Re: [orca-list] Is Linux suitable for non-programmer/computer scientists?

[Alex Midence <alex midence gmail com>]

Hi,

Well, first to answer your initial question in your subject line, no, you
don't have to be a computer scientist or computer guru to use Linux.  Take
me, for example.  I'm a corporate trainer.  I teach people how to take calls
about retirement plans in the U.S.  While I do know a little bit of C++,
html and know my way around the commandline pretty good, I am very far from
a programmer or computer scientist.  These days, with something like Ubuntu
12.04 or Debian Wheezy with Gnome 3.4.2, you can do a whole bunch from the
GUI and quite accessibly too.  The basic tasks, i.e. Word processing,
e-mail, Listening to music and browsing the web can be done reasonably well
with Linux and completely without using the command line.  I think it is
worth your while to get good at it though simply because it does make a lot
of things easier.  If you have a dasy player, one of the first places I'd go
to is bookshare.org.  They have some very nice books on Linux.  Just do a
Linux search from their main page and navigate the page by heading levels.
Each book title is a level 2 heading.  One of my favorites was Ubuntu Up And
Running.  Another is Running Linux 5th Edition.  Then, there's the Linux
Cookbook, Learning the Bash Shell, Linux Networking Cookbook and Linux
System Administration.  There is a ton of information in those books and
they are all perfectly searchable.  No reason you should think to have to
read them in a linear fashion.  I frequently consult them whenever I run
into a problem.  Linux Cookbook is particularly nice for that sort of thing.
I hope you stick around Linux.  There's no reason you can't use it in
conjunction with other operating systems either.  I do.  I use Linux,
windows and IOS.  I even have a machine where I have Linux in a virtual
machine and windows on the main desktop.  It lets me switch from one OS to
another whenever one of them fills an accessibility gap the other has.  The
best part of cake is when you get to eat it too. 

Hope this helps,
Alex M

-----Original Message-----
From: orca-list [mailto:orca-list-bounces gnome org] On Behalf Of James
AUSTIN
Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2013 4:55 AM
To: orca-list gnome org
Subject: [orca-list] Is Linux suitable for non-programmer/computer
scientists?

Hi All,

I don't post too often but read this list with great interest. 

I'm not going to go into my reasons here, but I am beginning to think that
my current  access solution could be in the process of stagnating.

I would be very sad to say goodbye to it, but the time might come when such
a course is necessary.

Reading the list suggests that a great deal of command line knowledge and
complicated bits and piece are involved in Linux, even after all of this
time.  I'm not exactly a command line newbie, but many of you are far more
conversant than I am. 

Do any of you have  any suggestions where I might start if I did decide to
jump on the Linux band wagon please? I have been reading a lot about Ubuntu
and it seems to be the favourite among many.

Thank you and please feel free to write to me off-list if you prefer.

Take care
James
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