Newbie (n00b) 101 Pt. 2 -- Getting help

[ZabiGG]

GETTING HELP

Searching this forum

With the number of people on this site (Currently Active Users (http://ubuntuforums.org/online.php): 14076 (1002 members and 13074 guests)), chances are SOMEONE has already asked the question or experienced the problem you have.

Problem is, A LOT of people have questions. And a question asked merely 30 minutes before may already be pushed back to page 4 or 5 of the main thread window at the busiest times of the day.

Another tiny bit of a problem is that some people are not clear what their question or problem is and give their post a title like "Help!!!" which, if you're looking to solve a sound card problem, for instance, will not be a post you'll even look at

But maybe that person was the one who asked about the sound card you have, and the thread includes the exact reply you need?

On any given day, the same questions are asked every which way at least 5 times each (and I'm being very conservative here).

But why?

Lots of people don't take the 30 seconds necessary to search the forum before they post, because they don't know how to search efficiently!

Here is a starter tip for searching this forum

The Search box

(that elegantly discreet greyish field box at the top right of any page)

IS YOUR FRIEND -- tame it, love it.


Here's how: use quotes

Let's say you're looking for info about the NVDia card driver...
Instead of typing NVDia card driver in the Search box (your new best friend)
enter: "nvdia card driver" (notice the quotes, insert the quotes, love the quotes)

That way, you'll only get "hits" (search results) with those three words glued together. Instead of getting posts about how NVDia is great for GRAPHICS but the poster would rather buy and ATI but has no money for a new CARD you'll most probably find the ones about the current issues with the NVDia GRAPHICS CARD.

Get my point?

You will still get irrelevant hits, but much fewer ones, thus you will find what you need quicker!

There are also a host of self-explicative advanced search functions (you'll get access to those if you use the Search box). Try them on for size, you might actually find exactly what you're looking for without too much pain and eyestrain.


More help on the next post...


Z.

[ZabiGG]

Getting help FASTER ...

... when there REALLY is no answer and you NEED to post

(I insist)

1) Choose your thread title wisely -- i.e. be specific
"Need command line to copy App X to directory Y"

will get you help much faster than

"Don't know what to do???"

because the helpers who know their command lines can SEE that you need help with something they know (every helper has their own field of "expertise" or knowledge), and thus help you faster.

EDIT: Forum guidelines specify we should post any question in Absolute Beginners first. The advice below is merely my personal opinion on how help may be obtained much more efficiently, especially for beginners.

2) Post your thread in the relevant forum section
Absolute Beginners is a place to help newbies start out. But if it's filled to the brim with technical questions, the really new-new fresh and wide-eyed newbies cannot find the kind of help they need.

Even if you are part of the newbie tribe and thus qualify for using this section, you're better off benefiting from the advice of the people "specialized in your problem".

Post in the right section, but mention you're a newbie so that they will coach you through it instead of just spewing command lines and jargon at you.

Your question is about a sound card? Post it in the Hardware & Laptops section on the main forum page.
Your question is about this or that application? Post it in General Help.
You have a problem with a screensaver, theme or background? Desktop Effects & Customization is calling your name!

As simple as that. And much more efficient, too.

I already hear the nay-sayers say: "But I posted there and didn't get any help"...

[sudo rm -r politically_correct_filter]

It's your own darn fault!

Our poor helpers have no choice but to concentrate on Absolute Beginners, because the posters post everything and anything there!!!

As soon as we can all learn a bit of discipline and post -- again, I repeat -- in the RELEVANT (OR PROPER, OR RIGHT, OR MOST APPROPRIATE) section, the helpers will be able to focus on the ones where they can specifically help...

If you really have no idea which section your inquiry relates to, post in General Help.

[sudo kill rant_process]

List of forum sections and details (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4995872&postcount=55)

3) Mark your threads [SOLVED] when they are
That way, helpers can concentrate on the posts that remain unanswered. Just humour me and take a look at how many questions are open out there. It would take an army to get to them all, and helpers here are volunteers. They do the best they can.

Marking your [SOLVED] threads really, really helps. Please do your part.

And If you manage to solve your problem on your own, why not pay the community back in kind by posting how you solved it, then marking your thread.

Pretty please???

General forum posting tip

I'm proud of my n00b status. There's no shame in being a newbie. Be candid and honest about it. No one will laugh. Quite the contrary, they'll be more eager to help and make you feel welcome and at home.

Don't try to use the technospeak you don't understand to get help if you don't know what the words you are using mean (it may "look" cool, but it makes your post incomprehensible or confusing). State your problem or question in your own words, so it's easier to understand what you need.

Well, that was long-winded... sorry all

But that's it for today. I'm working on a 101 of the HOWTO section... stay tuned!

Cheers and love to you all

You are my :KS

Z.

[ZabiGG]

And if you have more tips, it helps keep this thread alive and on top...

So they're much welcomed.


Cheers,

Z.

[Bodsda]

A brilliant source of documentation can be found on the wiki

comdocs -- https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UserDocumentation

The irc channel is also an excellent place to ask questions.

irc.freenode.net

help can be found in this channel #ubuntu
and beginners help can be found in #ubuntuforums-beginners or ##beginners-help

And although this is regarded as not a very nice statement, Google IS your friend. The best results are achieved by asking the question as simply as possible

grub error 22 ubuntu

is a great google search, and by putting ubuntu at the end of the search specific results are found easier.

Hope this helps

[ZabiGG]

That's perfect advice Bodsda! ;)

Thank you so much.

Z.

[forestpixie]

I have found that for searching it can be a bit easier to use either google


search term site:ubuntuforums.org

or uboontu.com, you can get a firefox search plugin for that, I'm fairly sure it only searches ubuntu sites but is google - saves typing site:ubuntuforums.org

http://www.uboontu.com/

I use that one a lot - there is another one bu the name escapes me.

Edit - it returned - http://www.googlubuntu.com/

[markbuntu]

There is also tons of very package specific help right on your machine at usr/share/doc. Use Synaptics to get the doc package for almost anything. They are usually listed right below the package. You can use nautilus to get there and look at them.

They are EXTREMELY helpful for noobs and everyone else.

[ZabiGG]

Markbuntu, I salute you. Thank you!

:popcorn:

[ZabiGG]

This delicious (although a bit ranty) essay makes the point I was trying to make here much more eloquently:

http://ubuntucat.wordpress.com/2007/08/06/getting-the-best-help-on-linux-forums/

Love you all

:KS

Z.

[ZabiGG]

For those unfamiliar with how IRC clients work, here are two informative links:

Xchat tutorial

http://www.xchat.org/docs/start/

Chatzilla and others

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/node/1783

Cheers :KS

[JoshuaRL]

Guide to Forum Features
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=726219

Tutorials on Forum Basics
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=726150

[ZabiGG]

Thanks Joshua! ;)

Z.

[ZabiGG]

May 23

First post shortened. Second post edited per forum posting recommendations.

Cheers,

Z.

[ZabiGG]

I have found that for searching it can be a bit easier to use either google



or uboontu.com, you can get a firefox search plugin for that, I'm fairly sure it only searches ubuntu sites but is google - saves typing site:ubuntuforums.org

http://www.uboontu.com/

I use that one a lot - there is another one bu the name escapes me.

Many thanks, Pixie ;)

The third option you're referring to is this one:

http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/

Cheers,

Z.

[ZabiGG]

There is also tons of very package specific help right on your machine at usr/share/doc. Use Synaptics to get the doc package for almost anything. They are usually listed right below the package. You can use nautilus to get there and look at them.

They are EXTREMELY helpful for noobs and everyone else.

Thanks again ;) I recently discovered that I could access the whole she-bang like this (ubuntu/debian hybrid):

System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager

I enter my password and click All, then I can browse through everything, even individual libraries.

Cheers,

Z.

[forestpixie]

Many thanks, Pixie ;)

The third option you're referring to is this one:

http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/

Cheers,

Z.

No - it definitely wasn't that one - still can't get it though ;)

[ZabiGG]

lol, I tried! ;)

[ZabiGG]

A quick one...

Roaming through older unanswered posts, I realized that a lot of questions are not even related to Ubuntu and really refer to the inner workings of a specific application.

If you can't find an answer here, a quick Google trick - search string: "application name" home - should help you locate the developer's site, where you'll most likely find FAQs, guides and dedicated forums for more largely supported applications such as Open Office, Wine, and so on...

Love ya all,

Zab the Terrible

[forestpixie]

Many thanks, Pixie ;)

The third option you're referring to is this one:

http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/

Cheers,

Z.

No it's this said I as my memory returned for a short while

http://www.googlubuntu.com/

[ZabiGG]

You're a hoot, pixie, thanks ;)

So I just finished reading this: http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html (http://catb.org/%7Eesr/faqs/smart-questions.html)

It's pedantic and downright mean, but funny when you stop and think about it.

Key advice is this:

If you did your research and still have to post a question, doing your homework and providing the info below will get you the best possible kind of help:

"

Describe the symptoms of your problem or bug carefully and clearly.
Describe the environment in which it occurs (machine, OS, application, whatever). Provide your distribution and release.
Describe the research you did to try and understand the problem before you asked the question.
Describe the diagnostic steps you took to try and pin down the problem yourself before you asked the question.
Describe any possibly relevant recent changes in your computer or software configuration.


Use meaningful, specific subject headers
On mailing lists, newsgroups or Web forums, the subject header is your golden opportunity to attract qualified experts' attention in around 50 characters or fewer. Don't waste it on babble like “Please help me” (let alone “PLEASE HELP ME!!!!”; messages with subjects like that get discarded by reflex). Don't try to impress us with the depth of your anguish; use the space for a super-concise problem description instead.
One good convention for subject headers, used by many tech support organizations, is “object - deviation”. The “object” part specifies what thing or group of things is having a problem, and the “deviation” part describes the deviation from expected behavior.
Stupid: HELP! Video doesn't work properly on my laptop!
Smart:X.org 6.8.1 misshapen mouse cursor, Fooware MV1005 vid. chipset
Smarter: X.org 6.8.1 mouse cursor on Fooware MV1005 vid. chipset - is misshapen

The process of writing an “object-deviation” description will help you organize your thinking about the problem in more detail. What is affected? Just the mouse cursor or other graphics too? Is this specific to the X.org version of X? To version 6.8.1? Is this specific to Fooware video chipsets? To model MV1005? A hacker who sees the result can immediately understand what it is that you are having a problem with and the problem you are having, at a glance."

Cheers,

Z.

[ZabiGG]

Next in line: sound and video card problems and issues. Stay tuned for useful links to solve most of those problems.

Are those worth a Newbie 101 Part 3 or should they be included here?

Cheers,

Z.

[ZabiGG]

Add wireless to that list.

All hints and links are welcome for compilation.

Thanks ;)

Z.