Just Installed Gentoo

My technical bi-curiousity finally got the best of me. Today, I installed a distro of Gentoo Linux configured specifically for my Compaq X1000 laptop by Ahmad. So far, all I can say is that it works. I don't know much about Linux or Unix, but, as a self-proclaimed geek, I think I'm long overdue for some exposure.

Hopefully, the feeling of being a n00b will subside soon. It really sucks not knowing your way around an OS, I just take Windows for granted. Not knowing how to do simple things like install a friggin' Firefox upgrade is rather humbling. I extract the installer to my desktop, run the setup script, and it defaults to attempting to install on the desktop!

Now, I know Firefox is already installed, but where? Right-click the shortcut, select properties, and I see "/usr/bin/firefox" Mmm, ok, so, do I just point the setup script there? Do I have to delete it first? Let's see what it contains. Oh, it's not a directory, it's a shell script! Wonderful. This really makes me appreciate OSs that don't make you think about this sort of thing.

I suspect that anyone reading this who knows Linux probably thinks I'm an idiot, but it's just this sort of thing that's deterred me from using it in the past. And I'm not alone. If the open source community ever expects to Linux to make a dent in the desktop market, they'll need to make little things like this "just work". Until then, a few users, like myself, may take the time to figure it out, but the majority will turn to more user-friendly alternatives.