Simple question - complicated answers
Bart Silverstrim
bsilver at chrononomicon.com
Sat Sep 29 01:22:44 UTC 2007
alex wrote:
> I would have been very much satisfied if someone had anwered my simple
> question with a
> simple answer like:
> "Look, you dummy, the simple answer is that the kernel doesn't exist as
> an ordinary file
> that can be edited like a document." The thread would have ended there.
>
> I still disagree with everyone who complained that my question was too
> complicated to understand..
>
> Anyway,, thanks for the ride.
Technically, the complaint was it was too vague to answer, and it was
the wrong question for the answer you were looking for.
If anything I think people will be more offended that you're responding
in a hostile and hurt manner rather than learning from what was said.
Geeks aren't typically ones to coddle new users, and I'd wager that most
on this list have had to weather some flames at some point or another in
their quests to learn. Your replies make you sound more like you're just
retreating away instead of showing a desire to learn more, which the
replies often had pointers to for discovering more, and I didn't see ANY
posts telling you to bugger off.
If you still don't understand why your question was plain vague or
incorrect, NOT COMPLICATED, then I would think that indicates that you
did not heed the advice I and several others had suggested in even
looking at an article on what the Linux kernel, or any OS kernel, is or
does...am I right?
If you learn nothing else, please learn this...in a community made up of
sysadmins and geeks, you will almost never get coddled by them. You'll
take lumps. You'll get insults, and you will either get a thicker skin
for it or you'll slink away and not be missed. We've taken lumps.
We've bought our asbestos underwear for the flamewars that erupt. For
better or worse, it's what we endure from users all the time, and we
admire and give respect to those who stick it out and instead of slink
off will stand up and learn from mistakes and show a genuine desire to
learn more. In the end you're more enlightened for the experience.
If you're new to the group, welcome, and hope you stay, even if it's to
lurk and learn. But you should know that the responses you had were
actually quite tame. The most hostile I saw was a borderline rant on
asking what color is sound, or something to that effect...the thing is,
he was right, and trying to drive a point home to you about the nature
of your question. The fact that you turned around and started lamenting
your age in relation to learning about Linux says more than anything
else. Sir, for geeks who probably read stories where sentient dolphins
work alongside humans in space stations and young farmboys end up
battling a galactic emperor with a sword of plasma energy, ageism is
hardly a reason to turn someone away. Expecting the geeks to learn for
you, that will get you shunned.
Anyway, hope you stick it out and maybe take the advice to learn more
about the kernel. You never really said why you wanted to do this, or
what your end goal was to be, but if you ever decide to ask more about
it you're welcome to and we'll no doubt do what we can to offer pointers
and advice...
...Cuz' that's just how we roll.
-Bart
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