Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 19:31:51 +1000 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com> Cc: gek <gekk0@usa.net>, freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: my list Message-ID: <19980827193150.57832@welearn.com.au> In-Reply-To: <19980827180508.F14055@freebie.lemis.com>; from Greg Lehey on Thu, Aug 27, 1998 at 06:05:08PM %2B0930 References: <3.0.5.32.19980826223845.00798700@pop.netaddress.com> <19980827180508.F14055@freebie.lemis.com>
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On Thu, Aug 27, 1998 at 06:05:08PM +0930, Greg Lehey wrote:
>
> I think we have too many lists already. From before the inception of
> FreeBSD-newbies, I had long discussions with Sue Blake about whether
> we needed -newbies. The jury's still out on that one, but I can't
> think of an earthly reason to have another one, especially not one
> which sounds like -newbies.
I'll try to summarise...
The reasons given recently have included that freebsd-questions is too
much mail for most home-user newbies to cope with, most of which is
"noise" to us in that it's too hard to understand, can't be used and is
not relevant. Also, there are people who want to have the chance to
give tips to others, even though they don't know much. Such tips are so
elementary that they would sound silly somewhere like freebsd-questions.
And for whatever reason, there is still a perception that the purpose
of freebsd-questions is not to help newbies.
We haven't found ways to change any of these things from our end within
the existing system, nor have our needs and inhibitions been
acknowledged as real. So some have decided to go outside the system and
work as best they can with peers, rather than try to explain it all
again to people who they imagine cannot understand. There will be
problems either way, so what is there to lose?
I agree about the name though. Asking for and giving help are things
that everyone does, and in my mind they have nothing special to do with
being a newbie. I don't like being defined in terms of helplessness.
But when newbies are the only ones without a convenient way to *give*
help, then I suppose that deprivation makes it relevant. Still, the
name's bad. It should have been called something like fbsd-help.
--
Regards,
-*Sue*-
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