On 15 July 2012 14:10, Dale Bennett <easydoesi...@gmail.com> wrote: > hi there > i am wondering if you might be able to help me out. i was watching TVO the > other day and Don Tapscott mentioned Linux. how the Linux OS is a online > collaboration, and is also open source. > > so i have been reading a bit online about Linux and i like what i see. i am > a big believer in open source. > > anyway here is my problem. i am a disabled man who uses a wheel chair to > get around. i have very very little money to survive on as i rely on ODSP. > i was put up for adoption and have no family support so life for me is very > difficult. > > i read that i might be able to get a dvd mailed to me with the Linux > operating system on it so i can then put it on my computer. > > i would burn my own but i can not afford to buy the writable dvds. plus its > way over my head how to load the OS to my computer just from online with > out a dvd. > > if there is any way you can help it would would be greatly appreciated. > > my address is > 2969 Fairlea cres. > apt 606 > Ottawa ON K1V-9N2 > > i also came across something called Computers For Community's. i would love > to get more information on this as i need all the help i can get. > > Thanks for your time. > > Sincerely Mr Dale Bennett. > _______________________________________________ > Linux mailing list > Linux@lists.oclug.on.ca > http://oclug.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/linux >
Hello, Your ambition to use Linux is very well recieved here. Reading about it is a great start, too. There's no need to rush into installing it until you have a sense of what to expect. I think that's where Rob is coming from -- make backups and prepare first. There are many useful, searchable terms in this mailing list to expand your reading material. I certainly do not mean to discourage you, but I believe it is important to provide a fair warning: Linux tends to suit the tinkerer. Linux requires patience and enough curiousity to continue learning as long as you use it. Many of us would be happy to provide an etched CD or DVD copy of a distribution of Linux of your choice. If you can't make it to the meetings, a delivery is certainly possible. In fact, I live nearby. If it comes down to it I'll etch a copy and drop it in your mail. Now about that choice of yours. As John points out, Linux is about choice. Right from the beginning you need to choose which distribution of Linux to try. Consider this a first step in liberation. Linux distributions are the result of a company selecting particular sets of open source software and neatly packaging them into a pre-configured Linux operating system for the user. The most popular and compelling differences between distributions seem to be; the origin of the distribution, the desktop environment used (look and feel), installation procedure, and ease of system maintenance. There are hundreds of options, so let us narrow down the list to a few popular/novice-friendly options: e.g. * Ubuntu (based on Debian) http://www.ubuntu.com/ * Fedora, (based on Red Hat) http://fedoraproject.org/ * Salix, (based on Slackware) http://www.salixos.org/wiki/index.php/Home * list here: http://distrowatch.com/ I chose this list simply because they are 3 popular distributions each with a unique heritage in the 3 most notorious and original linux distributions. If hockey has an original 6, Linux has an original 3. (Sorry to the historians and the purists, but let this slide for now.) Each of these options feature different default desktop environents. It may be worth looking at desktop screenshots or videos on youtube to get an idea of how they differ as it makes a huge impact on intuitively using your computer: e.g. * Unity -- http://unity.ubuntu.com/ * Gnome 3 -- http://www.gnome.org/gnome-3/ * KDE -- http://www.kde.org/ * XFCE -- http://www.xfce.org/ * MATE -- http://mate-desktop.org/ * Awesome -- http://awesome.naquadah.org/ * et cetera (Note: Many distributions are configured so that installing an alternative desktop is painless.) Most other people on this mailing list are likely better suited to pick for you if you wish. I won't pick for you out of principle (get used to choice!), and because I have very little experience with desktops and GUIs. I wish you the best! - Justin _______________________________________________ Linux mailing list Linux@lists.oclug.on.ca http://oclug.on.ca/mailman/listinfo/linux
