Re: Learning What I Need To Know About Basic Linux

  • From: Chris Hofstader <cdh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:19:53 -0400

One more reminder: the FLOSS manual libraries, hosted by Elf and Jamal, have a great book on the GNU/Linux system running bash. Coming from Windows, you will be absolutely amazed at what you can do with a simple command line script.


Over on the accessibility@xxxxxxx mailing list, a guy named Don has posted a program he calls Speedy OCR and its a really useful scan and read program written entirely as a bash script that calls pre-made executables. Six weeks ago, he didn't know GNU/Linux from VMS or OS/2 and now he's making serious contributions.

Jump on in, the water's great!


On 07/28/2010 08:46 AM, Jay Macarty wrote:
Jim,
I find myself in somewhat the same boat just recently. I have just been informed that we are switching all our HP/UX environments over to Suse linux. While I have been asured that I can continue to use Tera Term for my SSH sessions, I know there are going to be some differences between the KSH shell I am used to and whatever shell linux is using. So, I will be jumping into some linux book or books myself shortly. We use Weblogic instead of Apache but still I need to learn how to manage the Weblogic environment under linuyx right away. So, while I don't as yet have any suggestions, I will certainly be following this thread closely.

    ----- Original Message -----
    *From:* Homme, James <mailto:james.homme@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
    *To:* programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
    <mailto:programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
    *Sent:* Wednesday, July 28, 2010 7:36 AM
    *Subject:* Learning What I Need To Know About Basic Linux

    Hi,

    On the system I'm using, I don't have the authority to
    administrate the operating system, but I do have the authority,
    and need to, administrate the other software on the box that
    doesn't come with it, so I need to come up to speed yesterday. You
    know how that is.

    I cracked open the book called Learning The Unix Operating System
    Fifth Edition and started using it to learn basic commands. Among
    other things, two things are tripping me up. First, I'm using
    Putty. I have it set up properly with JAWS, but I'm being driven
    crazy any time data needs to scroll the screen because the whole
    screen is being spoken.

    The second thing has to do with knowing what I need to learn. I'm
    just trying to learn what I need to know for now, and branching
    out from there. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly what all that
    entales. But fortunately, I do have some time, because we're just
    starting to use MySQL and PHP.

    So I see three big tasks or things to learn.

    * What's involved in administrating Apache, like not letting the
    logs get too big, possibly installing a friendly statistics
    package, or whatever.

    * Setting up daily backups of the changed MySQL database or
    databases that we have.

    * Whatever MySQL administration that I have no earthly idea I may
    need to do.

    * I'll have to upgrade MySQL at some point.

    * I'll have to upgrade PHP at some point.

    * I pray that I never have to upgrade Apache.

    * Possibly installing some nice, convenient packages like
    PHPMyAdmin. But I'm thinking that like the people who were
    advocating learning the dirty way, I think it's best to probably
    learn how to do it from command lines so that I have total control
    and really know what's going on.

    But I'm starting with basic commands, but at the same time, trying
    to do my first Drupal installation, and I'm in real trouble
    because of course there's this deadline.

    Back to my UNIX book.

    Specifically, I didn't see in the book two things. First, what
    permissions do files and directories automatically get when you
    create them? Second, I used to know a little more about some sort
    of file in my home directory that I could put stuff in to
    customize the environment a little more. I know that that file has
    a name that starts with a period. Yet another thing. I'm pretty
    sure that the shell I'm using is called the bash shell, but I
    don't know how to find out. And how does that affect how I work
    with the system? For example, if there's another shell that's
    better, what is it, what does better mean, and how to I turn it on.

    Like I was thinking of making aliases for cp and rm that
    automatically run the -i option to keep myself from trashing stuff.

    Someone please hold my hand and tell me it'll be all right. <grin>

    Jim

    Jim Homme,

    Usability Services,

    Phone: 412-544-1810. Skype: jim.homme

    Internal recipients, Read my accessibility blog
    <http://mysites.highmark.com/personal/lidikki/Blog/default.aspx>.
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    <http://collaborate.highmark.com/COP/technical/accessibility/default.aspx>.
    Accessibility Wiki: Breaking news and accessibility advice
    
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