Why newbies don't RTFM... 4733

And all one has to do is look at what's installed. Oh perhaps the newfangled distributions don't bother installing the HOWTOs, but I just checked and one of the HOWTOs is breastled "From DOS-Windows to Linux HOWTO", and it's right there on my hard drive with the other HOWTOs and the FAQs, and the material that comes with the applications. If anything is at fault, it's that there isn't a one line somewhere that a newcomer will read to point them to that material. You don't even have to be online to read the stuff.

It does seem the more extended material like the "Project Guides" along with plenty of other places. What became "Running Linux" used to be there, though I don't know if I'm not sure of the name or it's now been removed. When I got started, I picked up all of this stuff in "The Linux Bible" (ten dollars at a clearance booth at a computer show), but that was mainly because it was cheap and I wanted to be able to read it in the old form.

Of course there are, there was even one edition of "Slackware for Dummies". I was under the impression much of it was taken from a more general "Linux for Dummies", but it was interesting that it was not aimed at an audience moving from Windows.

But one thing that happens is that there are likely three groups. There are the ones coming to Linux, who "just want answers". There are the oldtimers, who may not be in a good position to convey information to those newcomers, because it's been so long since they were newcomers. And there are the newcomers who are explorers, who will track things down and try things out. This last group may be the best ones to write these new manuals and documentations that some feel a need for, because they are doing the things that a newcomer is doing, but have their built in ability to find solutions-answers. They could in effect be mapping things out for the others in their own situation. (When I first had full internet access, it was on a just beginning "freenet". I'd had a couple of years of newsgroups via BBSs and a couple of decades of using computers. But the specific software was new to me, and so was much of the internet. I was trying things out, and when people asked questions, would often seek out answers through searches and experimentation. Everyone buttumed I was a "volunteer" and that I had experience, but in reality I was basically finding the answers right before I explained it to others. That was nine years ago, and I still use Pine and Lynx every single day. But I'm no longer on that early curve, so I am far less useful in explaining things to others.)

I suppose there is a fourth group, who have been around for years, but can put themselves in the minds of the newcomer.

Michael