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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!twpierce From: Tim Pierce <twpierce@midway.uchicago.edu> Subject: Re: Slight flame from Linux user X-Nntp-Posting-Host: kimbark.uchicago.edu Message-ID: <D9pupI.I8w@midway.uchicago.edu> Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator) Supersedes: <D9poon.Byv@midway.uchicago.edu> Organization: Vinegar Cabal References: <3ql3gd$je2@bell.maths.tcd.ie> <D9nMoA.M8G@midway.uchicago.edu> <3qsng2$bue@bell.maths.tcd.ie> Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 20:13:02 GMT Lines: 63 In article <3qsng2$bue@bell.maths.tcd.ie>, Timothy Murphy <tim@maths.tcd.ie> wrote: >Tim Pierce <twpierce@midway.uchicago.edu> writes: > >>As an object lesson, consider the following message posted >>recently to this newsgroup: >> >> 1) How can I create a sysop login? >> 2) How do I get to my initial setup? > >I don't understand your problem. >This guy seems to have two perfectly sensible questions. >Why not just answer them ? Are you really serious? Where should I begin? By describing what a "sysop login" is? Explaining the concept of a root account? Talking about file ownerships and group memberships? Suggesting that most of his work should be done from an unprivileged account anyway, as a general rule? Perhaps you will respond that he didn't ask me any of these questions, but given his earlier questions, I'd bet good money that he doesn't understand any of them either. Each of them is likely to come up before the sun sets again, and if I want to be the Useful Unix Utilitarian you've proposed, it's practically my *duty* to raise issues that will concern him as deeply as these will. Why not just answer them? Why not simply offer my assistance to someone demonstrating this much familiarity with the operating system? Because they don't pay me to write comprehensive Unix beginners' manuals all day -- which is surely how long it would take to give this person the kind of help they seem to need. Besides, O'Reilly and Associates has already done that job for me. If someone about to embark on a cross-country trip got into an eighteen-wheel truck and asked you, "where's the starter," what would you say? "Here it is: just turn the key, step on the pedal, and you're off!" "Perhaps you'd better take the bus instead." >Is your point that someone like this shouldn't be running FreeBSD ? It's my point that they shouldn't yet be operating any Unix system. >It that is so, my suggestion would be that the poor man >should throw FreeBSD away and turn to Linux, >where the questions above would be quickly answered. Great. I think you should tell him just that. Indeed, I think you should hang out here and tell *everyone* who doesn't understand what "root" means that. They shouldn't be running Unix; they should run Linux instead. -- By sending unsolicited commercially-oriented e-mail to this address, the sender agrees to pay a $100 flat fee to the recipient for proofreading services.