Richard Fieldsend wrote:
One of the *brilliant* things about open source and mailing lists like this one is how you can find the answers to so many problems with your software from those more knowledgeable than you (I have Anders to thank for at least one Emacs install fix!).
However, if I'm trying to persaude others to follow me down the Linux route, one of the problems I have is that often newbies are put off by the attitude of more experienced users. Richard
I find this thread interesting and helpful. As a Suse novice i have found that much of their documentation is rather terse and cryptic, and written above the understanding level of new migrants to the OS. That is, it assumes (at times) that one size-fits-all and obviously cannot get too large or expensive. And it is often rather fragmented and not easy to find/follow. This is why this great list fills such a valuable need, in patiently helping 'us' over the early mysteries. I would like to see some optional documentation, written simply and clearly for 'newbies' to digest, prior to them moving up to the 'main' guides, info files and how-to's. Perhaps an interactive CD or DVD would do it, or a downloadable FAQ with a clear and simple hand-holding style. I think it might reduce the repetition and frustration levels, and if the archived messages were made more obvious as a source to be consulted, that too could alleviate the problems of new users. AndersJ has helped me greatly by his patience, his expertise and his willingness to explain interactions and misconceptions. If he recently got a bit ticked at a rude, demanding email it is not surprising. Please accept my heartfelt appreciation, all u gurus!