SharpLinux: The Plunge

Monday, August 6, 2007

The Plunge

Okay, I've got it all ready:

I've got my Dell plugged into the network - the Ethernet lights on the PC and on the router are lit, so hopefully the network will work!
I decided to try the Network Install option for Debian. The full program is 21 CDs, and if I can download everything from the network after Linux is on my station that will be ideal. Otherwise I'll just have to download the CDs.
I did a little more piddling with Windows 98 to make sure I'm ready

I've realized that I don't know what I'm doing. I would never do this with a computer that I knew I needed later! But I'm going to do it anyway. Here goes . . .

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Welcome! Reading Suggestions . . .

I've been blogging here since August 2007 about my entry into the world of Linux and Free Software. Since I have a few dozen posts now, I wanted to offer a couple of starting places for those who have no idea what I'm talking about:

1. My first post, where I describe my computer background and my initial interest in Linux.

2. My first post about Ubuntu, where I touch on why anybody would want to do this at all.

3. My post describing Free/Open Source history which gives some context to the whole thing.

4. My most recent explanation and rationale for getting into all this.

5. Read how you can try Linux without changing your computer!

A Word About Terminology

I've now had a few encounters with readers of my blog who are concerned about how I refer to Linux, so I will go ahead and explain what the issue is and why I choose the terms I do. "Linux" is technically just the Linux kernel, which is a crucial part of an operating system, but is not in itself the actual operating system. Most of the rest of the operating system, at least at the level of the shell and its many useful programs is actually the GNU (GNU's Not Unix) Operating System, which leads many in the Free/Open Source Software community to call this program "GNU/Linux", including Debian, which is, all told, probably my favorite distribution. I agree that this is probably the proper way to refer to this operating system.

However . . . The purpose of my blog is to advocate the use of what is commonly known as "Linux" and other Free/Open Source software to new (or non-) users in an inviting and friendly way, and I don't think it's inviting or friendly or particularly appealing to insist on the use of a certain term one way or the other (not to mention that I just don't like having to add caveats or explanations to every blog post making this point!). As far as I'm concerned, I would rather people start using Linux for their every day computing needs than to have me (or anyone else) beating them over the head about why GNU, and not the Linux kernel, deserves top billing.

So I say "Linux" to refer to this. You may not agree with me, but at least you know where I stand . . .

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