> > In any case, Dave still had to search for the typo one way or another > > even with the advice; this was unavoidable. But the error message > > already contained the information on where to start the search (and in > > fact what was wrong, by indicating that there was a typo somewhere). So > > what I am wondering (again, nothing about you personally, Dave, you > > simply seem to have a fairly typical user issue), is why users have > > difficulty understanding these messages, and using them effectively.
Hmm, I take issue with the inference that the message was understandable. The error message itself pointed to the depcache file, yet the error was in a script in /etc/init.d. Yes, the depcache file is readable but to approach tracking that down you're saying you're willing to dive into the internals of gentoo with (but mostly w/o) the knowledge needed to understand and follow along. Many folks, especially gentoo newbies, don't have that foundation. It's easier if you're a seasoned unix/linux user as you don't have the fear of digging into the files to find out what's going on, but that experience is not shared by all. > As someone who works in support (ISP), I find a lot of people: > > 1) Dont read the error message given (made worse by the fact that people > read less these days!). You can send these people FAQs, warning emails, > whatever and they won't read them. Recent case in point: user was over > mailbox quota and was sent automated warning when they hit 90% - advice > on how to clean out their mailbox is given in a URL in the email, but > does anyone read that??? > > 2) Read the error message but simply dont get it - these are the people > who drive a car but know nothing about the basic mechanics of how the > engine propels the vehicle (these people also rarely change their oil > or do any basic maintenance on their cars). > > 3) Too scared to read the error - many people fear technology or fear that > they may "break the computer" by poking around. (IMHO, poking around > and tinkering however are the BEST ways to learn anything). > > 4) Read the error message and use it as a starting point to systematically > track down the problem - these users are very rare (though there's a > lot of them in the Linux community). Users in groups (1), (2) and (3) > would consider these people "power users". The fifth group should include those that know, by experience, that a given error message actually means something completely different than what's being reported. This depcache error was a perfect example; I asked Dave to send me his depcache file so I could see what it contained - I was going to start tracking the issue from the source (falling under group number 4, I guess). Another gentoo person replied that Dave should look for B in /etc/init.d scripts; obviously he had the experience to know that the depcache error translated into an invalid command in one of the scripts. The error message I hate to see is the error coming out of emerge, the 'failed to build' error. For reference: > !!! ERROR: net-misc/wget-1.9.1-r3 failed. > !!! Function src_compile, Line 54, Exitcode 2 > !!! (no error message) > !!! If you need support, post the topmost build error, > NOT this status message. This really doesn't translate into anything useful. If the failure occurred during the configure script run, the config.log contents are needed to understand what the error was. If the failure occurred during a compile or link, the full command line before the error is useful as well as other pertinent information (i.e. gcc version, gentoo version, basic 'emerge --info' output). With experience we know that info is necessary to diagnose a failure, but a generic "post the topmost build error" doesn't suffice. -- gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list
