Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 15:26:18 -0500 (EST) From: Alfred Perlstein <bright@rush.net> To: "Derek J. Balling" <dballing@yahoo-inc.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: exposure Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.990428150720.10204g-100000@cygnus.rush.net> In-Reply-To: <4.1.19990428121143.00a40630@pop1.yahoo.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Wed, 28 Apr 1999, Derek J. Balling wrote:
> OK, the counter to this [and is this topic appropriate here, or should it
> move somewhere else?]
>
> >HOWTOs aren't that great, instead of a user learning how to make the most
> >out of a program, they are told how to do the most simplistic tasks with
> >such program. They are akin to the "dummies" books and don't make
> >"power users" out of anyone. Not only that but there is a plethora(sp?)
> >of information available in man pages and info documents.
>
> Maybe, but, as a predominantly-Linux user myself, I'd have to say that when
> you've got a new-to-(FreeBSD|Linux) user coming to the table, you want to
> make it as easy as possible for them to at least approximate what they had
> under {insert-crappy-old-OS-from-Washington-State-here}.
>
> HOWTO's aren't meant to be a good substitute for learning WHY things work,
> they're a lesson in HOW things work. Their goal is not to make "power
> users" out of anyone, but to make "bare minimum functional users" out of
> people - letting them get their box up and running and connected so that
> they can start to learn.
>
> I think, on this front, what the Linux community has learned through
> experience is that you will NEVER "teach" a newbie what he needs to admin a
> system. People LEARN that knowledge through experience, trial-and-error,
> etc. There doesn't exist yet a book that can teach that knowledge adequately.
There exists several new to FreeBSD documents from both DOS users and
Linux users available.
http://www.freebsd.org/tutorials/
http://www.freebsd.org/tutorials/newuser/newuser.html
http://www.freebsd.org/tutorials/multios/multios.html
etc...
http://www.freebsd.org/projects/newbies.html
http://flag.blackened.net/freebsd/
http://andrsn.stanford.edu/FreeBSD/
Not to mention the very complete (and sometimes amusing) handbook and FAQ.
http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/
http://www.freebsd.org/FAQ/
> >FreeBSD just doesn't have the userbase to create such documents, the
> >FreeBSD 'culture' assumes a certain amount of 'do it yourself'-ness.
> >One of the things that hurts FreeBSD is that it doesn't cater to the
> >newbie and/or ex-MSDOS user, it assumes a bit of unix knowledge.
>
> Agreed. Linux is gaining ground because it has exactly the opposite
> mindset. Not saying that is necessarily better because that brings its own
> share of problems to the table, but that's the truth of the matter. Making
> "conversion" easier for people encourages them to adopt the platform.
>
> And no, my goal here isn't to start a Linux vs. FreeBSD flame war, jihad
> and holy quest. I use FreeBSD at work (note the From address, we're one of
> your biggest supporters *grin*), and aside from the complaints about "Why
> hasn't vendor X ported their app to FreeBSD, but they've got a Linux
> port?", I don't have any real complaints about it. Let's not turn this
> into a flame-fest, but better a discussion of how best to take care of new
> people (like myself, really)...
Not to flame you personally but the problem is the same with everyone...
"Goddamn that was hard to do.... _someone_ should have a HOWTO available"
the problem is "someone" the solution is _you_.
When i was first learning FreeBSD I asked said that numerous times but
somehow i never motivated myself to work on it... well perhaps a bit...
http://www.genx.net/~bright/unix/unix.shtml
don't laugh! :)
There is a freebsd documentation project, but the focus of FreeBSD has
always been servers and high end systems. The documentation project
is an ongoing project (really you should have seen the "handbook" 2 years
ago) and is making great strides. Don't complain, ask how you can
contribute and I will oblige you.
FreeBSD needs people like you to write such documentation, I've never used
Linux so I don't know what exact questions i would need to answer...
thanks,
-Alfred
>
> D
>
>
> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
> with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
>
-Alfred
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.BSF.3.96.990428150720.10204g-100000>