noob

[carlosponti]

Why must so many come to these forums and call themselves noobs seems so egregious a term. We all were new at something once in our life but not so much as to announce it from the roof tops. Welcome to the forums and call ourselves peers with similar interests seeking further knowledge in Linux ok so that sounds long winded!

[jayd512]

I couldn't have said it better myself! Cheers!

[zen_cafe]

pwisfkL'S Its a cool wood it could be in the Oxford next
year im patting it now lol

you an use it in a a dating add as well

[carlosponti]

linux eHarmony

[GNU-Fan]

Haha, the funny thing is that I saw the title of this thread and I though to myself I would come in in order to complain about that noob word.

[elija]

It seems to me* that when the word noob (newb, n00b or whatever) is used it means the following.

OK, I want to try this Linux and I know nothing about it and I'm scared. I have heard it said that all Linux users are elitist uber geeks who flame anybody they consider less intelligent than themselves. Please, PLEASE be gentle with me.

It's not true of course and I guess that noob takes a lot less typing





* Warning opinion on the horizon

[carlosponti]

I always took the negative connotation from gaming. It seemed like anyone who didn't play well was a noob and got rather lousy reception which still is ingrained in me. It also seems like people when using it on themselves seem to doubt their own abilities because something is new. I think it bolsters their self esteem a bit to already know they are new but to embrace a more positive outlook going in. plus pwisfkL will look cool on a T-shirt

[Freston]

I always pictured it as this (I may be wrong though):

A noob is someone who continues to make 'beginners mistakes' long after (s)he should have known better.
A newbie is someone making beginners mistakes because (s)he is a beginner.

So the former has a negative connotation, whereas the latter is merely the effect of being new at something. This also implies that teaching a noob is a wasted effort, whereas teaching a newbie is the Right Thing. Newbie wears off, noob is forever.


That is how I read the words.

Clearly in this light noob is a negative term whereas newbie is just a neutral appreciation of where someone is on the learning curve.

That said, I can imagine after some fruitless efforts to get a simple task done on an unfamiliar system, that one exclaims "I'm a n00b!!!"
That is something different from calling out "You are a n00b!!!"
It's different.



But it may also be a cultural thing. I dunno. Some cultures really dictate that you have to play down on your own capabilities. It's not something I grew up with, but yes, other cultures have other ways of expressing themselves. I try to take that into account on the Internet, although in the end cultures don't vary as much as individuals of course.
If you turn the question around, why would someone who considers him/herself a noob introduce themselves as such on a forum like this?? My guess is, to be comforted and welcomed. To hear that noobs are as welcome as experts. Maybe testing the waters a bit. Shielding themselves with the anonymity of Internet. I dunno.


___
Oh! edit: what on this green Earth is pwisfkL????

[jayd512]

Oh! edit: what on this green Earth is pwisfkL????

I wish I could tell you! I thought I was the only clueless one!rolleyes:

[carlosponti]

I wish I could tell you! I thought I was the only clueless one!rolleyes:

pwsisfkL - peers with similar interests seeking further knowledge in Linux

basically it was a joke by one of the responders by turning the heavy handed phrase into a heavy handed acronym as we computer people all seem so fond of doing.