Troubleshooting without help from others (was: Failed to open control device /dev/em8300-0)

[George Nicol]

Jason Spiro wrote:
> a coworker who used to be an auto mechanic said it was
> important to know how to troubleshoot without any help;
> to  know how to track down problems by logical trouble-
> shooting steps.
> 
> Is this true? How important is it, really, to know how
> to troubleshoot independently?

Yes, Jason, it's absolutely true. It's an essential, basic skill. The 
importance of independent troubleshooting cannot be overrated. I know 
where your coworker was coming from. I have been an auto mechanic, an 
automotive machinist, a general machinist, a tool and die maker, and 
I've gotten my hands dirty in many other skilled trades. I've worked 
with engineers, designers, and crazy inventors. Troubleshooting and an 
innate curiosity separate the merely competent from the truly skilled 
journeyman or master tradesman.

Steve Litt asks rhetorically, "Troubleshooting: What's in it for me?" 
His answer: "Money, power, fame, happiness, an improved social and 
family life, and organizational success."

Troubleshooting is also a highly portable skill. It's equally crucial 
and indispensable to success in any profession you may pursue. If you 
study psychology or marketing in university, you'll be offered courses 
in how to formulate the question "Why?"

Sadly, I was over thirty before I had an epiphany (in a machine shop!) 
and realized that if I asked the right question, the answer would be 
automatically revealed. I swear: a light bulb went on over my head!

But where can you learn this stuff? I recommend Steve Litt's website: 
http://troubleshooters.com/ and you should start here: "The Universal 
Troubleshooting Process" http://troubleshooters.com/tuni.htm

I also recommend staying in touch with your coworker. It sounds like he 
knows from experience what he's talking about, although he could have 
been a little more forthcoming. Of course, he may have been testing your 
curiosity quotient. We do that. We used to weed out the apprentices who 
wouldn't make it by leaving an arcane object in the coffee break area. 
If they noticed it, puzzled over it, couldn't keep their eyes off it, 
and finally asked what it was for or what it did, they passed the test. 
Tricks of the trade are jealously guarded because if they are freely 
dispensed, they are merely "pearls of wisdom cast before swine" and that 
devalues both the teaching and the teacher.

All this does not mean that you should give up the Web, Usenet, Google, 
or any other tool in the kit, including documentation in all forms. But 
before you employ those resources, there's a "howto" you should read. 
Eric S Raymond (love him or hate him, he has written some good stuff) 
and Rick Moen wrote "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way" and it's 
available here: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
If everyone read it and applied the instructions, Zbigniew Koziol's 
complaint/problem would disappear in a puff of logic. Fat chance.

Regarding your coworker's observation about your reliance on Google, he 
may have meant "To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail." 
In other words, use the appropriate tool chosen from all the tools.

Congratulations, Jason, on asking one of the best questions I've seen in 
my years on the TLUG list. I hope this is helpful.

Cheers,
CanuckTux
-- 
George Nicol
Tech.Nicol.Support-PeCUgM4zDv73fQ9qLvQP4Q at public.gmane.org
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