LinuxChix-Perceived Lack Of Intermediate Level Linux Tutorials

I sent the previous post here to a couple of mailing lists (LinuxChix Bettong) I’m on. I got some good responses too. One is a friend who started her own blog after reading mine, another suggested I put my blog with a collection of LinuxChix blogs. The best response was from Jenn Vesperman suggesting that I join the LinuxChix techtalk list, read the messages and ask questions there as well as the NewChix list. She also recommended Carla Schroder’s ‘Linux Cookbook’ which I’ve talked about here before and O’Reilly’s ‘Running Linux’. Good stuff!!

I’d like to be able to write tutorials and howtos myself as I learn more and am more confident too. I enjoy writing the training materials that I use for ‘office skills’ type classes.

I’ve just finished teaching a six week ‘Back To The Office – Computing For Mums’ course. It was great, the four ladies who participated in the course all had great outcomes at the end. Everyone had a well presented resume by the end of the course, two applied for jobs, one is doing a TAFE computer course and one is doing voluntary office work to further her skills! I’m looking forward to the next one next term now too!!!

Need For Intermediate Linux Help Websites, Tutorials etc

There is a definite need for intermediate level Linux training, websites and tutorials. I’m no longer a newbie but i’m a long way off being a guru. These two are poles apart. I may never achieve guru status, and probably I don’t need or necessarily want to but i’m not a newbie anymore either. Where is the middle ground? Where are the websites, user groups, mailing lists, magazines which address this need?

Tux Magazine is great for desktop users, of which I am one. I recommend it to my students who would benefit from it, it meets a great need for newbies. A couple of years ago it would’ve been my main resource for help but now I’m looking for more.

“Don’t Be Afraid Of The Terminal Window” – Sydney Nash in his letter to the Editor in the latest Tux Magazine says; It’s disconcerting to be set down in a new environment where things are dumbed down for us. I haven’t found a quick tutorial/reference for Bash that I like-I bet Tux could do something like that; “50 Commands Every Linux User Ought To Know”. Tux Magazine answer is no that’s not for our target audience. Which is fine they need to stick to newbie stuff but as I keep saying where is the intermediate stuff.

So here’s a challenge, anyone looking to contribute to the Linux community start writing some intermediate type tutorials or howtos and stick them on a website. Don’t assume that the reader has the same level of knowledge that you have still keep them simple. Some topics I think could be covered are:

Where do files (programs) go when using Apt, Synaptic or Kynaptic?
After installing as above how do you edit menus for programs that don’t go into menus?
Networking
File Systems
Package Management
Sound & Other Multimedia Troubleshooting (Ubuntu)
xorg Configuration
Bit Torrent
Network Printing (Ubuntu)
Network File Sharing

What other topics are people after? What do you or have you found difficult to do on your system? I’ve fluked getting some things working on my systems and I don’t know how I got them to work or I’ve forgotten. Howtos on some of the above would be great for me.

Please tell me if there places that have this type of info that i’m missing?

Australian Slang No. 1

For those of you who don’t know some of the Australian slang words and abbreviations I’ve used in previous posts I thought I’d start a series of Aussie slang posts.

arvo = afternoon
tech = technician
bbq = barbecue, called a cook out in America I think I wonder what it’s called elsewhere
aussie = Australian
tea = evening meal
guys = men and women
chooks = chickens

Not all Aussies say g’day and ow ya goin mate 🙂 although I do tend to use mate a bit in my speech.

Mannum Waterfalls

I went with my daughter and a group of friends from church to the waterfalls about 15 minutes drive from my house. We had a bbq there and then went hiking. I cheated a bit and drove part of the way. Jessica and I set out on our own but were soon joined by a friend. Just as well because I needed his help to get over some of the difficult bits. This is where I probably should’ve turned back….but I didn’t. We went further and the going got tougher. I was beginning to overheat and feel dizzy. We rested, but when we got to the head of the falls I knew I couldn’t climb out that way. Another friend joined us and they helped me to jump the creek and climb out a different way. I definitely conquered my fear of heights that day!!!! The way that we climbed out was shorter but not much easier. I’ll put some photos up so you can see what I mean. I still can’t quite believe I climbed up those cliffs!

ADSL, Linux.conf.au, Linux Australia

Well

Now that I have ADSL I will probably be doing more blogging and might actually get around to changing the decor in here.

Saturday I got my ADSL router, set it up Sat arvo, wouldn’t work. DSL light flashing, no sync. Contacted ISP, said they’d log a fault report with Telstra. Rang them Monday, they checked a few things I took the router to them to be checked and they said the router was fine. Telstra tech, nice bloke, came out Tuesday arvo checked the line and everything else and said it’s definitely not the line it’s the router 🙂 I raced back to my ISP before closing time and they gave me a temporary replacement router which is working beautifully!!!!! It has been so tantilising to have a router sitting there and yet not be able to use it. I’m glad it’s all working now, the ISP has been fine about it all, I’m definetely not whinging just telling what happened 🙂

I’ve almost got my submission to speak at the next linux.conf.au all ready. I’ve got several people reading it for me at the moment to see what needs changing for fixing. It’s getting exciting!

I was amazed to receive an email from Jonathan Oxer the president of Linux Australia asking me if he could talk about the work that I do at Teen Challenge at a conference in Sydney next week. I said yes of course. WOW someone wants to talk about me and the work I’m doing…………