If you want to learn German, Go to Germany.

Likewise, if you really want to learn linux, then make it your sole operating system. It doesn't make it any easier to learn, but it forces you to learn it anyway. I had been meaning to make the switch from Windows to linux for quite a while, but I approached it the same way I approach really, really cold water, on a really warm day. I dipped a toe in, then, as soon as it became uncomfortable, yanked it back out, telling myself I would do it for real next time.

Then some spyware came by, and like a schoolyard bully, shoved me facefirst into the icy waters of linux, and I have spent the last ...week? 2weeks? I don't even know how long... sputtering and coughing up boot configurations and driver incompatibilities, and shivering from the shock of the sudden immersion.

But now, I am starting to adjust, and the environment feels more familiar. I am still only doggie-paddling through the graphical interface, but I have managed to get a few things set up the way I want, and I am able to look forward to the day when I will cut through the waters with dolphin-like grace and ease.

Thanks to everyone for being patient with me through my blogging hiatus while I suffered through this period of adjustment.