Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 21:49:44 -0400 (EDT) From: James <dominus@minos.dyn.ml.org> To: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> Cc: Nik Clayton <nik@nothing-going-on.demon.co.uk>, Tim Gerchmez <fewtch@serv.net>, pirat@prime.oaep.go.th, freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Where to get Windows Internet stuff/ More on Windows & BSD Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980616213744.384A-100000@localhost> In-Reply-To: <19980617100214.10135@welearn.com.au>
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On Wed, 17 Jun 1998, Sue Blake wrote: > On Tue, Jun 16, 1998 at 07:31:52PM +0100, Nik Clayton wrote: > > On Tue, Jun 16, 1998 at 01:25:38PM +1000, Sue Blake wrote: > > > Holy cow! This is about the only thing that you can't fix after > > > installation, and you want to get it right. The LAST THING you'd want > > > to be doing is taking advice from a newbie, or from this list, > > > or anyone met on this list. > > > > <cough> > > > > Not everyone on this list *is* a FreeBSD newbie. I think that's probably > > a good thing, since (hopefully) bad advice can be spotted and corrected > > (in an appropriate fashion, of course). > > This list is specifically *for* newbies to talk to other newbies, but > nobody is barred from joining. Advice on what to do and how to do it, > especially where there are problems, belongs to freebsd-questions (but > see below). > > Lest there be any doubt, this is clearly spelled out > 1. on the list charters page > 2. in the info majordomo sends upon joining > 3. http://www.freebsd.org/newbies.html > 4. http://www.welearn.com.au/freebsd/newbies > 5. in the weekly posting to this list each Friday or Saturday > > In the past, misinformation has been spread among newbies and others have > used it as ammunition to say that newbies shouldn't be allowed to get > together because they'll spread misinformation making more work for the > freebsd-questions volunteers. As a group we have quite a reputation to > live down. So far I think we have shown our worth by just being > ourselves. That was the topic of the "Blind-leading-blind" discussion held on -chat when this list was in its early phases of birth. I personally think that this list has grown pretty well since that time and I am glad to see it. If I am not mistaken that growth has been partially due to some pushing by Sue and a bigger part due to the people here. You have my congrats. :) > > I think that some of the "why" discussions when it comes to disk partioning > > (as opposed to the "how" discussions of how you run disklabel and others) > > might be germane to this list. IMHO of course, and I'll cheerfully be told > > I'm wrong :-) > > That kind of "why" discussion fits in here well. It meets the critereon > of being something that is not done on another list. Our main activity > seems to be learning, rather than asking and telling how to do things. > Your explanations of various topics in the past have been much > appreciated. This is something fundamental. The focus of the other lists are more of a "how". The questions get posed and it is left as an excercise to the reader to figure out the details of the "why". The person that answered just takes forgranted that the person asks knows "why". This is *NOT* a universal statement, but at the least a moderately valid observation. I think that aspect something stands to really separate this group from the rest of the "tech support" groups. The chance to slow down and help someone new figure out what is going on rather than giving them a quick fix and push them along the way. I am still "fresh", I would not quite call myself a newbie anymore, and I am willing to give a why to everything I can. That is also a place for the vets who are lurking in the background to make corrections for the "not-quite-correct-but-almost-there" comments. : ) James Higgins To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
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