Introduction to get help
As the history of any great revolution reveals, you must
have a strong leader, a motivated body of people, and strong will for those
people to stick together. One of the many strengths of Linux is its huge network
of people from all over the world who are willing to work, improve, and educate
each other on operating issues. This network of people is referred to as The
Linux Community. One advantage of having such a community is that help comes in
abundance.
Where do I get help?
There are a variety of resources from which to
acquire Linux help. The type of help you need will often determine the best
place to look. The most basic help can be found in Linux books, web sites, Linux
magazines, and newsgroups. Basic installation, Linux commands, and the purpose
of various Linux files can be found in "Getting Started" books. O'Reilly,
Prentice Hall, Yggdrasil Computing, Workgroup Solutions Inc., and Linux Systems
Labs are just a few of the many companies that have published great Linux books.
Due to the convenience of the Open Source Community many publishing companies
and web sites post manual pages, making installation instructions available on
the Web. Other "getting started" resources are available at various news web
sites, newsgroups, and Linux magazines. These resources provide information in
various forms, from manual pages to tips. They certainly can be a great tool for
learning new and important information about Linux, but could prove more
challenging for finding answers to specific questions.
When questions become technical and can't be answered through the trouble
shooting method of "Getting Started" books then human resources can be obtained.
Tech support, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and Linux User Group Support (LUGS) are
a few of the common places from which to acquire assistance. Most Linux
distributions that are packaged and sold have a tech support staff available to
help with any needs that users might have. Most often this support is what is
sold when you buy the distributions package. Often, help can be found on various
websites either by mailing questions in or connecting to the site's chat server,
provided the site has one.
IRC
Internet Relay Chat, also known as IRC, is considered by many to be
the best place to get questions answered. IRC is a text based multi-channel chat
system that allows people to talk to others in real time. By connecting to an
IRC server people can join Linux topic channels and assist each other with
questions on Linux. Linux.com has an IRC server called irc.linux.com which has a
channel called #linuxhelp. By joining the channel, help can be found from many
people including the developers of some Linux applications. You can join
#linuxhelp from your favorite IRC client or by simply clicking on the chat link at the top of the page.
LUGs
For those who find human interaction to be the best form of
communication as well as the best way to learn, then seeking help from LUGs may
be the way to go. Linux User Groups
(LUGs) are groups of Linux users all over the world that hold meetings
regularly in local places to talk about developing Linux occurrences and help
each other answer questions. It is not uncommon for users to grab their laptops,
desktops, monitors, or whatever they might have, and bring them to the groups to
acquire help from other users. As the popularity of Linux grows the number of
LUGs grows with it. Currently there are more than 1000 LUGs all over the world,
and many are within the United States, making them extremely accessible. LUGs
also offer the opportunity to meet people who can help out during those extreme
technical cases. Many beginners and even the most experienced users will often
let a trusted friend SSH or Telnet into their box to untangle serious problems.
As a fair warning to all, be sure you truly trust this person -- giving any kind
of access to your box can be deadly to your system.
At some point we all have technical problems with any system and we must turn
to someone who is more experienced. So whether you consult a book, web page, or
person, take comfort in knowing that even the most brilliant of computer
geniuses did the same at some point in their lives. Just don't be afraid to ask
a question.
