Hari's Corner

I have often wondered why people develop frustration while learning to use Linux. For a long time I dismissed most complaints against Linux as being trollish (although there are definitely genuine trolls around who get a raise out of rubbishing all things Linux).

Until I tried FreeBSD recently.

Then I knew. It was the catch-22 situation which many people run into while installing Linux. It's like this:

1. I want to configure the system in FreeBSD. But I don't know how to do it because it's totally new to me.
2. But I need to configure internet access before I can download a few applications which I absolutely need before I can proceed with anything else.
3. To access the internet I need to know how to configure my network device/DSL modem/cable modem/router etc. For that I need help.
4. I try to read the docs for some time looking for the relevant info, but I give up after a while after going through several docs which assume that you know to configure something else to get this to work.
5. I get seriously frustrated until I work out how to connect to the internet. From there, it's pretty plain sailing, having the necessary support from google and internet forums.

For somebody who may not have access to a spare machine with a pre-existing internet connection (or a dual boot with another OS already configured), this cycle results in frustration. I need app "A" to do something, but I cannot install it because it's not available on the CD. But to install it, I need the internet connection to download the necessary software packages. Unfortunately I don't know how to connect to the internet. Sounds familiar?

While some people like me are willing to accept this as part of the learning curve. Others just give up and then vent their frustration in online forums and communities talking about how Linux is not ready for mainstream use.

Granted, FreeBSD is not Linux. And because I have already accepted that Linux is not Windows, it was easier to accept FreeBSD as a totally new OS rather than expect it to work like Linux. In fact, I enjoy the fact that FreeBSD is not Linux and therefore enjoy the experience of learning something totally new. For an expert at Windows however, the transition to Linux is harder because Linux is like moving to Chinese from English. Moving to FreeBSD from Linux is merely like learning a different dialect in Chinese. But if learning a new dialect is hard enough, I can well understand why learning a new language altogether can be initially frustrating.

Fortunately Linux has got easier and easier to use and learn over the years. Ever tried out SUSE Linux? Well, anybody new to Linux should get SUSE first and see how they like it. It's a commercial distro, but it's also available for download as OpenSUSE which removes a few proprietary software from SUSE professional, but is otherwise not limited in any way. It's also a very user-friendly distro while being quite powerful and configurable. The point is that there are plenty of Linux distros that will get you started on the right note. Later on you can always explore the infinite possibilities when you are really comfortable with the system. In other words, get to know the limited vocabulary before you try to write a novel.

My advice to Linux newbies who feel tempted to throw it all up? It's simple. If you can turn your frustration into something positive - a learning experience - you gain a lot out of the time you have spent in trying it out in the first place. If you give up, then you've just lost a few hours of your life and it's time to return to familiar territory. Ultimately which category you fall into depends on the aptitude and the willingness to learn within the constraints of all other factors like time.