Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 10:21:01 +1000 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: Haavard Vaagstoel <havardjv@gudmund.vgs.no> Cc: Tim Gerchmez <fewtch@serv.net>, freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: The average Unix user Message-ID: <19980628102101.20757@welearn.com.au> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980628003552.363A-100000@arwen.myst.no>; from Haavard Vaagstoel on Sun, Jun 28, 1998 at 12:37:19AM %2B0200 References: <XFMail.980626122903.fewtch@serv.net> <Pine.BSF.3.96.980628003552.363A-100000@arwen.myst.no>
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On Sun, Jun 28, 1998 at 12:37:19AM +0200, Haavard Vaagstoel wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jun 1998, Tim Gerchmez wrote:
>
> > I agree with your point. In fact, I'd take it further to state that "the
> > average" Unix user is probably more intelligent than "the average" Win95 user,
> > simply because they have to be to figure out how to install, configure and
> > administer their system. The learning curve in the beginning with some
> > flavors
>
> Though it may seem like that from a home-user point of view, I sincerely
> doubt it that the average Unix user has installed, configured and is
> currently administering her/his own system...
Indeed. And all unix users start off as newbies.
Many FreeBSD newbies use FreeBSD at work, not necessarily at home. They
did not install FreeBSD and may have any level of access. In many cases
FreeBSD has been chosen because of its reliability to perform some
critical task, and several people need to have access to the machine (and
learn to use it) in case of emergency. They are FreeBSD newbies too. They
might know unix but not freebsd, or they might know nothing.
If you're wondering why these people are allowed to use such a machine,
consider that anyone in the same room as a machine has ultimate physical
control. Some businesses decide that it is better to say "learn to be
responsible with it" than "don't touch while I'm looking". Also consider
that some owners with more money than skill feel that their financial
investment and ownership earns them the right to the root password to a
system which they have never set up or understood.
I could tell you the story of one FreeBSD newbie whose FreeBSD machine,
if misconfigured, could have set off a chain of events endangering
thousands of people's lives. But if I did you wouldn't sleep at night.
On the other hand we have a lot of recent newbies who use FreeBSD as a
home workstation. Some come from Microsoft, some from Linux, and they
tend to bring their social and technical experiences with them, expecting
to find the same here. Sometimes they are shocked to find out, for
example, that FreeBSD users are generally older and more serious than
they have encountered elsewhere, that it is suddenly necessary to read
documentation, that the root user can be more destructive than under
another OS, that we succeed by cooperation rather than by bargaining for
services, or that FreeBSD being a complete system cannot mix and max
kernels. Each assumption is logical to those who hold it but surprising
to those who don't.
The new home user/learner newbies have many different perspectives which
are no less valid than those of the beginning reluctant administrator or
the serious workplace newbie. Each can be quite surprised to learn of the
existence of the other, and each can learn a lot from the other.
But we are *all* newbies.
--
Regards,
-*Sue*-
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