Date: 22 Jan 2001 13:56:40 -0800 From: Steve M <slavik944@metconnect.com> To: mwm@mired.org Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: RE: FreeBSD vs linux (some venting) Message-ID: <20010122215640.12072.cpmta@c004.sfo.cp.net>
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On Mon, 22 January 2001, Mike Meyer wrote: > > Steve M <slavik944@metconnect.com> types: > > I've fixed the formatting on your mail. Could you please hit newline > every 70 characters or so, or configure your mailer to wrap your > paragraphs before it sends the email? It makes it a lot easier to read > and reply to. Sorry I'm having trouble figuring out why my email doesnt wrap automatically all of a sudden. I'm trying to be more careful in the future. > > I guess to rephrase my earlier 'condemming' of documentation, what > > bothers me is having to have to run from one source to another to > > find the answer. The man pages are useful but to the laymen they > > are in geek speak. > > > > Your's is only the second email I've read regarding this and hope > > that there are people who are little bit more objective than you > > appear to be. > > Since you asked for another opinion, you get mine. I agree, having to > go from one source to another to find information is a major > pain. Even worse, you don't always find the information you're looking > for. > > On the other hand, my experience with Windows is that you also have to > go from one source to another to find information - and you fail to > find the information you're looking for more often than not. I admit > that more often than not I'm looking for information that most users > don't care about - but at least on Unix-like systems, I can usually > find it. On the open source ones, I can always find it if I'm willing > to dig deep enough. > > I have used systems that had nearly complete documentation in one > place - usually referred to as "the <color> wall", for its 10s of > shelf feet of manuals all with the same color binding. VMS manuals > tended to be useful. MVS tended to do things like "Error XXX#### - see > error YYY####", "Error YYY### - see error ZZZ####", and finally "Error > ZZZ#### - probable user error, correct and resubmit." Oddly enough, > source was available for both of those, if only on microfiche. > > The point being that computer systems documentation all pretty much > sucks. I'll add to that that the 'free/public versions' docs of *nix are better than most. In my defense I did say that I was venting, being truly frustrated by my lack of progress. I will also admit that I 'learned' MS first but it's easier to use only in the sense that it is a 'toy'. I wouldnt consider it a real OS, it gets proven to me everyday when I use my NT box at work. When I switch from window to window or window to desktop the desktop blinks like a cheap video game. It's the little things that get to me. Also I learned MS because it was a necessity. I was working at a PC store putting home PC's together. One other thing, I got an interesting email from someone accusing me of being a 'baby' ever since my Linux box ate my email. To that I would respond by saying the following. Every chracter that I type on my Linux box my hard drive on the computer has to 'grind' like as if it's etching another character on it's medium. Since Linux touts to be one of the best OS's wouldnt it stand to reason that I should expect more from it? Or atleast not something that I would expect an NT machine to do? In either case it doesnt really matter because I still have to get home tonight and get my modem to work with my ISP or find out why it doesnt. On my BSD that is. Label me a heretic if you wish, I can assure you that you dont have to question my devotion to the *nix's. The benefit's far outweigh the drawbacks as compared to NT. I know that once everything is up and running it will be running like a swiss watch. Steve M To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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