Alternative Linux Community

[micha8l]

Hey,

I've been using linux for about three months and there forums actively for about 2. I switched from WinXP to Ubuntu, as I was gettin' tired of following programming guides that constantly suggested things that weren't possible in WinXP without huge effort.

I've noticed these forums are good for help, but it seems to lack "community spirit :p". Also, none of my friends use Linux so when Apache throws an a fit, I'm kind of restricted to the Internet for help. So I was wondering if there are any good alternative Linux communities out there preferably with a active chat system and far less users than these forums, maybe a forum that specializes in Linux/PHP/ZendFramework - that should narrow it down enough :D

Kind Regards,
Mike

[NightwishFan]

Even if you do not use OpenSUSE, the opensuse forums are fairly good. I have usually found great answers here though.

[NightwishFan]

You can use IRC for real time help. :)

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat

[earthpigg]

Been to any of your local LUG meetings?

[micha8l]

Thanks for the IRC channel NightwishFan, never used IRC before, but gonna try now.

Never earthpigg, although this is something I would like to attend, I tried my local one "Liverpool", but it seems there's a 404 Error http://livlug.org.uk/ - typical lol

[Elfy]

irc://irc.freenode.net/#livlug

Try them on irc.

[ilovelinux33467]

Even if you do not use OpenSUSE, the opensuse forums are fairly good.

I'll second that

[1clue]

Haven't tried OpenSuse forums for years, so I can't say about that.

There are a lot of people who get irritable if you ask for help on a forum when you use a different distribution. You might do OK on the Debian forum since Ubuntu is based on that.

For a beginner, this forum is about as good as it gets. I know for a fact that several experts who use different distributions lurk here and answer questions. I use more than one distro, including this one.

If you need more help, then what I do is Google the software package and the error message. You get hits from some bizarre places but usually you can scan the results page to find a link that helps.

I also search the forum/news group/mailing list of the specific software I'm trying to use.

Also you might find that there are some basic rules for getting a good response. A lot of these guys don't speak English too well. Keep your posts short and to the point if you're asking questions. Not so much if you're answering.

I've found that this format works best for me:

Having problems with <whatever software>
I'm trying to ...
The error message is ...
Here's what happens ...
Does anyone know how to ...
Thanks.
Log files, error messages, any pertinent output comes in a block or series of blocks after you're done talking.


If you ask your question on the forum for the software you're talking about, you stand a good chance of getting an answer from one of the people who wrote the software. Keep in mind a LOT of these guys don't speak English well. Chances are if they're answering on those forums they are extremely knowledgeable on the subject even if they didn't write the software.

[slackthumbz]

Get on IRC. It's the best place to get quick and useful answers. Also, real men use Irssi.