On 05/23/15 09:08 AM, Peter James wrote:

On 2015-05-23, Andrew Gabriel <usenet@cucumber.me.uk> wrote:

In article <slrnmltict.is.peter@phreddesimacg54.lan>,
Peter James <peter@pfjames.co.uk> writes:

I am a total newbie when it comes to Unix. Can anyone
point me in the direction of a free and good on-line
training site suitable for someone like me? A site
that they can actually recomend would be very useful.

You'll probably need to narrow things down a bit to get
any useful replies. e.g.
What area of unix (sysadmin, app development, kernel
development, performance tuning, system architecture, etc)
Which unix (e.g. Solaris, AIX, Linux, etc).
In the case of development, what languages, what type of
apps, etc.
Might also be useful to know what your current background
(if any) is in computing.

I never thought it would be so complicated.
I run an Apple iMac and using the terminal I have just installed
slrn. I found the process interesting but very difficult and
frustrating. I tried to install other Unix software but found it
impossible given the level of my present knowledge.

I decided I would like to learn more about the Unix
system, it's use as an alternative to the dreaded windows and I
thought it would be interesting to try and become competent in
its use.
So that, in a nutshell is what it's all about.

My current packground in computing is as a user only, I am a
retired civil servant with lots of time to dedicate to this
project.

Peter

I would recommend some higher goal such as software development. Using
a unix system isn't that much different than any other computer system
in that it is just an interface or barrier to do what you are actually
trying to do. There's a reason why tablets and things like ChromeOS are
so popular, many people just need the OS out of the way :). On the
other hand, unix has a lot of facilities that make software development
and building network infrastructure more pleasant.

Installing FreeBSD in a VM or on and old PC would be a good initial
pursuit and the docs are second to none
https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/

You may then wish to pick up a book like "The UNIX Programming
Environment" that explains how things like sh, sed, awk, make, C etc
work together to become a compelling development environment.

Regards,
Kevin

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