[Mapserver-users] Pre-basics of a Linux install?

[Dale Trexel]

Hello folks,

I've decided to take the plunge and learn to use not only MapServer,
but also Linux as the OS. (I'm already rather familiar with ESRI
products in Windows, and I'm anxious to learn some alternatives,
especially for making spatial data available online.) I've been
listening to the mapserver-users list for about a week and I've been
reading about Linux and related topics from various sources for longer
than that. But I remain confused! I am getting the sneaking suspicion
that in order to really understand what is going on, I need to learn
how to program in C.

The MapServer web page, wiki, and mailing list archives have been very
informative, but I still have a lot of simple newbie questions that
I'd like to ask, but which would end up swamping out this mailing
list - especially questions that aren't directly related to MapServer
itself. So, to start, I'd like to ask one main question:

"Where can I find good tutorials on Linux, Apache, and the basics of
installing software that are newbie-friendly?"

By newbie-friendly, I mean things like NOT reverting to exclusive use
of acronyms or abbreviations immediately after the first use of a new
term (wouldn't it be nice if we all COULD learn a new language by
simply hearing each word defined once?); a glossary would be helpful,
especially if linked via hypertext in the tutorial; attempts to use
"plain English" wherever possible, making the fewest assumptions
possible about the background knowledge of the reader; a preference
for conceptual descriptions of basic components and how they go
together, rather than detailed information about specific components
and their multitudes of possible settings.

I'm making progress in my own installation, but it would be nice to
have answered such simple questions as "Does it matter which directory
I un-tar my source code in?" and "Ok, I went through the ./configure,
make, make install, but how do I know it worked, and how do I know
where stuff went?" and "How do I tell what version of program/library
X is installed?" etc., ad nauseum.

Thanks!

Dale Trexel
Conservation Biology Program
University of Minnesota