[bksvol-discuss] Re: how people learn with and without manuals
- From: Soronel Haetir <soronel.haetir@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:24:41 -0900
I do have some quibbles with your linux comments, mostly in that there
are a lot of options between reading the manpage and asking a chat
room for help. There is likely a mailing list (with searchable
archives) somewhere dedicated to the product you are trying to use.
If you as a beginner are having an issue it is almost certain that
someone has had the issue before in which case a quick search will
find a more complete answer than you are likely to get from a chat
session.
I recommend reading: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#rtfm
The vast majority of that page is useful for learning no matter what
the subject despite the appearance of a narrow focus.
As for manuals/textbooks/etc, a textbook can be a good starting
resource but is generally not going to show you how to apply what
you've learned despite giving examples.
On 12/26/09, Ann Parsons <akp@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm of the firm opinion that manuals should only be used by those who
> already know and understand the concepts used for whatever it is one
> is trying to learn. Many people try learning via manuals and it
> doesn't work. Many others just say they can't read manuals. They
> don't know why, but they can't read them. <smiling> The reason, so
> aptly stated by Roger, is that when they read a manual, they don't
> understand what they are reading. Naturally, if you don't understand
> what you're reading, the exercise is less than productive.
>
> <smiling> I used to argue with the Linux Crowd about this because
> their answer to everyone is RTFM. Well, I didn't get very far, but the
> longer I use Linux, the better able I am to read and understand Man
> Pages. Man pages are the manuals for commands and programs in Linux.
>
> A text book, on the other hand, can prove to be helpful. Reason? A
> text book is written for the purpose of teaching a given subject.
> Therefore, it is arranged in a given order, taking simple concepts and
> then moving on to more complicated ones. A good text book will give
> you examples and exercises with each concept so you can "see" what's
> being talked about and then practice the given skill.
>
> Reading a manual on a subject you know little about is like trying to
> look up "daguerotype" in the dictionary. You won't find it unless you
> know that the word starts with the letters DA. You can't look up
> anything else in a dictionary unless you have reasonable knowledge of
> how the word is spelled.
>
> You get my point? So, having said this, I recommend asking questions
> of users, then going back to the manuals afterwards. Sometimes on this
> list, I will say to folks after I give an answer, go look up the
> subject in the manual on the Stream or the DTBM. Both devices have
> excellent docs. But again, they are useless unless you know what you
> need to know.
>
> Ann P.
>
> --
> Ann K. Parsons
> Portal Tutoring
> EMAIL: akp@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> web site: http://www.portaltutoring.info
> blog:
> http://www.samobile.net/users/akp/blog
> Skype: Putertutor
>
> "All that is gold does not glitter,
> Not all those who wander are lost."
>
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--
Soronel Haetir
soronel.haetir@xxxxxxxxx
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