Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 06:51:25 +1000 From: "Doug Young" <dougy@gargoyle.apana.org.au> To: "Kevin McCarty" <mccark@sage.edu>, "Gail Pickett" <gmpicket@icx.net> Cc: <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG>, "m l mack" <mlmack@speakeasy.org> Subject: Re: newbies Message-ID: <00ea01bfaa41$07c2b420$847e03cb@ROADRUNNER> References: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0004191107300.10581-100000@zeus>
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Came here OK :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin McCarty" <mccark@sage.edu> To: "Gail Pickett" <gmpicket@icx.net> Cc: "Doug Young" <dougy@gargoyle.apana.org.au>; <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG>; "m l mack" <mlmack@speakeasy.org> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2000 1:08 AM Subject: Re: newbies > > Hello and good day, could someone respond if they get this message..... > I ahve posted numerous messages and have not gotten any response. > thanks > kevin > > > > > > On Mon, 17 Apr 2000, Gail Pickett wrote: > > > I have been living with and learning FreeBSD for six months now, and I am > > indebted to the FreeBSD mailing list archives for the wealth of > > information and usable answers provided within. I am still trying to get > > my machine completely set up; I guess this is an on going process that > > never ends. > > > > Overall the handbook, tutorials and manpages are excellent. I would like > > to see more examples included with the manpages. Many manpages, the > > first time I look at them, are like reading greek; an example or two of > > the most commonly used variations of a command would save lots of time and > > errors. > > > > The manpages also seem to forget the obvious sometimes. I started > > playing with crontab recently. To edit a user's crontab, you have to use > > invoke the command > > > > # crontab -u username -e > > > > and do this as root. The manpage doesn't mention this anywhere; I got > > this info from the mailing list archives. > > > > I spent four days setting up userland ppp. Mostly because my machine's > > BIOS was incorrectly setting the speed for the serial port that the > > modem uses. The instructions were great, but they covered some hundred > > pages (I cheated and printed them out with the MS Windows machine at > > work) - ppp manpage, pendantic ppp primer, example ppp.conf file, etc. > > > > I have given up on my printer. I have noticed that over the six months of > > not being able to print that my piles of paper cluttering my home have > > just about disappeared. I have decided to go 'paperless' at home, with > > the exception of my weekly grocery list. So some good has come out of not > > being able to learn how to setup something for my FreeBSD machine. :) > > > > Back to troubleshooting crontab and my disapearing mail... > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 18 Apr 2000, Doug Young wrote: > > > > > Hear hear !!!!!!!!!!!! > > > > > > All those experts out there please take notice > > > > > > Someone new to a subject doesn't need to know about all the bells & > > > whistles, provision of information suitable for an expert will only confuse > > > them further. > > > I believe that documentation should be prepared by the most junior person > > > available and not some geek with 458 years experience .... at least then it > > > will probably contain ALL the necessary steps. > > > > > > The basics of unix are for the most part extremely simple ... its only the > > > documentation that makes it complicated. I've been working on an entry level > > > install / configure text for members of our non-profit internet access > > > group, and in its basic text form this reduces the information needed to > > > some 7 pages of A4. > > > I'm now putting together a picturebook format so that its even more explicit > > > :) > > > The document is intended to allow a total newbie with no prior experience of > > > unix / linux / etc to install FreeBSD & configure it as a gateway, with > > > sendmail, cuciopop, ppp, apache all working with no aggro in only an hour or > > > two. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "m l mack" <mlmack@speakeasy.org> > > > To: <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG> > > > Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 7:34 AM > > > Subject: newbies > > > > > > > > > > Dear Sirs, > > > > > > > > As one who doesn't know Unix from Eunuchs, I beg you to consider this > > > > teaching technique. Once, instruction books started out by walking you > > > > through a number of everyday tasks you were going to have to master. It > > > > wasn't until you got the basics down, that theory and structure were > > > > introduced. These days theory always comes first which often leaves the > > > > truly ignorant more lost than they were to begin with. If someone came out > > > > with an old fashioned manual, I might be able to learn this. Please help > > > me > > > > get away from Windows. > > > > > > > > m l mack > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message > > > > ********************************************************************** > > Kevin McCarty > Networking > Postmaster > Adjunct: Workstation Architecture > > The Sage Colleges > 518 244 2491 > > mccark@sage.edu > 2A > ********************************************************************** > > The present is the only thing of which a person can be deprived. > - Marcus Aurelius > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
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