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COMPUTING

Getting help with Linux

December 3, 1998
Web posted at: 1:20 PM EST

Rick Cook

From...

(IDG) -- Although Linux isn't nearly as hard to install and set up as its reputation has it, sooner or later you're going to need some technical help. The question is, how do you get it?

A plethora of sources

In my experience, Linux support and documentation is better than that of any other operating system out there. Certainly none of the three versions of Windows I'm currently running (3.1, 95, and NT 4.0) come close. Digital's old VMS (with its famous orange wall of manuals) may rival Linux documentation for detail, but it was never as easy to understand or use.

It isn't for nothing that the Linux user community won InfoWorld's Best Technical Support award in the magazine's 1997 Product Of The Year competition. Linux support is outstanding by the standards of the modern computer industry. (Though a cynic might say this is more a comment on the quality of technical support from conventional software vendors than on the excellence of Linux's support.)

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Like the rest of Linux, however, Linux support is different from what many have come to expect in a Microsoft-dominated world. Aside from the few companies that provide professional support, Linux is supported the way it was written -- by volunteers. This has a lot of advantages, at least judging by the results; still, the biggest problem is knowing where to go to get the help you need.

FAQs and how-to files

The first place to check is the FAQ (frequently asked questions) and how-to files on the Internet. The best place to find them is the Linux Documentation Project (see Related sites below) or one of its mirror sites. These contain more than 3,000 pages of documentation and Q&A on all aspects of Linux.

As a technical journalist, I am astonished by the clarity of the explanations found in the Linux how-to files. There's a minimum of jargon, a maximum of useful advice, and an awful lot of step-by-step walk-throughs. If all computer documentation was this good, I'd be a lot less busy.

The biggest problem with the FAQs and how-tos is finding the right one. There are dozens of these documents, on everything from how to install Linux to the meaning of arcane error messages and how to write your own SCSI drivers. They are generally well-organized, but you may have to do some poking around before you find the right one.

A secondary problem is that these documents tend to speak Linux. If you're unfamiliar with the terms and techniques, you can easily get lost. For example, many files talk about downloading a piece of software called "foo.tarz" without bothering to explain the tar compression utility or the difference between a tar and a tarz file and how to use each. It's all clearly explained in a how-to on downloading software, but you have to know to look there. Sometimes you have to download two or three documents to understand the one you're interested in.

If you don't yet have Internet access, get a friend to download the appropriate FAQs and how-tos for you.

Vendor support

If you purchased a distribution with support, your distributor is the second place to seek information. (The appropriate FAQs should be the first place you look.)

Unfortunately, vendor support is one area where Linux is like other operating systems. That means it can vary widely from company to company and even from query to query, just like commercial programs do. Still, the distributor can often answer your questions or even walk you through particular processes over the phone. Don't expect oracular performance, but don't ignore this avenue either.

Man pages

Every distribution of Linux comes with an online manual called the man pages. "Man" is an abbreviation for manual and "pages" because each command is delivered on a single page.

Man pages are usually found (along with other documentation) in a directory called /usr/doc in your distribution of Linux. To access them, type man followed by the command or program name you want to know about.

As a beginner's resource, man pages are a distinctly mixed blessing. They pack an awful lot of information into very little space, so they're highly stylized and often downright cryptic. You have to know the format, and often, for the man pages to be truly useful to you, you have to come in with a pretty good idea of how your command or program works.

The man page format goes back to the early days of Unix. Man pages are designed as a reference for programmers and experienced users. They aren't intended as introductory or tutorial material, and by and large they aren't. Still they're quite useful once you understand the notation (which we'll talk about in a future column).

Newsgroups

If the FAQs don't tell you what you need to know, try the newsgroups.

The first step in using the newsgroups is to check Deja News to see if the subject you're interested in has been discussed lately. This site contains files of back messages from most of the important newsgroups on the Internet. Deja News features a keyword search so you can check for particular subjects or pieces of hardware easily.

Checking Deja News first can not only give you a quicker answer than posting your own question in the newsgroups, it frequently gives you a better one. It stands to reason that if you're the third person this week to ask about using an Iomega ZIP drive with Linux, regular newsgroup participants may not want to repeat themselves fully.

If you can't find a reference, go ahead and post your question in the appropriate group. Note the singular -- group. Massive cross-postings are considered bad form. Also, don't post your question to comp.os.linux.advocacy. The people in there are likely to take your expressions of frustration as attacks on their favorite OS and flame rather than help you.

Also, don't ask for an answer by e-mail. Instead, check the newsgroup. This is not only more polite, it'll give you a broader spectrum of help.

Among the most useful groups in my experience are

  • Distributor-specific groups, such as

    • comp.os.linux.redhat
    • comp.os.linux.caldera

  • Beginners groups -- comp.os.linux.setup is extremely valuable since it focuses on the problems users run into while setting up Linux

  • Special newsgroups for hardware comparability, such as

    • Linux on the Alpha
    • Linux on the 68000
    • Linux on the PowerPC

Some groups aren't designed for beginner questions: comp.os.linux.development.apps and comp.os.linux.development.systems, as their names imply, are for developers working on Linux projects. Likewise, questions about getting the X Window System running under Linux are probably best addressed to comp.os.linux.setup rather than comp.os.linux.x, which tends toward more technical topics.

Sometimes you'll get an answer to your question almost immediately after you post it; sometimes it may take a few days. Be patient and keep checking.

Oh yeah: alt.sex.fetish.linux is not the place to go looking for help -- or anything else.

Dead trees

The number of books on Linux is vast and growing. Like all computer books, they vary widely in utility, readability, content, and intended audience. In fact, there are so many that I'll begin reviewing them one or two at a time in future columns.

Rick Cook has been covering computers and high technology for nearly 20 years for various publications. He is the author of a series of fantasy novels full of bad computer jokes.

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