SortedPC.net

Frustration with computers has become part of the human condition. The challenge for the intelligent computer user, who is not a techno-enthusiast, is to get to relevant advice, information and resources in a timely and easy-to-find way.

Edvard Munch's picture, The Scream, evokes the sense of frustration and powerlessness that many computer users feel when faced with an unexpected crash or freeze, or when they cannot do what they reasonably would expect to be able to do.

Some hardware manufacturers or software publishers provide admirably clear and relevant documentation or help resources, but many - certainly the majority - don't. Moreover, it's distributed in a host of different places - in help menus in the application itself or on the supplier's website (but that can be spread across seemingly random FAQs, user forums, blogs or manuals). The problem is compounded where the user neesd advice on doing something that involves software or hardware (or both) from more than one supplier.

Yet, outside of commercial software, there is an example of a coherent body of knowledge about how to do most relevant tasks on computers. If you're a Linux user, all this is available to you through The Linux Documentation Project. Just about anything you want to do - such as printing, networking or even VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)are covered comprehensively.

I must come clean and admit that I'm a Linux advocate - for things that Linux does well, which generally means server type stuff in particular. Lets be realistic, at present most of us will be using Microsoft Office on Windows both at home and at work as our personal productivity tools. Moreover, to give credit where it's due, Microsoft's in-application Help is excellent and comprehensive and the software is extremely easy to load and configure (even if things are not as bug-free as Microsoft might pretend in its latest iteration of Windows - Vista).

In contrast, loading Linux applications can be daunting - look at this page on installing and downloading Firestarter a popular Linux firewall configuration tool. And few Linux applications have integral Help screens remotely as good as Microsoft's.

Our aim, with SortedPC is to provide comprehensive, relevant information to the intelligent non-technical computer user in a way that is easy to navigate, search, and use. We can't do it by ourselves and so we'd like you to be part of our community and contribute the lessons you've learned about making computers easier or better to use. We think that sharing the revenue we generate from your contributions is only fair: "doing well by doing good" as the time-honoured motto would have it.

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