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SearchEnterpriseLinux: Dos and Don’ts: Get the Most Out of Free Support

[ Thanks to Michael
S. Mimoso
for this link. ]

Don’t rely solely on an open-source project
site’s search engine. The number of solutions contributed to an
open-source project like Debian/GNU Linux becomes daunting without
a strong search engine. I’ve found that an advanced Google search
often works more quickly and more thoroughly than an open-source
site’s search of itself.

Do be selective when subscribing to mailing
lists, or you’ll be overwhelmed. My e-mail subscription to just one
Debian Linux mailing list brings in 100 to 300 messages a day. Only
by using tools like procmail can one effectively sort through that
level of traffic.

Don’t waste your time on chat sessions.
Compared with e-mail archives, an open-source chat session gives
responses that contributors spent only seconds on, involves users
who are impatient and glib, and ignores thousands of archived
answers previously offered by others…”


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