Hi folks, totally new to L Rh, be warned <g>
I gather redhat writes the install help files and the installing book, white, psyche v 8.0, so I write
this. You want feedback, here's some. If you find it useful, feel welcome. Also tried to activate,
failed miserably, hhmm, Also still have not figured out how to get the GUI going as I read none of that
in the autoinstall.
What's a steep learning curve?
It's like being shifted into a swahili home without any swahili. FI it took me THREE days to try and
type in, at text, setup agent and NONE of the linux labels meant a thing so how does not choose? Took
one day to figure out root, and my password was a piece of cake I typed that in myselluf. The problem is
also that for most people they dunno what gives inside their head while DO-ing things; one has to learn
to dualboot there as well. So they cannot explain how what went wrong, can they?
Anaconda assumes you know what you're doing and I don't. So I ended up with no gui in text mode which
took me two days before I figured out to type in root, which I saw nowhere while doing a personal setup
on autoinstall. I think this is fairly normal.
A language, any language, math and programming included, is a self enclosed system in which every word
is explained either by another word or an assumption one cannot figure out because one cannot understand
any word, yet, as a beginner.
Try a dictionary and you'll find every word explained by other words IN THAT dictionary. Polyglots are
no use either. Crossing dictionaries is dangerous. Try Random and Oxford, haha. So too for any native
speaker of any language. When I learnt English I read the O.E>D, 2 vols from end to end and then I got
a few glimmers. It took three to five years to also soak up the culture - where the assumptions and
beliefs are buried - and BEGIN to speak a little like a native. I don't want to take that long with
linux and imagine it also happens to other folks who then get some more of that in help files,
textbooks, FAQ. etc. The word, if you need one, is nomothetic. You may have to use the dict of difficult
words, on I-net.
It's the problem of an expert or specialist talking to a ninny or unlettered or some charming comment I
read by a linuxite calling newbies "illiterate". Hohum. I was not told by the book or helpfiles, in
html to type in setup agent and cannot recall HOW to get the gui going so I face it in textmode with not
a clue what to do. The blind assumption is the same as with Billy's glitchware: IT assumes everything
goes as intended, which seldom is the case when something goes wrong and which fills up e-mail lists.
NONE of the jargon is explained to a BEGINNER. I would like to do another rant on what "simple" actually
means, but forbear.
I fully appreciate that the work is done by volunteers, which is why I write this up. So apologies up
front for any misconceptions either side.
EXAMPLE, in the white psyche book is a section on discs, logical partitions and all that. Did not
understand a word of it, so phoned a friend.
WHY?
The bookwriter picked the wrong metaphor, a box, when "everybubbly" knows by now it is a disc, metalised
plastic with rings on it one has to format, etc.. So what about this one? IF it is to be a box why not
have boxes inside boxes and not pretty fish scales. Imagine a millipede with untold boots in which
various details are packed. When you talk to the millipede it shakes its head and starts looking in its
boots - the various sectors - to do what's asked. That means the millipede must have the information on
where and how to find it - in its HEAD, which is the registry, vfat or whatever else it is called.
Forget about the bootsector read by a LED, but you may call it its eyes if you like. With a dual setup
DOS and Linux the milipede is bi-lingual so you first have to tell it which language to use. There's
pretty screens to help you like the dual bootloader which is automatically installed gives you a
choice, IF you choose the GRUB< which means: Graphic U? B? I dunno why one gets 5 seconds for linux, it
takes some slow readers more than that. I'm a rapid reader but when reading incomprehensrible words I
take MUCH longer. I had comprehension hiccups changing boxes to rings and a millipede, made no sense at
all. Finally managed to delete the RH v6.0 which don't upgrade in manual. Then it worked. No thought
seems to be given to various wrongs and conditions one might face. I got the 1024 sectors message being
repeated three times. I also got neurotic when told to make a boot disc without being told it would be
dealt with later. SO why not shift the comment to that location in anaconda?
That uses an animistic image we all know and adds, in parentheses, some further detail. You could also
use a house or kitchen and point out that everybubbly puts things in boxes, cupboards, drawers and
shelves and so does any computer. They just go by different names.
Disc: the whole schlambangle banana cake
Partition: a LOGICAL break which makes one or more virtual or imaginary discs -oops: correct that to
parts - , mainly to save time for the read head scanning the disc. {that's the bit which makes the noise
while searching}
Sector one of 1000s of magnetised rings on a disc. They are divided into directories or folders just
like any filing system, inside one of those partitions. For a dual system the formatting - which
magnetises the rings or sectors to store data - is different so you can EITHER use DOS or LINUX; until
you learn how "mount" works. In Linux you can change everything in DOS or Windows next to nothing. This
last sentence is a bit of suckerbait.
TO get a new operating Ssystm {OS} like Linux going it has to first format any "free space" on the disc
so the install can write the files to the disc, during which it also sets up directories like /root /dev
/usr and so on. Unless the free space starts below sector 1024 on any disc MOST likely it won't boot up
the system so you either
A: use a bootup or rescue floppy, or
B: Make room on lower sectors below 1024 to get a startup dual system going.
Install reads the discs and will, if you want, check for any free space, which it reports. OR, if you
want to make space free you have to first DELETE what's in that space
At least that makes more sense on this side of the connection. <G> There to different perspective, more
actually, and don't muddle them up. Hence, separate paragraph:
So what you get is a disc on which is parked
- booting up to read the disc which is done on sector 0 with a LED.
- Booting up the system -OS, which starts at sector 5 to 10 or so.- which needs several files poked in
"root" to read the names of the directories or folders - which works like a filing system.
Then when you issue a command it first consults the filing labels or folders, then finds the files after
which it reads the content of a file, which on a PC is called an executable, program or package for
linux. At that point the chip or CPU - central processor reads the beginning of that file to do as told
to the machine, after which you can tell it what next to do. Please remember the chip is a totals moron,
so you have to do all the thinking and making choices.
Then it writes all that to RAM -- Read only Memory- which pokes it on screen after which a mouse and
keyboard can use it to make changes in the content of a file or package. When you close or end it
writes it from RAM to disc storing it for next time.
The warning about reformatting, only makes the mugs neurotic when they cannot tell things apart. That
took me five runs at the banana cake called anaconda.
The best way to test how good one's writeup is to give to a total ignoramus to make red marks wherever
he get puzzled of flumboogled; very good for the soul.
I am a total ignoramus, WHEN it comes to Linux, and took five days to finally get v 8..0 installed and
now look at it in textmode, with not a clue because I BELIEVED what I was told that everything was taken
care of. Everything that can go wrong, will, unless you know what you are doing, eh? I wanted the gui,
do I re-install? or what?
YES, I'd like to help writing up -rewriting - some texts, but now dunno what to write YET, and when I
do I'll make the same mistakes as every other expert one can imagine. So all I can do is bleat about the
problems i had NOW. Like the quanit suggestion on screen to try NO for shutdown, even then it gets it
wrong. So I push the proverbial button, whence it seems to get its knickers in a twist next round
I'd also like to upgrade to RH 9. but right now that seems several Xmasses away.
I am also well aware the writers do their best, I'd just want to convert that to "doing well" and I pray
you'll do better. I dunno what my best is, never yet succeeded. Maybe next life?
I feel much better now, dunno about you. Only ten spelling mistakes, left two, on purpoise
Adrian.
Adrian.
