Where do you go for help and news?

[Bill McGonigle]

On Jan 30, 2007, at 21:58, Paul Lussier wrote:

> I tend to know exactly
> what I need to learn and query or post with very a narrow focus which
> usually yields very good results.

The trick here is you don't know what you don't know.  I go to trade  
shows to learn about stuff I wasn't expecting.  Anything I was  
expecting I can Google.

>  What do I
> tell him? "Ditch Windows, increase your pain threshold to nearly
> intolerable, and don't use anything but a UNIX-based OS for 15+ years?

Yeah, this is the "learn a new trade" or "go to school" model that  
usually works best for most humans. 3 years is pretty good for a  
running start on sysadmin work, in my experience.  You must destroy  
your Unix system at least twice to be any good at it. :)  This is  
similar to the skiers who say they never fall down - obviously  
they're not trying anything new.

> What other suggestions are there for people new to Linux to reach for
> when they need help understanding some of the more heady
> sysadmin-related topics?

Sysadmin Magazine is a good one to read to learn about new stuff.   
The Q&A columns cover some of the field issues that aren't new.  I've  
got a CD image around here somewhere of the Sun Expert archive, where  
I learned quite a bit over the years.  Can you convince him to sit  
down and read 328 issues?  Probably not - this is all less painful if  
you spread it out over time, which brings us back to the 15 year  
problem.   That seems to be true for many disciplines.  Probably why  
the "Teach Yourself Foo in 21 Days" books sell so well... but  
amazingly "Brain Surgery for Dummies" isn't out yet.

Oh, and join a User Group!

-Bill
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