Newbie Lists And more, was; Re: Get Out Of Jail Free!

Janina Sajka janina at afb.net
Thu May 23 10:56:26 EDT 2002


Octavian:

Don't confuse assumptions with learning style. Whatever your
"style," you've definitely got a head full of "how it is in
Windows." That's just plain irrelevant here. You will have to let
go of that to make progress in Linux. If you can't, well then,
you can just go back to Windows.

I return to my language analogy. Don't expect that Chinese will
mirror Rumanian syntax, because it won't. So, don't bother
complaining when it doesn't, because you can't expect any
different.

On Thu, 23 May 2002, Octavian Rasnita wrote:

> I didn't say (or I didn't mean at least) that the listers don't want to
> help.
> I say that the advanced Linux users tell me their style of learning and
> don't try to  understand my style and explain me in that way. This is the
> first thing a teacher do.
> Someone who tries to help others with information should find out first the
> level of competence of the person that tries to learn and the style of
> learning, the abilities, etc.
> On a list like this, I won't expect such a thing, but I am just comparing
> the style of learning of Linux users with the style of learning of Windows
> users.
> 
> And my style of learning fits the Windows one.
> Teddy,
> orasnita at home.ro
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ed Barnes" <edbarnes at anomaly.2y.net>
> To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 8:44 AM
> Subject: Newbie Lists And more, was; Re: Get Out Of Jail Free!
> 
> 
> > Hi Octavian.
> > To answer your question I don't know of any Linux newbie mailing lists
> > specifically geared toward blind people.
> > I am a relative beginner with regard to using Linux myself, however; I
> > never really looked to find a newbie list.
> > To a point I am sort of the opposite to you with regard to how I learn in
> > that I like reading docs, man pages, and sometimes howtos.
> > I ask a few questions now and then and I'm greatful for the answers I've
> > received from many of the more experienced Linux users on this list.
> > Note however that I know I didn't say that to use Linux a person must know
> > Unix first though both operating systems have a great deal in common, and
> > unless I drastically miss-understood something over the past few days i
> > don't think anyone else did either.
> > Also, in regard to your comment that Microsoft does so well because the
> > people that know Linux dont' want to take the time to help newbies, I'm
> > sorry, I'm very much offended, I'm not offended because I've done a great
> > deal for you but attitudes like yours make other people who arelatively
> > new to Linux look like winers who make excuses and such.
> > Many members of this list have helped you a great deal since you joined it
> > so the credability of a statement such as the one you made regarding
> > veteran Linuxers not wishing to help newbies is zero in my opinion.
> > Further to this thread and my statements about the helpfulness of members
> > of this list may I point that my saved messages folder is 80% messages
> > from this list even though I subscribe to other mailing lists devoted to
> > other topics asside from Linux, this is because I tend to file messages
> > containg command infoand more so I can refer to them later.
> > Lastly, you may increase your probability of success if you concentrated
> > more on how things are done in Linux instead of comparing pieces of advice
> > given by users to what you already know, that being Windows, and complaing
> > ing less. Expend some of the energy you use comparing things unnecessarily
> > toward more positive things and more useful tasks like playing around and
> > seeing what happens under Linux.
> > As a newbie you probably won't break anything that can't be fixed or
> > anything that other newbies before you or I hasn't broken.
> > Folks these are just my opinions and I hope I've not offended anyone in
> > expressing them as that isn't my intent.
> > Regards to all, Ed.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> >
> 
> 
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-- 
	
				Janina Sajka, Director
				Technology Research and Development
				Governmental Relations Group
				American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

Email: janina at afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175

Chair, Accessibility SIG
Open Electronic Book Forum (OEBF)
http://www.openebook.org





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