Good for less than a year!

Story: Official Ubuntu 10.10 Manual Is Now AvailableTotal Replies: 11
Author Content
Jeff91

Jun 07, 2011
6:01 PM EDT
And in the wonderful world of Ubuntu with an 18 month release cycle a "Guide" posted 8 months after 10.10 releases is not worth much for very long. In fact by the time a "normal" user learns their system they will be required to upgrade again (or get no updates) :-/

~Jeff
montezuma

Jun 07, 2011
7:29 PM EDT
Looks reasonably generic i.e. applicable in the main to other releases as well.

Very newbie oriented. Nothing much of interest to most long term users.
helios

Jun 08, 2011
9:09 AM EDT
Another reason we stick to LTS releases.....
lcafiero

Jun 08, 2011
10:46 AM EDT
While Jeff91 is right -- the manual logically is good for one release -- many times people who actually read manuals -- those few, unfortunately -- get a good grip on how to do things which help them with later versions (assuming, of course, that things don't change drastically as versions increase). So while its shelf life may be short, I think it's valuable in a sense that the manual's users may develop a higher degree of knowledge going forward.
helios

Jun 08, 2011
5:17 PM EDT
Yeah, but in Ubuntu, you are going to have two manuals. Pre-Unity and Post Unity. I understand the first will disappear eventually by attrition but still. They didn't do themselves any favors.
BernardSwiss

Jun 08, 2011
5:51 PM EDT
The single, most useful piece of advice my father ever gave me:

"When all else fails -- read the directions"

gus3

Jun 08, 2011
7:15 PM EDT
Read the directions? But I learned so little that way...
caitlyn

Jun 08, 2011
7:16 PM EDT
@BernardSwiss: Your father, like mine, was polite. Nowadays they say RTFM and make fun of the newbies to boot.

Any manual that aims at newcomers and making Linux easy to understand is a good thing in my book.
BernardSwiss

Jun 08, 2011
7:53 PM EDT
Yes, good documentation is invaluable.

-- and doesn't O'Reilly have a series under the rubric "The Missing Manual"? (It is O'Reilly, so I assume they're pretty good).

So -- good documentation is worth good money :-)

BernardSwiss

Jun 08, 2011
7:59 PM EDT
I never (ever) got told to "RTFM" (except in the nicest way, after receiving useful help).

But then, I knew enough not to imply that I was somehow "entitled" to free tech support service, right now, dammit!

I also usually tried to give some indication of what I'd tried or what I'd found on my own. Maybe it was over my head, or didn't apply to my situation, or I was just clueless, but I was at least trying to think for myself .

I even, on a few occasions, flat-out admitted I was in a hurry, and hadn't done my homework -- and maybe promised to do so in the near future, when the rush was over (and recommendations for appropriate documentation much appreciated). Prompt, helpful responses were generally forthcoming.

Needless to say, I've never found the stereotyped depictions of the snooty, elitist, rude Linux clique terribly convincing.

tracyanne

Jun 08, 2011
8:43 PM EDT
Quoting:Needless to say, I've never found the stereotyped depictions of the snooty, elitist, rude Linux clique terribly convincing.


Well it's time we started.
caitlyn

Jun 08, 2011
10:47 PM EDT
Let's not and say we did

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