| pinkee on Tue, 26 Feb 2002 21:10:20 +0100 |
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There is currently no mail that welcomes new subscribers and points the way to the ropes. I have composed the following and am submitting it, both to benefit newbies and for commentary on things that you feel should be changed. Hi, You have subscribed to the Philadelphia Linux User Group's discussion and help mailing list. We encourage you to look around a bit and get a feel for the group before you dive in with that barrage of new questions. The address to send list mail to is plug@lists.phillylinux.org, but before you post, read the helpful tips below. Some good resources are: http://www.google.com - Try reducing your question to the keywords and running it through here before posting. Google knows everything. http://phillylinux.org/faq.html - this is a must before posting! http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#AEN322 http://www.linuxnewbie.org http://www.insert_the_name_of_your_distro_here.com IRC- There are a lot living breathing people hanging about on irc ready to help you, but all the same guidelines about asking useful questions still apply and remember to be friendly and polite. On openprojects.net, you will find #plug, #linux, #debian, #redhat etc. On efnet, dalnet and all the other options I am sure you will find similar options, but only openprojects has PLUG's channel. A lot of questions you have, others have had too, so perusing the archives is certainly a good idea. Searching the web for tips on your specific question is also a great way to get invaluable help in learning Linux for newbies and experienced users alike. One additional tip to getting the best responses to your question is to provide as much relevant detail as possible. For example: Why can't I connect to the internet with linux? will yeild a ton of questions or no response at all as compared to: I am using Redhat 7.1 and have a dsl connection through Verizon. They don't support Linux, and I am new to linux. I tried programs x, y and z, but I got these errors. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to try next? Even trying: I am having some issues with my dsl, can anyone point me to a good source of information? is better than a vague cry for help. The next thing you will see is 300 different ways to solve your problem. The first 250 won't work for you because they don't take into account for variables in your situation. The next 50 different answers will work. Picking the one that best fits your needs and skill level takes some research and trial and error. Don't be distracted by any esoteric flame wars you might accidentally start between the different camps of zealots. It is all fun and learning, really. Try coming to a meeting, even if you are sure nothing will make sense. You will learn, and you will get to talk to the mysterious people and find out that they did the same stupid thing you just did. Twice, even. :) The intention of this welcome is truly to welcome. Enjoy your stay on the list, and realize the learning curve will pay off, and there is a wide range of skill levels on the list, most people are friendly, few bite, and doing a little research and providing as much information as you can reasonably when asking questions will help everybody help you. Another thing you can do to reduce the workload of the dedicated list maintainers is to be sure to only post from an address you are subscribed from. All mail that comes from an unsubscribed address ends up in an admins mailbox for approval or rejection, this protects the list from SPAM while allowing appropriate community announcements through. Now you want to read at home only, but you have two or three addresses you will likely be posting from. You can subscribe all the addresses at http://phillylinux.org/mail/listinfo/plug and select no delivery for the addresses you don't want mail to come to. It is that easy and really reduces stress for the volunteers who keep the group moving. Unsubscribing from plug is easy, if you ever decide you want to. Go to http://phillylinux.org/mail/listinfo/plug and you can do it from there. Contributed by pinkee@cavegirl.org -- www.cavegirl.org www.mydarlingchild.com "I can't remember everything. There's too much stuff." mclazarus@aggressivelyuninterested.com Attachment:
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