Thoughts on RTFM
Greetings all,
My recent difficulties with printer and mail setup have led to to the point
where I simply must express my thoughts on "RTFM".
1. I'm beginning that this should be the credo to linux use. Which would be
fine if reading the "fine" manual didn't imply previous knowledge of the OS
or app that one is reading on
2. Here's an appropriate analogy:
I've decided to learn .... Hebrew, after some research, I find an instructor
(eg a mailing list) and am given directions to download a complete list of
standard vocabulary, syntax, sentence structure, and other tools necessary
to learn this new language. I begin to read these documents, only to
discover within the first page, that it has been written from the point of
someone ~raised~ with Hebrew. Their are shortcuts, strange citations,
symbols and references to structures that only make sense once Hebrew has
~been learned~. It becomes an excercise in circular reasoning. In order to
learn A, one must read B, which extensively references C, which directs one
to re-read A. If in doubt return to C ... or was that B.
Do you see. No-one can possible be expected to ~read for comprehension~ a
manual that has ~not~ been written with a ~complete~ newbie in mind. In a
previous response to email regarding my ongoing email problems, I made
reference to the Mutt manual. Section 6.3 Configuration Variable is chock
full of all kinds of variable that can be invoked through command line or
the config file. The author(s) forgot to include any ~in context~ examples
or to identify which of these variables requires the #$% ~set~ prefix. Ah
well ... I guess I have the time to configure, test, oops ... remove the
"set", re-save, test again .... until I have it running as I wish.
Yep ... allowing the user to have complete and total control over the way
their system runs is a grand idea. I actually fully support it (hence my
refusal to cave-in and use M-crap). But somewhere along the line, bells and
whistles should have gone off that all the configuring in the world WILL NOT
HAPPEN without clear, concise, and comprehensible instructions/directions.
I vow that once I've overcome the current mail hurdle ~I~ will document my
trials and errors and post them to the web in a format that a complete and
utter newbie will be able to understand. I've got to assume that no one is
getting rich off the constant mistakes and misconfigurations that many
people suffer from. Nah .... that would be too much like BG.
Last words (for now) ... in order for Open Source to have continued and
increasing validity, it ~has~ to mean more than just "change at will". It
must include "if I've written the application, I will include ~clear~
instructions".
All for now,
C. Masters
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