An interesting post from Linux-india.....not that I agree on every with it...but it is still interesting and makes a lot of sense. --Indra ---------- > From: Shanu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: HELP HELP HELP HELP > Date: Thursday, July 08, 1999 11:19 AM > > Hi, > For person who has been using win32 for nearly all of his > computing era it is very difficult to understand the way the Linux > system works. GNU/Linux is a hacker OS - of the hackers,by the hackers > and for the hackers. Please read the foll in the right spirit. > > The beauty of Linux is that it is totally documented. These > documents are located right on ur desktop. The HOWTOS, Mini-HOWTOS, FAQs > and guides and the man pages make the bulk of it. There is absolutely no > such thing as an 'undocumented' feature which is highly common in the > win world. Under no circumstances does one need to spend money on > expensive books for the same knowledge. > > Instead of making a sincere effort to go through these sources > and finding out more about the matter on hand, people expect the same > from the mailing list. Configuring sound cards and SiS cards are perfect > examples. These have been discussed almost every day on the list and i > don't think we will see the end of it either. What ever knowledge i have > acquired is by reading the docs. If a commerce student like me can > bother to read and make sense of its contents, so can every one else. > All it requires is a little interest and determination. > > Thanks to Thaths, the entire mailing list archive is available > for download. How many of us have bothered to use this for a little > research ? Very few i suppose. He has done this for the benefit of the > community. Users should refer the archives before making a post in order > to avoid repetition. If this draws a blank, then only post to the list. > We are not ur slaves! > > U don't see people like Atul, Thaths, KD, Arun and a few other > old timers replying to each and every post. These people have some point > of time ALREADY shared their knowledge and expertise among us. U cant > expect them to repeat it. That is why the archives are for. They now > have resorted to answering only those topics that interest them. > > A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. If i have no idea on a > particular topic, I prefer to keep my mouth shut. Why risk jeapordising > the other person ? This would mean that certain posts die a silent > death. Most of my posts are dead even before they make it to the list, > but i do not complain. I try other avenues like the Internet. > > I recently had a situation where i wanted to mount a CD with > noexec permission. After many sleepless nights hacking I finally found a > solution. The joy i experienced when i achieved this is tremendous and > totally out of this world. Others too might have similar experiences. I > wanted to share this, so the next day i posted it to the list. If > someone finds it useful, it makes me happy. If some one replies to me > personally, it makes me even more happier. Only in Linux do we receive > virtual beers and pizza for our efforts. > > This is how the system works. Not by compulsion, not by force > and certainly not on monetary terms(unless he/she will benefit > commercially from it). Roughly, this is how open source movement works. > That is why some of us are using Debian GNU/Linux which works exactly on > these lines. This reminds me of Thaths reply to Prabhu on the growing > feeling towards the community among long time Linux users and their > desire to contribute back. > > Linux is enjoying an explosive growth in India thanx to the > efforts of PC Quest, CHIP, PC World and GT Enterprise. But i think this > kind of growth will have a negative effect on Linux. A lot of lazy > people are trying out Linux, 'crashing' Linux by doing stupid things and > then blaming the OS for their mistakes. Microsoft does not need to do > any thing special to hamper Linux growth, the newbies are doing the same > quite well. I used to push Linux among my so called 'computer literate' > friends. Ultimately what happened was i ended up doing most of the dirty > work for them. I now only help those who make an effort. The road to > Linux has to be more of choice than by chance. Using Linux without > understanding its concept will be like using win32, probably even worse. > > I realize that this post does not make any particular point and > is highly immature and vague. But i hope it makes interesting reading. > Always open for comments from fellow enlightened GNU'ers. > > Finally, A spl thanx to the old timers for making the whole > Linux experience for me a little more fun. > > -- Shanu > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - = = (SHANU) = = - - > Shanker Balan Debian/GNU Linux 2.1 > St. Alberts College > Cochin India > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > For more information on Linux in India visit http://www.linux-india.org/ > Please do not post HTML email to this mailing list. HTML mails will be > thoroughly ignored and derisively sniggered at in private. -- To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body "unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line. FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/faq/listfaq.html
