[aklug] Re: Basic Linux information

> Quite frankly, I think the so-called "geek" community needs=20
> to be ashamed of
> themselves. Geeks used to be hackers, but now they're not. =20
> They're users.
> Users with little inclination to learn, break things apart,=20
> and build new=20
> things. In short, if we had to start the Linux revolution=20
> all over today,
> it wouldn't happen, becuase we simply don't have the people interested
> enough to make it so.
>=20
> So, you want to call RTFM elitism? I call RTFM a base=20
> expectation. If
> someone RTFMs and still doesn't understand, I'm more than=20
> happy to explain.
> But if you're not willing to RTFM, you had better be an aging=20
> relative, or
> don't expect to be spoon fed. I don't have the energy to do=20
> that beyond my
> bloodlines.

Here we finally get to the meat of the question Jon asked:

>What is our goal?

>Jon

If you want to be a group of hackers, programmers, and generally awesome te=
chnical wizards, then RTFM is great. Of course, even then it is helpful to=
 tell said luser where the FM is in the first place or that it exists. (No=
t everyone thinks to do a `man .k5login`) I see lots of RTFM replies that =
assume a level of knowledge that just isn't there, leaving poor luser to wa=
nder in the desert until someone takes pity on them or they give up.

If you want to be a teaching group, building a community of users, you will=
 need some patience to get said users past the neophyte stage and into the =
stage where they are productively using Linux. Not necessarily scripting t=
heir own encrypted rsync backups, but just using some sort of office suite =
in Gnome or KDE, watching the odd DVD and being happy.

Which approach is going to be more successful is open to debate. (I guess =
since Ubuntu has been a dismal failure, while the Slackware 12 release just=
 about crashed the internet shows that most new Linux users prefer the RTFM=
 approach.)

The idea of splitting the mailing list has come up before -- aklug-tech vs =
aklug-discuss. Maybe you guys should discuss that again at the next Friday=
 night, since it seems that the group is split.

My personal opinion is that since the group is named the Alaska Linux **Use=
rs** Group, you should at least make some effort at accomodating new users =
who might need some hand-holding. But as a non-Anchorageite I'm not sure m=
y opinion carries any weight with the group. :)

James

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Received on Wed Sep 16 15:10:38 2009