From: bobk@dogear.spk.wa.us (Bob Kirkpatrick) Subject: Re: Is it time to subdivide this group? Date: 8 Sep 1992 20:39:40 GMT
jkp@cs.HUT.FI (Jyrki Kuoppala) writes:
> >I have 50 messages in the last 12 hours...
>
> This offers me an excuse to repeat the proposal to use an UU group ;-)
> (note the crosspost)
>
> From: jkp@cs.HUT.FI (Jyrki Kuoppala)
> Subject: A newsgroup for newcomers - using alt.uu.comp.misc?
> Message-ID: <1992Aug20.132607.18791@nntp.hut.fi>
>
> Whew, comp.os.linux really has an active crowd of talented people.
>
> There has been talk about splitting comp.os.linux and/or helping out
> newcomers to the *ix family of operating systems for various reasons.
>
> To help solve some of the problems, I'd like to propose start using
> the alt.uu.comp.misc group (and later possibly alt.uu.comp.linux.*
> groups) for topics for newcomers of Linux, and possibly authoring
> document material / tutorial material and/or tutorial software to
> help people learn Linux.
While I realize that your intentions were to try to give neophytes a
place of their own, the realities aren't so philanthropic.
First, altnet is seriously lacking the propagation that usenet has.
Second, you're suggestion asks for a dividing line that in practice
would turn out to be awfully vague. What would define a "new guy?"
As it is, common questions get directed to the FAQ --but many are
answered separately, and they need to be.
Linux has a number of variations :-) and the information exchange at
this point, as I've observed, goes as much to those asking as it does
those developing. To categorize a group like this according to exper-
tise will perhaps do more harm than good --even though it might reduce
volume. It may not even reduce volume. If "those in the know" aren't
hanging out in the altnet, but here instead, then those with questions
are going to come here anyway.
If the intent is to categorize and not discriminate (tm) then it might
be better to look at areas of concern rather than levels of knowledge.
my $0.02. :-)
---
Bob Kirkpatrick <bobk@dogear.spk.wa.us>
Dog Ear'd Systems of Spokane, WA