Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1999 09:55:47 +1000 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: Troy Craig <tcraig@medt.com> Cc: freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: I think I am losing the battle. Message-ID: <19990402095547.33608@welearn.com.au> In-Reply-To: <3703FDF2.3212CE2B@medt.com>; from Troy Craig on Thu, Apr 01, 1999 at 06:14:58PM -0500 References: <3703FDF2.3212CE2B@medt.com>
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On Thu, Apr 01, 1999 at 06:14:58PM -0500, Troy Craig wrote: > I currently am the Sys Admin for a small I.S.P. (medt.com). We hired > an outside tech to setup our site and get things running. Since then > I have attempted to learn all I can about Freebsd. But I have fallen > short. > > So I decided that my main prob was that I didn't have a machine at home > running FreeBSD that I could tinker with, without worrying about Nuking > our main server. > > Well, now I have FreeBSD running at home but I am still getting > nowhere. I have a good understanding of Dos and Windows but I have > learned that that really doesn't mean much, and have been around > computers for about 15 years but much of this escapes me. The system > hierarchy to me is so chaotic that I have trouble knowing where > anything is. > > Is there a forum or List server that I could join that deals with lost > newbies like me? Yes, this one :-) We can probably help you to work out what you need to do to get back on track, and where to go for any help you need. You sound like you have a good background to learn FreeBSD, a good attitude, and the right opportunities and motivation to learn. We just have to work out why it's not working, or why you feel that it's not working. If in any doubt about your background, look at http://www.welearn.com.au/freebsd/slow/ready.html and let us know where you think you fall short. They might not be areas that matter too much. Your only disadvantage that I can see is that you didn't set up the system yourself and it'll be real bad news if you break anything. That could have been making nervousness get in the way before you had your home system, and by then it was ingrained. Or maybe you've just been reading the wrong books, or expecting too much of yourself. Let's try to get to the bottom of this, because I'm sure there's others in your position without the courage to speak up. What have you done to try to get on top of FreeBSD? What have you read (books, FreeBSD docs, other docs on the system, tutorials on the web, etc)? Have you done a course? What kinds of documentation and reference material are held at work? When reading this stuff, do you read it passively or try everything out as you go? Have you worked out a learning plan with goals set out in small chunks? Do you have any friends who run unix systems who you spend social time with, either in person or on the Internet? Are your computer using friends way superior in unix experience, Or do you mix mostly with people who can barely spell "computer"? How are you placed at work, are you the person who is supposed to know most about the system? You see what I'm getting at here. Some people you mix with can make you feel really good, but others can be intimidating or have too much blind faith in your god-like image. Are there certain tasks, certain areas of knowledge, that you just can't come at? For example, you might start feeling down every time you even think about apache because you've botched it up in the past, but cope fine with DNS if you take it slowly. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how hard the tasks are. There might be some things that you need to tackle again from the start, with a fresh approach and a positive outlook. What are the problems or areas of confusion that are irritating you most at the moment? It sounds to me that there's one penny that didn't drop for you early on, and if we can find that everything else might start falling into place. Cross your fingers :-) We've all been through times when we felt just like you do now. Let's see if getting to the bottom of this can make the path ahead a little easier for you! -- Regards, -*Sue*- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
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