contributing to FSF

contributing to FSF

[_z33]

   I have been using Linux for the past 2 years. I'm still trying to get 
my feet wet in many programming languages widely used by the GNU/FSF 
community.
   My goal has always been to contribute something to the FSF community 
as I have gained a lot of help and support from them, at various times. 
But to my disappointment, the complexities of the project maintenance 
systems, and the correlated rules and guidelines for contributing code, 
thwart me, most of the times in pursuing any further :(
   What could prove to be a good starting point for newbie linux 
enthusiastists like me???
   Any valuable advices would be greatly appreciated!


_z33
-- 
I love TUX; well... that's an understatement :)

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Re: contributing to FSF

[Jeff Woods]

At 8/27/2005 10:51 +0530, _z33 wrote:
>I have been using Linux for the past 2 years. I'm still trying to 
>get my feet wet in many programming languages widely used by the 
>GNU/FSF community. My goal has always been to contribute something 
>to the FSF community as I have gained a lot of help and support from 
>them, at various times. But to my disappointment, the complexities 
>of the project maintenance systems, and the correlated rules and 
>guidelines for contributing code, thwart me, most of the times in 
>pursuing any further :( What could prove to be a good starting point 
>for newbie linux enthusiastists like me??? Any valuable advices 
>would be greatly appreciated!

Participate.  In a small way you're doing it right here and now.  :)

Giving back to the community isn't just writing code.  It can be by 
providing support online in forums like this, or in local user groups 
or other venues in which you find yourself.  You might be able to 
help process and organize bug and enhancement tracking or other 
clerical details.  Test and provide feedback to developers regarding 
new releases.  Evangelize: Tell those you interact with what you 
think about the software and community and why you think it's better 
than other choices.

Tailor whatever you do to your own personal combination of skills and 
talents and opportunities.

Don't do it because the community needs or deserves it.  Do it 
because a stronger community benefits you.  "TANSTAAFL"

--
Jeff Woods <kazrak+kernel@cesmail.net> 

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Re: contributing to FSF

[_z33]

Jeff Woods wrote:
> Participate.  In a small way you're doing it right here and now.  :)
>
> Giving back to the community isn't just writing code.  It can be by 
> providing support online in forums like this, or in local user groups or 
> other venues in which you find yourself.  You might be able to help 
> process and organize bug and enhancement tracking or other clerical 
> details.  Test and provide feedback to developers regarding new 
> releases.  Evangelize: Tell those you interact with what you think about 
> the software and community and why you think it's better than other 
> choices.
>

   Pretty enlightening and a motivating one. Thanks a lot!

> Tailor whatever you do to your own personal combination of skills and 
> talents and opportunities.
> 
> Don't do it because the community needs or deserves it.  Do it because a 
> stronger community benefits you.  "TANSTAAFL"
> 

TANSTAAFL --- ???

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Re: contributing to FSF

[Jeff Woods]

At 8/27/2005 11:23 +0530, _z33 wrote:
>Pretty enlightening and a motivating one. Thanks a lot!

You're welcome.  :)

>TANSTAAFL --- ???

"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
-- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html

--
Jeff Woods <kazrak+kernel@cesmail.net> 

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Re: contributing to FSF

[_z33]

Jeff Woods wrote:

> "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
> -- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
> 
> Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
> http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html
> 
worth putting that phrase on my desktop :)

_z33
-- 
I love TUX; well... that's an understatement :)

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Re: contributing to FSF

[S. Barret Dolph]

Actually there is no need to quote Heinlein as it is not his. Years ago in NYC 
one could get food for free if one purchased beer. But some would try to get 
food without a purchase. Thus signs were put up saything, "There is no such 
thing as a free lunch"

Cordially,
S. Barret Dolph
Taipei Taiwan

On Saturday 27 August 2005 06:09, _z33 wrote:
> Jeff Woods wrote:
> > "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
> > -- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
> >
> > Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
> > http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html
>
> worth putting that phrase on my desktop :)
>
> _z33
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TANSTAAFL (was: Re: contributing to FSF)

[Ray Olszewski]

S. Barret Dolph wrote:
> Actually there is no need to quote Heinlein as it is not his. Years ago in NYC 
> one could get food for free if one purchased beer. But some would try to get 
> food without a purchase. Thus signs were put up saything, "There is no such 
> thing as a free lunch"
> 
> Cordially,
> S. Barret Dolph
> Taipei Taiwan
> 
> On Saturday 27 August 2005 06:09, _z33 wrote:
> 
>>Jeff Woods wrote:
>>
>>>"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
>>>-- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
>>>
>>>Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
>>>http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html
>>
>>worth putting that phrase on my desktop :)

Ah, nothing like an argument (excuse me; a discussion) about the origin 
of a phrase to get the list moving.

Although Heinlein popularized both the phrase and the acronym, at least 
among science-fiction readers, he originated neither.

Unfortunately, my standard off-line references (Bartlett's, Oxford 
Dictionary of Quotations, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable) do 
not include this aphorism. But there are better on-line sources than 
jargonfile for investigating the origins of words and phrases.

This URL -- http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorf.htm [scroll down to "Free 
Lunch"] is, to my mind, the most trustworthy source of origin 
information, taking it (the phrase and the acronym) back to 1949 in San 
Francisco. In contrast to all other "origin" stories (except the 
Heinlein one), this site gives specific primary-source references.

I did see on another site (http://www.answers.com/topic/tanstaafl) the 
assertion that NYC mayor La Guardia spoke the phrase, albeit in Latin, 
in 1934. No mention of the occasion, though. This site -- 
http://www.word-detective.com/back-a2.html -- also references the La 
Guardia story, referencing the Random House Historical Dictionary of 
American Slang. (I couldn't quickly get my hands on that book, so I 
don't know if it offers a primary source.)

Several sites note that the "free lunch" promotion gimmick itself goes 
back to the 1850s, and at least one speculates that the "no free lunch" 
riposte would have arisen soon thereafter (since skepticism about 
advertising is far from a recent invention). I share that writer's faith 
in the cynicism of humanity, myself.

I found nothing that corroborated Mr. Dolph's story ... the imprecision 
of "some years ago" make it hard to judge if his purported usage 
precedes or follows Heinlein's 1966 novel. I have heard this version 
before, but only as a folk tale, not a documented "origin" story, and 
I'm skeptical of it.

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Re: TANSTAAFL (was: Re: contributing to FSF)

[joy merwin monteiro]

Someone please get Ray a PhD in something........
he has prolly researched this one more than some languauge students ;)

How bout technical writing ???

Thesis on "2 Gazillion lines on linux-newbie: a summary (in 1.98
Gazillion lines)"

To Ray Olzewski, 
 THE Dude on newbie...... 3 Cheers!!!!!


-- 
<ed__> riel: if it were a vax, gcc would probably be an opcode

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