OMG !

A string that fits just what I am having problems with !

I "AM" new to Knoppix, I "AM" looking to install Knoppix to my HDD, I "WANT" to run Knoppix 100% of the time, and, I "AM" having issues with all the programs that are showing up in the Menus.

Shesh, can a newbie say, "Overkill?"

I am affraid of just running any of those cryptic three letter acronyms, who knows what they do? For all I know, one of those puppies could inadvertantly be the "Big Red Button" that the President presses to start World War III !

I like the -=- small -=- helpful paren text that follows some of the Menu entries in some of the menus, they help. But, when a new person is looking for something that does "something" - that is a lot of menus to go looking through. Most of the higher Menus help; having KNOPPIX, Security, System, Office, Menus at the higher levels help you break down where you need to go. BUT, when you open one of those menus, you get flooded with a ton of programs, which one to use? Which one is best to use? Which is a simple program that does what you need, and which ones are like the CADALAC of these programs -=- case in point -=- Windows from version 95, and up, has always had Notepad, and WordPad - Notepad is an easy to use, no frilles, editor - whereas Wordpad is like the full-blown Word that comes with Office xxxx - If you need some features of Word, you can use Wordpad - and if you need all the "bells and whistles" - you run Word.

As my string in General Support is about, Maybe a Newbie suggestion on Books? Something a new person, like myself, can go to and find answers, what programs do, and when they can be used, and for what.

The forums here are good, don't get me wrong - but, a Crash-Course, Knoppix for Dummies book, literature, lite reading, Encyclopedia of sorts COULD help immensely on the topic. I could go to the book with questions, I could curl up with it going to bed, and learn without bugging everyone in the world about how stupid I am with this. It kinda helps a newbie to feel self-sufficiant on the issues of not knowing what they are doing. Shesh, I used to BARELY work in a Unix shop, and if I didn't have some background in the subject, just seeing a Unix command like Tar, and Cat, would make me wonder what the heck do they do? Reminds me, does Knoppix, Linux, Unix, have an equivalent to ZIP? (like WinZip in Windows?)

WOW! I was SOOOO impressed with the Live CD of Knoppix! It amazed me that something this good even existed, outside of the World of MS Domination, and all with Open Source - WOW ! All the PROVIDED applications, the games, the security programs, you had me floored. I was like a small child in a candy store, with a no limit expense account. Now that I am serious about converting from the MS world to Knoppix/Debian/Linux/Unix - I am just NOW - seeing as in the case of Neo, in the Matrix - Just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

I think the main thing that gets me so hyped with Knoppix is that I can see what I can do with just the Live CD, and think, what more can I do if I install it ? ? ? Another case in point - when I just started programming with Visual Basic in Windows, the have a Help System for looking up commands, properties, etc... that comes with the program - I hate it! You can only find something in the Help System if you know what you are looking for. How would a newbie to VB know what a command is, if they don't know what it does? How could they find something without knowing what the command does? The Help System is a Glossery Indexed system. You need to know what the command name is to find the "How To" information for it. New people don't know that. They know they want to do "this", and need something that relates that to "what does that".

i.e. Cross-Indexed -=- Most Help is set up on the subject, then tells you what it does - what a newbie probably needs is the reverse.

I need something that compresses files? Tar.

Not,

What is Tar? A file compression program.

Oh well,
Cuddles