Learning new things

[Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support>]

* Christopher Dimech <dimech@gmx.com> [2020-10-31 22:56]:
> The system is still too complex for many users.  I only got introduced to Gnu
> because I met a guru who was using Gcc.  But that was about it.  People don't
> realise how much there is to learn.  And many don't learn anything from educational
> institutions that is as useful as our own work.  People learn informally, which
> customarily leads on a rather torturous road.  It was for me anyway.

There is one interesting definiton from Jargon file:
http://catb.org/jargon/html/L/larval-stage.html

larval stage: n.

 Describes a period of monomaniacal concentration on coding apparently
 passed through by all fledgling hackers. Common symptoms include the
 perpetration of more than one 36-hour hacking run in a given week;
 neglect of all other activities including usual basics like food,
 sleep, and personal hygiene; and a chronic case of advanced
 bleary-eye. Can last from 6 months to 2 years, the apparent median
 being around 18 months. A few so afflicted never resume a more
 ‘normal’ life, but the ordeal seems to be necessary to produce really
 wizardly (as opposed to merely competent) programmers. See also
 wannabee. A less protracted and intense version of larval stage
 (typically lasting about a month) may recur when one is learning a
 new OS or programming language.