On Sun, 30 Dec 2007, Karl Larsen wrote: > David Boles wrote: > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > Hash: SHA1 > > > > Robert P. J. Day wrote: > > > i will (sort of) agree with you. yes, finley's website > > > had/has piles of cool advice on how to do things. my only beef > > > with it is that it is simply too verbose. here's an example -- > > > how to install yumex: > > > > > > http://www.stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_5_installation_notes.html#Yumex > > > > > > sure, that explanation is correct but, man, it's wordy. > > > what's wrong with just saying: "as root, run > > > > > > # yum -y install yumex" > > > > > > seriously, how many times do you need to be told to open a > > > terminal and type "su"? yes, i realize that's being annoyingly > > > picky, but why take 15 lines to say what can be said just as > > > accurately in two? > > It's all part of the dumbing down that Linux is going through. > > > > The Infinite monkey theorem. ;-) > I disagree. If you drive the documentation train Fedora will go > down in flames. you're right, karl ... and that's because i am the all-knowing and infinitely powerful rday, and i have the frightening ability to single-handedly destroy one of the world's most popular linux distros by writing documentation the way i prefer and publishing it on my wiki where people can choose to read it. or not. tremble before me! tremble, i say, puny humans! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! um ... sorry, where was i? oh, right. > What you use as an example of poor instruction is the best I have > seen in a long time. He tells you what it is. He tells you how to > get it. He tells you where it is on your computer. Then he goes to > the next subject on the same page which is Java. except that mr. finley's section on java is a good example of what i think is the (admittedly nitpicky) drawback to his otherwise stellar online HOWTOs -- it's unnecessarily verbose and repetitive: http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_5_installation_notes.html#Java seriously, what's the advantage of constantly typing: Type: # command Hit enter. over and over again? sure, it's correct, but after a while, it gets kind of monotonous and annoying. i mean, really, karl, how many people do you know who need to be told repeatedly to hit ENTER after typing in a command? oh, wait ... forget i asked that. > You power users are a small group. You just want the basics man! > There are a lot more people who are new users who will like the way > Finley did it. He went to Umbuto because you guys drove him there. i'm pretty sure you meant "umberto", but most of us probably translated that automatically, karl. > But if you have your way there will be no more new users. nonsense, karl. i promise to use my new superpowers only for good. happy now? rday -- ======================================================================== Robert P. J. Day Linux Consulting, Training and Annoying Kernel Pedantry Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA Home page: http://crashcourse.ca Fedora Cookbook: http://crashcourse.ca/wiki/index.php/Fedora_Cookbook ========================================================================
