You Need a Human:A Suggestion (Score 5)

I installed RedHat 6.2 and was very proud that I *finally* got it up and running by myself and then almost immediately got root owned by some one in Germany. (I love that Gnu/Linux shows you what's happening though...a big contrast to problems in Windows, which someone in the office was experiencing simultaneously).

I had no knowledge of what to do about it, couldn't find any man page on point, and had no one to ask, so I wiped it off the box and started over.

Now I'm reading reading reading about security *before* I go online again. What I don't understand is: why doesn't anybody warn you in bold letters about shutting down telnet, etc.? Linux is too powerful for newbies unless someone helps us fast and early to know what to watch out for. It needs to be in the installation manual, not online, so you aren't root-owned while you're reading the documentation pages.

If no one will do that, if anyone would set up a site for a manual for newbies, I'd surely help write for it.

It's a Catch22 with Gnu/Linux...you can't get it up and running until you know something about it, and you can't really get to know something about it or even comprehend it until it *is* up and running. At least I can't. I specifically bought RedHat as a distro so I could get help from another human. But they only help you install and after that you are on your own. If you then call and ask how to shut off things, they won't help at all, because they "only help with installation"...It's astonishingly user-hostile, compared to the proprietary software world. I'm puzzled as to how they plan to make their business work out, unless they just don't care about individual users and are focused solely on businesses. Maybe it costs too much to help users and that's why they draw the line where they do.

Having griped until I feel better, I think it's important to say this: that the whole point of Gnu/Linux is to eventually know what you are doing. You can't just make it totally click and point and still have the real value of Gnu/Linux. I understand that and am willing to do my time to get the knowledge base I need. But what we really need is help at the beginning to get started and set up, safely. And newbies need to be able to ask questions, specific questions, from someone who knows, because the documentation is never exactly your distro or your situation. Plus there will never be a manual that explains everything to everyone well, with no need for questions. Proprietary software folks know that and set up for it. I mention this because of all the comments about how annoying newbie questions are. Questions are how you learn.

So why not set up a site where newbie questions can be asked and answered? Not just with FAQs, but with a way to email a question. Dell has a great system for that. You do get a FAQ as your first answer, and usually that's enough because they are so thorough (as in "check to make sure your computer is plugged in") and well-written, but if you still need help, you can write back and get it. That way we newbies won't ruin things by asking stupid questions anywhere else. And if we stray off the reservation and ask a question in the wrong venue, you can just point us to that site. It's clear from all the comments that no such site currently exists. Again, speaking for myself, I absolutely volunteer to help anyone who sets up such a site. Just post where to go and I'll be there, seriously committed.

Why? Because I have lived it and know how great the need is for this. And because though I never intended to study computer science, and shouldn't have to go too far down that road before I can use an OS, I understand that open/free is valuable and would gladly contribute what I can.

I also understand that there is a chasm between newbies and programmers and we speak and think in different ways, so what helps *you* with no trouble is hard for me. On the other hand, you probably don't know much about the law, and I work in that field. I can usually read a judge's ruling and know what it means, while you might be puzzled, because you don't know the lingo and lack experience in the field and so would need to ask someone what it all means. Even smart people need to ask for explanations in a field that isn't their own. You could see that clearly when the media was thrashing about with court rulings in the recent US election. Just clueless and misleading coverage as a result. If the person you asked for an explanation answered: "Just read the law", would that help? I say no, because you lack the knowledge to understand what the law means and how it works out in real life. It's no different with computer knowledge. We do need help understanding what it all means and how it works out in real life because we lack the background and experience to get it on our own. Most of us also lack the time and the interest to actually learn how to program. Should that be required to use Gnu/Linux? If not, then where is that helping hand for us Windows refugees?

So, how about it? Anyone?