So you've just seen another blue screen of death. Or you've run into one of the many bugsfeatures in Windows that you just don't care for. Finally, you're thinking about making the switch to another OS, but you don't know which one to choose.

How about a Mac? People seem to love those. Well, not ALL people.

Okay, how about Linux? You've heard some good things about it: it's stable, has lots of software and has the ability to work with lots of Microsoft products, including Office. But you're feeling a little nervous because you don't know much, if anything, about Linux. What do you do to become more comfortable? Take some free online training courses which will walk you through lessons that will move you along the path from a rank novice to a seasoned pro. Here are the courses:

• Getting Started with Linux - Beginner's Course
  
• Intermediate Level Linux Course
  
• Advanced Linux Course
  

And here are some of what's taught in those classes:

Lesson One

• Objectives
  
• What is Linux?
  
• Installing Linux
  
• An actual install
  
• About Debian GNU/Linux
  

Lesson Two

• Installing Debian GNU/Linux
  
• Partitioning
  
• Plunk that CD in the drive
  
• Sundry installation tasks
  
• Reboot and basic configuration
  
• Completing the install process
  

Lesson Three

• Working with Linux - First Things First
  
• Working as another user
  

System Administration - An Overview
Installation Tasks
Backing up systems
...
System Services
...
The Apache Web server
Keeping Your Linux System Secure
Setting Up A Virtual Mail System
...
Programming under Linux

And there's a lot more there. In fact, more than you probably want to know. However, you should feel fairly comfortable using Linux after walking your way through the coursework.

Have fun, and give Linux a try. Try some of the Live CD distros so that you can test drive some different flavors to find one that's right for you.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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