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computa_mike
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:36 pm
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:45 pm Post subject: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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Back roughly September 2010, there was mention in Linux Format about the T155 Open University Introduction course for Linux. I've just finished said course and felt the need to caution readers against wasting their money.
The course costs £200, but I certainly feel that you won't get a better and more rounded experience of the operating system than by Following Mike Saunder's LPI column. It will leave you in roughly the same position in terms of knowledge, and with much more cash in you wallet.
Bottom line : Save £200, avoid the OU like the plague and instead use the excellent materials in LF. |
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Rhakios
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Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2005 12:18 am
Posts: 7473
Location: Midlands, UK
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| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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Really Mike, it's a bit of an obvious plug when you use your own name in another username. 
_________________
Bye, Rhakios |
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Marrea
LXF regular
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:32 pm
Posts: 1846
Location: Chilterns, West Hertfordshire
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| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:23 pm Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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| computa_mike wrote: | | ... Mike Saunder's LPI column. |
Mike's series is brilliant and so useful that I was thinking of scanning all the articles so I can have them easily accessible as pdfs on my computer. Then I realised that there are already pdfs on the LXF discs. Unfortunately I am still going to have to scan them in. Why? Because the images of the screenshots are of such poor resolution as to render their inclusion in the pdfs a complete waste of time. Surely it is possible to make them legible without increasing the file size of the pdf too much?
I mean - what is the point of including something like this if you can't read it? 
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
And unfortunately this holds true for all the subscriber downloadable pdfs which is why I never bother with them. Great shame really. |
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Nerdy-ish
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:05 am
Posts: 45
Location: Infront of computer
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| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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I was thinking of the OU course, as a way of getting a certificate without doing too much work / not too much money, but really, what stopped me is the thought of un-installing a nice setup that I have on an older machine, for Ubuntu.
Ubuntu, no thanks! |
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ollie
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Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:26 pm
Posts: 2749
Location: Bathurst NSW Australia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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| Marrea wrote: | I mean - what is the point of including something like this if you can't read it?
Image removed by ollie
And unfortunately this holds true for all the subscriber downloadable pdfs which is why I never bother with them. Great shame really. |
That's really strange Marrea. I just checked LXF145 downloaded PDF (complete) and went to the Mike LPI course and I could read the screenshots at 100%. Admittedly they were much better at 150% or over but my notebook is HD - 1920 x 1080 - so the pixels are small. |
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SabreWolfy
Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 8:16 am
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 12:33 pm Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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| ollie wrote: | | Marrea wrote: | I mean - what is the point of including something like this if you can't read it?
Image removed by ollie
And unfortunately this holds true for all the subscriber downloadable pdfs which is why I never bother with them. Great shame really. |
That's really strange Marrea. I just checked LXF145 downloaded PDF (complete) and went to the Mike LPI course and I could read the screenshots at 100%. Admittedly they were much better at 150% or over but my notebook is HD - 1920 x 1080 - so the pixels are small. |
Is there difference between the PDF on the cover DVD and the PDF which subscribers can download? |
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M-Saunders
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Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:14 pm
Posts: 2881
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry about this. We currently have two options for generating PDFs here: low-res (small file size) or high-res (huge file size). I'll speak to our pre-press people here to see if there's anything we can do.
Meanwhile, the full issue PDF (LXFXX.complete.pdf) should have better quality images, without being too large.
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SabreWolfy
Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 8:16 am
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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Would there be a shortage of space on a DVD?  |
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M-Saunders
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Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:14 pm
Posts: 2881
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, sorry, I was thinking about the website archives. OK, for 146 onwards I'll put high-res versions of the previous LPI tutorials on the DVD.
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SabreWolfy
Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 8:16 am
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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| M-Saunders wrote: | Ah, sorry, I was thinking about the website archives. OK, for 146 onwards I'll put high-res versions of the previous LPI tutorials on the DVD.
M |
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Marrea
LXF regular
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 10:32 pm
Posts: 1846
Location: Chilterns, West Hertfordshire
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 4:00 pm Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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| ollie wrote: | | That's really strange Marrea. I just checked LXF145 downloaded PDF (complete) and went to the Mike LPI course and I could read the screenshots at 100%. Admittedly they were much better at 150% or over but my notebook is HD - 1920 x 1080 - so the pixels are small. |
Hi ollie
I too have now checked Part 5 of the School of Linux series in the LXF145 subscriber download PDF and you are quite right. The screenshots are legible. I can easily read the title line "mike@localhost:~" in the first screenshot of that article.
However, looking at the subscriber download of Part 4 in LXF144 I would never know that the title line in the first screenshot was "mike@debian: /etc/apt". I only know that because it is quite clear in my copy of the magazine!
Obviously the screenshots in LXF145 are higher resolution than those in LXF144. (Later edit: I've just checked: the pdf file size for the downloaded article in LXF145 is 1,776 KB, whereas that for LXF144 is 763 KB.)
| M-Saunders wrote: | | OK, for 146 onwards I'll put high-res versions of the previous LPI tutorials on the DVD. |
Hi Mike
Many thanks. That'll be great. I'm most grateful. |
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johndough
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 7:50 pm
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 9:20 am Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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[quote="computa_mike"]Back roughly September 2010, there was mention in Linux Format about the T155 Open University Introduction course for Linux. I've just finished said course and felt the need to caution readers against wasting their money.
Hi
Well I did the course, and so did the editor of LXF at the time, and I was pleased with the result, wasn't he as well.
You get points, not prizes, towards a degree. BSc I believe.
The mag section isn't any near as good.
Since the point seems to be saving money, as my subscription is due to expire in 2 issues time I think, then Linux Magazine is lower priced. £40 quid a year with no DVD, £50 quid with DVD or LXF at £60 quid a year.
Mike you've convinced me on the money saving idea. I can get Linux Mag at £4 a copy or LXF at £5 a copy.
No-Brainer really. |
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johndough
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 7:50 pm
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| Nerdy-ish wrote: | I was thinking of the OU course, as a way of getting a certificate without doing too much work / not too much money, but really, what stopped me is the thought of un-installing a nice setup that I have on an older machine, for Ubuntu.
Ubuntu, no thanks! |
Use a virtual machine, qemu or vbox. The thing is based on Ubuntu, but the principles apply to all the distros really. |
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Dutch_Master
LXF regular
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:49 am
Posts: 2353
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| Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 10:40 am Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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| johndough wrote: | | No-Brainer really. |
Goodbye then...
You don't seriously think Future will change their policies just because you said so? They've made it clear in the past that there'll be no PDF-only or no-DVD option, so why do people keep moaning on about it...  |
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johndough
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 7:50 pm
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: Save your cash - buy Linux Format |
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| Dutch_Master wrote: | | johndough wrote: | | No-Brainer really. |
Goodbye then...
You don't seriously think Future will change their policies just because you said so? They've made it clear in the past that there'll be no PDF-only or no-DVD option, so why do people keep moaning on about it... |
I wasn't.
I want a magazine with a DVD coverdisk, in fact I found that really thin eco-disk very usable. Never had a failure. |
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