Re: Should arrogant, self-important people be encouraged to use L inux?
On Sat, Apr 14, 2001 at 12:39:21PM -0400, Brenda J. Butler wrote:
> Anyway, the chap who started the thread is right. The open
> source collection now isn't the same as it was when we-all learned
> linux. These days, it _is_ really confusing to try to learn it by
> reading what comes on the system (all several gigs of it and
> badly organised, and directed to people who want to run web
> servers and other servers, and each new document features a reason
> why an older simpler package can't be used and this new, more complicated
> and more-integrated-with-other-stuff package should replace it).
1) kevin was factually right: documentation is a trouble spot.
2) kevin wanted someone else to fix it. for his sake. right now.
After several iterations of folks asking for him a) to specify
what troubles he was having so they could help out and b) to
think about pitching in to be part of the solution, he merely got
petulant ... And so we all chose -- independently, based on our
tolerance levels -- to cut him loose.
The trouble is, and this is probably what you're getting at -- is
that folks coming over from the mac or from windo~1 bring their
expectations with them, and the baggage that comes with it. When
i first started posting here, i was frequently amazed and
flabbergasted that anyone would be able to figure out any of this
stuff. "find files containing" = grep. "upgrade my system" = apt.
I got spanked a few times, and I'm Feeling Much Better Now.
Figuring out HOW to find things and WHERE to look, is a big, big
step. Especially for a debian/linux newbie.
> So don't look down your noses at newbies. They face a different,
> much more challenging world than you did when you learned it.
Most of us don't actively scorn newbies; we give them a chance or
two to really tick us off (search the archives for 'charles
lamb') and THEN we look down our noses at them. And even then, we
still go to http://newbieDoc.sourceForge.net/ and write the docs
they complain about not being able to find.
Wanna help? :)
--
don't visit this page. it's bad for you. take my expert word for it.
http://www.salon.com/people/col/pagl/2001/03/21/spring/index1.html
will@serensoft.com
http://sourceforge.net/projects/newbiedoc -- we need your brain!
http://www.dontUthink.com/ -- your brain needs us!
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