UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Can somebody please tell me a little about UNIX OS. For instance, is it ideal for digital media or how easy is it to get help and support?

You would like to know a little about the UNIX O/S? Ok but which distro of UNIX? With UNIX there are many different version, solaris, HP, AIX and so on. Then there is Linux, well that's another story

Getting help really depends on the distro/version you are running. For a true UNIX (what I call Solaris, HP AIX etc) the help varies depending on what you purchased and if you upgraded your support for it. Though in general the support from the companies is good. Also don't forget sites like this one where everyone helps out each other, and google.com Oh yeah good support there

Don't forget though depending on the UNIX O/S you use it might not work on the hardware you have, be sure to check that first.

Hi !
I have some kind of experience on FreeBSD and Linux and I can say that on both you can find a lot of support, especialy on FreeBSD. The FreeBSD handbook is one of the best handbooks I've ever met. It has over 900 pages with only basic informaion on... everything. Also, you can find a lot of other handbooks (porters, developers, etc.).
Anyway, on other unixes I don't know... but I don't think is so difficult and, anyway, at least on the basics (which I gues you are interested in) you can learn from any unix distribution you want. The basics are alike on all unixes...
On digital media, I don't know what to say... I use sometimes GIMP and for what I need (working on some images for web sites) it is ok. I also use scribus when i'm helping one friend of mine putting up his news-paper and I'm satisfied on what I can do with it. But on professional media I never used UNIX. Anyway, I heared that a lot of effects on Matrix (the movie) were made under FreeBSD so it should be good on professional things too...
I hope this helped you a little bit...
Bye !

I see the honest curiosity in your question, but it is extremely general in nature.

I would suggest for you to read as much as you can about the several major flavors of Unix. These sites I have listed below have probably two of the most comprehensive compilations of unix flavors on the web.

http://www.levenez.com/unix/

http://www.ugu.com/

You can find/learn much from these sites.


Here is an excellent writing made available in html format. It discusses the philosophy, history, resiliency, and strengths/weaknesses of Unix.

The Art of Unix Programming by Eric S Raymond...