Looking for Linux Help When You've Lost Your Way?

ChesireKat asks: "I'm interested in knowing where people go for their Linux help/questions/needs. It seems that most IRC users will laugh at you, kick you, or just make you feel stupid because you're not quite as smart as they are (irc.nullnet.net is pretty good, they are usually willing to help). Forums are nicer about it, but most of the time, no one quite knows. Man pages always work, but it so time consuming, and sometimes after hours of searching, your still just as clueless as when you started. I'm interesting in knowing where other people find answers to the questions you just can't seem to figure out."

Comments

Documentation and community

[innerFire]

I do not trust Linux man pages or HOWTOs. I have had bad luck with them, in several Linux distributions. For correct (and correctly spelled) documentation, look at OpenBSD. Once you've had high-quality documentation, you won't want to go back.

What you have to do is find yourself a good community. A good community is not free; you have to help build it by making contributions of your own.

If you need help with a specific application, try the mailing list(s) dedicated to that particular application. I have had good luck on the Samba mailing lists, for example.

If it's for a business and you simply can't figure it out, just buy a support contract from Red Hat. That's what they exist to do.

have some real irc friends..

[gl4ss]

.. and ask from them, if they know that you're not ignorant idiot, or feel like they shouldnt yell it to you, they'll help. especially if you're trying to do something meaningful like installing linux, instead of asking where you could warez the latest windows and office.

_before_ you ask anything, USE GOOGLE! learn to look for information with google, if you got a problem chances are that 20+ people have had it before and looked for help already.

read howto's, they explained everything needed already 5 years ago so i find it hard to believe they wouldnt have enought information today for solving all common 'problems'.

the reason why people can get very pissed fast on irc is that they get very frustated when very many people come to ask simple things they could have gotten the answer with simple google search, and, often the best answer you can give them is to point them at a page you get with simple google search(person z comes to channel and asks how to set finnish characters on linux, you do a quick search and point them to finnish-howto, you get quite fast pissed off thinking that why didnt mr. z type it into google and save both his and your time).

Help is a Google Away at Debian-User

[dan.hunt]

http://lists.debian.org/google.html contains a archive of lots of common problems and the fix. This is where I go, but I use Debian GNU/Linux.

I for some reason have better luck restricting my search to the mailing list of my prefered distribution. Your mileage may vary.

Peace

LUGs

[jtnix]

Someone already mentioned a Detroit Linux Users Group, there are hundreds throughout the US and the World. Do a search on Google with your state and locality and LUG in the search bar and you will likely come up with something. I found the one here in Maine to be very professional, enlightening and friendly with zero troll factor and some excellent monthly meeting topics and presentations (even though I have yet to hit a meeting, I've read the ace notes posted online)

Here's a starter link: Linux User Groups listing at Linux.org