Linux for noobs

[Seeruk]

Originally posted by: nweaver

Originally posted by: Seeruk
I think what is being alluded to in this post is something a little more basic...

Here is a fact...for free... no charge.... I'll give this to you as I am a nice guy.....

AN IDIOT ON WINDOWS IS STILL AN IDIOT ON LINUX

Now what does that pearl of wisdom mean? It means someone who can't read in windows still won't read in linux! The newspapers, the interweb, jeezuz even my grandparents are screaming with scare stories about don't click this, don't visit these sites, and whatever you do - DON'T PRESSS THAT RED BUTTON!

But what do the idiots do? Nothing that is advised to them thats for sure. They still scavenge for free porn (ooo all I have to do is install this free program for porn?? CoOool), they still open attachments called freecar.exe and they still haven't the faintest idea of what the hell they are doing.

You would think linux would make them safer but it doesnt! A browser hijacker was installed on my friends machine just last week. The only difference was instead of a pop-up OK button, he gave root password instead!

Wow, where did he get this browser hijack that asked for the root password? I would wonder what person would be targeting linux machines.

Even with my root password, there is a very very very limited amount of things you can do, as root has NO remote access, you have to get in remotely on my nonstandard SSH port with one of the few user accounts that has ssh access. Those all have very complex passwords, and I use keys to connect.


Back on point, it's much harder for a standard user to fubar their linux box then it is for a windows user. They can, at best, hose their account, but not the full box. My brother in law doesn't have the root password

I don't of course know where he got the browser hijacker because I arrived several days after the event.

But needless to say he frequently visits sites of questionable morales

Anyway... it was really very simple ... a shellscript downloaded and ran attempting to modify lots of userspace information, which in turn of course popped up the root password dialog.

Like I say... at the end of the day if a person is desperate or stupid enough for something... it doesnt matter whether its an OK button or the vital details they have to give... they just keep on giving it up like a $2 wh0re

 

[TGS]

Originally posted by: Cdeck

(2) Will 512 MB memory be sufficient? How about 256 MB?

On the 256 Mb system, use the Gnome desktop. Ubuntu comes with Gnome as the desktop (shell) interface. The other main desktop is called KDE and uses over 100 Mb over Gnome.

Well you could go with an even smaller footprint for your window manager, with something like XFCE or Fluxbox.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: TGS

Originally posted by: Cdeck

(2) Will 512 MB memory be sufficient? How about 256 MB?

On the 256 Mb system, use the Gnome desktop. Ubuntu comes with Gnome as the desktop (shell) interface. The other main desktop is called KDE and uses over 100 Mb over Gnome.

Well you could go with an even smaller footprint for your window manager, with something like XFCE or Fluxbox.

Or console? I have a webserver running in VMWare that VMWare reports as only using 8MB of RAM. Conversely, I have a fresh install of Windows 2003 with IIS that isn't even serving anything yet, just sitting idle, that reports it is using 325MB RAM.

 

[TGS]

I opted to recommend a window manager, as most "Linux for noobs" topics don't start off well with...CLI is the path for the true believer.

Console based systems are fine for remote application boxes, but for a home box you are going to want a window manager. Links on Linux will only take you so far, on a home machine.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: TGS
I opted to recommend a window manager, as most "Linux for noobs" topics don't start off well with...CLI is the path for the true believer.

Console based systems are fine for remote application boxes, but for a home box you are going to want a window manager. Links on Linux will only take you so far, on a home machine.

I agree. Mine was a light-hearted suggestion, and pointing out the power of linux.

 

[MadRat]

Kubuntu is just as entertaining as Ubuntu.

Seriously, I'd try Knoppix, SuSE 9.x/10.x, or a slackware live CD. For all that matters, there are plenty of bsd's out there, too. Just make a partition with ext2 or ext3 for storage and then format the rest for Windows. That way you can always fall back to Windows with an extx driver if you run into problems. The road to Linux should be taken like you would sit down to eat a turkey; its too big to digest in big bites but you can eat it all in one setting if you take really tiny bites. Some would disagree around here, but thats my 2 cents.