Re: Linux for dummies, ThinkPad Lenovo, Linux install, email, etc.

["Michael Paoli" <Michael.Paoli@cal.berkeley.edu>]

Ilsa,

Well, good to hear from you, but wow, ... some useful - and interesting
points ...

Does help to update Subject: header as to be reasonably relevant.
E.g. you sent an email to the Berkeley Linux Users Group,
but with subject having to do with BALUG - which is the
Bay Area Linux Users Group - that's a totally different (Linux) User Group,
and mostly about a specific meeting of theirs.  Folks might see a Subject
like that and ignore and not open the email if it's a topic not of interest
to them.  Also, appears the email was sent before that particular meeting,
but arrived after it - and as the meeting date was also in the Subject,
folks might've been even more likely to ignore it, as something already in
the past.

So, okay, Lenovo Thinkpad ... it would be good to post to list the
relevant information, e.g. make (which you covered), but also model,
and hopefully also with some relevant specifications, e.g.
size of drive, total RAM, what CPU (that may also be determined from
the model - at least if the CPU hasn't been upgraded).  I think also,
on Lenovo Thinkpads, like IBM Thinkpads before them, it's good to be as
specific as feasible on the model.  E.g. I have a quite old IBM
Thinkpad:
IBM ThinkPad T40p TYPE 2373-G1U
It's commonly known as "T40p" - but that's actually a series of models,
with somewhat varying specifications, whereas the 2373-G1U is the specific
model that comes (pre-)configured with a specific set of options and
specifications.  By carefully looking at the information on the computer,
typically near the serial number, there is generally some other identifiers
that give the "model" number - though some manufacturers may use slightly
different terms for that - but it's usually closely located to the serial
number and generally similarly marked, ... so on ye olde IBM ThinkPad,
it was (at least for the exact model I had) "TYPE 2373-G1U".  Anyway, if
folks know the make/model(/specifications), folks can better
determine or even start to guestimate what distributions/configurations
could actually run on such hardware, to those that are likely to perform
reasonably and continue to do so and be supported for some fair time
into the future.

Also, as some(/many) folks will often point out, good to know the objectives.
E.g. what is one trying to achieve, what does one want to do with/on it.
Such information can well help folks hone in on what distribution(s) and
versions might be best suited for a particular use case scenario.  Also
including information such as what the user(s) are already more/most
familiar with and how (not so?) easily they may be able to deal with
how much change from what they're used to, can also be relevant.

Anyway, the Berkeley Linux User Groups (BerkeleyLUG) may be most
conveniently located to you (at least if I'm guessing correctly on
where you reside).  The Bay Area Linux Users Group (BALUG), however,
meets in San Francisco, and also generally doesn't have convenient (or even
necessarily any) access to AC power and/or networking - so that may not be
a convenient location nor a handy one for doing Linux installs (but might
be fine for picking up an ISO image - particularly if one has determined
in advance what's needed, and communicated the information in advance so
person(s) may have such image(s) on hand on suitable media at the meeting).
Of course can also generally likewise get ISO(s) at BerkeleyLUG meetings.

Anyway, by providing both hardware specifications, and use case information,
folks can much better determine what may be a good/best fit - without that
information, dear knows what's most appropriate, or would even work at all.

And, interestingly, your email took a *long* time to get to me - and I'm
presuming most (or all) others too.  From what I see, that would also seem
to be a Google booboo - and not at all your fault - at least as far as  
I can see.

Anyway, for some of the more nerdly folks, here's a relevant bit of that from
the original headers of your posting (at least as I received them):
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> From: ilsa <ilsa.bartlett@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: BALUG: meeting TOMORROW!: Tu 2018-04-17; & other BALUG News
> Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 18:02:47 +0000

> Good afternoon
> I'm still trying to figure out a way to do Linux for dummies
> A couple of days ago I got a ThinkPad Lenovo and it's ready for a form of
> Linux that an interested ordinary person could use so let's be in touch
> I'm really glad that this happened that I have the ThinkPad and I can just
> load it up and start using it without any problems it's a new to me used
> computer and it seems just perfect so I'm hopeful that somebody in the
> group will be interested in telling me where to come and what to do to get
> this ThinkPad fueled up and sent on its wonderful Adventure
> Thank you very much I'll look forward to seeing you soon
> With much gratitude and respect
> ilsa
>
> On Mon, Apr 16, 2018, 12:43 AM Michael Paoli <Michael.Paoli@cal.berkeley.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > BALUG: meeting TOMORROW!: Tu 2018-04-17; & other BALUG News

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