Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 18:25:45 +1100 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: Annelise Anderson <andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: newbies mailing list Message-ID: <19980302182544.45884@welearn.com.au> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980301224633.27288A-100000@andrsn.stanford.edu>; from Annelise Anderson on Sun, Mar 01, 1998 at 10:55:16PM -0800 References: <19980302172511.58160@welearn.com.au> <Pine.BSF.3.96.980301224633.27288A-100000@andrsn.stanford.edu>
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On Sun, Mar 01, 1998 at 10:55:16PM -0800, Annelise Anderson wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, 2 Mar 1998, Sue Blake wrote:
>
> > On Sun, Mar 01, 1998 at 09:59:13PM -0800, Annelise Anderson wrote:
> > > [cc list trimmed]
> > >
> > > A newbies mailing list might be a good idea--the question that
> > > arises is who's going to staff it? It seems Sue has sort of been
> > > drafted....I think it will be a fairly demanding project.
> >
> > Perhaps, perhaps not. It depends on how much use and how much support it
> > gets, and a lot of things we won't know until we try. I don't see that as
> > sufficient reason for not trying. Not yet anyway :-)
> >
> > > Here are a few points I would make:
> >
> > You made a lot of thoughtful comments about how some newbies access support,
> > but I'm not quite sure how to relate it to the idea of the proposed mailing
> > list. Maybe I've missed the main thrust, a common fault.
> >
> > Are you saying that you think the mailing list is a good or bad idea?
> > Are you saying that there's plenty of other sources of information that are
> > easier to provide so there's no need for a mailing list?
> > Are you suggesting that energies would be better reserved for these existing
> > methods?
> > Are you seeing this in a broader context and looking at improving all of the
> > ways in which we reach newbies as well?
> > Are you offering to help, or suggesting that others could, and if so, how?
>
> I actually wasn't taking myself quite this seriously. :)
Oh :-)
> However, I do think the difficulty people obviously have in accessing
> basic documents (FAQ, handbook) from dos/win is a matter to be addressed
> as a first priority--the point of sale issue. This is boring work that
> does not interest unix experts. It is also not something I can do
> anything about.
Then someone needs to find someone who runs dos/win. Even better if they can
sit and watch someone try to access the information to see what they do.
I wouldn't have a clue about that, having never tried it myself, but I bet I
could find out by asking enough newbies.
> I don't know if the mailing list is a good idea or not. I do not think
> you can expect the talent that informs freebsd=questions to read another
> mailing list.
Actually I hope they won't interfere too much! You might have missed in the
backlog, it is not meant to be any kind of alternative to freebsd-questions,
nor is it meant to be a place for questions to be answered. This will only
work if we can enlist the support of those who know stuff to leave us to
bumble along away from public scrutiny. It may generate some better-written
questions. It'll also be one of the few places for someone to discover that
they're not the only newbie alive. (I've seen little evidence of other
newbies but they must exist) The talent can stay where it is and be there
for everybody. The newbies can do their own thing without being expected to
live up to everyone else's standards for every single keystroke.
> I think it would be interesting to see what happens. It might be
> informative to read it (for people interested in documentation and
> snagging new users) if nothing else.
If it's indirectly of use to people who are not newbies, that's an added
bonus. I'm only interested in what it will do for the newbies, but see that
in order for the non-newbies to like the idea they have to get something out
of it too. There's tons of scope for that to happen.
> Greg Lehey seems to think it should be blessed by freebsd.org et.al.
If newbies are seen to have a need that freebsd has not addressed (or at
least tried to offer), then it is only right that it be given a chance as a
freebsd initiative if possible. Anything else might not look as good to
those considering avenues of support as an issue in their decision making.
The support avaliable for freebsd is very good, nicely centralised, and
nothing should detract from that. Some newbies, however, don't quite fit
through the door when it comes to the mailing list. I suspect there's quite
a lot of them, but I could be wrong. Nobody knows yet.
> However, I'd be willing to host the mailing list on my computer if
> someone else wants to run the mailing list, i.e., handle the subscribe/
> unsubscribe/bounce messages. (That person would be its owner.) I haven't
> done this--I have one mailing list that I handle directly--but I think
> I could figure it out.
Thanks, that's a great offer. I have majordomo and experience, but my 386
would have a hernia. Still, I don't think it's productive to consider such
alternatives just now. Apart from the confusion it would create, if the
newbies mailing list can be a feather in freebsd's cap, we're all winners.
--
Regards,
-*Sue*-
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