From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Apr 5 04:01:24 2005 Return-Path: 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 2B0DB16A4CE; Tue, 5 Apr 2005 04:01:24 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com (mail.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com [65.75.192.90]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2DB2B43D3F; Tue, 5 Apr 2005 04:01:23 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from tedm@toybox.placo.com) Received: from tedwin2k (nat-rtr.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com [65.75.197.130]) j353xqb03627; Mon, 4 Apr 2005 20:59:52 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from tedm@toybox.placo.com) From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" To: "Jerry McAllister" , Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 20:59:36 -0700 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: <200504041401.j34E1Wr00485@clunix.cl.msu.edu> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1478 Importance: Normal cc: Randy Pratt cc: Giorgos Keramidas cc: dot.icabod@gmail.com cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: RE: New Freebsd Install Guide Available X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 05 Apr 2005 04:01:24 -0000 > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Jerry > McAllister > Well, both types of documentation are needed. The official formal > documentation, which, of necessity , needs to be written in a rather > formal language style and other explanitory docs for newbies and > those of us who need a more conversational and step by step style > at least to get started at things. There are several good books > out with more conversational style and some reasonable web sites > with tutorials. > > The only problem with many of the web sites and even the books is > that they tend to take a personal preference prejucidial attitude > toward things rather than encouraging readers to try out various > things and giving them instruction toward those other choices. > Some examples are installing and using Gnome. To read some guides, > one would think it is impossible to run FreeBSD without Gnome. > Some seem to imply it is absolutely necessary to install a third > party MBR/boot manager such as Grub to boot FreeBSD, just because > they like it. Some tend to think the only possible shell to use > is bash or sh and anyone using something else can't possibly get their > work done. The list could go on. > That sort of thing may be present in some books but it wasn't in mine. I will say one thing though, that a 3rd party book must specialize on some aspect of FreeBSD if people are going to buy it. People that buy documentation usually have a more specific need than that they just want to boot FreeBSD on whatever spare PC they have lying around. So, for example in my book all examples were Bourne shell, because the focus of the book wasn't on running shells under UNIX. However I never wrote in the book that that readers should only use Bourne. In fact, on the section on system administration I specifically said Bourne and csh wern't optimal for new users, and tcsh and bash were more popular, followed by an overview of the major shells. Please be careful where your swinging that tarpot and brush in the future. Ted Mittelstaedt Author, The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide. http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com/