Hi readers!

Since my first install of Slackware Linux (thank you Microsoft for
Win95!) I have been relating to this newsgroup.
"As time goes by" I noticed a significant change in the way that
self-proclaimed newcomers post their problems.
The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
"hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.

Now I wonder what is going on?

a) Slackware became "easy"
b) Humanity advanced in huge steps in those few years.

Comments welcome

Stanislaw
Slack user from Ulladulla.

Stanislaw Flatto wrote:

> Hi readers!
>
> Since my first install of Slackware Linux (thank you Microsoft for
> Win95!) I have been relating to this newsgroup.
> "As time goes by" I noticed a significant change in the way that
> self-proclaimed newcomers post their problems.
> The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
> disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
> "hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.
>
> Now I wonder what is going on?
>
> a) Slackware became "easy"
> b) Humanity advanced in huge steps in those few years.
>
> Comments welcome

In the year and a half that I've been on Slackware, I've seen a proliferation
of Slack-related web sites with a ton of info on the OS as well as message
boards. I think a lot of the newbie questions have gone to LinuxQuestions,
LinuxPackages, and maybe a few other places.

About the only two problems that newbies seem to have is ALSA sound and the
damn scroll mouse. Oh, and X is sometimes a problem as well.

I know one 'trick' that a lot of new folks are doing. They are running Knoppix
first to see what kind of xconfig file gets generated and they will use THAT
as a basis when they boot to slack. Thus, there seem to be fewer problems
with the install now than with 9.1.

Indeed, I'm probably one of the only guys here who has not gone to 10.0 yet. I
have not had the time... and 9.1 runs fine. Hell, all I do is write email,
memos, press releases, PHP code, and listen to shoutcast.com. Just a typical
suit! I need 10.0 why?

ANC

Stanislaw Flatto <compaid@shoalhaven.net.au> wrote:
> Hi readers!

> Since my first install of Slackware Linux (thank you Microsoft for
> Win95!) I have been relating to this newsgroup.
> "As time goes by" I noticed a significant change in the way that
> self-proclaimed newcomers post their problems.
> The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
> disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
> "hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.

> Now I wonder what is going on?

That's easy. Because of posters like Hicks, the ng developed the
reputation of being a clique closed to newcomers. Coward Hicks and
his like are destroying the linux experience for many potential
users.

I understand that there is a 5,000 dollar bounty available to the
person who makes Hicks stop posting. Who has offered it, I am not
sure.

cordially, as always,

rm

Al C. wrote:

> I need 10.0 why?
>
>ANC
>
>
>
>
"If it ain't broke, upgrade!"

Have fun.

Stanislaw.

* Stanislaw Flatto <compaid@shoalhaven.net.au> writes:

> a) Slackware became "easy"

When was it ever hard?

--
|---<Steve Youngs>---------------<GnuPG KeyID: A94B3003>---|
| Genius - Is the ability to reduce |
| the complicated to the simple |
|----------------------------------<steve@youngs.au.com>---|

Stanislaw Flatto wrote:

> Hi readers!
>
> Since my first install of Slackware Linux (thank you Microsoft for
> Win95!) I have been relating to this newsgroup.
> "As time goes by" I noticed a significant change in the way that
> self-proclaimed newcomers post their problems.
> The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
> disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
> "hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.
>
> Now I wonder what is going on?
>
> a) Slackware became "easy"
> b) Humanity advanced in huge steps in those few years.
>
> Comments welcome
>
> Stanislaw
> Slack user from Ulladulla.

I have my own theory for this.

I think the kind of users that pick up Slack has changed. A long time ago,
Slack was the only serious Linux distro out there. So, the kind of users
trying it were M$ Losedoze newbies.

Over the past few years, many other distros have arisen (RH, SuSe, Mandrake,
Debian, etc.). The kind of user that picks up Slack these days is probably
is a moderately / heavily experienced Linux user who has a fairly solid
idea of what the OS is all about.

So, maybe Slack has become a little easy (I am a new user, so I cannot say),
but I do not think the homo sapiens sapiens have advanced all that much

Why ?

M$ still exists as a viable software company, Bush and Kerry are considered
viable choices by a large portion of the electorate, etc.

On 2004-09-07, Stanislaw Flatto espoused the following:
> Hi readers!
>
> Since my first install of Slackware Linux (thank you Microsoft for
> Win95!) I have been relating to this newsgroup.
> "As time goes by" I noticed a significant change in the way that
> self-proclaimed newcomers post their problems.
> The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
> disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
> "hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.
>
> Now I wonder what is going on?
>
> a) Slackware became "easy"
> b) Humanity advanced in huge steps in those few years.
>
I think that Slackware has gotten easier. With the presence of hotplug
users don't even have to know what modules need loading for their system.
Many users can simply install (assuming they follow all written
directions during the install process) and without any other configuration
they can type startx and be up and running. That didn't used to be the
case. So in the past when people installed Slack they tended to almost
immediately move on to the next distro when they had no idea what to do.


I also don't think this newsgroup gets the bulk of the help questions.
There are hundreds of stupid questions posted at the Slack forum at
linuxquestions.org. You can go there and renew your faith in the
stupidity of humanity in general. I think that usenet is not as well
known generally as it used to be. So people have been on the internet
for a bit before they even discover it. I think that helps innoculate
us to some extent.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Scott Cole

--
Only trust pipesmoking penguins.

Stanislaw Flatto wrote:
> Hi readers!
>
> Since my first install of Slackware Linux (thank you Microsoft for
> Win95!) I have been relating to this newsgroup.
> "As time goes by" I noticed a significant change in the way that
> self-proclaimed newcomers post their problems.
> The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
> disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
> "hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.
>
> Now I wonder what is going on?
>
> a) Slackware became "easy"
> b) Humanity advanced in huge steps in those few years.
>
> Comments welcome
>
> Stanislaw
> Slack user from Ulladulla.

Probably a lot of newbies started with the hand holding distros like
Mandrake. Those with enough nounce moved on to Slack and hence
started with reasonably intelligent questions. Thanks Mandrake et al
for educating nascent slack users ;-)

Ian

Steve Youngs wrote:

>* Stanislaw Flatto <compaid@shoalhaven.net.au> writes:
>
> > a) Slackware became "easy"
>
>When was it ever hard?
>
>
>
It is not easy to answer, not "hard" but for DOS trained user,
sufficiently different so the "steep learning curve" of Unix
heritage of Linux needed the power to admit "Me from Barcelona, me know
nothing!"(Fawlty Towers) and continue from there.

And we are here.

Have fun

Stanislaw
Slack user from Ulladulla.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

_.-In alt.os.linux.slackware, Stanislaw Flatto wrote the following -._
> The "HELP!!! what is happening around me?" posts almost completely
> disappeared and most problems seem to be of the
> "hidden" variety where some knowledge of the OS and apps is evident.

There are more linux users then there used to be. So more help is
available in person from knowing friends. Most linux newbies start
out with easy to use versions of linux and move up to slackware as
their level of Clue rises and they are better able to solve their
owne problems. People who have been in the group for a while read
the posts and find tht "HELP!!!" posts result in GAFC, STFW and RTFM
so they do their research before posting which often means not needing
to post at all. Linux is dieing so their aren't many new users so
the "HELP!!!" posts have become less. Slackware is dieing so the
number of "HELP!!!" posts is declining.

Ok so the last two were jokes.

- --
.-')) http://asciipr0n.com/fp ('-. | It's a damn poor mind that
' ..- .:" ) ( ":. -.. ' | can only think of one way to
((,,_;'.;' UIN=66618055 ';. ';_,,)) | spell a word.
((_.YIM=Faux_Pseudo :._)) | - Andrew Jackson
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