n0n1337h41,
D.Dan makes a good point that it is never really appropriate to be rude online - or anywhere else for that matter.
However, understanding the reason you were snubed will go a long way toward your learning of Linux or Unix - in fact, toward your being able to get more out of computing than you have in the past.
It's also important because while D.Dan was more than helpful, you should realize where your info is comming from. That is, it's only one person's knowledge - which can sometimes be wrong.
For example I disagree with D.Dan that you should run one version behind. One school of thought (SOT) believes this, the other believes that upgrading gives the best protection against security threats. The point is, even the experts disagree. Untill you use experts as evidence you weigh in your own mind, you will be blind to the underlying issues.
Moreover, any version of Fedora Core is a test bed for the Enterprise version of Red Hat Linux. It is not the Enterprise version so there will be things that don't work, isn't convienient, etc. I run Fedora Core 3 with SE Linux enabled mostly for the SE Linux.
Google other's opinions to learn about other packages. Heck build your own - it's a great learning experience. Other packages are more or less stable and more or less up to date with all their packages. Fedora focuses on many up to date packages at the expense of some stability. Other packages are totally different.
Not using other information sources severely limits what you can and will learn. I assume you asked in a similarly polite manner so that is not the issue. Take something you know about, say it's math, auto repair, whatever. You learned it by reading, practice, more reading, more practice.
I'm not a mechanic but I want to learn. But instead of reading or practicing, I come ask you to teach me (oh yea, for free, you know just spend some time with me and let me ask questions.). You'd be rightly put out a bit. Same when I ask you "How would I learn this?" Your answer should be "just like every body else."
But if instead I said: "I read and studied such and such, and practiced s&s, and I still can't figure it out. Can you point me in a direction or tell me what I'm doing wrong?" Then you'd bend over backwards to help me.
It's the same with computers. The real gurus are those who learned by hacking their way through it (which is the only real way anyone learns); read, hack, read, hack ....
When you ask this person out of the blue "How do I learn ..." from their perspective you are not really asking what you think you're asking. To you, you just want an answer. To them, you are asking about the learning process but displaying an atitude that shows you are unable and unwilling to learn on your own.
They got there by learning - read, hack, read, hack.... You are asking to get their without that. It's in some ways disrespectful - if you don't care enough to do any of that on your own why should they spend any of their time. And theirs is a heck of a lot more valuble than yours - they've spent years learning.
On the other hand, try posting a question after you have Googled, searched for answeres, etc. I have been learning and using Linux (and now at a fairly advanced level) for about five years and I have posted very few questions. Not because I haven't had roadblocks - I have them all the time. It's because after Googling, searching newsgroups, forums, and wiki, I find more than enough information.
Once you get to that point, you'll still have roadblocks, but you'll be an expert in solving them. And that, wether it's in installing and getting stuff to work, if it's designing systems, security auditing, whatever, that is the real issue - knowig how to solve problems - to learn on your own.
If you ask others for guidance the are more than happy to help. Ask without demonstrating at least a little respect for their time by doing some of your own homework and you really have no right when they rudly spend no time with you.
The first Google result from "how to ask good questions" is www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
It would be very good reading. It does not answer your question. But it can teach you how to answer it on your own and how to get answeres if you really must ask.
You can learn more about this mindset here: www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html
I use:
Google
man pages (type from a command prompt "man [name of command]" )
info "info [name of command]"
Linux Documentation Project
wiki the package's home page.
Others truely want to help. Otherwise they wouldn't write the software, licence it and give it away for free, write the man pages, the how tos, and make themselves available in forums and newsgroups. But one needs to help one's self before blindly asking anyone else to take the time.
Best of luck
Eric Chowanski
