[TriLUG] A friend of mine shared this article with me--comments anyone??

[al johson]

Well, the stuff from Lockergnome is not really available online, only by
subscribing to their free Penguin Shell newsletter. Moreover this newsletter
encourages the forwarding of its articles by supplying a "Forward this to a
friend" button at the bottom of each article!
    I thought that since this LINUX newsletter was rather new the group
might like to see a sample of SOME of the items in this newsletter and from
other Trilug members' responses there has been some interest expressed in
reading about the state of various distributions.
     However, this particular article was emailed to me by a friend (as I
said), and it included the reference to the place it came from (which allows
interested parties to compare the text I've presented with the original). In
fact, it could be called an "advertisement" for the website in question.
Thus I fail to see any harm has been done in either case.
   Now, if you don't want to read these (in my view) very "interesting
comments" about different distributions (and how easy they are to install),
or interesting comments about the progress Linux is making in today's
marketplace, etc., then I will most certainly cease and desist sending them.
==============================
    However, I'm more interested in a problem which I and at least one other
member of Trilug have and that is the problem of FIXING a fairly successful
Linux installation that still has a couple of problems. After getting a new
motherboard, because my old one had developed problems with my previously
working Mandrake-Linux installation (7.2 if you're interested) is now gone
and because a lot of the hardware had to be changed, I've been unable to
even get my new modem to work. Moreover, for some strange reason I cannot
get GIMP installed using my 8.0 distribution.
     The story with another member of Trilug is that he emailed me and asked
if I could help him get his modem working!! And you can guess what I had to
tell him (I didn't know enough to solve his modem problem because I don't
know enough to solve my own).  While the Trilug group gives great advice to
all those setting up and repairing servers (which is indeed important), the
amount of help available to those desktop newbies such as myself is very
small.
What is needed is some sort of help for those who are interested in DESKTOPS
not Servers. I'm talking about those who are interested in learning about
the hundreds of Linux desktop applications and how to use them. Therefore I
do have sympathy for those who are not "thrilled" about learning how to use
text editors when they could just as easily use a command from some GUI
program instead. One must indeed crawl before they can walk or run. I know
there are lots of Trilug members who could help newbies with this stuff. The
problem is how to EFFECTIVELY communicate with them. Clearly just referring
someone to a program in freshmeat (which works for oldtimers because that
person knows how to INSTALL AND USE that program properly) or some other
article located on the web (which assumes that the newbie UNDERSTANDS THE
SPECIAL LINUX COMMANDS and LANGUAGE) just doesn't cut it. Lots of times a
newbie just has trouble FINDING the command in question, and even if he/she
downloads the program and knows how to use RPM there is always the problem
of knowing WHERE it should be installed!
     I really hated it when I had to tell another Trilug member (who emailed
me for help) that I couldn't help him with his modem problem because even
though Mandrake 7.2 had successfully installed my first modem, I now had
another modem which was giving me problems. In other words, I had the same
problem as he did!! Is it possible that someone in this group can come down
from the mountain and help us FIX the various problems we're having. What
I'm saying is that some "handholding" would be greatly appreciated. Maybe
instead of a meeting where we install new systems, there also ought to be a
"fix your system problems" meeting?  In any case, You get your wish, I shall
never present another interesting LINUX article to this group again. Maybe
someone can help me with my wish?? --AL

----- Original Message -----
From: Brent Verner <brent at rcfile.org>
To: <trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2001 6:50 PM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] A friend of mine shared this article with me--comments
anyone??


> [2001-12-08 18:18] al johson said:
> | Making Linux look harder than it is
> | By Robin Miller, Newsforge.com
> | Posted: 07/12/2001 at 11:18 GMT
>
> [~180 lines snipped]
>
> Al,
>
>   While these articles /are/ useful, I do not feel it is appropriate to
> paste them directly into email messages; a brief description of the
> article and a link would be much prefered, IMO[1].
>
> [1] You are /potentially/ depriving the website from which you copy
>     the content of visitors.  Remember, these internet publishers
>     are /trying/ to make a living...
> [2] While you attribute the articles properly, there is no _guarantee_
>     to a recipient that you have not modified the copy.  Having said
>     that is in no way implicating that you do or have modified any
>     copy you've forwarded.
>
> cheers.
>   brent
>
> --
> "Develop your talent, man, and leave the world something. Records are
> really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you enough
> to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing."  -- Duane Allman
> _______________________________________________
> TriLUG mailing list
> http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug