this is true... of course i wish i'd found out that posting in general didn't count toward your posts sooner... oh well

yep! it's definately 30... yay! i'm a member now!!! i will now celabrate this momentous occasion by using some smilies i haven't yet used before...

I had no idea when I started writing my post above how deeply offensive the term is to me. Roughly comparable to how Americans of African descent feel about the other 6-letter "n" word. The fact that they constitute only 10 to 15% of our population does not prevent our current idea of polite speech from excluding the word.

Besides, there is a flaw in the logic of "it only applies to LQ". Has it right because the word "member" is part of the titles. "LQ" is part of "LQ Addict", but nowhere in "newbie" is there any reference to LQ, any reason without outside knowledge that it is supposed to apply to LQ only, not Linux in general.

What's wrong with "New Member" or "Junior Member"? There is nice parallel in the second with "Senior Member". "New to LQ" or "New2LQ" would also work. Even "LQ Newbie" explicitly applies to LQ.

As programmers & computer people we should want our words to say what we mean without ambiguity, unless there is a deliberate joke involved.

I think "LQ Newbie" could be a good choice. "Junior Member" while fitting the "Member/Senior Member" time scale, kind of grates for some reason.

I can see how the term "newbie" can be offensive, archtoad6. To some I've seen online, it's equated to "luser" as in "ignorant newbie". This is cruel and unnecessary. However, the geek community has traditionally hailed newcomers with the term "newbie" (kind of like affectionately calling 60+ [or your parents ] 'oldies')

To me, it's not offensive. I suppose I'm not one, so my opinion is a bit discounted there. However, if it is offensive to some people, then I say we should perhaps modify it to say "LQ Newbie".

titanium_geek

titanium_geek, Thanks for your understanding & support. I was afraid my emotion might have clouded my ability to present a reasoned argument.

i aggree, LQ newbie would be much much dignified!
we should suggest it! or u can... since u thought of it!

Jeremy is subscribed to this thread, so I have/we are.

I'm sorry... what does that have 2 do with anything? haha.. oh well...

@cheeseandpenguins: subscription means that you get notified when there is a new post via email. It's usually automatic.

Therefore, the idea of a name change for newbie is already suggested- Jeremy (root) will see it.

titanium_geek

Indeed I have - thanks for the feedback. We'll keep this change in mind for a future release.

--jeremy

I have to admit that I've been (well, still am) called a lot worse names than "newbie". Are there really some who are offended by that title? I date from BPC (Before Political Correctness), so it doesn't bother me.

I also think Junior Member would fit the scheme nicely and sounds a lot better than newbie.

Just my after reading this thread

I always thought 'newbie' was an affectionate term, and 'n00b' was the pejorative one...

I'm pretty much of the same opinion, but that "n00b" was just a cutesy way of spelling it. Personally, my view is that a word can only be offensive/objectionable if there is some sort of clear malicious intent behind it, but "newbie" doesn't meet that test, given that a.) it's simply a tech synonym for any other word indicating that someone is new to a particular topic or field (eg, "rookie", "beginner", "novice", "new guy", etc) and that b.) it's often used most enthusiastically by the very people it applies to the most. In other words, take a look at the number of threads that start out with a comment along the lines of "Noob here, how do I..." or "I'm a newbie, how do I..." Equating "newbie" to, say, a true racial epithet/insult is IMHO a major stretch. Consider it this way - google for the term "a newbie's guide to linux" and then substitute an actual pejorative word in any of the 1.2M hits. Is there a real comparison? I'd say No.

In any case, with regards to the original question, something like "New LQ'er" or "New Member" makes sense. 2 cents.

How about when someone might be new to these forums, but has been using GNU/Linux for years? Or vice versa? Junior Member/Expert or Guru? Member or Senior Member/Newbie? Any combination. Not sure what to call the level of experience or knowledge between Newbie and Expert.