Re: FreeBSD-newbies group is a compromise community.

From: Greg 'groggy' Lehey (grog_at_FreeBSD.org)
Date: 03/19/04

  • Next message: Jamie: "Re: FreeBSD-newbies group is a compromise community." 
    Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 13:33:43 +1030
To: "Anurak C." <anurak4@fastmail.fm>

    On Friday, 19 March 2004 at 9:23:52 +0700, Anurak C. wrote:
    > On Friday, March 19, 2004 5:18 AM, Eric wrote:
    >> Quoting Freddie Cash <fcash-ml@sd73.bc.ca>:
    >>
    >>>> On Mar 18, 2004, at 11:58 AM, Jamie wrote:
    >>>>> I'm trying to upgrade my to openssl 0.9.7d from 0.9.7c and am
    >>>>> having a really rough time.
    >>>>> ...
    >>>
    >>> And once again we're shown why technical questions are NOT to be
    >>> asked on the newbies list. This list is NOT for technical
    >>> support. This list is to discuss the newbie experience. What
    >>> works for you, what wonderful things you've discovered, your
    >>> experiences with FreeBSD at home or work. Things like that.
    >>> Consider it a coffee shop where everyone comes after work to just
    >>> shoot the breeze about life.
    >>>
    >>> Technical questions should be asked on the FreeBSD-Questions
    >>> mailing list, where all the gurus and wizards lurk. They can
    >>> provide answers that are correct on the first shot, and consistent
    >>> from poster to poster.
    >>
    >> Frankly I can't decide which is more annoying - receiving user
    >> questions posted on the "wrong" discussion list, or receiving
    >> complaints that the user questions were posted on the "wrong"
    >> discussion list.
    >
    > This is my first time to post to this mailing list. I can call
    > myself a newbie as well. I would like to share my point of view
    > that there are many people out there who doesn't know where to ask
    > easy questions. Most new arrival to FreeBSD or Unix world think
    > that they are coming to another new world full of gurus and hackers.
    > Unix seems to be the world for experts.

    This concern was the original reason for this mailing list.

    > I realize that FreeBSD-newbies is not for technical questions but it
    > is just the general agreement or a concept.

    It's the charter:

      Welcome to FreeBSD!

      This list is a gathering place for people new to FreeBSD. Please
      feel free to share your experiences with others on this list.

      Support questions should be sent to freebsd-questions@freebsd.org.
      Technical questions should be sent to freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org.
      (NOT to the newbies list please)

      Full info and FAK http://www.welearn.com.au/freebsd/newbies/

      Please read the info and FAK. They contain important information
      regarding the purpose and use of this mailing list.

      To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the
      freebsd-newbies Archives

    The reasoning for this is twofold:

    1. People on -newbies are, by definition, newbies. In general, they
        understand the system less well than people who have been around
        for a while. As a result, the answers you get from them may not
        be as accurate as the answers you would get on -questions.

    2. Most members of mailing lists never post. They just lurk and
        learn by the questions and answers sent by other people. This is
        also the reason why we ask people to copy the list on answers.

    > All of us know this agreement but
    > still answer again and again. I don't know why. I have seen many people
    > here offer help to new comers without complaining them. Maybe there is
    > something compromising in our community, Daemon?
    >
    > I am not convincing everyone to violate the agreement but please be patient
    > to new comers. We may answer them and suggest them to ask in
    > FreeBSD-questions for more detail.

    This usually doesn't happen. It would be a lot better if people would
    respect the charter. It's there for a reason.

    Greg 

    --
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  • Next message: Jamie: "Re: FreeBSD-newbies group is a compromise community."

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