Whenever someone is trying to do something they have not done before, it is very likely that things will not go as smoothly as hoped for. Fortunately, for most things, there is information available that will likely be able to help you overcome any difficulties you may face. This is extremely true for anything you may try to do on or with the Linux operating system.

There are several steps that can be taken when trying to setup, modify, or otherwise work with a computer running Linux. The great thing about this process is that by using it you will not only accomplish the goals you have set but also learn something along the way and understand what you did.

The first two steps in the process should be done before starting a new project that you haven’t done before. They are to read any readme files that are available and read the manual. The readme will generally give you a “quick and dirty” explanation of what you will need to do and give you a general idea of the process. Then, reading the manual will usually go more in-depth and and walk you through the process.

These two steps are the most important. If you are at a point where you are stuck and don’t know what to do, make sure you RTFM (read that fancy manual…or whatever you want to think it stands for :) ) to make sure you didn’t miss a step or forget a character in one of the commands.

If you’ve checked the documentation and still cannot get things to work, the next step is to go to Google and/or your favorite search engine and do some research on the issue you are having. One thing that usually works is if you simply type in the error message you are getting. That will often times help you find your answer, try different combinations of keywords and see what happens.

AFTER you have tried the above methods and not had any luck, it is time to turn to “live support” type options. Make sure you have tried the above methods multiple times before doing this as many of the people who volunteer their time to help others will get irritated if you ask them questions that can be answered by reading the manual or five minutes of searching online.

These “live support” options usually include posting your question/problem to one of the many forums or mailing lists that can be found online or asking your question and/or describing the problem in an IRC channel. The benefit of using forums and mailing lists is that when a resolution is found, the answer will be available to others who may encounter this same problem down the road.

When asking for help, be as specific in describing the problem as possible. You will be more likely to get a response (or at least a pleasant and helpful response) if you ask a question that explains exactly the problem you are having. A question like “I can’t access my network drives, how do I do this” will not be given as much help as “I am trying to access a network drive with a ext2 file system from my Debian box using samba. The network drive is on a Fedora box. I have tried A, B, and C and this is the error message I am getting: ”

The second rendition of the question gives the potential helpers more information about what you are trying to do and also helps them know what you have tried and formulate a suggestion of where you should look or what to try next. It also shows them that you are making an effort to solve the problem on your own.

If you are using this process and make some sort of progress, any sort at all, but things are still not working, start back at the beginning of the process. You may use the readme 7 times, the manual 5, and search engines 4 before you get to the point where you need to go to one of the other options. If someone on the mailing lists or forums helps you make progress, be sure to thank them and then try again and go back to the beginning of the process.

At first, things in the manual may not make much sense to you, but as you re-read them and pick up more little snippets of knowledge and understanding from your research, you will understand them better and they will be more helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask, but use discretion when asking for help.