[ale] OT: White flag drops and the fight continues

[Dow Hurst]

Have you noticed how the "Linux" problems on the list have shifted quite 
a bit in type and depth over the years?  I am a relative newbie to the 
list compared to many but just in the few years I've listened the kind 
of questions have shifted alot.  More  toward the GUI interactions than 
kernel problems.  Actually the kernel questions are related to new 
developments rather than "how do I make this work?"

I use to see "how to setup PPP" questions, or "how to get a ethernet 
card to work".  Or maybe, "how to run fsck" would be a question.  Plus, 
a big question was "how to get X running on a certain video card."  Just 
connecting to an ISP by figuring out the chat script was a bear.  Kernel 
questions and hardware compatibility questions were more prominent and 
Desktop GUI questions weren't nearly as common.

So much of the basics are taken card of now by the distro's that many 
people are not having to deal with setting up X manually, or compiling a 
ethernet driver.  Actually, I've noticed that some questions asked now 
are not answered since they deal with software that is too layered to 
try to figure out via emailed info.  My own example is the hpoj 
project's ptal startup scripts not working properly.  No one bit on 
that.  I figured out what commands to give to make the printer get setup 
correctly, but the commands have to be given manually until I can dive 
into the startup scripts to figure out a longterm solution.

I definitely wanted to kid Bob Toxen since I am one of his clients and I 
know how little patching he has had to do. :-)
Dow


Danny Cox wrote:

>Dow,
>
>On Tue, 2003-04-01 at 10:37, Dow Hurst wrote:
>  
>
>>No one to talk to about problems.
>>    
>>
>
>	Really?  I thought that's what ALE was for! ;-)
>
>  
>

-- 
__________________________________________________________
Dow Hurst                  Office: 770-499-3428
Systems Support Specialist    Fax: 770-423-6744
1000 Chastain Rd. Bldg. 12
Chemistry Department SC428  Email:   dhurst at kennesaw.edu
Kennesaw State University         Dow.Hurst at mindspring.com
Kennesaw, GA 30144
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