Re: Kernel configuration could not be read?

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To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:34:12 -0500

On Tuesday 12 July 2005 08:13 pm, cmetzler@speakeasy.net wrote:
> > What does this mean, please? Anything to worry about?
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> > Benjamin
>
> I don't have an answer for the question that you're asking in this
> post to the list. I would like, nevertheless, to offer you a bit
> of advice. I promise you that I don't mean this as any kind of a
> slam; if I did, I wouldn't take the time to write this, since the
> main reason I don't participate here as much as I used to is because
> of being so bloody busy.
>
> You are making a lot of posts asking simple questions. Not simple
> as in "the answer is easy to figure out", but rather simple as in
> "the question can be posed fairly simply." For the most part, they're
> not difficult questions to articulate, even if the answering of those
> questions may be challenging. It's generally considered basic courtesy
> towards the other people on the list that you make at least *some*
> effort to figure these questions out on your own before asking.
> Maybe you have done this; but your posts don't show it, because you
> don't indicate in your posts what you've tried and failed (e.g.
> "I tried a Google search on this, but all I got was _____, which
> didn't seem helpful. Am I missing something here?" or "I looked at
> the .bin file, and it looks like some kind of a script, but I don't
> understand it; would I find the installation directory in there?")
>
> If you make an effort to figure things out on your own first, you
> learn more; if you then indicate to others that you've done so, you
> communicate to them that it's worth them dropping what they're doing
> and taking the time to help you out. In contrast, if you don't do
> these things, you can come across as someone who sees other people's
> time and effort less valuable than their own, since the process above
> is how other people figured these things out. People want to help;
> but because there are so many that need help, people will frequently
> ignore some requests for help (or give curt, less-helpful answers) in
> favor of those from people who are clearly trying to help themselves.
>
> Over the years here, this guide gets recommended a lot:
>
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> It's worth your time taking a look at it, I promise.
>
> Cheers,
>
> -c
Dear Cmetzler:

I appreciate your comments and will certainly take them to heart.

As for this specific question about the kernel, I admit that I did not
research the matter in Google. But in most cases the first place I go to is
Google. For example, I asked a question about my zip drive. Before posting
the question, I searched in Google and found a number of posts on the
subject. But none was helpful. Same for most of my posts. I could just
preface many of them with remark "I looked in Google but couldn't find
anything helpful". I have on occasion done this, and will do so more often in
the future.

I am not new to Linux, but I am new to Debian. I want to make sure that I am
following the right procedure. I read everything on the Debian home page
before making my decision as to which version to install, etc. I found the
explanations good but not good enough. They are still written from the point
of view of the engineer, the programmer. What a new, prospective Debian user
wants to know is what are the practical consequences of installing stable vs.
testing vs. unstable, etc. etc. I am very grateful to the people on the list
who responded. Without their help, I could not have figured out what really
goes on, the complications involving installation of non-Sarge applications,
let alone non-Debian applications, etc.

Bottom line is that I appreciate the help and will also try to help other
newbies when I can. I did promise that I would ask for help on one issue or
two at a time, and I am doing this to the best of my ability.

I felt and perhaps wrongly that the message about the Kernel Configurator was
important for Debian developers and that is why I mentioned it. But clearly I
went too far. It was not urgent and did not affect my system.

I am very pleased with Debian. Everything works fine. I am just trying to
fine-tune a few things that I am not clear about. My interest is in using
Debian, and I am grateful to the Debian organization for producing such an
outstanding Linux distro.

Thank you.

Benjamin

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