My head is spinning

[Amber2011]

Not a question just a comment. This Ubuntu stuff is overwhelming. I like learning it and all but man. It is like learning a new language,
there is terminals, grub. kernels, samba, wine, repositories just to name a few. I don't know where to begin, my brain is fried. But I am tired of windows and like Ubuntu.

[rburkartjo]

amb it is no harder than learning windows. in fact much easier. remember just learn at your own speed.enjoy

[tuahaa]

I was quite lost when I installed ubuntu. Infact, I had no choice- my windows broke and there was no way to fix it. Then I found ubuntu. I didn't even know what linux was.

I remember when I found out there was something called "wine"- gave me huge headaches but now I can get my windows programs working in a breeze!

Just give it time, don't try to learn everything, just learn what you need to do. It will come to you eventually.

[willhurley82]

Just take your time. I'm switching over myself, considering I started with Dos 6, Ubuntu is different, but so much easier. Just seems really complex at first. I'm sure it'll get easier for both of us

Dave

[mikewhatever]

Give it a couple of weeks. That should be enough to get comfortable with the terminology, and hard as it may seem, you will feel a lot more comfortable.

[Biddlesby]

It is most definitely not as easy as learning windows. But it is far more rewarding.

I'm now comfortable getting around linux. It is so much nicer having an idea of how your nicely-designed operating system works at the basic level, rather than in windows
where all you get is some top-level microsoft junk.

[Dutch70]

Welcome to UF Amber.
It does seem quite overwhelming at first, but at least here, you've got plenty of support when you need it, and Linux is free in every sense of the word!!! It may take longer to fully grasp that concept, than it does to learn the OS.

It is most definitely not as easy as learning windows.

I kindly disagree with that Biddlesby. Just ask anyone that learned Linux well, before they learned windows. That is, if ...they were ever able to learn windows. I believe it's actually the knowing of one OS that makes the other seem more difficult.

Also, how many times people have reformatted windows, and fought through problem after problem. Not to mention paying dearly for it. Then, the first sign of trouble with a Linux OS, and they're ready to give up on it.
Just human nature I suppose.

[maqtanim]

... It is like learning a new language,
there is terminals, grub. kernels, samba, wine, repositories just to name a few ...

Then just don't bother to learn those "terms"! Just start Ubuntu, play around with your mouse. Forget about the terminal, repositories etc. You really donot need to know those things! I myself seldom use the terminal! Just remember that (1) to install/remove any software just go to the Ubuntu Software Center and (2) to run any application just go to the Applications menu.

[willhurley82]

It is most definitely not as easy as learning windows.

Not really, when I was a child, I had Windows 3.11 and had to use DOS 6 to install and run much of the software used, at the time. Back then, most software instructions were written for DOS, I had to learn how to do it in Windows (which was much easier). DOS 6 wasn't bad, and it only took a couple of months to get it down, completely. I'm assuming Terminal is the ultimate command prompt utility, and therefor more complex to learn?

EDIT:
Let me explain why I put the thing about DOS. Over the past year, or longer, I've often been finding myself using the Command Prompt (dos) to do tasks that Windows Vista/7 GUI cannot do. I am under the assumption that Terminal is the original way to control Linux-based systems and also more for more advanced users, similar to Command Prompt in MS based OS.

[deconstrained]

My dad, who's never had much experience with computers at all, grew to like Ubuntu.

Most of the time you can do without any knowledge of Linux. 90% of mess-ups that require more advanced knowledge are when you try something fancy or unconventional with it.