interesting experiment.

[Igor Gueths]

Reading man pages was always how I learned stuff. If I ask someone could be from this list about something, I usually ask them where can I find the docs for so and so? Then I go, read the docs, and understand what I need to know to solve my particular problem. After a few days, I solve it and I don't have to worry about it not working ever again. Like my cd burner, all I had to do is compile in support for chr_sr and chr_sg and it worked fine after that. Now, when I do cdrecord -audio -dev=0,0,0 -v -eject or something like that, I can count on it working. I also used to use Irix a lot back in my shell account days, so I was already used to it. Just my two-sense. 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Deedra Waters <curi0315 at tampabay.rr.com>
To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2002 1:24 AM
Subject: Re: interesting experiment.


> I think honestly that if beginners have an easy start it may help some in
> the long run. I honestly think that there are some people who want to
> learn but are having a hard time in which case, helping them can be
> useful.
> 
> I'm bad at sitting and reading manpage after manpage trying to find
> things, and I was even worse at the beginning. I had a great deal of help
> in the beginning, and there was a lot I  didn't understand.
> 
> I'm not really sure where I'm going with this accept to say that there are
> people who have a real hard time by just reading, and helping them, or
> trying to walk them threw some things  doesn't always mean that they need
> to be spoonfead
> 
> 
> On Sun, 19 May 2002, Toby Fisher wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, 19 May 2002, Octavian Rasnita wrote:
> > 
> > > Hi, thank you.
> > > No, I don't like Windows. I don't use to play games because I don't have the
> > > time.
> > 
> > Oh now you don't know what you're missing, I can recommend GMA Games for
> > one, for a bit of light relief.
> > 
> > <snip>
> > 
> > > But I also don't like to see a lot of people from this list, nor
> > from any
> > > list, thinking that Linux is better than Windows.
> > 
> > Actually, if you look carefully at most of what you view to be
> > anti-Windows comments, they are, in the main, aimed at the company that
> > spawned it.
> > 
> > > Windows is better than Linux for multimedia development but Macintosh is
> > > even better than Windows  for this thing.
> > >
> > > Some Unix graphic stations are better probably than Macintosh for their
> > > purpose.
> > 
> > Yes, but until very recently Macintosh had a problem with expensive
> > hardware, for example, on some power macs there was only 1 make of modem
> > you could use because of the connection it required; guess what, they're
> > not made any more so my friend is going to have to buy a new computer,
> > this is, imho, a potential problem which can arise when hardware and
> > software are made by the same company, as used to happen back in the big
> > mainframe days.
> > 
> > <snip>
> > 
> > > I like the Linux users to be a kind of helpful community, because
> > they are
> > > not very many, especially blind, but all the experimented people in linux
> > > give the beginners criptical commands without explaining too much, RTFM,
> > > etc.
> > 
> > I believe that there are reasons for this.
> > 
> > First, what that person may want is a means to get up and running as
> > hasle-free as possible.  Second, explanation of the command may, and note
> > I use the word may, cause confusion, until the person has read some docs,
> > which they may be unable to do due to whatever problem it is that has
> > caused them to write to the list.
> > 
> > Third, it does not help anyone, least of all the beginner, if they are
> > spoon-fed, as they may then be unable to help themselves if they are ever
> > stuck without an internet connection, or otherwise unable to call on
> > required assistance.
> > 
> > Cheers.
> > 
> > -- 
> > Toby Fisher Email: toby at g0ucu.freeserve.co.uk
> > Tel.: +44(0)1480 417272 Mobile: +44(0)7974 363239
> > ICQ: #61744808
> >    Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
> >    See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > 
> 
> 
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