new to linux, where to begin

[Debee Norling]

Chris,

I know a lot more about Windows, and I do know that many of these XP
machines come with a restore disk that will wipe out other partitions if
given half a chance.

I ditched Windows and am using my old machine, which ran Windows really slow
anyway and isn't worth more than $20 on the open market. Best of all, I
don't have to worry about accidentally screwing anything up.

If you ask around, being a computer science student, you could probably
score reject computers from your school or your command-line impaired
buddies.

I am only an amateur programmer -- never graduated from college -- but I
don't think I could call myself a real programmer until I learn UNIX. So
just think of this as part of your education!

--Debee