New To Pandora

[Paragod]

After reading the ideas behind Pandora and following it for a short while, I have went ahead and paid for one. Since then I've attempted to tackle the sheer wall of information that is Linux. I have no experience with Linux. Where would you, the community, recommend starting to learn to use this OS in regards to Pandora? My plan was to install linux as a virtual machine on OSX, and go on from there. But where to begin? Which release? Where can I find out more information?

My occupation tends to give me plenty of time to tackle learning opportunities, so please, point me in the right direction so I may begin.

 

[wardred]

Paragod,
Unless they really mess the interface up, you shouldn't have to know Linux to use the Pandora. At least initially, it probably won't hurt to know a little about the bash command line, which OSX may have, being a UNIX variant under the hood.

Other than that? A regular desktop Linux image probably won't do you too much as the Pandora team is using a custom build/interface to better deal with the Pandora. Their .pnd package management is unique to them, and *hopefully* straight forward to use. Also, the Pandora will have a much more "phone like" interface than a full on desktop version of Linux.

I'd wait until you get the device, then read the how-tos for everything from getting your .pnd files to work, to networking, to bluetooth and 3d. Mainly I'd wait because the instructions probably won't be the same as for a "normal" Linux desktop.

edit: and as others have stated, hopefully you won't have to do *anything*, just click on your apps, though I expect a few rough edges for the early adopters that may require a command or two at the prompt.

 

[renwils]

After reading the ideas behind Pandora and following it for a short while, I have went ahead and paid for one. Since then I've attempted to tackle the sheer wall of information that is Linux. I have no experience with Linux. Where would you, the community, recommend starting to learn to use this OS in regards to Pandora? My plan was to install linux as a virtual machine on OSX, and go on from there. But where to begin? Which release? Where can I find out more information?

My occupation tends to give me plenty of time to tackle learning opportunities, so please, point me in the right direction so I may begin.

Ubuntu is a great starting point, but you can run it almost without using the CLI at all, so some people don't learn a whole lot. Arch Linux would be my choice. It's a more 'difficult' distro, but the documentation is fantastic, so as long as you don't mind searching their wiki, you can do anything.

 

[kingoddball]

I'm in the same boat. I know nothing about Linux as I'm an OSX user.

You don't really need to learn anything at this point.

The device is aimed at the End User, even without Linux experience.
There will be a very informative online manual anyhow.

User Guide

Main Page

 

[Klaus]

I would suggest looking for a distribution which uses XFCE as it's windowmanager, since this is what you will get on the Pandora. You could try Xubuntu. I don't have much experience with Ubuntu and derivatives, but it should be quite easy on newbies.

Edit: As Lunatic pointed out, Arch is a great distro, but it might be a little too much for someone fresh to Linux.

 

[HackModford]

I recommend using Ubuntu first (it will hold your hand)
Then go to Debian (which alot of distros are based off of)

Then if you have any questions (regarding Ubuntu) ask in the forums.

 

[WizardStan]

After reading the ideas behind Pandora and following it for a short while, I have went ahead and paid for one. Since then I've attempted to tackle the sheer wall of information that is Linux. I have no experience with Linux. Where would you, the community, recommend starting to learn to use this OS in regards to Pandora? My plan was to install linux as a virtual machine on OSX, and go on from there. But where to begin? Which release? Where can I find out more information?

My occupation tends to give me plenty of time to tackle learning opportunities, so please, point me in the right direction so I may begin.

My recommendation to "learn to use this OS in regards to Pandora" is to sit on your butt and do absolutely no learning. Seriously, did you read books about how to use <insert modern game system you currently own> before actually getting it? I'm going to hazard to guess that you did not. The basic interface of the Pandora is expected to be the same: so stupid easy that you don't need to know anything more than "download, touch icon, play".
Now, where the Pandora (and Linux in general) and other consoles differ is that, underneath that simple interface is a whole host of things you can tweak, run, and generally mess around with to give you a surprising amount of power over your system.
The point I'm trying to make is that there is nothing to learn if you don't want to, or at least shouldn't be if the demos we've seen are any indication. Most of the basic stuff you should need (and this is actually true of many modern Linux systems, not just the Pandora) is pretty simple to figure out, if it isn't blatantly obvious from the start. Installing and running programs, editing files, playing music and videos, none should cause any major problems*. You should really stop thinking "what do I need to learn?" and start thinking "what do I want to learn?"
So, what would you like to learn to do?

*caveat: minor problem in that MP3 and other "private" codecs most likely won't be installed by default, but it's usually just a single "download and run this and everything will be fine" package. On Ubuntu, it's "restricted extras", and you just select it in the "add/remove" menu. We shall have to see exactly how the Pandora handles this, but it should not be any more difficult than that.

 

[kloplop321]

We aren't asking you to figure out something like Linux From Scratch (where you compile everything and have to go through dependency hell to get things working).

iPhone users aren't having to learn linux to use the iPhone... (it doesn't use "linux", but IIRC, a form of BSD which is like linux)

 

[Wheels]

Ubuntu comes on a CD or DVD, which you can use to run it without installing anything to your harddrive. It's great for trying things out first. In fact you could probably just keep the CD handy and run it whenever you want to learn something specific about using Linux, then pop it out when you're done and boot back into Windows or OS X (whichever you're using). Changes you make (like installing software) won't be preserved when you finish, so you can start fresh each time without worrying about messing anything up.

Most Linux setups work about the same, but they can look different on the surface. Ubuntu uses a desktop called GNOME which looks and acts one way, while the Pandora will use Xfce that behaves slightly different. You can take a tour of Xfce here.

I missed having a working desktop when I was installing Windows 7 a few weeks ago. Being able to surf the web while the disk installs in the background for twenty minutes is the way things should be, not staring at a slow, ugly setup screen and then rebooting three or four times over the course of an hour.

 

[Consequence_9]

I have to disagree with anyone recommending ubuntu here. Ubuntu is really not aimed at people looking to learn the ins & outs of linux. You could use it for years & not have to touch the command line more than a handful of times or really learn anything about how it works. If you really want to learn about linux start with a 'middle of the road' distro. Fedora was my first distro & It's what I use to this day. I find it provides a good balance between manual / utility use, support / hands on, & learning / practical use.

 

[skeezix]

We've been killing ourselves trying to make it rlatively noob friendly; sure its the same old linux stuff you see in the GUI, but considerable time has been made it making things like the app store, the pnd-file system so its just download-and-go, with no installation, etc. ITs all there if you want to get into it, in various degrees of depth; but you don't need to go there.. you can just download fooby.pnd, drop it into /pandora/desktop on your SD card, and away you go

jeff

 

[lulzfish]

Try running an Ubuntu VM for a while.
I would not recommend Arch Linux at all for noobies. I used Ubuntu extensively for like 2 years and Arch still took me forever to setup and I still don't think I understand it. Or maybe the 64-bit just sucks..

 

[Consequence_9]

Try running an Ubuntu VM for a while.
I would not recommend Arch Linux at all for noobies. I used Ubuntu extensively for like 2 years and Arch still took me forever to setup and I still don't think I understand it. Or maybe the 64-bit just sucks..

64-bit linux in general is finicky since it's such a new & complex architecture, there're problems with it across the board afaics

 

[Nod51]

I am planning to put other versions of Linux on a 16gb SD card. I figure Ubuntu (full desktop supports ARM), the N900 open version, Gentoo, and Android if it gets most stuff working. I doubt I will use them for anything serious, just fun to think of a full Ubuntu desktop running on a small device (I have Ubuntu 9.04 server running on my Sheevaplug, that doesn't count as desktop)

 

[fiori_musicali]

I wouldn't be surprised if when it rolls out large scale (4000 -> 10000) people will spot bugs and inconveniences and will be required to fix, patch and tweak stuff through the CLI. We don't know how solid the system is until we get thousands of monkeys using the thing for thousands of different things.

 

[Gerix]

My first experience with Linux was being a user on my dad's fedora system. While it didn't have the games that Windows had, and I would get lost if I navigated outside my home directory, I loved how much I could customize everything. As a child, I really appreciated the ability to customize my personal space. My first real experience with bash happened in the programming classes at my school. Then, after a hard disk failure, and MS saying "That's your problem," I decided to use Linux for everything I could. My dad gave me a copy of Linux Format, which had a "Battle of the Distros" article. I studied it for a while and settled on openSuSE 10.3. After bugs kept popping up (or maybe I just wanted change?), I decided to move to Fedora 10. I loved Fedora 10, but trouble updating to 11 and subsequent issues caused me to look for a new operating system. Around this time, I was trying to install Gentoo on an AMD K6 system. The long emerge times, coupled with my dissatisfaction with Fedora 11, made me think, "I wonder what Gentoo would be like on my main system?" I really enjoy Gentoo, and I have no idea why; however, I would not recommend it for newcomers.

My current opinion is that any of the popular Linux distributions (probably the top 5 on distrowatch) would be fine as a foray into the world of Linux. And if you choose wrong, what are you out? The price of a blank DVD, or maybe the cost of a magazine (which, face it, you're going to read anyway). While Linux used to be hard to install at one time [hearsay], I found that openSuSE and Fedora were pretty straightforward (Gentoo, not so much).

However, I would say that if you aren't going to dig deeper than the GUI, you probably won't need any experience with Linux. It isn't as cryptic as nonusers would have you believe.

I'm sorry for my long-winded post. I got a little nostalgic. I feel like reading a copy of Linux Format now. By the way, I use Puppy Linux on my quadriplegic laptop. I wouldn't recommend that either, unless you really need to.

 

[Miner49er]

If you really want to learn some linux then, just like learning to program - you need a goal.

If I'm learning a new language, I code a game. That get's me up to speed on some important concepts.

I found, when I was relativly new to linux, I gave myself the goal of "setting up a router/firewall for the house". So, after some research, I installed debian Net install. That gave me exposure to the linux filesystem, the (debian) package repository and many basic terminal commands.

That was about 7 years ago and I'm still really into it! I since, added many things to it but only re-installed once in that whole time! And that was only because I wasn't sure exactly what I did and wanted to learn.

Heck, If you really want a challanging learning experience, setup debian net install and then setup a MythTV backend server on it - good fun!

But don't do what may people who claim to be 'trying out linux' and installed a VM. It doesn't get used (as why you program X via a VM of linux whn you could just use the equivilent in OSX/Windows on the same machine). No, either get another drive and install to that or re-partition your drive...

have phun!

 

[kloplop321]

Do we already have a bug tracking database for the pandora set up online somewhere? I'm sure it would be useful for the core developers and the normal devs

 

[apink]

If you really want to learn some linux then, just like learning to program - you need a goal.

If I'm learning a new language, I code a game. That get's me up to speed on some important concepts.

+1

Also, whichever route you take (virtual box, liveCD, wait for Pandora) open up a shell terminal and start exploring. There is a lot that can be done from the shell. I started with linux a couple years ago on a Zaurus. I am not a linux expert nor programmer but now run a database for work completely from the bash shell. I learned a bunch from writing the scripts that handle the database. Good fun.

Additionally, I would say that the flavor of linux that you start with (Ubuntu, ArchLinux, Debian, Angstrom etc.) is not so important as finding a good book or online tutorial that can take you through some of the linux basics. All flavors of linux use the bash shell, which imho is where the fun starts.

 

[borgqueenx]

i do think we should make a new forum regarding newbie questions about pandora, i promise i will have them when receiving my pandora.