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endoalpha Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 29 Jun 2002 Posts: 101
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 3:53 am Post subject: Gentoo forum users are the best.. |
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As I browse other linux forums similar to gentoo forums, (linuxnewbie.org, mandrakeuser.org.. etc..) I can obviously see that Gentoo users are much more informed. They know how to ask questions, how to answer questions, and most certainly have a better grasp on the Linux/GNU OS in general. Why do you suppose this is? ( I hope to get some varied responses. My guess is that the vast majority of gentoo users are intermediate to advanced linux users already...) |
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abhishek Retired Dev
Joined: 28 Jun 2002 Posts: 393 Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 4:43 am Post subject: |
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Maybe it's becuase to use gentoo u have to know more then u need to know with MDK or other distros. Yeah, my guess is the same as urs. |
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dioxmat Bodhisattva
Joined: 04 May 2002 Posts: 709 Location: /home/mat
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 8:44 am Post subject: |
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same thought here.
also, I believe most gentoo users already faced many problems in the past with the distro (you all know that in many cases everything does not go as smooth as it should when compiling from scratch), and they actually learned a lot by trying to fix thoses problems.
oh and btw... some of us, including myself come from LFS, which requires even more knowledge when it comes to debugging/fixing problems :) _________________ mat |
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AutoBot l33t
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 Posts: 968 Location: Usually Out
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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I feel anyone that has been subjected to other distributions have also dealt with the community that goes with said distro which after enough time can get very discouraging, well I try to be friendly and helpful at all times because I want the gentoo community to stay the way it currently is.....Better than the rest IMHO
.: I came from Debian, so perhaps someone else realizes what I mean by the community being discouraging. _________________ This message self destructed a long time ago. |
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AnimalMachine Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 27 Apr 2002 Posts: 106 Location: Milwaukee, WI USA
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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AutoBot wrote: | .: I came from Debian, so perhaps someone else realizes what I mean by the community being discouraging. |
Oh yea. That's #2 reason I don't run Debian any more.
Of course the #1 reason is that Gentoo is just better [for my needs]. |
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therobot Apprentice
Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 256 Location: Canada
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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Ya, I tried out Debian for a while. I went on the irc channel to ask a question, and before i could even get it out, I was bombarded by about 10 people with "RTFM retard!" and "RTFM you stupid bitch!". Now if only I knew where the manual was... |
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AutoBot l33t
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 Posts: 968 Location: Usually Out
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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therobot wrote: | Ya, I tried out Debian for a while. I went on the irc channel to ask a question, and before i could even get it out, I was bombarded by about 10 people with "RTFM retard!" and "RTFM you stupid bitch!". Now if only I knew where the manual was... |
Thats my point exactally, I occasionally get aggravated when someone asks something like "how come I can't su ?" but only because it has been asked and answered in this forum over a hundred times....But I will still answer the question or point them to the correct information needed without making them feel like a moron or insecure. _________________ This message self destructed a long time ago. |
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rac Bodhisattva
Joined: 30 May 2002 Posts: 6553 Location: Japanifornia
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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Proposed organization for forums.debian.org:
Newbies
Want to be loudly told to RTFM? Post here.
Stable
Only posts from about four years ago are allowed in here.
Non-US
International Debian Users
Non-free
Some posts will randomly get moved here, with complicated legal explanations attached.
Licenses
Long rambling arguments about which licenses are good and bad.
Policy
Extremely heated discussions about arcane rules.
Developers
Where everything really happens. Instructions for how to become a member so you can read this forum are contained inside.
White Elephants
Have an idea for a huge grandiose project that will never get off the ground? Discuss it here.
Civil Wars
Have a strong opinion on something? Seen someone else with one and it's dead wrong? Express it here.
Fork Threats
Mad enough at another developer that you want to threaten to fork Debian over something? Scare us all here.
Yelling & Screaming
Tired of arguing just about Debian stuff, but you're still mad and want to call somebody an idiot? This is the place.
This post is "ha ha only serious". I used Debian for 5 years, and I still have lots of work machines and servers at clients using it. I really respect their Social Contract, and I support their goals of being a free non-corporate distribution, and I'm very happy that they exist. They have written lots of cool software, too. Debian is a huge organization, and its size alone makes it hard to manage. If/when Gentoo gets as big, we will probably have lots of the same problems, too. _________________ For every higher wall, there is a taller ladder |
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therobot Apprentice
Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 256 Location: Canada
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | Thats my point exactally, I occasionally get aggravated when someone asks something like "how come I can't su ?" but only because it has been asked and answered in this forum over a hundred times....But I will still answer the question or point them to the correct information needed without making them feel like a moron or insecure. |
The problem is, I couldn't find any sort of forum(at least that I could read) anywhere on the net, nor could I find any sort of help resource that went beyond basic problems. |
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AutoBot l33t
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 Posts: 968 Location: Usually Out
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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I by no means was knocking the distribution as I still like debian, just not the community or how the people are treated. My last comment as a debian user was that to me Debian Planet had become nothing more than a /. which is the way I felt and I never looked back....Well there was that one time, but after reading some posts and visiting #debian I decided I made the right decision and have been happy with gentoo every since then. _________________ This message self destructed a long time ago. |
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ejdmoo n00b
Joined: 17 Jun 2002 Posts: 32 Location: USA
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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Forums like this are inherantly better than IRC or mailing lists simply because they're easier to search. This is the FM (as in RTFM), and it's all you need. _________________ Those are my two cents |
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pjp Administrator
Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 20067
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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I know this is the Chat forum, but the thread is titled "Gentoo forum users are the best..", not Gentoo vs. Debian: Pros and Cons . _________________ Quis separabit? Quo animo? |
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AutoBot l33t
Joined: 22 Apr 2002 Posts: 968 Location: Usually Out
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2002 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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kanuslupus wrote: | I know this is the Chat forum, but the thread is titled "Gentoo forum users are the best..", not Gentoo vs. Debian: Pros and Cons . |
This is the "Gentoo Chat" forum right, I do indeed see that I was chatting about gentoo with a debian'ish overtone... _________________ This message self destructed a long time ago. |
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Spark Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 30 Jun 2002 Posts: 87
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2002 1:44 am Post subject: |
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I rather guess that Gentoo users are friendly because they are so happy with their system. =)
But honestly whenever I see a new community grow it's great at first and everyone is rambling how the community is the best of all and after a while, when it gets _really_ big, suddenly everything goes downhill. I hope it won't be that bad with Gentoo. |
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masseya Bodhisattva
Joined: 17 Apr 2002 Posts: 2602 Location: Baltimore, MD
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2002 5:08 am Post subject: |
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I don't know. I think gentoo could avoid these problems. Any group that is administered by committee has problems. Since gentoo has a guy 'in charge' who has the final say, we can avoid a lot of problems right there. What would the linux kernel be if Linus didn't make a few decisions and put an end to a few debates? _________________ if i never try anything, i never learn anything..
if i never take a risk, i stay where i am.. |
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SanitysEj n00b
Joined: 13 Feb 2003 Posts: 29 Location: I think I'm here, not sure.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2003 10:36 pm Post subject: Good Idea |
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I think if you look around, you'll see that wherever very genuinely good somewhat unique ideas are, there will soon be a gathering of intelectuals/phillosophers. True phillosophers are typically very kind. Gentoo users are both I think, so they pick up on things quickly and wanna share their learnings. (plus the past practice w/ Linux) At this stage in growth, Gentoo users still want everyone in the world to use it because we love it and what it does for us. There are only a few horror stories. (other than the newbies who don't quite understand fdisk so are daunted by the install.......I was one once)
Though I understand exactly where you guys are coming from about Debian (I got called a bitch in their IRC too, not that it really hurts or anything), however, other than their internal power struggles, I think their main objective is to maintain integrity in GNU/Linux.
Course, I'm not sure anyone can truly "know" anything, so this is just more miscelaneous rambling from a madman. Thoughts aren't very well organized right now, forgive if need be. _________________ Universally,
Ej
"Try?! There is no Try!!! There is do, and there is do not!!!!" -YODA |
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S_aIN_t Guru
Joined: 11 May 2002 Posts: 488 Location: Ottawa
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2003 12:15 am Post subject: |
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the forum is one of the biggest reason as to why i am using Gentoo right now. it is basically part of my daily reading. the users are 99% of the time well informed. the replies are quick and genuine.
there is a great sense of respect, something i could not find anywhere else online. _________________ "That which is overdesigned, too highly
specific, anticipates outcome; the anicipation of
outcome guatantees, if not failure, the
absence of grace."
- William Gibson, "All Tomorrow's Parties"
----
http://petro.tanreisoftware.com |
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jlowell Guru
Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 389
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2003 6:03 am Post subject: |
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therobot,
therobot wrote: | Ya, I tried out Debian for a while. I went on the irc channel to ask a question, and before i could even get it out, I was bombarded by about 10 people with "RTFM retard!" and "RTFM you stupid bitch!". Now if only I knew where the manual was... |
And it's not just Debian, the phenomenon is far more wide-spread than that. There would seem to be a premise operating in such places that posits experienced users as somehow more valuable intrinsically than inexperienced users and, therefore, entitled to abuse and, of course, there's something fundamentally diseased about an outlook like that. Additionally, there would seem to be at work in these cases attempts to bludgeon and coerce newcomers into patterns of behavior that are intended to serve the self-centered interests of the those that are already there. What gets lost is that it is human beings that come to Linux lists and forums, not simply monads that have no other identifying characteristics than that they are interested in solutions to technical problems. And what could be more reprehensible than the parisimony of someone in possession of an answer to a question but unwilling to give it in simple charity to another. Happily, Gentoo has avoided falling into a sewer of this kind and it will continue to grow in popularity only as long as it does. Success rarely consists in expertise alone.
jlowell |
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Raoul_Duke l33t
Joined: 15 Dec 2002 Posts: 694 Location: Caerdydd, Wales
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2003 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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General agreement here too
Although Gentoo the product is fantastic, i do like the fact that the community actually feels like a 'community'........if i ever bump into another Gentoo user in some random chat-room (yes, it does happen) we just start 'going on' about the latest stuff and are happy for ages!
And yes, these forums are one of the best around (and that includes most non-linux forums too) for support and general chat.
Hey, let's face it.......we're great _________________ www.iamthepenguin.com |
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gigel Guru
Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Posts: 369 Location: .se/.ro
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2003 7:41 pm Post subject: Re: Good Idea |
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SanitysEj wrote: | I think if you look around, you'll see that wherever very genuinely good somewhat unique ideas are, there will soon be a gathering of intelectuals/phillosophers. True phillosophers are typically very kind. Gentoo users are both I think, so they pick up on things quickly and wanna share their learnings. (plus the past practice w/ Linux) At this stage in growth, Gentoo users still want everyone in the world to use it because we love it and what it does for us. There are only a few horror stories. (other than the newbies who don't quite understand fdisk so are daunted by the install.......I was one once) |
i'm none of the above intelectuals/philosophers(),though i'm using gentoo -so i guess your statement it's a little bit wrong
this gentoo community(yes i share raoul_duke's oppinion about this)is so cool because of this forums(mainly),i have seen a mandrake forum( i was a mdk user before gentoo) and it wasn't this great!
maybe this is because i'm a forum-maniac and an irc-hater.
why do i like gentoo?what made me switch to gentoo?well,this forums are like the man-pages,but much much more pleasant to read....and i'm a lazy person,and you get the picture ...i like to learn but in an interactive an pleasant way,not just #man this and #man that...that's why i _love_ this forums,and the community aswell...
regards!
p.s.my english sux,that's why i post so little _________________ $emerge sux
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Lovechild Advocate
Joined: 17 May 2002 Posts: 2858 Location: Århus, Denmark
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2003 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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I guess I'll have to agree... The Gentoo forum is by far my favorite forum, since most else where I get flamed for not always agreeing with the americans (has only happened here once, and that was confined to PMing).
go go gadget gentoo forumers applause.
Almost forgot the important bit.
The Documentation forum, desktop and the Portage forum just plain old rocks.. it's possibly the best place to get information about any kind of weird problems anyone is having with thier machines.. |
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ChopChopMasterOnion n00b
Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 70 Location: North Texas
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2003 10:18 pm Post subject: A big part of it |
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I think one of the more important distinctions is that in installing Gentoo, which is more manual than the average distro, the user learns a fair amount about what they need to know about their system and can ramp up into the ranks of "people who can help" much quicker than, say, a user of Red Hat. _________________ ----------------------------------------
There are 10 types of people in this world;
those who understand binary and those who don't. |
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wylbur n00b
Joined: 22 Mar 2003 Posts: 47 Location: 32C, an aisle seat near the back
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:46 am Post subject: all true |
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I've been using gnu/linux for about 2 yrs and gentoo about 2 wks, but I already really like hanging out on IRC & the forums. I just got bored with RH, and the debian people were just a little more worried about politics than tech. Sure, I totally do free software b/c it's the Right Thing, but it's also a LOT OF FUN! and gentoo really enables the fun part ... <OT>if only I could get mysql-4.0.12 running properly</OT>
yanno what gentoo feels like? comp.lang.python. dunno why, perhaps the Benevolent Dictator for Life BDFL={GvR|DR}. But I've learned a helluva-lot on c.l.py, and forums.gentoo.org is gaining fast.
plus, there's a lot of winking in both places though in c.l.py they're often qualified by a fraction: 0.75
no flamewars. just geeks, geekin-away. woohoo!
--wylbur |
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Vancouverite Apprentice
Joined: 28 Sep 2002 Posts: 162 Location: Vancouver, Canada
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2003 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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I think that the quality of these forums and communtiy are due to a variety of reasons. The Gentoo install is not easy for new users and a good "rite of passage" that requires reading, following instructions and patience (the key to *nix mastery IMO). Being an advanced metadistribution Gentoo attracts power users. It's quite likely that many members here work in the technical support industry to some degree and are experienced in this respect. _________________ Screenshot |
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antik Apprentice
Joined: 01 Oct 2002 Posts: 212
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2003 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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Vancouverite wrote: | I think that the quality of these forums and communtiy are due to a variety of reasons. The Gentoo install is not easy for new users and a good "rite of passage" that requires reading, following instructions and patience (the key to *nix mastery IMO). Being an advanced metadistribution Gentoo attracts power users. It's quite likely that many members here work in the technical support industry to some degree and are experienced in this respect. |
So, never-never make gentoo easy for noobs! Or else... _________________ "Yes, I know Linux runs faster, but they can do that because they have thrown out the weight of the airbag, collision frame and safety belt." —Poul-Henning Kamp |
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