On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 12:24 AM, Don Wilhelm <w3...@embarqmail.com> wrote: > Let me give one OT "RANT", and then I will shut up on this subject. > Suffice it to say that I have been extremely disappointing in all Linux > distributions because of the lack of any organized support fort the > users - the attitude seems to be "if you don't already understand the > nuances of Linux, we will shame your questions and be very unhelpful. > Check out the various forums and "FAQ" lists to verify this attitude.
I can bring the (understandable) OT rant back a bit closer to relevance, if not all the way back to on-topic. ) I am a relative newcomer to amateur radio. I also dabbled with Linux once upon a time (actually, I was acquainted with Linus back in the early days of Linux). I can actually see a number of parallels between Linux and amateur radio, insofar as the challenges interested folks may face when climbing the learning curve. In my day job, I'm an actuary. I don't have an electronics or communications background...or much of a science background at all, in fact. When it comes to computers and radio, I'm definitely a "power user" rather than a developer/programmer/builder. In some AR circles, I would be criticized or ostracized as being a mere "appliance operator"... and that probably isn't too far wrong. As an outsider / newcomer, both Linux and amateur radio have fairly steep learning curves. Most of the material available beyond the ground-floor bare-bones basics can be confusing, written by people who assume too-much knowledge and/or are not professional writers of documentation. Perhaps there's something about both pursuits that tends to attract people who enjoy "doing" a lot more than "writing about having done". And, perhaps such people are more prone to either having a little arrogance about their success, or to having a preference to spend time with others who have been initiated into the fraternity, rather than mere muggles. Honestly, part of the fun of amateur radio to me is that I'm having to learn a lot from areas outside my traditional areas of expertise/interest, and I'm enjoying the mental exercise. To be successful in both pursuits, it is helpful to be a self-starter, to have a thick skin. It's a heckuva lot easier to make progress in both Linux and amateur radio, if you can find a few folks willing to offer some tips. Perhaps it would be helpful for hams who have struggled with Linux to keep that frustration in mind when it comes to leaving a few breadcrumbs around for potential new hams. And remember: if Linux were easy and more digestible to the mass market, it would be OS/X. Similarly, if amateur radio were easy and more digestible to the mass market, it would be CB/FRS/GMRS. -- Michael D. Adams (AB1OD) Poquonock, Connecticut | m...@ab1od.org ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
