Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2005 09:36:45 -0400 From: "Jerold McAllister" <jerrymc@msu.edu> To: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: New Freebsd Install Guide Available Message-ID: <E1DIoEX-0000uG-UJ@sys34.mail.msu.edu> In-Reply-To: <LOBBIFDAGNMAMLGJJCKNCEAIFBAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com> References: <LOBBIFDAGNMAMLGJJCKNCEAIFBAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com>
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Ted Mittelstaedt writes: > > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org >> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Jerry >> McAllister > >> Well, both types of documentation are needed. The official formal >> documentation, which, of necessity , needs to be written in a rather >> formal language style and other explanitory docs for newbies and >> those of us who need a more conversational and step by step style >> at least to get started at things. There are several good books >> out with more conversational style and some reasonable web sites >> with tutorials. >> >> The only problem with many of the web sites and even the books is >> that they tend to take a personal preference prejucidial attitude >> toward things rather than encouraging readers to try out various >> things and giving them instruction toward those other choices. >> Some examples are installing and using Gnome. To read some guides, >> one would think it is impossible to run FreeBSD without Gnome. >> Some seem to imply it is absolutely necessary to install a third >> party MBR/boot manager such as Grub to boot FreeBSD, just because >> they like it. Some tend to think the only possible shell to use >> is bash or sh and anyone using something else can't possibly get their >> work done. The list could go on. >> > > That sort of thing may be present in some books but it wasn't in > mine. > > I will say one thing though, that a 3rd party book must specialize on > some aspect of FreeBSD if people are going to buy it. People that > buy documentation usually have a more specific need than that they > just want to boot FreeBSD on whatever spare PC they have lying around. > So, for example in my book all examples were Bourne shell, because > the focus of the book wasn't on running shells under UNIX. However I > never wrote in the book that that readers should only use Bourne. > In fact, on the section on system administration I specifically said > Bourne and csh wern't optimal for new users, and tcsh and bash were > more popular, followed by an overview of the major shells. Please > be careful where your swinging that tarpot and brush in the future. Sure, I know that. I probably should have continued the qualifier I used for the web site and said something like 'some of the books' since it would be what I meant. And the prejudices are different from one source to the next - it isn't the same everywhere. It is just something to be aware of. Even the official Handbook has a few personal prejudices that aren't really as absolute as the text may imply, though I haven't looked for any lately and it continues to be updated. ////jerry > > Ted Mittelstaedt > Author, The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide. > http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com/ > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" >
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