Emphasis on “friendly” because there’s a big “RTFM” issue on some Linux communities. Sure, it can be annoying getting the same questions constantly. But the “RTFM” response is condescending and artificially inflates the barrier to entry. People shouldn’t be expected to read, understand, and remember 200 pages of dense documentation just to learn how to update their graphics drivers. If someone is learning how to drive, telling them “read the owner’s manual for your car” is just toxic. Sure the owners manual will have lots of useful info, but that doesn’t actually help the person who is trying to get started.
At the very least, point them in the right direction. You can say “RTFM” while still being helpful. Oh, you want to know how to do something specific via CLI? Cool, here’s a link to that specific section, which explains what the command you need does. As it currently stands, a lot of the most crucial info for newcomers is buried in obscure wiki articles and books. And longtime Linux users treat the struggle like a rite of passage. But not everyone is interested in that; They just want to ditch Windows because they can’t install Win11, and they’re looking for friendly alternatives.
Linux has historically been a space for tech people and so the default assumption is that the user is competent (jokes aside…) and capable of understanding technical writing.
So, naturally, if a person asks a question which is answered in the documentation then they’re reminded that the answers exist already in the expected places and asking other people to do your own research for you rude.
The Linux demographic is shifting and we need to adjust, but cultural norms change slowly.
and they’re looking for friendly alternatives.
I think that this is part of the trap that keeps people stuck in the spyware/enshittification market.
Technology is complicated.
Try to imagine, from a technical point of view, how complex it is to run a service like Netflix. There are a lot of highly trained people designing, managing and maintaining the various systems to run the service that lets a user touch a picture on their phone screen to see a movie.
The user has an easy, friendly experience but that’s only because Netflix handles all of the complexity. This seems like a good deal initially. I mean, $10$12$15 $19.99/mo is a good price to pay to not have to know how to do all of that.
But, now the user is completely dependent on service providers to stand between them and the complexity of technology so they never have a chance to learn because they never see how anything works.
This Faustian bargain is what lets these companies continue to spy on people and jack up the price of services while offering less service. Where are the users going to go?
Linux and the open source community offer a different bargain. You have to learn how to do things for yourself, but now you have actual meaningful choices about how you use technology and a community of people who are trying to solve the same problems as you.
Sure, it isn’t as easy. But easy isn’t free, and I’m tired of paying what they want to charge.
My literal job consists of helping other (generally much less technically savvy) representatives provide support to our end users, and it being their literal job to provide “tech” help to users is still not enough of an incentive for 80+% of them to learn anything beyond basic computing. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth just to get a fucking click path or screenshot of what’s actually happening.
Now expand that out to now I am not getting paid to help people and those asking for help are often VERY entitled that they deserve to have their hand held through the entire process. It’s frustrating and often thankless.
Emphasis on “friendly” because there’s a big “RTFM” issue on some Linux communities. Sure, it can be annoying getting the same questions constantly. But the “RTFM” response is condescending and artificially inflates the barrier to entry. People shouldn’t be expected to read, understand, and remember 200 pages of dense documentation just to learn how to update their graphics drivers. If someone is learning how to drive, telling them “read the owner’s manual for your car” is just toxic. Sure the owners manual will have lots of useful info, but that doesn’t actually help the person who is trying to get started.
At the very least, point them in the right direction. You can say “RTFM” while still being helpful. Oh, you want to know how to do something specific via CLI? Cool, here’s a link to that specific section, which explains what the command you need does. As it currently stands, a lot of the most crucial info for newcomers is buried in obscure wiki articles and books. And longtime Linux users treat the struggle like a rite of passage. But not everyone is interested in that; They just want to ditch Windows because they can’t install Win11, and they’re looking for friendly alternatives.
I do agree with a lot of what you’re saying.
Linux has historically been a space for tech people and so the default assumption is that the user is competent (jokes aside…) and capable of understanding technical writing.
So, naturally, if a person asks a question which is answered in the documentation then they’re reminded that the answers exist already in the expected places and asking other people to do your own research for you rude.
The Linux demographic is shifting and we need to adjust, but cultural norms change slowly.
I think that this is part of the trap that keeps people stuck in the spyware/enshittification market.
Technology is complicated.
Try to imagine, from a technical point of view, how complex it is to run a service like Netflix. There are a lot of highly trained people designing, managing and maintaining the various systems to run the service that lets a user touch a picture on their phone screen to see a movie.
The user has an easy, friendly experience but that’s only because Netflix handles all of the complexity. This seems like a good deal initially. I mean,
$10$12$15$19.99/mo is a good price to pay to not have to know how to do all of that.But, now the user is completely dependent on service providers to stand between them and the complexity of technology so they never have a chance to learn because they never see how anything works.
This Faustian bargain is what lets these companies continue to spy on people and jack up the price of services while offering less service. Where are the users going to go?
Linux and the open source community offer a different bargain. You have to learn how to do things for yourself, but now you have actual meaningful choices about how you use technology and a community of people who are trying to solve the same problems as you.
Sure, it isn’t as easy. But easy isn’t free, and I’m tired of paying what they want to charge.
My literal job consists of helping other (generally much less technically savvy) representatives provide support to our end users, and it being their literal job to provide “tech” help to users is still not enough of an incentive for 80+% of them to learn anything beyond basic computing. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth just to get a fucking click path or screenshot of what’s actually happening.
Now expand that out to now I am not getting paid to help people and those asking for help are often VERY entitled that they deserve to have their hand held through the entire process. It’s frustrating and often thankless.
There’s an older manual for how to ask a “hacker” for technical help that I think is so spot on for setting proper expectations: http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html