Is 50 too old to be learning Linux
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
Paul S Wilcox wrote:
...the Amiga (which was Unix based)...
I had always thought it was based on Exec (or something similarly named).
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Like the rest, I am going to say no, it's not too late. I think the articles Vince posted on the CP sister site is a good place to start: http://www.rootadmin.com/Articles/298/Learning-Linux-for-Windows-Users-Part-1[^] Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
Damn I didn't even know about that site (and apparently not many people knows about it, it has under 1,000 members)
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
Don't be ridiculous. Why would it be? Ubuntu is just fine. It will even install as a dual-boot without interfering with your current OS. (I think they call it the 'wubi' installer or something.) It's definitely worth noodling with, especially since you're asking on a programming forum :)
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
Do you feel too old to spend a weekend in Paris?
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
Paul S Wilcox wrote:
Amiga (which was Unix based)
I am pretty sure it wasn't, unless you installed Amiga Unix on it.
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Never too old... You could start with something like Ubuntu, which is quite simple to use (lots of GUI that help). If you want suffering you can always go to debian. PS: my happy ie10 and its autocorrection feature activated when the language is Spanish can be the reason for some strange words...
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Wouldn't he better served finding a young mistress?
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50 should be a perfect age to cultivate the epic neckbeard required to fully get into Linux.
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Like the rest, I am going to say no, it's not too late. I think the articles Vince posted on the CP sister site is a good place to start: http://www.rootadmin.com/Articles/298/Learning-Linux-for-Windows-Users-Part-1[^] Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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Paul S Wilcox wrote:
I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :O ows.
The fact that the AmigaDOS was based on Unix will not help you a single bit under Linux.
Paul S Wilcox wrote:
I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro.
Trying stuff is always a good idea. Try a few of them; you can install them on a USB-stick and boot from that. Besides Ubuntu, I'd recommend trying "Damn Small Linux". And, you might be interested in trying AROS[^].
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
Eddy Vluggen wrote:
The fact that the AmigaDOS was based on Unix will not help you a single bit under Linux.
Except for knowing what cd and rm stands for. As in don't try this at home:
alias rm=rm
cd /
rm *First *nix machine I did that on was some SCO installation I tried out and was tired of. :^)
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
I'm 50 and have been a reluctant (for work reasons) user of Ubuntu the last 8 months or so. I have come to a greater appreciation of all things Windows as a result. Even the fonts look like crap in Ubuntu. Now, on a sort of positive note, it's an OS, and like any OS, I want it to get out of the way of doing work. I think Windows does that better as well, but I've appreciated learning more about the Linux world. People think differently using Linux. I had an ah-ha moment yesterday, when I realized that most people in the Linux world use basic text editors that don't have intellisense, code completion, etc., and as a result, their code is very, very, different -- I believe the emphasis on strings and parsing rather than well designed OO classes is a direct result of the kinds of tools that Linux devs use. Bear in mind my experiences are limited to Ruby on Rails at the moment, but from all the code I see out there, there is very little good OO architecture and lots of one-off parsing and bizarre formats. Anyways, 50 is not too late, it is an interesting experience, but at the end of the day, I'm left yearning for the pleasure of Windows, Windows applications, and doing development in C# and .NET--Ubuntu, the apps under Ubuntu, etc., are simply klunky, in my opinion. Marc
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Paul S Wilcox wrote:
I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :O ows.
The fact that the AmigaDOS was based on Unix will not help you a single bit under Linux.
Paul S Wilcox wrote:
I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro.
Trying stuff is always a good idea. Try a few of them; you can install them on a USB-stick and boot from that. Besides Ubuntu, I'd recommend trying "Damn Small Linux". And, you might be interested in trying AROS[^].
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Having used all the flavours of Windows since Windows 3.1 right up to Windows 8 and having used Amiga OS 1.3 to 3.9 before then I'm wondering if it's time to try a Linux distro. What I'm wondering is, have I left it too late at the age of 50 to start to get into the intricacies of Linux and which distro would be a good one to start with? I don't mind getting my hands 'dirty' with writing scripts and using a CLI as I've done this before on the Amiga (which was Unix based) and on Wind :-O ows. Any thoughts?
I’ve seen people at 50 do more daft things than learning a new programming language or OS. When I look at doing or learning new things I never think “Am I too old?” But I do think of two things.. “Can I physically do this without injuring myself too badly?” and more importantly, “Do I want to do this?”
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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Paul S Wilcox wrote:
...the Amiga (which was Unix based)...
I had always thought it was based on Exec (or something similarly named).
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous
It is. There were four main parts to the Amiga OS, Exec, AmigaDOS, Intuition and Workbench. Each performed a specific function: Exec is the underlying kernel: similar to the Windows & Linux kernels AmigaDOS was the Disk Operating System; Intuition controlled UI elements Workbench was the GUI.
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Do you feel too old to spend a weekend in Paris?
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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Don't be ridiculous. Why would it be? Ubuntu is just fine. It will even install as a dual-boot without interfering with your current OS. (I think they call it the 'wubi' installer or something.) It's definitely worth noodling with, especially since you're asking on a programming forum :)
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I’ve seen people at 50 do more daft things than learning a new programming language or OS. When I look at doing or learning new things I never think “Am I too old?” But I do think of two things.. “Can I physically do this without injuring myself too badly?” and more importantly, “Do I want to do this?”
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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Paul S Wilcox wrote:
Amiga (which was Unix based)
I am pretty sure it wasn't, unless you installed Amiga Unix on it.
My reference to the Amiga being Unix based was maybe in error. Although the Amiga did use a multi-user, fully pre-emptive multitasking kernel. Workbench (the GUI) only implemented a single user interface though. Still, it was way ahead of its time for a consumer computer. What other home computer had a pre-emptive multitasking kernel and a GUI in 1985?