Robert P. J. Day wrote:
[.....]
what i found inappropriate about the original poster's question was that his *first* reaction seemed to be to ask the list when he clearly (by his own admission) didn't have even the basic background to be administering a linux system.
and that's my story, and i'm sticking to it.
You know what? You're absolutely right. I agree with you. HOWEVER, I don't agree with your tactics. This posters ignorance (and I don't mean that offensively - we're all ignorant on any number of subjects) did not justify your rude response. Frankly your response was far more annoying than what you responded to.
I've been on the Internet for 11 years now so I know all there is to know about "netiquette". I'll never forget being "chewed out" by some crater-faced-18-year-old geek who felt the need to "put me in my place" for having the gall to ask a stupid question on a mailing list I was on back then. It was my first exposure to "RTFM", I recall.
Needless to say I'm now 100 times more informed on any number of topics (mostly IT-related) than I was at that time (I was also new to computers when I first got online back in 1994). And looking back, I did ask any number of stupid questions back then.
You know what? B.F.D.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Due to culture and/or upbringing, not everyone new to Linux is starting at the same place. So one newbie may be far more prepared than the next.
It doesn't matter. At least they are interested in Linux. That's good enough for me.
BTW, I'd have said much of what you said to this guy. I'd just have been nicer about it.
Scott
