UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I had the consultant set up a red hat server we need to run MySQL on. Red Hat Enterprise. I paid for Red Hat so I could ask them dumb questions too.

He installed a GUI that it boots into - not sure what one.

In short; where do I start? I did a ton on Unix Shell programming on HPUX about 10 years ago but all those memories are gone. I'm sold on GUI; especially if it's as robust as Windows (ie: file explorer with drag/drop, all kinds of monitors, etc).

Thanks much!

Where to start? Depends what you want to do.

No GUI is going to be able to encompass everything, and relying on it will give a poor idea what the system actually does and is capable of.

Purists.

I guess I'm demanding but here's what I want from a GUI
- guides me to correct sync-ups. For example, opening stuff with the appropriate program.
- visually presents possible options so I don't have to be an expert to get good results

Is there a link for the non-purist? Maybe 3 or 4 hours of tutorial to get me started.

Thanks much!

Have you looked at the RHEL online documentation? See https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/docs/

It's not purism. I used to agree with you. I used Mandrake Linux with pure GUI for years -- but I learned nothing from it, and when it broke down I was helpless.

Most of what you're learning when you "learn shell" isn't shell at all. You're learning the shape of UNIX itself -- where files go, how files work, how paths work, how programs live and die and communicate, how to kill them, where devices are, how to use them, where partitions are, how they work, and how everything is connected together.

Besides, some important configuration files are scripts.

The GUI is not the system. UNIX isn't centralized like Windows is. If you don't spend at least a little time learning the fundamentals, it's going to haunt you.

Thanks -

I did spend 2 years writing hundreds of in-depth scripts on HP-UX. Yeaaars ago. I was just a programmer though; not responsible for systems management. Just stuff like data manipulation, scheduled FTP tasks, grepping like crazy, and wrote a simplistic Program Generator for SQL.

Scripting cannot be replaced with a GUI. Granted. Just want to jump-start on the basics a GUI can help on. Things like:

- Backup-n-recovery
- view / manage files and folders
- MySQL access and maintenance (using the free TOAD by Quest is a Godsend)
- User set-ups
- Applying patches and installing things like Backup-Exec drivers.

An analogy might be this "REPLY" box. All those GUI icons along the top mean I don't have to write the actual HTML script to attach pictures, add bullet items, etc. Even though I know HTML good enough, it's a LOT easier to just click it. If a simple bullet-list suffices then WHY bother?

Sorry to sound argumentative. I appreciate all suggestions.

I'm just asking what the best GUIs are that will help me manage things on a day-to-day basis. I've hired an (expensive) consultant who'll do the heavy lifting - hopefully rarely.

Also; if someone has a favorite tutorial where I can refresh on the basics (yes, including scripting).

Thanks!

Yes, this is completely and totally true.

Take some time to learn the CLI and you'll never regret it. Unix isn't Windows and you'll only be disappointed if you expect to it act like it is.