From owner-freebsd-newbies Thu Aug 27 09:19:42 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id JAA02185 for freebsd-newbies-outgoing; Thu, 27 Aug 1998 09:19:42 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from armstrong-bh.armstrong.com (armstrong-bh.armstrong.com [198.76.107.66]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id JAA02176 for ; Thu, 27 Aug 1998 09:19:39 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from Edmund_L_Mulligan@armstrong.com) From: Edmund_L_Mulligan@armstrong.com Received: (from uucp@localhost) by armstrong-bh.armstrong.com (8.8.8/8.6.11) id MAA28605 for ; Thu, 27 Aug 1998 12:18:47 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mailex01.armstrong.com(172.16.23.51) by armstrong-bh.armstrong.com via smap (4.1) id xma028468; Thu, 27 Aug 98 12:18:28 -0400 Received: by mailex01.Armstrong.com(Lotus SMTP MTA v1.1 (385.6 5-6-1997)) id 8525666D.005A1681 ; Thu, 27 Aug 1998 12:24:00 -0400 X-Lotus-FromDomain: ARMSTRONG To: freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Message-ID: <8625666D.0056DF76.00@mailex01.Armstrong.com> Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 11:18:23 -0500 Subject: Re: my list Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org For me, my aborted attempt to install FreeBSD by FTP is my first time administering a Unix-like system in any form. (It was running but I gave up fumbling with it. I will be back, with purchased book and CDROMs, whenever v3.x comes out. Slow home access and work firewalls make downloading a pain. Is the published book better than the on-line documentation?) Questions runs, on average, above the level of the new user. It is fine for people who are familiar with Unix like operating systems. Most of the messages there are really just noise to the beginner, especially since the answer makes no more sense than the question. I know the volume was causing problems for my mail system here. There needs to be a difference indicated between questions about: A. getting FreeBSD installed and properly running and learning how to work with the file system and the commands B. doing things with the system once you understand Unix style operating systems - using it for real applications Kind of freebsd-qlearning vs. freebsd-qusing. So far the documentation seems to be mostly for, and written on the level of, type B users. I hate always sounding like the dumb guy, but having some simple documentation walking me through all the possible options in the initial kernel setup would have saved me two evenings of work. Most times, and this is in many things not just freebsd, the real help for the new user comes from another new user who just got done getting through the same problem rather than the "old-hand" who just assumes you know the little tricks. Yes, the real gurus would need to monitor both lists but this should be the same volume of mail - just divided into two streams to help out the new users. Did anyone else note that for all the complaints about what is -newbies supposed to do, we've been using it properly? To support and discuss issues related to new users that are not technical questions best handled on -questions. We've been trying to design a better support system for new users, and all of this would have really been noise on the -questions list. Thanks, Sue! Ed speaking for me, not for Armstrong -------------------------------------------------------------- From: sue@welearn.com.au on 08/27/98 07:31 PM ZE10 To: grog@lemis.com cc: gekk0@usa.net, freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG (bcc: Edmund L Mulligan/Stillwater/FPO/Armstrong) Subject: Re: my list 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. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message