B
bsnluser
Regular
Hello everybody,For the past some years, Linux is no longer a geek-only OS. It is now used to make some of the most sophisticated and user friendly GUI operating system. Some of the most popular distributions, to name a few: Ubuntu (it is based on Debian), Fedora, Debian, Suse, etc.I think Ubuntu is by far the most user friendly and popular distro at present. In my experience, if a new user is being exposed to computers, starting off with Ubuntu is much easier even compared to Windows. And Linux comes with international support right out of the box (for Indians, most of the languages are supported!).So, it is quite easy to use Linux. But if you face any problems, please keep the following factors in mind to get prompt and reliable help.While asking for help, it is very important to give some basic information regarding your setup. Otherwise, the reader is left guessing as to what are the circumstances under which you are operating. Here are few points that come to mind:1. Mention what flavor of Linux you are using. For example, I would write something like "I am using Debian Etch". You should be able to find out your flavor by opening a terminal and giving the following command.$> cat /etc/issue2. Sometimes, it is advisable to mention the kernel you are running. Use the following command in a terminal to see which one are you using:$> uname -r3. For networking problems, it is usually a good idea to also paste the output of the following commands:$> /sbin/ifconfig -a$> route -n4. If you have hardware detection issues, it is a good idea to paste the output of$> lspci$> lsusbalong with the model of hardware you are trying to use.5. If something stopped working suddenly, it is a good idea to try to describe what you did just prior to the start of the problem.6. Last, but not the least (probably most important), please use clear and understandable language. Using little symbols (b4 for before, gr8 for great and others) is nice for mobile phone chats where keyboards and message length are restricted. But using these on online forums and emails is not advisable. In fact, use of these where proper English is appropriate is considered immature and the author is pictured as a "wanna-bee kid".Have fun using Linux.Regards.
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