Getting Linux Technical Information

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How to find the answers to Linux-related technical questions on the Internet.

Contents

Man Pages

Man pages and accompanying docs are good, but because they are often written by the software author(s), they often don't do a good job of explaining

  1. What is this software
  2. Why would I want to use it
  3. How do I (being a product of the MTV generation) get it to work RIGHT NOW?

Documentation

The root (my starting point)

Highlights:

† I (Jeremy) have actually used this guide in early days, I still use the HOWTOs regularly

Mailing List Archives

Not part of the Linux Documentation Project, but mailing list archives, especially searchable ones, are incredible resources, especially for resolving strange dependency issues, such as buggy hardware revisions.


USENET, web boards, and mailing lists

Please exhaust all of the above resources before posting to USENET, mailing lists, etc. The chance is very good that someone has had this same problem before, and someone else has solved it. Then, go to DejaNews and AltaVista and do some searches. The signal-to-noise ratio can be very low, but it is worth a shot. After all that‡, try these--

General Linux questions:

  • comp.os.linux.misc
  • comp.os.linux
  • comp.os.linux.answers
  • alt.uu.comp.os.linux.questions (I occasionally use this, because fewer people use it than others, and thus there is less crap).
  • comp.os.linux.admin
  • linux-config@vger.rutgers.edu (Majordomo)
  • linux-admin@vger.rutgers.edu (Majordomo)

Getting timely information

  • comp.os.linux.announce (I post STNY LUG meeting announcements here)

Distribution specific questions:

Networking questions:

  • comp.os.linux.networking
  • linux-net@vger.rutgers.edu (Majordomo)

The kernel development list:

  • linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu (Majordomo)

You probably don't need to post here. You really only post here if you are developing a device driver and need the help of the elder gods, if you have a well thought-out architectural suggestion. Inquiring of the existence of a driver for peculiar hardware is tolerated, because often one of the head hackers may actually have something that they though no one would be interested in.

When posting to one of these places, here are some things to consider.

  1. Have specific subject lines. I for one delete all USENET posts that say "Problem". I just don't have time to read them to see if I know anything about their problem.
  2. Along similar lines, say exactly what the problem is in the first paragraph. Give more details (symptoms) in the next.
  3. Then tell about the environment--what distribution, what hardware, what is the function of the box. If you think it relevant, list the RAM amounts, CPU type, BIOS revs.
  4. Then, if you have any suggestions as to what the problem might be, list them. But don't confuse people by putting them first. If you say "I know the problem, and its X, but I don't know how to fix it". If you don't know how to fix it, it may not actually be X that is causing it. But someone who might have known that it was really Y causing the problem sees you say that it is X, and knowing nothing about X (but a lot about Y), stops reading and goes on.

‡One exception to the "scour the Internet first, post questions second" creed is the STNY news group. It would be nice to get more traffic there.

Last Hope

Finally, ask Jeremy. If he doesn't know how to fix it, he'll make something up. And it'll sound convincing.

Notes

April 27, 1999 : STNY LUG meeting at Spectra.Net offices.

These notes are Copyright 1998 by Jeremy D. Impson <jdimpson@acm.org>. You may copy them in their entirety or in part for your own use (any use) provided this copyright and credit notice is included in the copy.

Source

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