Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/08/18/09:24:37
On 14 Aug 1997, Lovecraft wrote:
> >First of all, I would like to emphasize the important point that DJGPP
> >packages are not necessarily the "easiest" software around.
>
> Which I didn't know. I was looking for a freeware C ompiler so I could see
> if I liked C.
Being freeware doesn't necessarily mean that it is the easiest one.
Actually, it is usually the other way around: freeware is usually less
documented and requires some motivation to look around and try things
before they work.
However, personally, I find DJGPP as easy (or as hard) as any other C
compiler, including commercial ones (I used some of them).
> I wasn't expecting that. I was daunted by the documentation being in
> something called info??? format. And trying to learn to use that just to
> read the DJGPP docs was frustrating.
I have heard this a couple of times, but I never really understood
this, because I had no problems using Info when I first encountered
it. Could you please explain what is it in Info that makes it so
frustrating to learn? Is it just a different user interface (can't do
much about that) or something else? Could it be that some crucial
hint as to how get started with Info is missing from the README or
should be put into the opening screen of the program?
> I have always tried to find a FAQ or charter on any given newsgroup. If
> there's a quick and easy way to do this I'd love to know it. They are not
> always posted with the ng name or don;t always show up on my server,
> etc.
This newsgroup doesn't post its FAQ (at least not yet), because it's
so big. So you need to download it (at v2/faq210b.zip from DJGPP
archives on any SimTel.NET mirror) or read it on-line at
http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/v2faq/.
> >then a pointer to the best documentation is
> >indeed "neighbors helping neighbors."
>
> Once again, I agree. But being told to "RTFF" and other various
> non-specific "pointers" just makes me feel like I'm dealing with 15 year
> olds.
At least on this newsgroup, you will always get something beyond
RTFF. Just hang in for a while, don't give up after the first bunch
of replies. News propagation can induce horrible delays, sometimes
for a week or more.
It is also useful to post specific questions (I'm not saying that you
didn't do that). If you get nothing but general replies that don't
help, try to make the question more specific, like "Would you please
tell me where can I get the FAQ and where in it is this explained?"
One way or the other, posting angry replies to messages you think are
useless will never get you anywhere, because they make other people
angry, lead to misunderstandings, flames, name-calling etc.
DJ Delorie told some time here that whenever he sees an offending
message, he just says to himself "relax, these are just ones and
zeroes". I sometimes find this advice very useful.
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