Re: Where to start: hardware and reading material

On 7 October 2011 15:39, Jaco <[email protected]> wrote:

> * Install & make use of WebMin to ease the initial pains (i.e. getting some
> stuff done while you're learning the ropes) - but don't fear the CLI (`man`
> is your friend


*snigger* isn't the act of setting up Apache and the like a bit of a pain
especially for a beginner?

Buzz - what you really need to know.

   - Unless you immerse yourself completely, you're probably going to find
   you go back to Windows for various tasks just because that's what you know
   which is why the VirtualBox idea potentially isn't great (oh and there can
   be pains in setting up networking depending on what you want).
   - GUI is good but the configuration tools always suffer from a lack of
   balance. Either they haven't abstracted the configuration enough and so
   you'd have to know what each of the parameters mean in which case you might
   as well be using the terminal* or *they've limited the options to a small
   subset locking away a bunch of functionality. In other words, well learning
   both.

In terms of hardware... I'd favour a desktop over a laptop for a beginner.
This is due to the fact that if something doesn't work, it's much easier to
just yank it out in a desktop and try something else. I know... the form
factor isn't cool, but there are advantages to it.

Regards,
Nevyn
http://nevsramblings.blogspot.com/
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