Welcoming new Linux users
Doghouse – Linux Beginners
Planning and community effort can help welcome Linux beginners online without precluding more advanced discussions.
I am on several Linux Facebook groups, and some groups continually deal with new users coming onto the group with questions like "What distribution of Linux should I use," or "I am new to Linux, and I want to use this distribution which specializes in diagnosing malware in the kernel – how do I get it to boot?"
After the initial question comes the inevitable comments about "noobs" and questioning the new user's intelligence and their inability to "read the f'n manual" (RTFM). Going down the list of comments, it is obvious that many of the people making new comments have not taken the time to read any of the previous comments and felt justified in restating the same thoughts that had already been applied. This makes it time consuming to determine whether or not your own thought has already been applied, particularly when 50-60 percent of the answering comments are small paragraphs basically stating that the original poster should use one of three or four more mainstream distributions or (as said previously) RTFM.
Recently, AI has been added to various comment sessions of social media to summarize, at the beginning of the comment section, what the comments to date have stated. This might help both the person who asked the question and people who would like to add comments that have not previously been submitted. The AI could be invoked after two or three comments were submitted, and then after each new comment, to incorporate it into the answer.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
CIQ Releases Compatibility Catalog for Rocky Linux
The company behind Rocky Linux is making an open catalog available to developers, hobbyists, and other contributors, so they can verify and publish compatibility with the CIQ lineup.
-
KDE Gets Some Resuscitation
KDE is bringing back two themes that vanished a few years ago, putting a bit more air under its wings.
-
Ubuntu 26.04 Beta Arrives with Some Surprises
Ubuntu 26.04 is almost here, but the beta version has been released, and it might surprise some people.
-
Ubuntu MATE Dev Leaving After 12 years
Martin Wimpress, the maintainer of Ubuntu MATE, is now searching for his successor. Are you the next in line?
-
Kali Linux Waxes Nostalgic with BackTrack Mode
For those who've used Kali Linux since its inception, the changes with the new release are sure to put a smile on your face.
-
Gnome 50 Smooths Out NVIDIA GPU Issues
Gamers rejoice, your favorite pastime just got better with Gnome 50 and NVIDIA GPUs.
-
System76 Retools Thelio Desktop
The new Thelio Mira has landed with improved performance, repairability, and front-facing ports alongside a high-quality tempered glass facade.
-
Some Linux Distros Skirt Age Verification Laws
After California introduced an age verification law recently, open source operating system developers have had to get creative with how they deal with it.
-
UN Creates Open Source Portal
In a quest to strengthen open source collaboration, the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology has created a new portal.
-
Latest Linux Kernel RC Contains Changes Galore
Linux kernel 7.0-rc3 includes more changes than have been made in a single release in recent history.
