“Once upon a time, Linux was a hacker’s operating system, in the
sense that only the most dedicated and enthusiastic computer geeks
had the motivation and skill to make sense of it and make it work
for them. That has been changing for several years, and now it’s
entirely possible for casual computer users to make the transition
from Microsoft Windows without undue difficulty. In fact, it is
possible now for someone to make the switch to Linux and never even
have to use the command line interface. GUI utilities and
configuration tools are available from installation onward, and in
the case of some operations–like using the graphical interfaces
for software management programs–basic system functionality is
made even easier to use than equivalent tasks in Microsoft
Windows…”
Related Story:
O’Reilly
Network: Top 10 Tips for Linux Users(Sep 02, 2000)