[TAG] Re: [Lgang] linuxgazette.net down......

[Tom Brown]

OK, I'm gonna jump into this discussion, even though I'm gonna regret 
it. I've stirred up hornet nests before, so this won't be the first 
time. I fully expect to get a few "stinging" replies.

When talking to the people new to Linux, I think part of the challenge 
is that they don't have the same mind-set or point-of-view as "old-time" 
or "traditional" Unix/Linux users. Part of it is the GUI/CLI issue that 
others have mentioned, but it's more than that. The CLI in Linux is 
richer, and more complex than the MS-DOS that a lot of folks are used 
to. Another problem is that a lot of people aren't interested in 
becoming programmers. They just want to know how they can rip tunes from 
an audio CD, or whatever. While some people do want to learn it all, I 
think those people are in the minority.

Now, I think giving people a CLI as well as a GUI way of accomplishing 
what they want is a great idea. Especially if you're giving them an 
easy-to-use shell script that prompts for parameters, instead of making 
someone type-in a huge command line with lots of alphabet-soup options 
they'll never remember. They're not really looking for a GUI, just an 
easy step-by-step "cookbook" way of getting the job done. Without 
learning what is, to them, a programming language. I know that sounds 
like heresy. It isn't the sort of thing a veteran Unix/Linux person 
would even think of, never mind want to use. I've used some flavor of 
Unix off and on over the last 10-15 years, and I tell you that I still 
have a handful of "incantations", which I use without caring much about 
how they do what they do. Is this the wrong way to approach using a 
computer? Some would say Yes, but today's new Linux user would disagree, 
I think.

The biggest challenge to LG would be writing the articles, which would 
require a lot of traditional Unix/Linux experience combined with a 
"cookbook" point of view. I don't think the two are a natural fit in one 
author. Each time I tried to start an article in this vein, for example, 
I quickly discovered that I lacked the in-depth knowledge and experience 
to do an adequate job.

Here's a rough top-of-my-head list of topics:

* The Hardware Department: Pick some bit of hardware that isn't 
automatically handled by Linux, or isn't handled well, and show the user 
what to do to make it work (cookbook fashion). Another topic might be 
the sort of benchmark article LG did recently. Another might be helping 
a user select a good video card (or printer, etc.) to use with Linux.

* The To-Do List: Pick a task (or a series of them) the user might want 
to do, and again, show them cookbook-style

* Finder Free: Pick a Windows or Mac application, and discuss the "free 
software" alternatives. For CLI apps, you might want to include a script 
file that makes using them (almost) as easy as a GUI.

* Up Against the Wall: Security issues are very much on people's minds 
these days. Linux security issues, and solutions are different from 
Windows. Topics here might include: how to update different distros 
(those without a built-in mechanism to do this), how to configure a 
firewall, etc.

* Brain Surgery For Beginners: Pick a Sys Admin task that someone might 
want to do (configure Samba comes to mind), and describe the steps most 
people will really need to do, pointing them to specific documentation 
elsewhere for problems.

* Paint and Wallpaper: GUI desktop issues. Some topics here might be how 
to use Superkaramba, as well as KDE and Gnome topics (perhaps a 
step-by-step on upgrading from one version of KDE or Gnome to another 
for the non-rocket-scientist)

*Arresting Development: Topics related directly to programming and 
programming languages. Tutorials in something common to Unix/Linux, but 
not the DOS/Windows world (awk, python, etc) might be nice.

*Tales From The Dark Side: Running a specific Windows app in Linux via 
Wine or Wine-x. Mono tutorials, tips and suggestions.

Anyway, you see what I'm getting at. It's more a point-of-view change 
than anything else. If you can also get sites like LWN to link to 
articles now and then, it'll increase the impact of the change.

Normally, I wouldn't think to tell you guys what to do, or suggest any 
changes. This is your gig after all, and you're doing a teriffic job. 
But you did ask for suggestions.


Tom Brown