A really good source of help and information is USENET, also known as Newsgroups.

[ comp.os.linux.* ] [ Linux ] [ Unix ] [ X-Windows ] [ Networking ]

If your newsreader is configured to read newsgroups, you should be able to click on the newsgroup names below to read them. If this doesn't work, please contact your Internet service provider to find out how you can access Usenet.

Newsgroups are a means of public discussion. Newsgroup articles (messages) look like e-mail, but they can potentially be read by millions of people all over the world. Newsgroup articles are distributed via "news servers", which contain databases of articles, and are operated by Internet service providers, schools, universities, and companies.

If you're new to Usenet, you should definitely read the news.announce.newusers newsgroup. If you still have questions, try asking them on news.newusers.questions, after you've read that group's introduction.

If you want to try to search Usenet for articles on a particular topic or by a particular poster, try Deja News.

Linux Newsgroups

The comp.os.linux hierarchy

comp.os.linux.advocacy (unmoderated)

Charter: For discussion of the benefits of Linux compared to other operating systems.

comp.os.linux.announce (moderated)

C.o.l.a is intended for all announcements that are relevant for the Linux community: new software for Linux (completely new or a new version), new documentation, warnings about bugs and security holes, notices about user group meetings [...]
(C.o.l.a. homepage)

comp.os.linux.answers (moderated)

Charter: For posting Linux FAQs, How-To's, READMEs and other documents that answer questions about Linux. This will help keep the traffic down in other c.o.l.* groups and will leave comp.os.linux.announce for true announcements. C.o.l.answers will be moderated by Matt Welsh (mdw@cs.cornell.edu), the moderator of c.o.l.announce.

Submission Address: linux-announce@tc.cornell.edu
Moderator Contact: linux-announce-request@tc.cornell.edu

comp.os.linux.development.apps (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion regarding the writing of applications for Linux and the porting of applications to Linux.

comp.os.linux.alpha (unmoderated)

Linux on Digital Alpha machines.

comp.os.linux.hardware (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion specific to a particular piece of hardware, e.g., "can this system run Linux?", "how do I use this disk drive with Linux?", etc.

comp.os.linux.m68k (unmoderated)

The group comp.os.linux.m68k is intended to further interest in, and development of, the port of the Linux operating system to the Motorola's 680x0 architecture.

comp.os.linux.powerpc (unmoderated)

Linux systems running on PowerPC microprocessors.

comp.os.linux.networking (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion relating to networking or communications including Ethernet boards, serial communications, SLIP, etc.

comp.os.linux.x (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion relating to X Window System, version 11, compatible software including servers, clients, libraries, and fonts, running under Linux. XFree86 issues not unique to Linux will be directed to comp.windows.x.i386unix.

comp.os.linux.development.system (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion regarding the development of the Linux operating system proper: kernel, device drivers, loadable modules.

comp.os.linux.development.apps (unmoderated)

Charter: Writing Linux applications, porting to Linux.

comp.os.linux.setup (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion relating to Linux installation and system administration.

comp.os.linux.misc (unmoderated)

Charter: For questions and discussion relating to Linux but not covered by a more specific Linux newsgroup.

Miscellaneous Linux Newsgroups