Sort yourselves out Linux Community!!!

I know that the following post is going to annoy some people within the Linux community, but I think that this has to be said.

I am a relative beginner when it comes to Linux and the processes that are required to setting up certain software packages. I have asked many times for some answers to some simple questions, like how to play MPG files for example. However, I have yet to receive or find a straight forward, step by step guide as to how to do this. Instead I am presented with '...your codecs need updating.' or '...google xine.' or 'Open Yast, add a mirror to Packman, sell your SOUL and prey to the grim reaper.'.

Thanks for taking the time to supply me with these 'pearls of wisdom' but I came here for help. You as the Linux community are as responsible for the success of Linux as the developers who produce it. Would it not be wise to provide helpful solutions to problems that I can see that many people are facing, perhaps by doing this more users will be transported across the void from the Dark Side. The state of affairs currently leads to total confusion for the beginners who would like to try out Linux. These users who are frustrated by the lack of helpful solutions from the community that they would like to join are then going to just re-install Windows and bad-mouth Linux for the rest of their days. I think that as Linux is a community driven project it should be up to the community to make an effort to make Linux as user friendly and enjoyable as possible. Hmmmm?

Thanks for your time. I'm off to install Mandriva and watch some MPG's because I have tried for days to get it working on SUSE 10.1 and it seems like no-one out there has any idea on how to do this or is just not telling!

First off, it looks like this is your first post, so it doesn't seem like you've tried THIS community yet (which I have found very helpful in my short time on linux).

And second, here's a nice article on why linux is not like windows and why linux doesn't strive to convert the masses. Linux is what it is and it takes a certain breed of people to try linux and stick with it. Linux, windows and mac are not necessarily good or bad, but they each have their pros and cons. Each fits a particular user and their needs differently.

Since that is your 1st post, and you say that you've asked for help many times, I assume you registered a new userid just for the occasion. Too bad. Suggests that you are not willing to set yourself up for 'peer review'. Usually when someone makes such an accusation, a review of their previous posts reveals that if questions were not answered satisfactorily, it has more to do with the request or the requestor's attitude than the people trying to help.

There are lots of links around here to tutorials on how to ask a question, and what your resposibilities as a 'student' are. When I started asking questions here, I almost always got answers. I still do. When I didn't (or don't), I have usually come to find that it was either a really stupid question (Yes, there are such things.), or a question asked in a really stupid way.

I sympathize with your confusion, but none of us can conjure up a way to solve it. You will have to struggle through a fairly steep learning curve mostly on your own. I would encourage you to perservere in accomplishing that because, in the end, it is worthwhile. Sometimes, the right answer is, 'Study some more on your own.'

I will give you a tip, though. Read through the various distro specific forums, and see if you think that some are more helpful than others. In other words, if you want to use LQ for your primary support, get a feeling for the various 'communities' here and see where you believe you might be most comfortable.

I can honestly understand where your coming from...
I see a lot of answers that are great if you've used linux before and just need to go some where you havent for a while, but answers for someone who hasnt seen the guts of linux before, need to be a little more easier...As for the first reply, sorry but really think about what linux is capable of..ok its not windows or mac or any of the other OS's its not based on but it is so versatile that it can replace most os's...it may be different in a lot of ways but can be made to look the same...So dont dismiss someone out of hand and ask yourself, is it a replacement for os's that dont come up to scratch, or is it for the geeks only...if its for the geeks only then i'll just go get a pen and paper...

PS...I have yet to be in a spot that linux cannot replace another os...and i started using linux back in 1990-91...and the installs where not so simple then, but we where looking for the simple way not the hard like people seem to be told..great you know all the shell commands but i would rather just use it now and forget about being a hero, and some one newby has no idea what bash or cash is let alone how to use vi or anything like that, so please for the sake of linux, show them the easy way...and keep linux growing....

Hello and welcome to LQ. From your post, it appears that you were given helpful info, but you found it difficult to follow the suggestions that were made. One reason why you may have been told to search on google is because your question has been answered so many times and some people get fed up of repeating the same thing. Also if you didn't let it be known that you are a newbie and don't know how to follow the suggestions that were made, people will not make their responses newbie friendly for you.

To prevent people from telling you to search, you have to try and get a solution first by searching on google and LQ. If you fail to get an answer or you find a possible solution but don't know how to implement it, make sure you let people know, but saying something like "I am trying to get multimedia working on Suse 10.x. I have searched but have not found a helpful article.". or "I am trying to get multimedia working on Suse 10.x. I have found this article, but don't understand it.".

Anyway adding the Packman repo to your YAST sources was the right solution and if you didn't know how to do this you should have asked. One of the mirrors for Packman is ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/mirror...man/suse/10.0/. To add this to your installation sources, start YAST -> Software -> Installation Source -> Add -> FTP -> Server Name = ftp.uni-erlangen.de -> Directory on Server = pub/mirrors/packman/suse/10.0 -> Ok -> Finish. Your packman mirror will be setup and ready for use. I usually enable refreshing of repos so that YAST does not try to use outdated packages. To do this, go to the Installation Sources -> highlight the source -> click Refresh on Off -> Finish.

After setting up the repo, you would then have to start YAST -> Software -> Software Management. Search for xine and select the Suse xine packages for deinstallation and then select libxine and w32codec (which are from Packman) for installation.

Originally Posted by wraithe ...As for the first reply, sorry but really think about what linux is capable of..ok its not windows or mac or any of the other OS's its not based on but it is so versatile that it can replace most os's...it may be different in a lot of ways but can be made to look the same...So dont dismiss someone out of hand and ask yourself, is it a replacement for os's that dont come up to scratch, or is it for the geeks only...if its for the geeks only then i'll just go get a pen and paper...

Sorry wraithe, I wasn't meaning to dismiss him, I'm just a bit poor at translating thoughts to words. Most anyone can use linux if they WANT to. I was only trying to point out that sometimes, depending on your needs and desires, you may be better off using what you're used to if you have to do all the legwork yourself. It's really a personal choice and cost/benefit analysis.

Example: I setup a Debian box for my Grandma and spent an afternoon showing her how to use synaptic, etc. No problems, it all just works for her and she can do many things herself now. But if she had taken the plunge herself to setting up the box, she would have gone back to windows in a heartbeat because she didn't have the desire to learn a new OS. She doesn't care what OS is on it as long as she can browse the web and type email and use a word processor. The cost of learning a new OS outweighed the benefits for her (well, at least it did since I could do an OS reinstall quickly for her...)

hey wish i never learnt dos first...then i wouldnt have learnt os2 and all the other spinoffs that i followed...even unix was more fun than anything microsoft had or has ....
but yeh, the idea of this site is so people can share info and its so much easier helping someone who has no idea than having someone who has used it for yrs...
i'll help anyone and try to convert them too, especially if it means i have to work on it...maybe retirement wasnt such a good idea after all...
Seem to do more pc work than when i worked...
but thats ok...just remember that not everyone has an idea that linux is different, and windows users are more at a loss here than anyone...
IT REALLY IS A WONDERFUL OS AND ONE WE CAN BE PROUD OF!!!


hey want a laugh, i'm gettin confused with windows...setting up my sons for his games and keep trying to use ls at the dos prompt...even tried to run vi...god i'm stupid sometimes...
any one know how i can throw windows out of one...

Ever tried Unix commands for windows? Or here's another set...

Originally Posted by pljvaldez Ever tried Unix commands for windows? Or here's another set...

After looking at them i have come to the conclusion that you are being smart with me....
Totally love it, i owe you one now...hmmm, roflmao...

The only downside to installing them is that when I'm working on someone else's machine, I still use the linux commands and they don't exist... (kinda like what you're doing now on your son's machine)

Oh, and I don't remember if those command sets had vi or not, but I think there's a vim for windows... Ah, yes here...

Over time we all learn how to get help on the web. You do not ask a question. You post a wrong answer! The response ratio for "post incorrect" vs. "ask" has got to be at least 10:1

thats probably why i like ubuntu and all the short cuts...
dont have to think just find the name...lol

Hmmmm---OP has not responded and has no e-mail. Could be a "hit and run".

Especially interesting is no previous posting history--and yet he/she rants about our failures to provide good help.

hey got a good conversation going tho....

In my opinion every new linux user is a little anxious. Trying a new thing is really exciting and under this excitement many of us forget to think first and act later. We dash out and pose questions as if everybody owes something to us. We forget there are rules to do almost anything.