Advice On Teaching Linux To CS Freshmen?

copb.phoenix writes "I'm a sophomore Computer Science student teaching computing labs to a freshman class, getting ready to go over the major ins and outs of the Linux terminal and GUI. While I have my own ideas and the professor over this class to lean on, I've found it difficult to get the few students that I've tried to teach in the past to connect the dots and understand how it relates to what they already know about computers. Does anybody out there have any advice on how to engage and inspire our upcoming class? (Perhaps important: Our machines are running Ubuntu Hardy.)"

Re:They should already know!

[rainmouse]

Really, if they are going to be any good, they will most likely ALREADY know what Linux is and how it works.

If they don't, really, don't bother them with it. It'll just confuse them.

Really, if they are going to be any good, they will most likely ALREADY know what Linux is and how it works.

That's exactly the approach that makes most people who try Linux give up after a very short time. I personally tried it twice and found any problems I encountered making things work had no simple step by step instructions on how to fix.

Re:WHAT?

[Cidolfas]

I'd say about 80% of the CS students at my college have never touched Linux, and program only Java and C#. Granted, they also seem to be there only to get the CS degree and get a steady job at a code mill, but they really don't seem to be interested in computer science. I'd expect this is almost universally true.

Re:Pipes and more pipes.

[Anonymous Coward]

that is the ugliest pipeline I have ever seen. what you're trying to do doesn't even require pipes. learn some fucking manpage.

kill -9 `ps -o pid -u username`