From: trucken@milli.cs.umn.edu (David Truckenmiller) Subject: Re: Tractatus Linuxicus Newbius Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1993 12:42:46 GMT
In <255ljc$5jm@ionews.io.org> las@io.org (Laszlo Herczeg) writes:
>Folks, I still think though that the original poster had an valid
>point: will Linux ever be accessible to those outside of the CS circle.
Yes, I agree. My question is the reverse: Will those outside
the "CS circle" gain enough knowledge to use Linux? Or will the
"CS circle" expand to include everyone?
> He was asking for "philosophy student-proof" installation instructions,
>and you started throwing Unix-for -Dummies book titles at him.
Sorry about that. I was merely thinking that unix, in general, is
a beast even if Linux were fixed up to be "philosophy student-proof".
I was trying to give pointers to ways to increase the knowledge base
of the general public. I feel strongly that if you want to know
about something, you have to go out and do it yourself. Asking
questions, and reading are good ways to learn. There are other
sources about computers/operating systems/technology besides the
Linux community. I was trying to be helpful.
> I am a philosopher myself, and I really think no one should be allowed
>to wield power over technology who cannot pass a course in literary
>criticism.
OK.
> The Linux system administrator's guide (SAG) was a very good first
>step in making Linux more accessible, but it is in .ps format, and how
>do you expect someone coming to Linux from the PC world to be able
>to read .ps if they don't even know what a compiler is ?
True enough. But the guide is also available in text mode. (Besides,
one could always go to the bookstore and read up about postscript. :-)! )
I think it would be great if the guide could be published on paper,
and sold for a modest fee. (Once it's finished) Just watching my
printer churn out 150+ pages was painful. I have gladly paid $10-15 to
get a pre-printed copy mailed to me.
>Sure, Linux isn't for everyone, but if someone is smart enough to have
>heard of Linux in the DOS world, they will be smart enough to learn Linux
>_provided_ they are shown the ropes to make the first couple moves.
Agreed. And the comments of the first person are very welcome, and
have already influenced people responsible for writing documentation
I'm sure.
> There is much that is arcane and intimidating to a newbie, for example,
>they have to repartition their hard drive, etc., so at least there should
>be a very "handholding" manual explaining things step-by-step, with
>as little techie jargon as possible. You all had your initiation to Un*x,
>and I am more than sure that you appreciated straight talk when you were
>learning Un*x.
Well, the way I learned was to backup my hard disk, and try, try , try.
There was nobody around to hold my hand. I originally learned unix
on a Convergent Technologies (defunct now) Miniframe. The information
supplied by the vendor was hopelessly incomplete. (They never thought
that anyone would want to purchase Seagate disk drives on the street
for a 10th the price they were asking. :-)) So, therefore, everyone
else should suffer my pain. NOT!
The point is, this stuff is complicated, and there should be a step-by-
step guide, and mostly there already is for Linux. The techincal jargon
creeps in because that is how we talk. What is needed now is for people
like you that have learned the hard way, but can speak in non-jargonese,
to write manuals.
I send my apology to the group in general for taking an article with
the name "Tractatus Linuxicus Newbius" and having a little fun with
it.
-Dave