From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jun 23 15:56:27 2005 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6B10416A41C for ; Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:56:27 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from lists@immuneit.com) Received: from web1.nidhog.com (web1.nidhog.com [66.207.132.2]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 25CBA43D4C for ; Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:56:26 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from lists@immuneit.com) Received: from blacksea.nedyah.org (semcheski.squirrelhill.nidhog.net [66.207.143.104]) (authenticated bits=0) by web1.nidhog.com (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id j5NFuI0f010752 for ; Thu, 23 Jun 2005 11:56:26 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from lists@immuneit.com) From: "Michael H. Semcheski" To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 11:47:14 -0400 User-Agent: KMail/1.8 References: <20050623152214.B6F9C43D4C@mx1.FreeBSD.org> In-Reply-To: <20050623152214.B6F9C43D4C@mx1.FreeBSD.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200506231147.14763.lists@immuneit.com> X-Greylist: Recipient e-mail whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-1.5.6 (web1.nidhog.com [66.207.132.2]); Thu, 23 Jun 2005 11:56:26 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Explaining FreeBSD features X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:56:27 -0000 On Thursday 23 June 2005 11:24 am, Steve Bertrand wrote: > > I think, that really only questions, whose answers cannot > > readily be found elsewhere, should be asked on this list. > For the most part, yes, only non-readily available answers should be > posted to the list, but there are circumstances where the list can > provide, as someone else suggested a quick RTFM, here is the link to > what you are looking for. I think the answers that someone who has been using FreeBSD for 6 days or 6 weeks can find are going to be a small subset of the set of answers found by someone who has been using FreeBSD for 6 years. Often on mailing lists, I've been pointed in the ride direction. If you say something as simple as "check out man 8 sysctl", thats teaching someone to fish. We aren't all born super-geniuses, but with a little help most of us can get on our way. The other thing is if you do a google search for an error message you're having, you're likely to find archives of mailing lists. Remember that when you answer a question. This may come back and help someone out in a few years. > > Part of the FreeBSD education should consist of informing the > > user how they can help themselves, and how they should seek > > help in the event that the self-help fails. If that education > > scheme was effectively employed, perhaps there wouldn't be as > > many "stupid" questions. > Yes, but how does one inform the user of the self-help approach. > Obviously putting that education in the handbook would be moot as they > likely haven't read the handbook anyway ;) Nobody starts out wanting to become an expert, they just want to accomplish a task. Eventually, they may actually become an expert, or have the self-help skills to solve problems on their own. With trial and error, you eventually find that asking for help is not the quickest or most reliable way to solve a problem in every case. But, thats a necessary lesson to learn nonetheless. Mike