Technical support options
 
 
 For those who decide to take the plunge, there are several technical support options. First of all, traditional fee-based commercial support is available for complete open source operating systems (e.g., Red Hat, Caldera, Debian) as well as individual programs (e.g., Samba, GIMP, Sendmail). This support is provided in a model similar to support for proprietary software. Paid commercial support is ideal for users who need assistance on a regular basis.  
 
 
But open source software offers forms of support not usually available for proprietary products. Let's consider them in the order that they would be tried by a typical user searching for information on how to use a particular product.  
 
 
Web pages are the first valuable resource. Most open source programs have a web page dedicated to them. These web pages include a copy of the program's documentation, but in addition they often have a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with answers. The most common questions about a program can be answered by referring to the FAQ list. Some programs also have an associated HOWTO document, which gives step by step instructions for installation and use.  
 
 
Newsgroups and email lists are the next step. These are both forums where users can interact to ask and answer questions. Most programs have at least one email list of this sort associated with them. It is common to receive an answer within ten minutes of the question. Often, when a question is asked more than a few times, the question and answer is added to the program's FAQ list.  
 
 
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is another popular resource. IRC is a "chat room" protocol that allows users to ask questions and receive answers in real time. It is invaluable for giving interactive assistance since each step can be performed as it is described.  
 
 
The quality of this multilevel support cannot be overestimated. Users of the open source operating system GNU/Linux, for instance, can easily find answers to their questions. In fact, support for Linux is so good that InfoWorld gave its 1997 Product of the Year for Best Technical Support to the Linux user community.