At 11:52 AM 8/8/01 -0400, Rick Byers wrote:
> .  .  .
>I suggest you look around for a good introduction to UNIX book.  I
>don't know of any that have good introductory material specific to
>NetBSD, but you might be able to get someone on the list to reccomend
>something.

I very new to NetBSD and, while I have been around unix systems of=20
various flavors, I know only enough unix stuff to be dangerous. ;)

I suggested that David look for one of those very concise linux/unix=20
"cheat sheets" such as the ones that college bookshops sell laminated=20
in plastic and punched to fit into a 3-ring binder.  This is not=20
a replacement for a good introductory book; it's just something you=20
can keep next to the keyboard while you are trying to remember=20
various commands, the vi editior, file permissions, etc.

The one I have came from Quick Study Charts (ISBN 157222448-7)=20
and is pictured and described on their web site at:
http://www.quickstudycharts.com/chartDetails.asp?sku=3D448-7


>Any type of UNIX isn't really the sort of thing you can just install and
>use without having some idea of how it works (unlike MS-Windows for
>example).  NetBSD isn't really designed to be easily picked up by people
>with little UNIX experience (although it is getting better - back when I
>installed it there wasn't even sysinst to help with the installation, had
>to do it all manually).  I'll probably get flamed for this, but generally
>Linux is considered to be aimed more towards PC users new to UNIX (it has
>more "hand-holding"), but NetBSD is a better system in the end in my
>oppinion.

The HOW-TOs and other online documents for NetBSD are the best that I've=20
seen for any of several operating systems.  The NetBSD man pages also are=20
very good (although I wish man pages in general would give actual examples=
=20
of the syntax and not just the cryptic generalized notation.)

And best of all, the various configuration files that are provided with=20
the distribution are very heavily commented to explain what's going on=20
in the file, how to make changes, and what files are related.  In fact,=20
just reading through these files on the screen or printing them out=20
for study is a worthwhile learning exercise.

>Some people like to learn just by trial-and-error and experimentation, but
>it can be really frustrating if you don't understand whats going on.  The
>beauty of UNIX-like systems are that they are designed so that you can
>understand and control every little detail of their operation (They don't
>intentionally hide things, and pretend that things are simpler than they
>really are like Windows does).  Myself, I used a UNIX system at work for
>months, and read parts of numerous books so that I had a good handle on
>how to use UNIX from a users perspective (i.e. basic operation, managing
>files, system utilities, etc.) before I even attempted installing NetBSD.
>I can immagine it would be extremely frustrating trying to learn
>everything necessary to install and use it in just 4 days.

Just like finding oneself in strange city and a foreign language: it takes
a little while to understand the basic vocabulary.  People trying to be=20
helpful by telling you follow the Nydegggasse to the B=E4rengraben don't=20
seem to realize that you haven't a clue what the Nydegggasse or the=20
B=E4rengraben might be.  ;)

As you learn the names of the local landmarks, it becomes much easier.=20

>So, relax and don't expect huge results right away.  Many people on theese
>lists have probably been using UNIX systems since the 70's...

Exactly.  I am enjoying the learning process and each new achievement,=20
as simple as some may be, is a source of great satisfaction.

Regards,
Will
The Old Bear