> > have to agree that this is one of the worst
> > documented OS's out there!
>
> I disagree.  There is a plethora of documentation
> available.  HOWTOs, man pages, info, source code,
> books, magazines, numerous online articles, etc.

Both right, said the Rabbi.

Most of the plethora is plainly bad written in terms of what one would
expect from any manuals or the like.

Any HOWTO for a car done in the style of most of them would get a
driver trusting it go full throttle into reverse at the first red
traffic light.

There are (few) good exceptions but almost each and any of those
writings suffer from "specialised idiocy"; after having seen so much,
and too much of that, I really believe it must be part of "a culture"
- the one of bad writing. Which makes me concerned about my mental
health the more I have to do with this Linux-related "information".

Just this example (and I'm desparate for weeks now to get some vanilla
SB card to do recording);literally from the very official "Linux
Documentation Project", theee fresh-from-the-pen "Sound HOWTO":
> The above [error] message means that the drive didn't get the
> expected interrupt from the sound card. In most cases it means that
> the IRQ or the DMA channel configured to the driver doesn't work.
-- Big deal, I never would have thought of that.
> The best way to get it working is to try with all possible DMAs an
> IRQs supported by the device.
-- Even bigger deal: not at one single place in the whole desert of
bytes is there any indication to where in hell you ever could write in
any value whatsoever for the (promptly unexplained term) DMA.
-- Still wiser, it gives the council to "get the information [on those
possible vlues] from the manual".

Ever seen that 300+ MB "PDF" file for that type of Window$-plug'n'pray
"installation manual", delivered with that brand new SB "Live!", for
instance ???????!

Go sit in Siberia and warm your heart with this sort of "information"
plethora. And I doubt if a (working) telephone line would help - it
would just deliver more of that crap but never ever anything you could
use for a DMA value.

// Heimo Claasen // <hammer at revobild dot net> // Brussels 2001-07-14
The WebPlace of ReRead - and much to read  ==>  http://www.revobild.net

ps - one of the few somewhat better exceptions:

> LINUX NEWBIE ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE
> ver. 0.106 2001-02-04 by Stan and Peter Klimas
> The latest version of this guide is available at
> http://sunsite.auc.dk/linux-newbie.

It does what is says but with any not-so-trivial trouble you're out in
the desert again, hunting for Plethora.

* Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have. *

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