Getting used to linux again

("straight to the point" version at bottom)
Long version-
I've been the poster child of Microsoft (or whatever the fuck you guys call them now) for... I dunno, 5 years? 14-19 years old give or take. From DOS to Vista.

My current programming job was coding ASP classic on a win2k server with mssql server 2000. Now I'm coding C# for asp.net. So in other words, total ms groupie.

Now, say what you will, I actually try not to be very closed minded, so a couple years ago, then again a year ago, I gave linux a shot... several times, several distros:
-(open)SuSE (32 and 64 bit)
(32) I liked this as far as linux goes, but I really don't like Gnome, so I installed KDE instead. MASSIVE memory leaks occurred, couldn't diagnose, got rid of it.
(64) Only 64 bit linux distro that I got to work stably, but I got a new HDD, and decided not to reinstall when I transferred everything.

-K/X/Ubuntu (32 and 64 bit)
(32) Easy enough to use... Until you try to go beyond the newbie boundries. Software that's not in the repository? Have fun installing three development environments and hunting down libs! I must've broken these distros at least 6 times just trying to install too many things that weren't in the repo.
(64) 64 bit ran so terribly and unstably I just lol'd and reformatted the partition within the hour. Then again I've heard some bad things about my CPU (intel core 2) in regards to compatibility, so I wouldn't be too quick to blame the distro.

-Debian
Didn't support my motherboard at the time

-PCLinuxOS
Probably my favorite one, I actually used this in junction with windows for a few months before getting curious about other distros. Unfortunately it has no 64 bit support.

-DSL
Nice for older computers, hasn't come in handy much.

-Knoppix
As much as it's praised for recovery, I'd have to say I've only been able to make use of this for diagnosing network issues and grabbing files from passworded ntfs directories. Beyond that I've been able to manage my diagnosis's, repairs, and recoveries in windows just fine.

-Fedorah core (64 bit)
Installer froze, I was nowhere near ready messing around with that bag of tricks.

So as a windows power user, and someone who's given the alternative an honest shot, the advantages I've observed are existant but small, I wouldn't go back anytime soon for my own purposes. But, I like to be well rounded and available to help in my tech duties. So I think I'll give it yet another shot, but maybe with a little background, some research, y'know?


Straight to the point:
Windows guy giving Linux (yet) another shot, requesting sources of generic guides or other sources of information for someone looking to get comfortable with some of the non-layman aspects of Linux. Not looking to develop or anything, but I'd like to be able to use, troubleshoot, and maybe even have an occasional moment of "oh hay, I should set this file/print server or old computer in Linux".

>>40
Why should you change something if it works well? The only reason I can think of is that something else can be used to make it work better than what you currently have.

>>41
Just because something works "well" doesn't mean there can't be anything better than it. And this isn't just a matter of personal opinion. Windows 95 is a major improvement over DOS because you know.. of the whole GUI and Windows thing. Windows simplifies everything done in DOS by representing it with a viewable image on a screen and eliminating the need for typing out stupid commands and path names. Honestly, i'd hate to see whatever kind of situation you're in where DOS is sufficient for whatever you use your computer for.

ITT pretentious fags try to act like a CLI is superior just becaue it's old.

>>38
Ever heard of poor people? I got my first computer at 14, a 386, in 2002 (got it free from a neighbor). Now, I'm 19, have a job, with which I put together a good computer with Vista. Not too hard.

#39, you can use DOS today with FreeDOS.  People are still making bootdisks for various purposes, and some flavor of DOS is generally required to make it function.

Since computers are many times more powerful than required to just run a flavor of DOS and a couple of apps, running a GUI for most purposes is well suited for ease of use.  That doesn't mean you should load up some Vista, however.  Vista is a foul and stenchly rotting OS, and I'd rather see people continue to use XP than transfer to Linux, when opposed to the upgrade to Vista.  Microsoft has not only jumped the shark with Vista, but it calmly landed the motorcycle, dismounted, walked over to the shark, and then skullfucked its butthole!  They didn't just jump the shark, they head-ass-raped it!!

DOS is an extreme and I don't expect to see people commonly using it.  However, neither should they go to the other extreme and load the latest resource-hog from Microsoft.  We have a huge installed base of computers, with more being "obsoleted" (i.e. thrown away by conspicuous consumers) every day, and we have a fine selection of OSes to put on them ... from at least 3 Microsoft OSes (98, 2K, XP), to 2 Apple ones (OS9 and OSX), to a large variety of Linux flavors from the mundane to the sublime.  We're literally DROWNING in operating systems!

>>44
In 2002 there was the option of Windows 98, 2000, AND XP. Not to mention Windows 95 if you're honestly that bad off.

I'm not saying you should constantly get the latest OS. I'm saying there's absolutely no need to ever be running DOS with all the other options out there.

But, but, if I type on the command line it makes me feel like a real hacker. /cls /dir

See? Fucking awesome. It's like I'm manipulating the computer with my mind.

FUK DAT GIMM3 BINARY SWITCHEZ & L.E.D'Z FO SHO I BE A REEL HACKX0ZR OR GTFO

FUK DAT GIMM3 SUM CFLAGS AND LET ME OPTIMIZE MI FUNROLL LOOPS WITH EBUILDS DAT DROP TO /opt.

#45, we're largely in agreement.  Except for 1.44MB bootdisks, or industrial apps which just "sit in the corner" and run one specific app for a machine or sensor, computers are powerful enough these days to run GUIs just fine, and we should run them.  For example, I run Linux, but OF COURSE I run GUIs on it via X.  I also run XP, but OF COURSE I run the occasional cmd box for pings or traceroutes.  The CLI isn't dead, but it's been remarkably superceded ... kind of like the organism that is now the mitochondria in a Human cell; we're better off using it as a part of our cells.

I was still using Windows 95 at home by early 2007, with Slackware on another computer.  (In fact, I could still fire up that same computer right now to post here on 4chan if I wanted.)  I started using Win98 at home more and more for other projects, starting in 2005.  The Win98 stopped working (probably due to a peculiar motherboard failure) in 2006 and I was stuck using the Win95 for Internet access until I was able to obtain cheap XP computers in early 2007.  Now I'm using XP and getting my Slackware stuff back online.

>>49
BITCHES DON'T KNOW ABOUT MY NCURSES

>>50
WHAT A TERRIBLE NIGHT FOR AN NCURSE