On Friday 19 March 2004 06:02 pm, Chuck Mattsen wrote:
> On Fri, 2004-03-19 at 17:42, Tom Brinkman wrote:
> ----- snip ----->8
>
> > /mild but accurate rant
> > The problem was and isn't the cooker developement process.
> > The problem was _users_ who wouldn't install the upcomming
> > release until cooker reached at least the RC stage. BUT, by
> > then it was far far too late. This new release cycle (still
> > every six months) might help, but I now see people now sayin,
> > "I'm gonna wait for the 'official', 10.0-CE is nothin but
> > RC2". If I were them with that attitude I'd keep it to
> > myself. What they're really sayin (to me anyhow) is "I'll let
> > some others test drive the new release for me. I'm not
> > willin to take part in the community developed distro I use".
> >
> > Anybody can test, and newbie confusion/user problems with
> > the distro equates to a bug that needs correction. Plus the
> > additional hardware base they contribute, as they're the most
> > likely to buy/have hardware with little to no regard for/
> > knowledge of Linux compatibility. EG, the current 'CD1 won't
> > boot' problem for some users. With 9.2, the LG cdrom deal.
> > end mba rant/
>
> I, for one, appreciate your rant.
>
> As a newbie, both to Mandrake and to Linux in general, I've
> been a bit confused about the varying attitudes toward cooker,
> the RCs and now the Community download. On the one hand, when
> a question is asked concerning a problem a user is having, I
> often hear, "Well, a newbie has no business running cooker,"
> or, "What did you expect with an RC?", etc. I can see why some
> would shy away from anything but a full, official release.
So can I. I believe you understand my comments were aimed at
those who dissuade others from testing, and/or those that
complain about issuses after the fact when they weren't willin to
help out an test.
> It's good to hear that some appreciate users' willingness to
> experiment with the latest releases, whether newbies or
> more-seasoned users.
>
> Of course, if the problem is brought to the list in the form of
> a raving, angry complaint, then the "what did you expect?"
> response is probably justified. :-)
Unfortunately, some cooker'rs and developers often display
the sentiment 'well maybe you're not up to runnin cooker'. Some
only do so when they're frustrated, or as you point out, abused.
Fortunately the prevaling attitude is that newbie input is
vital for a community based distro, and they'll bend over
backwards to try an get usable information about problems and
preferences from newbies. They also understand this process can
be intimidating to the newbie, and frustrating for them. I'll use
Civileme as an example. Even tho he's no longer around, many on
this list still remember him.
Newbies only have to be willing to get their feet wet... an
sometimes accept that they don't have the best hardware for Linux
use.
--
Tom Brinkman Corpus Christi, Texas
Proud to be an American
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