SDF Tutorials Update Week - March 1st - 7th
The following is an unpaid advertisement for SDF's Tutorials Update Week (a holiday I
totally made up, but one that I will argue is nonetheless important).
-------------------------------------------------------------
____ ____ _____ _____ _ _ _
/ ___| | _ \ | ___| |_ _|_ _ | |_ ___ _ __ (_) __ _ | | ___
\___ \ | | | || |_ | | | | | || __|/ _ \ | '__|| | / _` || |/ __|
___) || |_| || _| | | | |_| || |_| (_) || | | || (_| || |\__ \
|____/ |____/ |_| |_| \__,_| \__|\___/ |_| |_| \__,_||_||___/
_ _ _ _ __ __ _
| | | | _ __ __| | __ _ | |_ ___ \ \ / /___ ___ | | __
| | | || '_ \ / _` | / _` || __|/ _ \ \ \ /\ / // _ \ / _ \| |/ /
| |_| || |_) || (_| || (_| || |_| __/ \ V V /| __/| __/| <
\___/ | .__/ \__,_| \__,_| \__|\___| \_/\_/ \___| \___||_|\_\
|_|
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mark your calendars and don't forget that the first week of March is SDF Tutorials
Update Week, a week when all SDF users and potential users are encouraged to spend
(extra) time reviewing Tutorials on sdf.org and to make or suggest updates.
If you're not familiar with the SDF Tutorials Project, take a look here:
https://sdf.org/?tutorials
The "SDF, UNIX and INTERNET Tutorials" are "a shared, member contributed set of
tutorials targeting existing and potential SDF users who are interested in the
INTERNET, the UNIX operating system and programming languages. The purpose of this
project is to help new users learn to use SDF and UNIX through practical and useful
examples."
There is often a misperception that SDF is just a paid service and that users should
expect everything to be created or handled for them by the sysadmins. The truth is
that many users come to SDF not just for the technical infrastructure, but for the
community as well. While the sysadmins support SDF's technical infrastructure, SDF's
community is built and maintained by regular users like you.
Contributing to the Tutorials is one way you can support SDF's community and, more
generally, help "maintain a non-commercial INTERNET" (an important line from the
welcome page on SDF's website).
Why Support SDF's Tutorials Project?
The theme of supporting the non-commercial Internet is important. Sadly, as you look
out across the Internet, you notice fewer and fewer non-commercial communities or
content providers. Even many otherwise great tech tutorials are increasingly sold into
the god awful medium.com website or other corporate sites like it.
SDF's Tutorials are a great, open, free place for people to learn about the Internet,
the UNIX OS (or UNIX-like OSes), and about programming. And these tutorials have the
potential of getting better and better every year with your help.
Looking for a good hobby? Support the non-commercial Internet. One way to do it is by
supporting SDF's Tutorials project.
Many Ways to Contribute
The obvious way to contribute to the Tutorials is by adding new tutorials or updating
old ones based on your own knowledge and experience. But that is not the only way.
Don't be discouraged by thinking that you must be a 1337 h4x0r or a computer science
professor to contribute. A valuable way for mere mortals to help out is by reading and
trying tutorials and then letting others know when something isn't clear or something
doesn't work as described. You can also request tutorials: "I want to learn about XZY;
would anyone be willing to write a tutorial on the topic?"
If you are an SDF MetaARPA member, you can easily create new tutorials or update old
tutorials with these instructions:
https://sdf.org/?tutorials/tutorial_editing
If you are not a MetaARPA member, or you otherwise can't update the tutorials directly,
you can post in the TUTORIALS board on SDF's BBOARD to identify problems in the
tutorials or to suggest updates. You can also get in touch with an SDF member and ask
them to help relay your input. Or better yet, become an SDF member yourself.
--
A Merry SDF Tutorials Update Week to you. Spread the word, check out the tutorials,
and help update the tutorials for the benefit of the non-commercial Internet.
