> Long time windows user trying to make the conversion to linux.
welcome…it is a pretty hard thing to get started here, but you have
taken the correct FIRST STEP (asking nicely)…
[congrats on that, we most often here get stuff like: I hate widows
but Linux is just too hard and SUCKS, bye!!]
> I know just enough about linux to poke around and realize that I should
> learn more. So that leads me into my first question.
>
> Is there a general linux tutorial out there somewhere.
great first question, i have lots of answers and far too much for you
to read in one sitting…but, START here:
http://en.opensuse.org/Concepts
some of your most BASIC questions and need-to-know can be answered in
this one document (and all the things it references! heh, like see
this section in particular, which directly addresses your second
question http://tinyurl.com/ovc9uu by linking to YaST…
> Really more a linux
> administrator tutorial that teachs me the basic path structure,
> configuration files I should know and how to edit them, how to install
> and configure software, what all the services do, security issues . . .
> etc. I basically need something to step through and teach me an
> intermediate level of linux so that I am not completely dependent on the
> pretty GUI’s which hide the real configurations.
PERFECT question…i like it because i asked it last century and got
this answer from an old guy who worked as an administrator on IBM’s
“Big Iron” back in the '60s, he said: “Unix System Administration”,
ISBN 0130206016"
but, i have a better answer (because it is free, and no trees have to
die for you to read it): Rute User’s Tutorial and Exposition
http://rute.2038bug.com/ is as good a place to start as any…
BUT, there are many others–AND, you have to remember that the various
‘flavors’ of Linux treat some things in different ways…if you spend
ALL of your time learning about openSUSE you will know that
only…unfortunately…in my opinion it is really good to know about
Linux in general, and THEN about things specific to Red Hat, SUSE,
etc…but, you have to START somewhere and that means specific while
all of these are pretty general:
http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2009/05/10/10-free-linux-ebooks-for-beginners/
where you will see Rute User’s again!
and, don’t forget the documentation installed on your system:
file:///usr/share/doc/manual/opensuse-manual_en/manual/index.html 
> So in general, I know this should be possible to install, but I have no
> idea how to do it and keep stumbling over my own ignorance. Can anyone
> give me some help please? Thanks.
it is SO easy:
-click on “Menu” the lizzard bottom (or top) left
-click System > Configuration > YaST
-give root password when asked
-click Software Management (then be patient, it usually takes a while)
-when it stop whirring, in the search box type OpenFOAM and press enter
OOOOPS, that does not work, not as easy as i had hoped…hmmmm
so, i look at
file:///usr/share/doc/manual/opensuse-manual_en/manual/index.html and
see (from my point of view) some pretty simple directions (which i
know sounds greek to you, patience) like:
“Decompress each file with GNU gtar and gzip using the command ”tar
xzf <filename>”” which translated into plain english and openSUSE means:
oh man, this is too long already…hey, did you ever use anything in
DOS/Window called Norton Commander?
while you have YaST running search for “midnight commander” and
install it, then go Menu > System > Terminal and pick “Gnome Terminal”
if you use gnome or konsole if you use KDE…when it opens type mc,
hit enter and marvel…you can use mc to “Decompress each file”
more later…(sorry)
dd
–
decorated_warrior