Every now and again someone writes me and asks me “What’s the best way for me to get started in Linux?” Over the years, I’ve answered in several different ways, but here’s the summarization of my thoughts.
First, most of the people who write me aren’t interested in the fine details of Linux. They are just sick and tired to death of Windows’ endless security problems or its costs. Indeed, most of them aren’t that interested in learning Linux. They just want a cheap operating system that will let them read e-mail, browse the Web, and run some office applications without worrying about malware.
So, here’s what I tell people who just want a good, working PC, and could care less about the specific differences between “free software” and “open source” or how KDE 4.4 compares to GNOME 2.30