Re: [cobalt-users] Help please.

["Brenda Fuller" <bfuller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I couldn't help but reply to this discussion.  As a fairly new user to
Linux, Cobalt (and all of its software), HTML, and on top of that - the
mailing list - much of our "misuse" is due to lack of knowledge.  Many of
the things pointed out in how to respond in a mail list - I was unaware of.
Many things - such as turning off HTML - I am aware of.  I don't know where
these rules are listed (maybe on Cobalt's subscription page and I just
rushed through to sign up) but here is my attempt to answer "according to
the rules".

> This is the most unhelpful e-mail list, I have ever come across.

Being new, once again, I don't have much to go by.  I do know that this list
has gotten me out of more than one jam.

> As for replies at the top - this the default on the majority of e-mail
> clients (I.E. MS).

I am not sure what is referenced here.  I use Outlook and when I reply it
puts the subject in automatically.  I do know that in my excitement to
answer a question yesterday (because I finally knew one) I accidentally hit
the wrong message to reply to - my apologies to the group.

> Why should I or others have to keep scrolling to the bottom of every
e-mail,
> when we have been reading the thread to date. All we are interested in is
> the answer - the question we already know.

Once again, in not knowing the "proper" or "preferred" way to respond - I
personally just started typing a response / question directly at the top of
the e-mail.

> Amy.
>

Start of original thread


> Dear all,
>
> I would like to become an Internet Service Provider, renting out webspace.

Okay - even though it is not the main thing I offer - I do host some sites.

> However, I don't want to learn anything about the Internet, or servers.
> (The Provider bit I understand, my customers "provide" me with a new car.)

Would you mind describing in detail how to accomplish this - a new car would
be wonderful :)

> I want to do this with a free operating system running on cheap hardware,
> with a GUI to configure it so I don't have to learn anything about the OS.

I thought that is what I did when I bought the RAQ2 :)  (yeah - right -
haha)

> But obviously I'll need to customise my setup for my particular needs.
> When I discover that the company that sold me the hardware won't support

I bought mine from a distributor and they don't support anything.  My fault
I know but according to everything I read about the RAQ - it shouldn't
require that much support.

> the changes I want to make, then I expect there to be a mailing list where
> all my questions will be answered promptly.  Don't ask me to check the
> archives or the Knowledge Base - I'm too busy!

Oh - I have checked (as many others) but they tend to be hard to follow or
don't make much sense to us "newbies".  I certainly use them when I need to
know where to get this file or how to install a package - but if I have done
something that brings my site down (imagine that) then I want (and need) an
answer to get me back up asap.  Has nothing to do with whether or not I am
busy.  I believe it is a given that we are all way too busy.

> Don't ask me not to post in HTML either, I'm too busy to find out how

Once - I forgot that I had it on.  As soon as I saw the message on the
list - I immediately turned it off.  I apologized :)

> to turn it off, and as for those poor suckers that pay by the minute
> for internet access - ha! get with it, guys!

For people in the US - that definitely is not a much understood concept.

> W. Annabe.

> Monday morning rant over.

Good - I will wrap mine up too.  I find this list extremely helpful and
certainly appreciate everyone's time that contributes to it and that has
helped my out of some TOUGH spots (tough for me).  I spend time trying to
research as much as I can, I have reference books at my fingertips for
Linux, HTML, Apache server, FrontPage (which I am really beginning to
hate) - but when I am in a site down situation - I will turn to the list for
help.  I certainly do recommend that any "newbies" such as myself have these
reference books.  They don't cost that much (I find the "Teach Yourself"
series to be helpful because I can follow what it is explaining) and they
help guide me through the basics of all of the software setups and commands.

Be patient with us - we are trying to learn (a lot in a short amount of
time).  Once again - thanks everyone for participating in this list and
especially to the people that have been to kind to get me out of tough
situations (for me - not for you) ;-)

Brenda