Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 22:55:16 -0800 (PST) From: Annelise Anderson <andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu> To: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> Cc: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: newbies mailing list Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980301224633.27288A-100000@andrsn.stanford.edu> In-Reply-To: <19980302172511.58160@welearn.com.au>
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On Mon, 2 Mar 1998, Sue Blake wrote: > On Sun, Mar 01, 1998 at 09:59:13PM -0800, Annelise Anderson wrote: > > [cc list trimmed] > > > > A newbies mailing list might be a good idea--the question that > > arises is who's going to staff it? It seems Sue has sort of been > > drafted....I think it will be a fairly demanding project. > > Perhaps, perhaps not. It depends on how much use and how much support it > gets, and a lot of things we won't know until we try. I don't see that as > sufficient reason for not trying. Not yet anyway :-) > > > Here are a few points I would make: > > You made a lot of thoughtful comments about how some newbies access support, > but I'm not quite sure how to relate it to the idea of the proposed mailing > list. Maybe I've missed the main thrust, a common fault. > > Are you saying that you think the mailing list is a good or bad idea? > Are you saying that there's plenty of other sources of information that are > easier to provide so there's no need for a mailing list? > Are you suggesting that energies would be better reserved for these existing > methods? > Are you seeing this in a broader context and looking at improving all of the > ways in which we reach newbies as well? > Are you offering to help, or suggesting that others could, and if so, how? I actually wasn't taking myself quite this seriously. :) However, I do think the difficulty people obviously have in accessing basic documents (FAQ, handbook) from dos/win is a matter to be addressed as a first priority--the point of sale issue. This is boring work that does not interest unix experts. It is also not something I can do anything about. I don't know if the mailing list is a good idea or not. I do not think you can expect the talent that informs freebsd=questions to read another mailing list. I think it would be interesting to see what happens. It might be informative to read it (for people interested in documentation and snagging new users) if nothing else. Greg Lehey seems to think it should be blessed by freebsd.org et.al. However, I'd be willing to host the mailing list on my computer if someone else wants to run the mailing list, i.e., handle the subscribe/ unsubscribe/bounce messages. (That person would be its owner.) I haven't done this--I have one mailing list that I handle directly--but I think I could figure it out. Annelise To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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