Yes, I think it is how we learn. Break things, try to figure them out, and get help when you need it. But when you break something and someone else fixes it for you (you only type what they tell you to), I think you miss out on the learning experience. Running a Linux box means you are your own sysadmin. This is something that you don't get so much with some other operating systems. It's the whole "give a man a fish/teach a man to fish" all over again. If you really want to learn how to run Linux, you will inevitably have to understand the response from "man tar." Yes it's confusing, and perhaps understanding it at day 1 is silly, but it should be fairly high on the list. Somewhere after "man man."
But I still think the attempt to assemble a document/executable program that goes over every fine detail of starting out in Linux is unreasonable. Whereas books don't require X or a mouse and you can access them offline 100% of the time. From what I recall of the article, they fit all of the author's needs. -Mike- --- Ray Bowles <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > *** On Tue, 12 Feb 2002 at 1:36pm Michael Costolo shared this with the class:: > > > I think that there is something to be said for arming yourself with as much book > > knowledge as possible, especially when experience is lacking *before* you take > on > > something like a new operating system. There is no shortage of printed material > at > > any self respecting bookstore on any particular flavor/distro of Linux. > Personally, > > I picked up a 3 inch thick book on RH 6.0 a few years ago that is still the > first > > place I turn when I have questions or problems (and find a surprising amount of > > answers). Amazingly enough, it has an index, as do the vast majority of the > other > > books you may find on bookstore shelves. > > True on book knowledge, but sometimes knowledge is like crack. ROFL :0 you > need to give a newbie a couple of freebies and eventually they can't ask > you 24/7 and a book is necessary. > > > What is feasible, however, is to suggest that new users spend some real time > > attempting to read and understand their new system instead of just brute-forcing > > their way through it. Publishers such as O'Reilly take great pains to make > certain > > Isn't that how we all got started as kids. breaking stuff and putting it > back together with help from peers? > > > Ray > > ------------------------------ > Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path > and leave a trail. > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! http://greetings.yahoo.com ***************************************************************** To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the text 'unsubscribe gnhlug' in the message body. *****************************************************************
