[SWLUG] Newbie alert!

[Plod]

Hi Guys

I don't have much to say on here, and never seem to get to meetings.  I have
had some contact  with Gedge (Hi Gedge) who got my samba up and running for
me, and I hope that I will be getting along to the pub sometime soon.  I
have been following this thread along and, as a TOTAL newbie.  I thought I
would chuck in some comments.  

I am indebted to windows because I wouldn't be doing the things I am doing
on the computer without them, however I do not like some the recent
"whistles and bells" that Microsoft think I need, so I thought I would look
into Linux.  The difficulty is that I have absolutely no computer literacy
beyond my status as a user.  Probably 70% of the postings on here sail right
over my head.  I have read and reread loads of how to Linux books, googled
until I am blue in the face, and still am bamboozled.

Would the group consider a "tutored installation and set up" day somewhere.
(My house might be big enuff for several folks and machines.  Also has a big
fridge for beer and tasty morsels:-)) Maybe we could set up a machine and
walk the real noobs, ( if there are any other than me!) through what makes
the machine tick and what bits can be touched and what bits not.  How a
Linux machine likes to be driven and all that (accounts and user groups
etc).  Where to find information on the settings, trouble shooting anomalies
and all that sort of stuff.  

I am running Mandrake 10 at the moment and the install was a real whizz, but
as loads of folks have said already that didn't teach me much at all.  I do
not even know how to "explore" my folders and files, ( a la Windows
Explorer.)

For some reason my machine calls itself "cpc2-cdif6-4-0-cust... Etc"  How do
I change that?  Also I have to reboot the machine every morning as I wake to
find that all of the RAM is in use, apparently by Nautilus, but when I try
and run Nautilus nothing happens.  ER?

These are probably really simple things that I got wrong during my install
and now I do not have the whit or wherewithal to sort it.

I would be happy to offer my machine for the install tutorial if folks are
there to give the lessons.  Bottom line is that I want to use Linux for more
than I do at present but I lack the basic knowledge and confidence to start
messing with it.  When I started in windows I had a couple of friends that
could get me out of any mess I caused myself, but with Linux I do not
understand the instructions let alone feel able to fix it.

Over to you guys.

Plod

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