[ale] What would you like to see in an "Intro to Linux" Course.

[Sean Kilpatrick]

Let me look at this from a slightly different perspective; elderly, fixed 
income, with three year-old computer; is fed up with trying to keep the 
Windoze OS free from virus/malware. Forced to work from an unprotected 
LAN. He/she needs the following: email, web surfing/research (ability to 
handle web-based video), streaming, office suite, while remaining malware 
resistant.

Current Win-8 and Office licenses out of reach because of cost, as is moving 
to Mac.

Linux instructional needs:

1. intro to distro differences (stable vs. bleeding edge;
      Debian/SuSE/Fedora/etc.);
2. intro to desktop differences;
3. how to back up critical files before reformatting and install.
    a.  list less obvious critical files (bookmarks, etc)
4. install
    a.  What is necessary;
    b.  What is nice;
    c.  What to ignore
    d.  What is GRUB
5. how to configure dektop
6. difference between root and user
7. intro to the command line as sometimes things are easier to do there.
    a. man and apropos commands
    b. chmod & chown (files transferred from my wife's Mac always come with
        the perms screwed up.)
    c.  I also would throw into the pot these commands: ls, rm, ps, top,
         kill, mv, sudo, whois, yum/apt-get.
8. intro to web security/best practices/password strength, etc.


My experience watching newbies (who are fed up with Micro$oft) try out a 
Linux desktop has been mostly positive.  The hardest habits to break seem 
to be centered around IE -- but then I have only shown them Firefox, not 
Chrome or any of the other browsers available. Transition to Libre Office 
seems relatively painless.

Sean

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On Wednesday, November 06, 2013 02:38:25 pm Derek Carter (aka goozbach) 
wrote:
> I've been toying with creating an intro-to-linux course and would like
> to know what topics you would think would be best.
> 
> It would be a 15-20hour course. Taught over a couple of days.
> 
> What would you want to learn if you had *ZERO* Linux experience?
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