From: Joshua Mcneely - CST8207-17W Subject: Incredible Course Ian Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2017 17:59:39 To: Ian Allen Hi Ian, I have to admit, my first Linux class I was a little overwhelmed. I hated it, I vowed that I would never take a Linux job and I would just do what I had to do to get through your class. It was hard, really, really hard at first. By assignment 3 I wanted to throw away my laptop. It was my fault that I hated it, I mentally checked out and didn't want to learn it. But slowly as the semester wore on and I got comfortable moving around the command line, I vaguely enjoyed aspects of it. I found your website very confusing. I didn't know what I as reading. Zip forward to present day and without any hesitation, your class is by far my favorite. You are a great teacher and I want to thank you. You made Linux enjoyable to learn, I finally got use to your website (kudos by the way, that must have been a staggering amount of work to develop all that content), and I regret not putting more effort in during the beginning weeks. I enjoy solving the problems and puzzles you present. Its so satisfying to solve problems without any help. I am definitely a Linux person now. You have convinced me of its power and efficiency. I now run Xubuntu, and Kali at home. I'm addicted to learning more about it, which brings me to my question. I was wondering if you could give me any advice on what I could study over the summer to give me a leg up for next semester? How can I "Take control of my education" to set me on my path to become a Linux Master? perhaps learning Python or Perl? I came into this semester completely new to this industry and I want to prepare myself for future classes. I want to be a step ahead, but also, I really enjoy Linux and want to keep studying and playing around with it. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot Ian, It was a pleasure. I'll see you on Friday but if I don't get a chance to talk to you, Have a great summer! Josh McNeely From: Josh McNeely - CST8207-17W Subject: Re: Incredible Course Ian Date: Thu, 4 May 2017 16:29:37 To: "Ian! D. Allen" Hi Ian, You can absolutely share what I sent you. If I could give more advice to new students, especially ones that have never touched a Linux terminal, would be to take the recommended homework time a week and double it, or even triple it. Another point would be to learn how to use the website early, because it is an incredibly useful resource (it's the only resource needed). Also, a detailed spreadsheet of commands is essential for success. I started one around week 10 and wish I had one from the beginning. Thanks again Ian, Have a great summer! Josh McNeely