[aklug] Re: Basic Linux information

From: Damien Hull <damien@linuxninjas.tv>
Date: Wed Sep 16 2009 - 16:39:38 AKDT

Is the goal of AKLUG to produce level 1 helpdesk technicians? If so, nobody=
 told me. I would like as many people to be using Linux as possible. That i=
ncludes the average user on the street who doesn't care about Vi or Apache.=
 At the moment we are in no danger of helping either one. =C2=A0

At the moment we spend our time talking amongst our selves. Friday night la=
b sessions bring in the same people. We do two things. Bash Microsoft and m=
aybe help someone with a project. That's it. And yes, I have heard a few as=
k about Flash plugin. How do I install it again? I my self am guilty of tha=
t very thing.=20

I would like to see AKLUG take an active role in promoting open source and =
Linux. I don't think we are ready to do that. People will have questions ab=
out Flash plugins and a whole lot more. It would look really cool if we cou=
ld give people the basic info so they don't have to search the web.=20

My personal goal is to create a simple set of instructions for installing U=
buntu. This will include multimedia support. Why? Because we all know that =
multimedia support doesn't get installed by default. I also believe it pres=
ents a better image. The person gets a Linux CD and enough information to w=
atch youtube videos in a matter of minutes. No more searching the net for i=
nformation.=20

Is this wrong? I don't think so. Again, I'm interested in seeing as many pe=
ople use Linux as possible. If it means I need to create documentation for =
the end user I'm will willing to do that. Someone was nice and created all =
the documentation I read before I new anything about Linux.=20

Again, comments are welcome.=20

----- Original Message -----
From: "Arthur Corliss" <acorliss@nevaeh-linux.org>
To: "James Zuelow" <James_Zuelow@ci.juneau.ak.us>
Cc: aklug@aklug.org
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:38:10 PM GMT -09:00 Alaska
Subject: [aklug] Re: Basic Linux information

On Wed, 16 Sep 2009, James Zuelow wrote:

> Here we finally get to the meat of the question Jon asked:
>
>
>> What is our goal?
>
>> Jon

Precisely.

> If you want to be a group of hackers, programmers, and generally awesome =
te=3D
> chnical wizards, then RTFM is great. =C2=A0Of course, even then it is hel=
pful to=3D
> tell said luser where the FM is in the first place or that it exists. =C2=
=A0(No=3D
> t everyone thinks to do a `man .k5login`) =C2=A0I see lots of RTFM replie=
s that =3D
> assume a level of knowledge that just isn't there, leaving poor luser to =
wa=3D
> nder in the desert until someone takes pity on them or they give up.

Agreed. =C2=A0Which is why the #1 thing any UNIX newbie should learn is the=
 man
system. =C2=A0Which means tools like apropos (or 'man -k') do, and what sec=
tions
are for what. =C2=A0And for those inbred GNU programmers ;-) how to use inf=
o.

> If you want to be a teaching group, building a community of users, you wi=
ll=3D
> need some patience to get said users past the neophyte stage and into the=
 =3D
> stage where they are productively using Linux. =C2=A0Not necessarily scri=
pting t=3D
> heir own encrypted rsync backups, but just using some sort of office suit=
e =3D
> in Gnome or KDE, watching the odd DVD and being happy.
>
> Which approach is going to be more successful is open to debate. =C2=A0(I=
 guess =3D
> since Ubuntu has been a dismal failure, while the Slackware 12 release ju=
st=3D
> about crashed the internet shows that most new Linux users prefer the RTF=
M=3D
> approach.)
>
> The idea of splitting the mailing list has come up before -- aklug-tech v=
s =3D
> aklug-discuss. =C2=A0Maybe you guys should discuss that again at the next=
 Friday=3D
> night, since it seems that the group is split.
>
> My personal opinion is that since the group is named the Alaska Linux **U=
se=3D
> rs** Group, you should at least make some effort at accomodating new user=
s =3D
> who might need some hand-holding. =C2=A0But as a non-Anchorageite I'm not=
 sure m=3D
> y opinion carries any weight with the group. =C2=A0:)

I'm all for accomodating new users and the merely curious. =C2=A0But what i=
s the
focus? =C2=A0It shouldn't be to Tier 1 helpdesk for local Linux users, it s=
hould
be breeding the next generation of hackers.

My $0.10. =C2=A0Inflation is a bitch.

=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0--Arthur Corliss
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 =C2=A0Live Free or D=
ie
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Received on Wed Sep 16 16:39:57 2009

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