[GRLUG] Distro's - GRLUG test comment, dead thread

[Ron Lauzon]

Robert G. Brown wrote:
> I beleive what is being objected to is behavior such as
> described in the article at:
>
>    http://www.reallylinux.com/docs/snobsoped.shtml
>   
That was an interesting article, but the "sobbery" that they see doesn't 
really exist, but I can see why they
think it does.  So I've created:

Ron's Guide to Asking Technical Questions for Newbies

Many of us who can answer such questions are often the people who are 
more technically advanced or talented at the companies they work for.  
In short: we are the answer people.  At work, we are paid to deal with 
newbie questions (either officially or unofficially), so we answer your 
questions at work with a smile (after all, we LIKE getting paid).

Outside of work, however, we answer questions out of the goodness of our 
hearts and out of a desire to educate people.  But we are not OBLIGATED 
to answer your question.

In my personal experience, I have been:
+ Treated as an employee by someone I don't know looking for an answer 
and demanding it NOW.
+ Called, at home, by someone I barely knew demanding (not asking) for 
technical help with his school work.
+ Treated as a Google-surrogate (i.e. they were looking for answers that 
were easily Google-able).

So, helpful hints for newbies asking questions:
1. Ask.  Ask nicely.  I recently started to learn Japanese and they have 
a whole separate set of "polite" words.  Learn the English versions of 
those words and use them.  Copious use of the words "please" and "I 
would really appreciate..." are obviously very helpful here.

We aren't looking for you to beg for help, but we are looking for 
appreciation for our help and not to be treated as peons (who aren't 
getting paid to answer your questions).

2. Try first.  Who do you you feel better helping: the person who has 
made it half way up the mountain on his own, but is stuck and needs help 
- or the person who is still at the bottom, not having made any attempt 
to climb?

Telling us what you did to find the answer yourself when asking the 
question tells us that you want to learn and makes us more willing to 
help.  Which leads me to ...

3. Learn.  'Nuff said.

4. Accept that you may not get the "step 1, step 2, step 3..." answer 
that you are looking for.  You may just get a little bit of information 
- and if you asked a good question, that little bit of information may 
just be the missing piece that lets you figure it out for yourself - and 
learn something in the process.

Remember, we just don't want to spread Linux to everyone.  We also want 
to spread knowledge.  Because if everyone is smart, we can spend less 
time answering questions and more time doing cool techie things 8-)

5. Accept the answer "you've bitten off more than you can chew".  
Remember that you are asking questions of people who are more 
knowledgeable and experienced than you (if they weren't, why are you 
asking them questions?).  Remember that we became knowledgeable and 
experienced by doing simple tasks, learning and then doing more 
complicated tasks.  Some of us went to college, some to the School of 
Hard Knocks.  We didn't get our knowledge from the magic lamp.  We 
earned it through many trials and failures.

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.  I have almost 20 years 
experience.  I've worked with many flavors of Unix over that time.  When 
I tell you what what you want to do is outside of your abilities, it's 
not a slam - it's just the honest truth.

6. Remember that techies can be bribed.  An offer of a dinner to help do 
something when we have free time stands a good chance of being taken 
up.  Money works too.  I've bought computers from the Junk Store and 
built them up with Linux for people to have something to play with - but 
I've been paid for that.

Finally,
7. Respect.  Remember that we aren't your employees, we aren't your help 
desk, we aren't under any obligation to you.  Treating us with respect 
keeps our attitudes nice, and makes us much more willing to answer 
newbie questions.

-- 
Ron Lauzon - rlauzon at acm dot org
   Homepage: http://7lauzon.home.comcast.net/
   Weblog: http://ronsapartment.blogspot.com/

   DNRC: Lord of All Things That Are Fattening

   "To be sure, conservative radio talk show hosts have a built-in
   audience unavailable to liberals: People driving cars to some
   sort of job." - Ann Coulter

Microsoft Free since July 06, 2001
Running Mandriva Linux 2005LE