kerin kerin.westgate@virgin.net writes:

I've just got my X-Chat to work, so i thought I'd see what was about, I visited a Linux Help channel, and could not believe what i saw, [...]

What "Linux Help channel"? I'd be amazed if linpeople ever did what you said. If you're on about #linux on IRCnet or EFNet, then they are most definitely *not* help channels, just places for linux freaks to hang out. Sometimes you can get help there, but it's not to be recommended.

Its the same as taking a car to a garage and the mechanic saying to you go bye a book and repair it your self,

No, it's the same as taking your broken car into the pub and people telling you to get a book or take it to the mechanic. ;-)

how can the Linux world expect to encourage new users with answers like that, when with "Windows" all you have to do is look through the yellow pages and you will find someone to help you despite all the help pages that are written. Kerin

Isn't the fact that there is such a huge trade in Windows support trying to tell you something about the difficulty of maintaining a largely undocumented and obfuscated system? I think so. Linux may not be as shiny and polished, but at least you can find out what it all does... just not from the pub.