Monday, December 14, 2015

The difference between Linux and Windows...


The link to the article is right here. Just click it. 

When you're exploring Linux, you should have a sense of adventure, and be willing to look for the not-exactly-hidden but yet not-painfully-obvious features. For example, in the article referred to here, he talks about Terminal, and how it compares (more or less) to Command Prompt (or Powershell) in Windows. But he doesn't go into detail, so you aren't being told, for example, that Terminal in Linux is even more configurable than Command Prompt in Windows.



Let me give you a quick example; let's look for the adjustment of the opacity of the Terminal window. When we look at Terminal, there's no traditional Menu bar or anything but a window showing a few cryptic words and a cursor. But wait! There's more... Just right-click anywhere inside that Terminal window, for a menu, and on it choose the bottom item "Show Menubar".

Now that we have a Menu Bar across the top of the window, we can choose "Edit" for another dropdown menu, and on it we find "Profile Preferences". That opens another window, with more tabs along its Title Bar, one of which is called "Background". Click into that one to adjust features of the window's background.
The transparency slider is down below, and we simply drag it left or right for lighter or darker.....


 And none of this is very obvious until you go poking and clicking things.... so don't be afraid to look for stuff that may be underneath the surface. They seem to be counting on our curiosity to discover some of this. And if you're up for it, it's fun! You could, of course, download the PDF of the User's Manual, but that will take all the fun out of it.... This way, it's like a Treasure Hunt.

I should also add here that the PDF available to guide users is not yet the latest version, but for the version which is now the one before this one, and it is more or less just a perfunctory introduction touching on the main features. So you are still encouraged to be brave and poke around in the program for yourself, and try things, and learn as you go. Life, after all, is a do-it-yourself project, and you should enjoy that. Mother isn't always going to be there to hold your hand, so you need to learn on your own..... so don't be afraid to try it.

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