For you Linux programmers out there?

[Billie Walsh]

I've been toying with Linux for about four years. I dual booted at first 
and just used Linux when I didn't have anything in particular to do for 
a while. About two years ago I felt comfortable enough to make the 
switch to Linux 99.9999% of the time. Was it always easy? NO!!!!!! Was 
it always fun? NO!!!! BUT, I hung in there and learned over time. After 
all this time I still consider myself very much a "newbie". There are 
still things I have trouble with. Right now I have a printer problem 
also. It will print like a charm in the setup "test print" but no 
application will print right. Still fumbling around with it. In 
OpenSuSE, on the same machine, it works a treat. I haven't been to the 
list yet because I still have things I want to try on my own. I look at 
it as a learning experience. Next time around it will make things a 
little easier. I still have issues with CLI. I started a "how-to" text 
file that I can copy CLI commands to for later reference.

This isn't Windows. You have control of your computer. Not Redmond. [ If 
you don't believe they have control of your computer read the EULA.] If 
you seriously want to make the switch I would suggest you dual boot for 
a while at least. Or maybe better yet set it up on a second computer. 
That way you are not desperate to make something work. You have time to 
get used to things. Maybe break it a few times [ I certainly did it a 
bunch my first year or so. ]. Every time you break it and have to start 
over you learn something new.

On this computer I have OpenSuSE, Kubuntu, and XP. I probably haven't 
booted into the XP drive for three months. I have a second computer 
sitting here that shares the keyboard, monitor, and mouse that has 
OpenSuSE and XP. Quite often it will be sitting there idling in XP for 
weeks on end. You see, there are still a few things I haven't found a 
Linux replacement for.

Don't give up. Just work at it smarter. Have patience. Rome wasn't built 
in a day. You aren't going to be a Linux expert in one either. I figure 
in about another ten years I will [ might ] get out of "newbie" status.

-- 
(o:]>*HUGGLES*<[:o)
Billie Walsh
The three best words in the English Language:
"I LOVE YOU"
Pass them on!