Some suggestions for Newbies.

Linux is growing in popularity and it's daily use is starting to show up more and more frequently. Many companies and corporations in Europe and the US are using Linux as an alternative OS to keep IT costs down. In the years I've been using Linux, the number of users and corporate supporters has grown exponentially. If you are frustrated by Microsoft's licensing and cost and are ready to make the jump to a more useful, robust operating system, then I have some suggestions for you!

First off, in choosing MEPIS keep in mind that in order to install ANY software, you must install MEPIS to the hard drive, not "should" or "might want to" or anything else like that. Repeating, you MUST install MEPIS to the hard drive. The Live CD gives you a chance to carry your settings and other documents with you however, to personalize the entire system, you need to have it on a hard drive.

You may say, "But I'm not comfortable using MEPIS just yet and I still need Windows!" Well, getting an extra drive and doing a dual boot is an excellent option IF you "need" Windows. Since I no longer have any use for Microsoft stuff, I couldn't tell you how to do the dual boot thing. However, I know there are others here who can.

Next up: Printing... If you don't already have an HP printer, get one. These are by far the best supported printers when used with Linux. HP has been a long standing corporate supporter of Linux and happily distributes information about it's printers to interested software developers. With the advent of the HP Toolbox, now available by default in MEPIS, HP printers and All-In-One's are a God send.

Accessing the Internet: If you are using a dial-up connection, you know... a modem; get a GOOD one. Most modern modems are designed for use with Windows and may or may not work with Linux. Most are at this stage because there are a select few chipset manufacturers when it comes to modems. If you can find a controller-based modem, get it. You will have better luck getting it to work and longer performance life.

If you're using a router and don't have wireless networking, you got it easy with MEPIS. This will work out of the box 90% of the time. MEPIS OS Center will help you get online if you fall in the 10% that has a problem.

If you're using wireless, hang on to your hat, well at least as far as the MEPIS beta's go. Many have had problems getting their wireless to work right but never fear! There are several in the forums that can help get it going if you just can't seem to get it to work right.

"I used to be able to view Windows Media stuff on the Internet. How do I do that with Linux?" Once you're installed on the hard drive, open Synaptic and install "mozplugger." It will patch in the right helpers to make your Internet experience exactly the way you remember it.

Your documents: "What about all my Word and Excel documents? How can I access those?" Easy answer: OpenOffice.org. The developers at OOo have done an excellent job creating an MS compatible office suite that is just as easy to use as MS Office. It seems to me that OOo is easier to use than MS Office and doesn't have the strange quirks that MS Office has. OpeenOffice.org has the word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and databasing applications you've grown accustomed to using without all the head aches of licensing and cost.

I'm sure there are other things I should cover but this isn't necessarily the place or time but I do welcome any questions or comments. Just e-mail me at: and I'll respond as soon as possible.

Happy Linux-ing!!

Michael
=====================================================
"Reality? Oh, yeah. That has nothing to do with me."