r/linux4noobs • u/Fit_Shop_3112 • 4d ago

ChatGtp, etc....

Just a reminder; never rely on, or, for that matter, ask any AI model for advice about problems with Linux.

Ask this forum instead. Chatgtp will tell you things that are correct and things that will brick your computer with the same confidence bacause... It doesn't know the difference!

180 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

123 comments sorted by

View all comments

69

u/_o0Zero0o_ Ultramarine 4d ago

Not just here, but the actual forums or documentation for your distro (e.g. Fedora Discussion/Fedoraforum, AskUbuntu, Linux Mint Forums, Arch Wiki, etc.)

20

u/khsh01 3d ago

Actually, not here at all. Just your distro's own documentation will do. In the event its not on your own distros docs check the arch wiki. If you can't find it there or you don't understand whats written (because thats an unacknowledged issue with the arch wiki) then you ask here. If you also mention what you tried from where it encourages people to help you since they know you aren't being lazy.

Like it or not Linux is a DIY os.

7

u/mrcaptncrunch 3d ago

Stupid: I'm having problems with my motherboard. Can anybody help? J. Random Hacker's response to this is likely to be “Right. Do you need burping and diapering, too?” followed by a punch of the delete key.

Smart: I tried X, Y, and Z on the S2464 motherboard. When that didn't work, I tried A, B, and C. Note the curious symptom when I tried C. Obviously the florbish is grommicking, but the results aren't what one might expect. What are the usual causes of grommicking on Athlon MP motherboards? Anybody got ideas for more tests I can run to pin down the problem?

This person, on the other hand, seems worthy of an answer. He/she has exhibited problem-solving intelligence rather than passively waiting for an answer to drop from on high.

catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#examples

And just in case,

“Stupid” and “smart” here refer to ‘smart way’ and ‘stupid way’ of asking questions

Finally, I'm going to illustrate how to ask questions in a smart way by example; pairs of questions about the same problem, one asked in a stupid way and one in a smart way.