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Re: Linux-IL FAQ draft



On Fri, 17 May 1996 13:02:15 +0300 (IDT), 
Marc A. Volovic  <marc@cs.huji.ac.il> wrote:

>
>Here it is again:
>
>Linux-IL FAQ
>

Being a newcomer to the group (and to Linux), I hope my remarks will 
be taken with an ounce of mercy (beaucoup).

A0.1) I suggest the following:

      This FAQ is sent to every new member of the LINUX-IL mailing 
      list as part of her or his subscription. Take care and read it! 
      It contains (hopefully) useful information for getting started 
      with Linux, as well as information about LINUX-IL and its at 
      times daunting netiquette.

A0.3) Lovely.

A0.4) I believe newcomers might find this listing of group members to 
give the list a semblance of a clique or a members club, where 
everyone knows everyone; this may prove detrimental. I think all 
newcomers will soon identify central figures even without this list, 
as I have done within a few days of subscribing (except I haven't seen 
any messages from this Marc something; probably he hasn't posted much 
in the last few weeks (or perhaps this has to do with a file caled 
KILL on my system...)). I would lose the list. If not, correct 
'liason' to 'liaison'.

Some possible additions:

Q1.1) How should I get up and going with Linux?

A1.1) Linux is great (a.k.a. wonderful, marvelous, fun, awesome) but 
is also quite great (a.k.a. large, huge, complex, awesome). If you are 
not well-accustomed to UN*X, you will NOT know everything there is to 
know within a single afternoon, nor within a month of afternoons. Be 
prepared to do quite a bit of reading. Even if you are well-versed in 
UN*X, Linux may still take some tweaking to adjust to your system.

If you are looking for an operating system you just install once and 
don't need to know much about, perhaps I may introduce you to a friend 
of mine called Bill. However, if you've outgrown Windoze, Linux is the 
real stuff.

Don't be alarmed; even complete novices, as long as they're willing to 
learn and to experiment with their system, will get Linux running and 
active. Linux-il members are also here to help if else fails (NO! 
don't rush and send just yet a message to the group, keep on reading).

It is important you try solving problems by yourself before resorting 
to the group's help. This is, first of all, for the satisfaction of 
solving your problems by yourself (believe me, it is worth quite a few 
sleepless nights). By getting the system to work by yourself you 
obtain a first-hand knowledge no tip from anyone can replace. Also, 
sending very basic questions to the group is counter-productive; it 
prevents the group from tackling the real problems it was created for.

The most important thing to remember is to RTFM!! (This acronym stands 
Read The Funny-looking Manual; well, perhaps not funny-looking...). 
There is lots of Linux documentation available (for free) and most 
problems you will encounter are already addressed there.

Linux is a travel of discovery; Enjoy!

Q1.2) What should I do first?

A1.2) Below is a general scheme of reading material and activities you 
should explore in depth on your way into Linux (see Q1.3 about where 
to get the documentation mentioned):

       1) Read "Linux Installation and Getting Started" ch. 1,2
          (yes, do this even before installing Linux)

       2) Read "Linux Installation HOWTO"
          (It seems similar to the previous, but contains updated info)

       3) Read any documentation you may have received with the Linux 
          distribution you are about to install
          (but not yet)

       4) Go through "Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO" and check 
          if all your hardware is supported
          (don't worry if not all is supported yet)

       5) Install Linux

       [others please contribute]

       suggested subheadings:

       If you want to learn the basics of Linux:
       If you want to get connected to a network (incl. the internet):
       If you want to get a graphical user interface:
       If you want to use Hebrew under Linux:
       If you have problems with a piece of hardware:
       If you have problems with a software program:
       If you miss Windows:

Q1.3) Where do I get all this stuff?

A1.3) [I suggest we give specific directions for finding the LDP, FAQ, 
       HOWTO &c. for each available distribution we have access to 
       (e.g. Walnut-Creek Slackware, Red Hat, &c.), to the level of 
       the directory and filename
       The same holds for finding it on the net.]

I have to stop now, but if this is suitable I can add more of this 
stuff.


P.S. Have you thought of splitting the group into:

Linux-il-mostly-civil
Linux-il-truly-obnoxious


Ta,

Raphael Slepon
mrkgnao@actcom.co.il


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