Re: [SLUG] I vote one for a newbies list
At 15:13 4/02/01 +1100, KenF wrote: > >My hat goes in with Terry. > >I think that there is great scope for a newbies list. As a Newbie I worry that this will leave us playing in the shallow end of the pool for ever. It's like learning any foreign language - the more you read the more you absorb (even if you don't understand the questions at first, let alone the answers). Hunting the archives for an answer you often learn other stuff along the way. Let us hang in and read and learn, and forgive us the odd dopey question. The blind never did lead the blind very far. Julian Pringle -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] I vote one for a newbies list
This one time, at band camp, Ken Foskey said: > >My hat goes in with Terry. > >I think that there is great scope for a newbies list. This list should >have predefined answers to 'which is the best distro' with input from >each camp. We KNOW that archives will not really work with newbies. Hrm, I think the main SLUG list is good for newbies, what is being suggested is SIGs for advanced users. What you're really suggesting is a FAQ, and I'll wager that SLUG maintaining a FAQ will be just replicating answers from official FAQs. -- "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to using (o_ ' Windows NT for mission-critical applications." //\ -- What Yoda *meant* to say, Devin L. Ganger, scary.devil.monastery v_/_ -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] I vote one for a newbies list
Ken Foskey wrote:
>
> My hat goes in with Terry.
>
> I think that there is great scope for a newbies list.
Oh, oh - Did I say that. I think I didn't, but if newbies want a newbies
list, then I would agree with that. If calling a list "newbies"
encourages people to ask questions, receive answers and have a better
experience with linux - then fine.
If it is used to force newbies off the main list, then no.
> This list should
> have predefined answers to 'which is the best distro' with input from
> each camp. We KNOW that archives will not really work with newbies.
The problem we have is that "we" are not sure exactly what form to
publish predefined answers in. This topic has been discussed in the
past. I've also built a sample standard replies from the archives push
button job http://www.woa.com.au/lists/slug/slugfaq.html.
I think it is going to be one of those things that is always going to be
around. My 2c on the best approach is that various people adopt a topic
and take it upon themselves to answer questions posted to the list on
that topic.
Newbies - to rant on what I've always said - you are the best people to
answer other newbies questions. It is all fresh in your mind and most
HOW-TOs are not written by newbies with newbies in mind. My most popular
WWW page is the one that just outlines the steps I carried out, problems
found, etc, when I setup my webcam. So don't be afraid to put up similar
pages on how you have done stuff.
Good example from yesterday - I've never touch a sparc box in my life
and the book and the how-to we found said "dd" the rescue.bin file to a
floppy and boot off it. As we found out, these experienced people (that
wrote the book and the how-to) left out something fundamental to do with
sparc floppies and the system barfed on it.
--
Terry Collins {:-)}}} Ph(02) 4627 2186 Fax(02) 4628 7861
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www: http://www.woa.com.au
WOA Computer Services
"People without trees are like fish without clean water"
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] I vote one for a newbies list
My hat goes in with Terry. I think that there is great scope for a newbies list. This list should have predefined answers to 'which is the best distro' with input from each camp. We KNOW that archives will not really work with newbies. I am fairly tired of the constant just go debian push and I am pretty well convinced for myself but not for a newbie yet. I really think the 'great debate' has no place where newbies go. This probably goes for Gnome and KDE discussions as well. They should be told the differences and offered the opportunity to discuss off the newbies list. Politics and newcomers don't mix, it just cements the M$ FUD of a divided community. There may be scope for a RedHat, suse, Debian, Mandrake, turbo and other list which a group of moderators may throw interesting queries to the overall slug list. This will stop the main list getting bogged down in specific distro and newbie queries. This division is natural, what would happen if we only had comp.programming, nothing would get done. We have a series of language specific lists and special interest lists. Has this weakened the overall benefits of the newsgroups, no it has made it stronger but acting as a filter for the users who are not interested in the other stuff. I am sure that there would be more than a few of us monitoring multiple lists and there will be few that will monitor exactly the same lists. this means that they can point to archived answers from other lists at need. Regarding meetings, I would like to see SIGs develop, I would attend the Debian SIG as a RedHat user to learn the why's and wherefore's. I would expect them to continue evangelizing the common slug group. BTW: Friday meetings are probably best because most Uni Students have Friday free and I think we have a fair inroad into Universities but not as much to common business. Why can't we find two rooms and have the combined meeting then split into SIGs, this was the formula for one of the User Groups I attended. KenF -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
