling a kernel scares you, just go for Ubuntu. We wouldn't want you (anyone) to judge Linux poorly if you fail to get a LFS system working smoothly...

 

[bigtruck]

Ubuntu is without a doubt the most common distro for desktop use, and is oriented towards people new to linux. Their site probably has tons of information. However, if you want experience that will be more useful with the Pandora, I suggest learning how to use the command line, as Gnome (the desktop environment Ubuntu uses) will probably not run (particularly well) on the Pandora.

When I first started using linux, years ago, I started with Fedora. I tried out both Gnome and KDE, preferring KDE. However, my experience with the GUI configuration tools was pretty much terrible. There were 4 or 5 places to change the same setting, but all of them worked in slightly different ways, with a couple of them not working at all. I found that manually editing conf files worked much better. I would assume most GUI configuration tools for Linux are better now, but they probably won't be the same as what's on the Pandora. The command line and conf files are more-or-less universal, and I wholeheartedly recommend not falling prey to the "run away from the command line" that many people new to linux do.

If you want a more dive in headfirst approach, Archlinux is what I'm using now and is an awesome distro, but it is oriented more towards advanced users. That's not to say it's impossible for someone new to linux, but will certainly have a higher learning curve than Ubuntu or a more "user-friendly" distro.

Anyway, the most important thing about switching to linux for the first time is that it's a learning experience. You're going to have to learn new things. Don't give up or ignore something simply because it looks complicated. The more you want to learn, the easier time you'll have in the end.

Edit: Also, LFS as a first distro is a hilariously bad idea.

 

[KRH]

Damn Small Linux is pretty nice (Especially if you want to use Windows as your main OS while having limited space).
This summer I also want to learn more about Linux, Particularly the Command Line.

 

[Zarneth]

I highly recommend Ubuntu. I've tried all the major linux distros and it's just the easiest to get all the tricky things up and running without ever needing to drop to the command line. (Of corse I still use the command line anyway ;P)

Edit: Looks like I was beaten to it. Anyway, if you do try Ubuntu don't forget to check out the Add/Remove Programs option (or the Synaptic package manager with all repositories enabled, if you're feeling adventurous). Ubuntu has one of the biggest repositories of online packages and programs, all of which are downloaded and installed automagically!)

 

[CronoTriggerfan]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I certainly don't wanna brush over technical aspects of Linux, if anything, I really wanna get my hands dirty in terminal and all that fun stuff.

So BigTruck, are you saying that Ubuntu would probably be a bad choice if that's what I've got in mind?

 

[bigtruck]

It's not that it'd be "bad", in fact having easy GUI options to fall back on would probably be helpful for when you get confused. What I'm saying is don't rely solely on those GUI options, learn how to use the command line too. After a while you might find Ubuntu's "user-friendliness" to be annoying, but if so it's simple enough to switch to a different distro.

 

[trooper]

I would suggest Xubuntu, And this is coming from a guy that has only used linux via a few live cds over the last couple of years. I tried Xubuntu 7.10 for the first time last week (Haven`t tried any of the other *buntu`s, And don`t plan too), I enjoyed it that much, That i decided to install it (first time i`ve ever done a proper linux install).

I have now been using it exclusively for a week and a half, And have enjoyed pretty much every moment of it, So much so, This computer does not have XP on it anymore, And have not touch a windows computer (Of which i have many) at all in that space of time.

I am a Xubuntu (linux) convert.

Trooper

 

[cb88]

hmmm i just gonna stick this one out there ...Archlinux it is a rather bare distro and helps you learn a LOT not to mention it is very fast

they have a very decent installation guide (i recommend you do this on an empty spare computer) ..... mind you i already knew good bit about linux and it took me a while (expect half a day) to setup on my box but you are always learning something interesting along the way

and if you are just gonna run a livecd you aren't gonna learn all that much unless you set out with some goals ie ...


1learn what the man command is type man man at the command line
2force youself to mount a flash drive manually with the mount command or pmount as a user
3learn to install packages with the command line package manager (they are always faster than the gui) ie yum install for rpms apt-get install for debs pacman -S for Archlinux etc....
4learn how to change your window manager and force youself to use twm for one whole day
5if the above fails at least make sure you are haveing fun doing it ...
6if that fails learn how to use IRC and join a support group X.x actually you are welcome to drop by irc.serenity-irc.net #gcadvsg as im there around 9-12pm US eastern time

the reason i suggest you use a spare computer is that you have no fear of messing something up.... perhaps if you start using it regularly add a second HD so you don't have to worry much about losing docs etc...btw i failed to get LFS runnig LOL so don't bother just yet as it is for uber nerds ...heh didn't realise that BigTruck had recommended Archlinux ;-) till just now

 

[Sphinxter]

Linux From Scratch may be one of the greatest software adventures of all time.


Sure, if an "adventure" is what you're looking for. Gentoo is probably better if you want an adventure, but actually want to use the computer for something useful afterward...or if you want to start doing normal desktop stuff immediately, if the idea of compiling a kernel scares you, just go for Ubuntu. We wouldn't want you (anyone) to judge Linux poorly if you fail to get a LFS system working smoothly...


True but to learn linux, I mean gentoo teaches portage, ubuntu teaches apt or maybe yum something, even if they do wind up downloading a fedora 7 dvd in frustration afterwards, they will have learned linux. Learning X is something else.

 

[Tom`]

Linux From Scratch may be one of the greatest software adventures of all time.


Sure, if an "adventure" is what you're looking for. Gentoo is probably better if you want an adventure, but actually want to use the computer for something useful afterward...or if you want to start doing normal desktop stuff immediately, if the idea of compiling a kernel scares you, just go for Ubuntu. We wouldn't want you (anyone) to judge Linux poorly if you fail to get a LFS system working smoothly...


True but to learn linux, I mean gentoo teaches portage, ubuntu teaches apt or maybe yum something, even if they do wind up downloading a fedora 7 dvd in frustration afterwards, they will have learned linux. Learning X is something else.

No distro is entirely, or even mostly, its package manager. Gentoo is a lot more than that - you learn about all aspects of Linux, maybe not in as much depth as LFS, but you end up with a good system (generally) and it's easy to get help, and there's a great installation guide. Just using Ubuntu doesn't teach that much about it, but it's great for a general-use PC that you want to get up and running quickly. I don't think it really teaches much about apt, beyond how to do "apt-get install xxx," but it's easy to use. I still recommend Gentoo for learning, because you can get a well-configured PC out of it with a manageable amount of time and effort, and still learn all about the system.

 

[chad78]

As this is a consumer device - I certainly hope a knowledge of Linux is not needed.

You don't need to know Linux to run a TiVo. You don't need to know Linux to run a Nokia Internet Tablet. Both devices, however, run Linux. I'm hoping the Pandora's GUI is that good.

I've used Linux on computers before. I've got a couple of VMs on my Macbook now. I use the "terminal" more under OS X than I ever did under Linux. Heck, I did commandline stuff more on Windows than Linux.

Your typical desktop distro doesn't require CLI for anything. It's all pretty much point and click nowadays. Or, at least there's a GUI way of doing most things. So - from my perspective, I would advise "Learning Linux" because you want to learn Linux - not because you think you need it for the Pandora.

You should be able to (and Devs, I hope you are reading this and nodding in agreement) install software - including emulators - through the GUI, surf the web, through the GUI, update the OS/firmware through the GUI, find a WiFi hotspot through the GUI, pair with BlueTooth devices through the GUI, organize your folder through the GUI, and pretty much most desktop style events should be performable through the GUI.

If you want to powerhack your Pandora - CLI away, compile, sudo make me a sandwich - have fun. But just to run the thing - no 733t |_ ][ |\| (_) >< skillz required.

 

[bigtruck]

^ That's probably one of the main goals of the linux community in general these days: make things simple and easy for newcomers and non tech-savvy people, without that simplicity crippling functionality advanced users want.

 

[Tom`]

...

Do you need to know anything about Linux to use the Pandora? I doubt it. Will Linux skills enrich your overall experience? Probably. Although it's certainly not necessary, and keeping in mind I haven't owned one of the Nokia tablets myself, I bet knowing how Linux works and some basic (and more advanced) skills could help you get the most out of the device.

 

[atomicthumbs]

Your typical desktop distro doesn't require CLI for anything.

Except fixing X when it inevitably breaks.

 

[shmuck]

I think there's a lot to learn even from a Linux distro that's designed to be user-friendly. Things like the file structure are really foreign to a new Linux user - there's enough there to learn, I think, without going straight to a CLI.

At any rate, people have recommended Ubuntu. It's... fine. It works, but in my opinion Mint is the way to go if you want something that's Ubuntu based and oriented towards a new Windows convert. That said, I like KDE and I think that SUSE, while a little less user-friendly, will impress you with it's functionality.

I haven't tried Arch. (downloading now)

 

[javaJake]

Here's the deal:
The only reason you'll ever need to learn Linux for the Pandora is if you want to take total control of every aspect, without the help of user-friendly GUIs. If you decide to learn Ubuntu for your Pandora (and yourself!), keep in mind that if you never figure out how its easy-to-use interface does things, you never learn how to fix or control those things elsewhere. The Pandora is Linux by nature, so naturally all of its configurations will follow most, if not all Linux standards, and will be very similar to Ubuntu. It's not an easy task to learn Linux, but it can be fun.

Let me give you another good reason to use Ubuntu: now they've got it so you can install Ubuntu in Windows without much of a chance of hurting your computer, much like any other Windows software. Just stick the Ubuntu install disk in the computer when Windows is running.

Oh, and Linux Mint looks interesting, but I wouldn't recommend it. Learning Linux doesn't mean Lindows. The last way to learn anything new is to keep doing it the same old way.

 

[Trip]

What tought me the most about Linux was getting an old computer, installing Ubuntu server on it and setting it all up via SSH and the command line from my laptop. Not to mention that a home server is really useful for holding all your files and MP3's etc.

 

[sindbad]

Because of extreme frustration, I installed SUSE once. I got a bit frustrated with it's package manager, so I switched to Kubuntu (I love KDE) and just used it.

Whenever I wanted to do something new, I checked the wiki and the forums. Or just googled it. I managed to do everything I needed (including all the games I like). Later on, I set up a server with debian on it as a router, web server, torrent client and general NAS. Learned a lot.

As others said, you won't need to learn anything if you just want to use software on your pandora.