Red Hat LINUX 7.2 Reference Manual page 10

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This type of user has never used any Linux (or Linux-like) operating system before or has had
only limited exposure to Linux. They may or may not have experience using other operating
systems (such as Windows). Is this you? If so, skip ahead to Documentation For First-Time
Linux Users.
Some Linux Experience
This type of user has installed and successfully used Linux (but not Red Hat Linux) before or
may have equivalent experience with other Linux-like operating systems. Does this describe
you? If so, turn to For the More Experienced.
Experienced User
This type of user has installed and successfully used Red Hat Linux before. If this describes
you, turn to Documentation for Linux Gurus.
Documentation For First-Time Linux Users
For someone new to Linux, the amount of information available on any particular subject, such as
printing, starting up the system or partitioning your hard drive, can be overwhelming. It helps to
initially step back and gain a decent base of information centered around how Linux works before
tackling these kinds of advanced issues.
Your first goal should be to obtain some useful documentation. This cannot be stressed enough. With-
out documentation, you will only become frustrated at your inability to get your Red Hat Linux system
working the way you want.
You should acquire the following types of Linux documentation:
• A brief history of Linux — Many aspects of Linux are the way they are because of historical prece-
dent. The Linux culture is also based on past events, needs or requirements. A basic understanding
of the history of Linux will help you figure out how to solve many potential problems before you
actually see them.
• An explanation of how Linux works — While delving into the most arcane aspects of the Linux
kernel is not necessary, it is a good idea to know something about how Linux is put together. This
is particularly important if you have been working with other operating systems, as some of the
assumptions you currently hold about how computers work may not transfer from that operating
system to Linux.
• An introductory command overview (with examples) — This is probably the most important thing
to look for in Linux documentation. The underlying design philosophy for Linux is that it's better
to use many small commands connected together in different ways than it is to have a few large
(and complex) commands that do the whole job themselves. Without examples that illustrate this
Introduction