LinuxQuestions is the best linux forum

LinuxQuestions is the best linux forum.
No question about it.

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Originally posted by teddymills LinuxQuestions is the best linux forum. No question about it.

I have mixed feelings about this. I generally don't come here to find answers, but to provide answers, and that's fine, because I enjoy doing that. I am the first to admit if I don't know something, so will not attempt an answer if I am not certain of the response, unless I can help point a user in a direction which may help them. I am also not claiming to know everything. I've been using GNU/Linux for over 7 years and learn something new every day. All IT issues are like this - more to learn every day.

My mixed feelings come from some of the users themselves. I have seen more users here who perhaps need to be educated on how to ask a question, or how to be polite to people. Don't claim one way is the right way, without considering all factors. GNU/Linux is not a standard platform, and there are literally hundereds of ways to do things. What I would say to most users is to intelligently search for an answer using the DOCUMENTATION first. The man pages in linux are great, and normally, most distros have good docs. Also, most distros have forums which should be checked first. Google is your friend, but you have to know how to ask the question. I have googled for answers in seconds which people have asked. People don't want to take advantage of the documentation developers such as myself write, they want to ask a human first. This is not unique to LQ - it's human nature, but taking an active part in figuring out your problem will help you learn.

Perhaps I see so many of the problems I mentioned are because your userbase is so large compared to other boards. Regardless, I will continue to come here and try to help as I can, because as I said, I enjoy helping people, and this board provides an opportunity for me to do that.

Originally posted by Sargek I have googled for answers in seconds which people have asked. People don't want to take advantage of the documentation developers such as myself write, they want to ask a human first. This is not unique to LQ - it's human nature, but taking an active part in figuring out your problem will help you learn.

Partly, it could be because one tutorial says one way, another says it differently, and the man pages and documentation (definately for alot of software) are written for quite experienced people. If a user asks someone else about it, they get the feeling that the response has been "tried and tested".

An example - look at the installation documentation for mythtv. Its HUGE! Someone new to linux will have an extremely hard time, especially if they get stuck in "dependancy hell". Someone to help nudge them along with their method could be the solution they need.

Originally posted by Diagmato Partly, it could be because one tutorial says one way, another says it differently, and the man pages and documentation (definately for alot of software) are written for quite experienced people. If a user asks someone else about it, they get the feeling that the response has been "tried and tested". An example - look at the installation documentation for mythtv. Its HUGE! Someone new to linux will have an extremely hard time, especially if they get stuck in "dependancy hell". Someone to help nudge them along with their method could be the solution they need.

You are right - as I mentioned before, there are so many ways to do things, it follows that there will be documentation for those many ways to do things. Some documentation is good, some is bad. It bothers me sometimes when people say "do this", when they are clearly wrong, or maybe don't explain why. Explaining why helps, because then the individual with the problem learns something, and they are not just told to type "blah, blah, blah" and that will fix it. I like helping people because it gives me a sense of satisfaction, and it brings others into our Free/Open Source world!

I find that LinuxQuestions is the best linux forum.What I do not understand is why some people here are still finding windows better than linux and they try to convince us all that it is so.If they do not like linux why are they members in a linux forum ?

Definitely the best. Apart from the forum itself, there's so much other information here, like the Wiki, the HCL etc.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by efi What I do not understand is why some people here are still finding windows better than linux and they try to convince us all that it is so.

Well I suppose If they believe Windows is a better OS, they are going to want to try to convince others, just like I, and I'm sure you also, try to do with Linux. As for the actual liking of Windows in the first place, uh..... I don't know...

The worst is when you (as in general, not you as in you) reccomend linux to someone, they try it, and something goes badly wrong. Perhaps the sound doesnt work. Perhaps the hardware on their computer just wont get along with linux for one reason or the other. Then you end up feeling bad because they have to go through the trouble of restoring everything, just to walk away with a bad taste about linux. They then rate windows highly and "never complain about viruses again".

Linux has given me the following saying - "Why should I pay £100's for an operating system in order to do what I already do on a computer, but for free?" The only thing I'd need windows for is gaming, but thats rather rare.

Linuxquestions is a brilliant forum - instead of googling for answers, its often easier to just look here. Almost every problem ive had has been solved in a previous thread.

It also develops your writing skills and for me, as English is not my native language, it helps to give coherent answers and ask questions in a way that can be understood by native English speakers.

Originally Posted by Diagmato Linuxquestions is a brilliant forum - instead of googling for answers, its often easier to just look here. Almost every problem ive had has been solved in a previous thread.

This is the problem with this board that bothers me the most. People don't want to take the time to figure something out by searching for an answer first. Many do, and I understand that, but what you just said reinforces my theory that users are just looking for an easy way out, which teaches them nothing. I don't find the fact answers are readily available brilliant at all; by just answering someone's question without any effort on their part, a community of people who don't think is being created.

Windoze users are like that - M$ has created an OS that, for the most part, is fairly idiot-proof, and hides the details from the user. They have created a culture of morons who can't fix anything that breaks. I just don't want to see GNU/Linux become like that. Maybe my feelings stem from the fact I am old-school - I still believe in not hiding technical details from the user. I don't know....I've said my piece.

It also develops your writing skills and for me, as English is not my native language, it helps to give coherent answers and ask questions in a way that can be understood by native English speakers.

Linux: The world's true miracle product! Running computers and facilitating international communication since 1991! Now, if only it could cure cancer too...

Originally Posted by Sargek This is the problem with this board that bothers me the most. People don't want to take the time to figure something out by searching for an answer first. Many do, and I understand that, but what you just said reinforces my theory that users are just looking for an easy way out, which teaches them nothing. I don't find the fact answers are readily available brilliant at all; by just answering someone's question without any effort on their part, a community of people who don't think is being created. Windoze users are like that - M$ has created an OS that, for the most part, is fairly idiot-proof, and hides the details from the user. They have created a culture of morons who can't fix anything that breaks. I just don't want to see GNU/Linux become like that. Maybe my feelings stem from the fact I am old-school - I still believe in not hiding technical details from the user. I don't know....I've said my piece.

Agreed. When people have problems, I always try to point them to something that will let them figure it out for themselves, like when someone asks "how do I do this in bash?" I point them to a relevant chapter in the Advanced Bash Scripting Guide, instead of just giving them code. Of course there are always cases where the person has genuinely tried to figure it out for themselves, and there's really nothing you can do but give them the straight answer.

Originally Posted by Charred Now, if only it could cure cancer too...

Never heard of Folding@Home?

Originally Posted by Ynot Irucrem Agreed. When people have problems, I always try to point them to something that will let them figure it out for themselves, like when someone asks "how do I do this in bash?" I point them to a relevant chapter in the Advanced Bash Scripting Guide, instead of just giving them code. Of course there are always cases where the person has genuinely tried to figure it out for themselves, and there's really nothing you can do but give them the straight answer.Never heard of Folding@Home?

Thank you for agreeing with me - I thought I would get flamed to death...! I try to help people, but only if they are willing to help themselves as well. Most people give a good go at it, but there are those, as I am sure you are aware, who could care less about how, and just want an answer. I even had one person who asked me to go look up his problem for him because "he was really busy and wasn't in Linux right now." I asked him if he was kidding and pretty much told him off, then told him to RTFM. I am normally very polite, even when dealing with incredibly rude, stupid people, but he ticked me off. In his defence, he was probably 14 or something, because he mentioned his mom not letting him get on the computer.

I agree with your last comment - it's pretty obvious when someone has exhausted all possibilities, and they are stumped. I do the same thing - just give them the answer, but sometimes I try to give a little background if I have time.

Wow, I've never seen anyone that bad, and I find it to be in the extreme minority (because Linux users are generally intelligent, intrepid individuals ) that someone on this board doesn't make some effort to find a solution themselves before posting here, but anyway, when it does happen, it is easily the most annoying thing about the forum medium (Which speaks very highly of LQ, in that the only thing bad about the site is something out of their control).

As for Diagmato, I think he was merely alluding to the extravagant amount of information here, by saying that he often doesn't need to search google, because the answers are right here in previous posts, not saying that he posts a thread rather than search google.

That's true - there is a lot of information here. Maybe I see more "problem children" here because this board has such a large user base. Bigger population, more crime...