Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 23:53:28 -0600 (MDT) From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: caldwell_david@hotmail.com, grog@lemis.com Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Beginning user's OS (was: Here is a really odd question!!!) Message-ID: <199807040553.XAA02368@softweyr.com> In-Reply-To: <19980703124514.H358@freebie.lemis.com> References: <19980703124514.H358@freebie.lemis.com>
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David Caldwell recently asked:
> I would like to know if this is a "good" operating system to start a
> young mind in learning to use a computer?
>
> I have a9 year old daughter and an 8 year old son who both have more
> curiosity about "how does your computer work Dad???" than I did when I
> bought my first TRS-80 model 3.My son at this moment is having some
> difficulty with his reading skills and doesn't really try that hard when
> I try to coax him into reading to me,so I thought that I would use his
> "want to know about a computer" to good use and set him up with a crash
> box 486 and a totally different operating system than the windows unit
> that he sees me working with.
>
> My theory is that UNIX and operating systems that work like it will
> never die and they are fairly complex to understand,they require a fair
> amount of reading to be done before trying to make additions or changes
> and the rewards for working at it can be immense.
>
> So we will kill several birds with one stone:his reading will improve,he
> will learn to type,he will know more about a computer (satisfying his
> curiosity),and the knowledge that he gains and the skills he learns will
> give him confidence.
So far, your reasoning seems flawless to me, if he will do it. Some
brain-dead PC dwweb "industry pundit" once described UNIX as the largest adventure
game ever created. If your children are curious about how a computer really
works, and are willing to poke around and look for themselves, a UNIX system
could be a really great start for them.
> Anyone can use DOS and Windows but it take a fair amount of brains to
> use UNIX and not crash it while maneuvering thru it.
This is a common misconception for those who don't know UNIX. If you don't
give your children access to the root, or super-user, account, it will be
nearly impossible for them to crash it, ESPECIALLY FreeBSD. Short of hitting
the power switch or the reboot button, there isn't much they can do. That
would be a good challenge for them: figure out how to break into the system
and force it to reboot without resorting to hardware, like the reset button.
> Am I barking up the wrong tree or should I go for it....any input would
> be most helpful and from more than one source would be
> appreciated...especially one with kids.
> I am at a loss as far as my daughters math skills but any suggestions
> there would be helpful.
I had a couple of computer programming classes in high school and one in
college, all based on batch-oriented systems. Then I regained my senses,
moved back home, and started taking classes at the local state college, now a
mid-sized university. They had a wonderful array of interactive computers,
including a DEC-10. I changed my major to computer science, and the computer
science department dutifully fulfilled my destiny by buying a very early
UNIX-based microcomputer.
To me, learning UNIX was never hard in the same way that learning to sail was
never hard. There were (and are) an immense number of things to learn, but
there was always a logical next step to learn. I encountered this system only
a few months after teaching myself C using a freeware compiler on a DEC
machine at the college. You just cannot imagine my delight in learning that
all of the programming interfaces for the system were exposed by reading the
header files in /usr/include, and by looking through the on-line man pages.
If your son is genuinely interested in how a computer works, giving him access
to a UNIX system WITH THE SOURCE CODE ON-LINE is going to satisfy any amount
of curiosity he may have.
I do, however, have another suggestion: have you considered getting a copy of
Minix, along with the textbook associated with it? I ask only because Minix
was designed by its author, Dr. Tanenbaum, to be an operating system suitable
for teaching about operating systems. It is not (nearly) as functional as
FreeBSD, but it is also significantly smaller and therefore easier to
comprehend. Minix does come with full source code for the operating system
and all of the utilities except the C compiler, which is distributed in binary
only.
I do not know if Minix and the related text, "Operating System Design and
Implementation" if memory serves, are currently in print or not, but it bears
looking into. It should run just fine on your 486; my introduction to Minix
came on "turbo-XT" class machines with 8 and 10 Mhz 8088s. ;^)
My hidden microphone recorded Greg Lehey (grog@lemis.com) replying:
% Interesting question. I gave up with my daughter (I just didn't have
% the time and patience to explain every detail). Still, she seems to
% be getting the hang of it.
%
% About the biggest thing I'm realizing from having a house full of
% computer semi-literates is that the biggest stumbling block is the
% ability to work with files, including editing. I'd recommend that
% your kids learn those concepts early on.
This is a good point. One of the traditional hurdles to UNIX acceptance has
been the lack of editors, or the plethora of editors, depending on who you
ask. Pick one that seems simple, teach both of your children how to write a
simple letter using it, and let them go on their own from there.
I will go so far as to suggest that there are a couple of editors based on the
X Window System that are somewhat more approachable than command-oriented
editors in UNIX. In particular, aXe (an X editor) is quite simple, and
reasonably fast on limited hardware like your 486.
The X Window System release that comes on the FreeBSD CD-ROMs, XFree86, is
quite good - it's stable, fast, and relatively easy to configure. That, along
with a simple default configuration, may go a long way towards taking the
scare out of editing UNIX files. ;^)
--
"Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"
Wes Peters Softweyr LLC
http://www.softweyr.com/~softweyr wes@softweyr.com
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