One of the greatest mistakes often made by new UNIX users is attempting to install and run a complete Linux system without much background UNIX knowledge. To put it simply, without previous UNIX experience, installing and running Linux is going to prove difficult at best. This is the case with all implementations of UNIX. Nobody can expect to go from being a UNIX novice to a UNIX system administrator overnight. Too much of the time, MS-DOS users are tempted to dive into the Linux world, expecting that it will be easy to pick up ``as you go along'' without any external help. As the expression goes, ``This isn't Kansas anymore.'' UNIX is not like MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows. No implementation of UNIX is expected to run trouble- and maintenance-free. Every UNIX system needs a system administrator, and if you are the system administrator for your soon-to-be-Linux system, you need to learn quite a few things about using and running UNIX before you begin.
This may sound like a tall order, but it really isn't so bad. There are many good introductory UNIX books on the market: See Appendix A for a list. Many new UNIX users expect to install Linux in order to learn UNIX, but we're afraid that it's supposed to work the other way around. Installing and setting up a UNIX system of your own is a challenging task even for very experienced system administrators. This is not to say that it is difficult, but only that you will benefit greatly from UNIX experience and an understanding of the process. Should you have trouble installing the system, you will know how to investigate and fix the problem yourself without having to find outside help. You must be aptly prepared for the journey which lies ahead. Otherwise, if you're new to UNIX, you may very well become overly frustrated with the system. It is very important to do some reading and experimentation with UNIX systems before attempting to run your own Linux system.