New HELP ideas

[Kirk Fraser]

Raspbian is hard to learn and use for any applications. So why not rewrite the hep to make it easy? Now everything is so arcane one must watch multiple videos to see now various hackers did something to get a clue that too often DOE NOT WORK even if one copy and pastes every step presented in a tutorial project. THen one posts and doesn't hear anything for a while. The Taspbian help command is so Greek to me it looks like it was written back in the days the goto statement was common, way before meaningful data names became important.

So one looks around and finds a couple more ways to do Wifi Extender projects without enough beef to work like a DD WRT repeater, which took me going to 4 computer stores and asking for online and vendor help to lean enough to make a repeater that worked. Back in the old days when I had a programmer job, I would just start looking stuff up in a manual. And in hard cases,I got nswers by reading and comparing a new manual with an old manual for the same OS. But there is no manual for the Raspberry Pi. So how does one learn enough to move from a Pi purchaser to a Raspbian Update Contributor or great Application developer?

I have used Freelancer to hire a programmer promising to convert my code from Smalltalk to Python. Is that the primary solution, hiring people who get it? How can I be brought up to speed so I get it? I have mastered the Bible book Revelation enough to predict Revelation 8 happens in 2020 but it took years of truth seeking and God's inspiration to learn. Is it the same for RPi?

[gordon77]

There is Magpi and several books... https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspbe ... loversday/

[Kirk Fraser]

There are indeed several books and likely several issues of the magazine. Assuming your audience is living on a poverty income which would qualify as essential and comprehensive manuals? Thank you.

[PeterO]

Raspbian is hard to learn and use for any applications.

In your opinion
PeterO

[jahboater]

But there is no manual for the Raspberry Pi.

The on-line reference manual is referred to with the "man" command.
For details of that see:

man man

[B.Goode]

I have used Freelancer to hire a programmer promising to convert my code from Smalltalk to Python.

Maybe that conversion is superfluous? I am not a Smalltalk user, but my understanding is that the Squeak implementation of Smalltalk is provided by default with the Raspbian Operating System.

Assuming your impoverished user has access to Internet bandwidth, most - if not all - of the material published under the MagPi imprint - certainly the magazines - can be freely downloaded or read online.

[bensimmo]

A WiFi repeater is not a standard thing people.do with the Pi, not least as it's not very good for it and you can buy them for cheaper or similar price (or look for second hand routers).

All of MagPi are free to download
There are also the starter one there.
But they cover using Raspbian Desktop and don't often go into depth and technical details

You need to learn Debian and how it works, it what Raspbian is based upon.
https://www.debian.org
The documentation is there.

And the more specific Pi help is here.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/

If that is not enough or anything is missing from the Pi side, post up.

Oh and people can only answer what they know or help guide you through what they may not know, that's if they read it in the first instance.

[jamesh]

Raspbian is hard to learn and use for any applications. So why not rewrite the hep to make it easy? Now everything is so arcane one must watch multiple videos to see now various hackers did something to get a clue that too often DOE NOT WORK even if one copy and pastes every step presented in a tutorial project. THen one posts and doesn't hear anything for a while. The Taspbian help command is so Greek to me it looks like it was written back in the days the goto statement was common, way before meaningful data names became important.

So one looks around and finds a couple more ways to do Wifi Extender projects without enough beef to work like a DD WRT repeater, which took me going to 4 computer stores and asking for online and vendor help to lean enough to make a repeater that worked. Back in the old days when I had a programmer job, I would just start looking stuff up in a manual. And in hard cases,I got nswers by reading and comparing a new manual with an old manual for the same OS. But there is no manual for the Raspberry Pi. So how does one learn enough to move from a Pi purchaser to a Raspbian Update Contributor or great Application developer?

I have used Freelancer to hire a programmer promising to convert my code from Smalltalk to Python. Is that the primary solution, hiring people who get it? How can I be brought up to speed so I get it? I have mastered the Bible book Revelation enough to predict Revelation 8 happens in 2020 but it took years of truth seeking and God's inspiration to learn. Is it the same for RPi?

So, which help is inadequate, and who do you propose rewrites the help for 32 thousand applications (the number available in Raspbian)?

[PhatFil]

I have mastered the Bible book Revelation enough to predict Revelation 8 happens in 2020 but it took years of truth seeking and God's inspiration to learn. Is it the same for RPi?

Alarm bells anyone??

[Burngate]

Alarm bells anyone??

No.
Brexit will (maybe) happen then, but the sounding of trumpets isn't time-critical.
It'll happen when it happens, just like Pi 4

[Heater]

Kirk Fraser,

Raspbian is hard to learn and use for any applications

As is every operating system I have had to deal with since 1977. Apparently kids today pick it up fast enough.

So why not rewrite the hep to make it easy?

Great idea. Who do you expect will do that?

Now everything is so arcane one must watch multiple videos to see now various hackers did something to get a clue..

What? Videos are not a good way to get down to technical details. They can be great pointers to ideas you have not come across before though.

..even if one copy and pastes every step presented in a tutorial project.

Big mistake. Often such blogs and tutorials are out of date, apply to a different OS or are just plain wrong. Again a good source of pointers to new ideas but nothing beats checking the latest documentation of whatever program one is trying to use.

Back in the old days when I had a programmer job, I would just start looking stuff up in a manual.

Yes. Life was simpler then. Limited, but simpler.

So how does one learn enough to move from a Pi purchaser to a Raspbian Update Contributor or great Application developer?

Good question. The application developer part is easy enough. If you want to contribute to Raspbian/Debian packages that might be a challenge. But hey, I don't expect to be contributing to Windows 10 or Mac OS whatever.

I have used Freelancer to hire a programmer promising to convert my code from Smalltalk to Python. Is that the primary solution, hiring people who get it?

Not in my experience.

How can I be brought up to speed so I get it? I have mastered the Bible book Revelation enough to predict Revelation 8 happens in 2020 but it took years of truth seeking and God's inspiration to learn. Is it the same for RPi?

Hmmm...If you have time enough for such "truth" seeking and God's inspiration behind you then Raspbian/Debian/Unix/Linux should be easy enough. Worked for me.

[timrowledge]

I have mastered the Bible book Revelation enough to predict Revelation 8 happens in 2020 but it took years of truth seeking and God's inspiration to learn. Is it the same for RPi?

Alarm bells anyone??

Oh yes.

But aside from that specific issue, here is no good reason to convert Smalltalk to Python. Not ever. Apart from the Squeak setup on a Pi, you can get VisualAge and VisualWorks for Raspbian. And of course, the Squeak vm can support Cuis and Pharo is a variant that uses the same basic VM with some additional plugins etc.
So hi have a good range of choices.

[Heater]

Can you really build a Wifi Extender in Smalltalk or even Python? As our OP wanted?

[bensimmo]

Can you really build a Wifi Extender in Smalltalk or even Python? As our OP wanted?

Given, as you know, it's just an AP setup (so hostapd etc) and a routing option then there is no need.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... et-sharing

For a front end to change settings, I don't see why not, you could probably do it in Scratch.

[hippy]

I have mastered the Bible book Revelation enough to predict Revelation 8 happens in 2020 but it took years of truth seeking and God's inspiration to learn. Is it the same for RPi?

Alarm bells anyone??

Only with respect to the "be good to each other" rule

[rpdom]

Only with respect to the "be good to each other" rule

and Party on dude!

[PeterO]

Only with respect to the "be good to each other" rule

and Party on dude!

The Bill & Ted quote is "Be excellent to each other".
PeterO

[rpdom]

Only with respect to the "be good to each other" rule

and Party on dude!

The Bill & Ted quote is "Be excellent to each other".
PeterO

It is indeed, and a a bodacious quote. But the hippy line was close enough.
(Big Bill & Ted fan here! VHS, DVDs, CDs)

[hippy]

But the hippy line was close enough.

It is spot-on for where it was quoted from, emphasis as in the original -

The rules are simple. Be good to each other.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... hp?t=15137 - "Forum rules"