Summer Linux Classes at Mesa Community College

[Phillip Waclawski]

The full, official title of the class is "Linux Operating System" http://www.maricopa.edu/curriculum/A-C/042cis126dl.html 
I agree that we do indeed need to write a class for an "Intro to the Linux Desktop". 
I disagree that we should throw out the command line. While it is not necessary for the average user to know all the power of the command line, it is a disservice to our students to pretend it doesn't exist. I have amazed some windows users with what you can do at the command line in windows, and of course there is now "powershell" and other tools for windows command line. A desktop class should only have a very brief/quick intro to the command line, but I would be opposed to a class that doesn't even mention it. 

Phil Waclawski 
CIS Faculty Mesa Community College 
(Technically Dennis and Der Hans' Evening Supervisor ;) 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Ted Gould" <ted at gould.cx> 
To: plug-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us 
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 7:43:21 PM 
Subject: Re: Summer Linux Classes at Mesa Community College 

On Sun, 2011-05-22 at 22:25 -0700, Dennis Kibbe wrote: 
> >It seems to me that "Introduction to Linux" is probably a bad title 
> for 
> >the class. It seems from the description it's closer to "Basic 
> System 
> >Administration of Linux." I, for one, would hope that we're at the 
> >point where the introduction to Linux in general doesn't include a 
> >command line. 
> 
> I start out with Ubuntu since it's easy to install anywhere and has 
> good support for VirtualBox. I want students to get excited about 
> Linux if they have never seen it before. After a couple of weeks with 
> Ubuntu we install CentOS either on the system or as a VM. This gives 
> them a taste of the Red Hat way of doing things and lets us explore 
> some things (runlevels, GRUB) that Ubuntu makes, well, just too 
> easy. :-) 
> 
> From the beginning I show them how the command line can automate a 
> simple task that if done in the GUI would take much longer. We do 
> spend quite a bit of time working in the CLI. Some students have come 
> back and told me that was the part they liked best about the class. 
> Others, well, just don't like to type. (This from the generation that 
> can type 30 wpm with their thumbs while navigating an LA freeway.) 

That makes sense, to be clear I'm not saying such a class shouldn't 
exist, just to the name. It seems that if I had a company that I was 
switching all my secretaries from Windows to Linux I might suggest they 
take an "Introduction to Linux" to be prepared for the shift. Clearly 
this isn't a course for them :-) 

I think that this is a problem that the "Linux Desktop" has in general. 
Too many people associate the term "Linux" with servers and think that 
it can only exist there. That means we'll never win in the consumer 
space. Perhaps that's why it's not "Android Linux" :-) 

> I wonder what things will be like in 3~5 years when keyboards are 
> obsolete and everything has a touchscreen? 

On screen keyboards? ;-) 

On Sun, 2011-05-22 at 21:43 -0700, der.hans wrote: 
> While I understand what you're saying, I disagree. Yes, basic GNU/Linux 
> desktop usage should not require use of the command line. Classes, 
> however, should at least give a basic introduction, especially in regards 
> to taking advice from the Internet that involves sudo, su or root :). A 
> class is a great place to demystify the command line for those unfamiliar 
> with it. 

While I'll accept other reasons, this one I won't -- lazy tutorial 
writers and blog authors shouldn't be a reason to teach people overly 
complex techniques. And, effectively, continue a mythology that you can 
only use Linux if you're a techie or able to use the command line well. 
As Linux enthusiasts we need to all work to rid the Internet of these 
instructions. I tried to convince a couple of folks at Google that they 
shouldn't index anything with the string "sudo" in it; I haven't been 
successful... yet... 

> Happily for you they specifically require GNOME knowledge :). 

They'll need to upgrade that to Unity knowledge ;-) 

--Ted 


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