Newbies - Dont forget to do your penance ;-)

[Jim C <jcllings@tsunamicomm.net>]

Some folks get on these lists and get what they need answered and then 
leave and don't return.  This, in my opinion is a very poor practice. 
Once I get to a point where I know what I am doing, I make it a point to 
stick around and answer what questions I can for a period of at least a 
year.  I also may write one or more extremely detailed template how-to 
email for things that gave me a lot of trouble.  Anyway, even if they 
are not tough questions, it relieves the experts to answer the tough 
questions.  After being a student it is only polite to help out the 
teachers.  I call this, "Doing A Newbie Penance" and I feel it 
exemplifies a "best practice" for any opensource user/administrator.
Some of the help that we get is quite valuable and this always seemed a 
reasonable way to help "pay" for opensource.

I've also found that occasionally there is some tidbit of functionality 
or a neat-o trick that I've missed somewhere along the way that crops up 
in conversation.  Usually it comes from one of the experts but even 
students sometimes have something to teach. ;-)