We want to promote Linux, because the more users we are,
the more chance of some users making contributions from which
we all can benefit.

In any system, the higher up the heirarchy the improvements are,
the greater the effect.  Obviously, in an army: if the lower soldier
makes a boo-boo, that's unfortunate, but if the Field Mashal makes
a boo-boo, that's disasterous.

So these tips about tips about HOW2 have potentially much leverage.

Just to take a concrete example: because my ISP1 only accepts sending
via a direct dialup; which I can't do now; and my ISP2's email is OOO,
I know only how to send via web-based-gmail.  Queries about HOW2
send directly to the mail-lists who know/accept me as  <me>@ISP1
get replies about 'sendmail & smart-host'.   Then googSearch gets:

repeated typically baby-talk instructions, eg:

1. don't use YOU. Describe the system, NOT the reader.
Don't say 'you should not drop the glass'.
SAY "if the glass is dropped, the milk will spill out and
the glass may break" and let the reader decide what to do.
Don't tell the READER how-to edit <dingDong>.
Describe what the SYSTEM needs <dingDong> to be.

2. and most importantly [provided you KNOW what's happening,
and aren't just reporting on what-worked-for-me], describe the
intermediate trace steps.  As an absurd/extreme example of an
intermediate trace step: the PC needs to be running, as confirmed
by some noise or light.

And using the 'hello-world' principle, if sendmail can first be
confirmed to be working at a minimlist level: perhaps by sending
from 'root' to <someNonRoot>. And what files were thereby
changed, and thus can act as intermediate trace steps.

Thanks,

== Chris Glur.