"Linux is just Red Hat"

[Eric Dunbar]

Two comments:

> I suspect that there are a lot more Debian users out there than Red
> Hat's marketing department would care to admit.  And Debian users have a
> clue.  They tend to be more knowledgeable than Fedora users.  This will
> change with Ubuntu.  We will have a larger contingent of newbies to deal
> with.  Think of them as understudies -- teach them how to find the
> answers on their own, then step out of the way and let them proceed at
> their own pace on their own path.

Or make it such that they don't have to find the answers at all
because the questions just don't come up... now _THAT_ is a challenge
worthy of society's efforts.

> Don't expect them to know enough to RTFM until you point out where to
> find the relevant manual, if it exists.  Allow them to explore freely --
> don't restrict them to your One True Lesson Plan.  People don't like
> deadlines and restrictions on what they are allowed to or supposed to
> focus on according to some self appointed guide.

How about never having to RTFM. At most, RTFS should suffice to do 90%
of tasks and 99% of everyday tasks (since 1984 I've never RTFM! (I
started life as a Mac user)... at most I'll RTF manpage, wiki or HOWTO
nowadays (and, for people who haven't been around computers as long as
I, the latter three options ought not appear).

Eric.