1

Let me preface with this. With the quality of questions under the "kali-linux" tag, I do understand what's going on.

For whatever reason, Kali seems to attract not only newcomers to Linux, but new commers to computing in general. And the questions do show the lack of understanding in general to many aspects of penetration testing, networking, and fundamental computer concepts.

Why it attracts these type of people isn't really a mystery to me. It looks cool when you have little understanding, but it's alot like seeing someone who is good at playing guitar before you learn to play. You want to pick it up and jam, but the reality is it's going to take you hours of dedication before you can play twinkle twinkle little star.

With all this being said, I have a special place in my heart for Linux beginners, and Kali Linux newbies.

Here is my thought for a feature.

Have the Unix & Linux community agree on a splash page that comes up when someone chooses the "kali-linux" tag. It would ideally have things like,

What's acceptable to post like, Don't ask questions related to apt-get updates or apt-get upgrade on any Kali Linux rolling distribution.

Do ask questions related to errors and applications & tools intended to run on the Kali Linux platform.

Additionally, the idea is to point a potentially new user to good getting started guides, or fundamental Linux/debian learning material.

You then have a captcha style questionnaire at the end of this splash screen to prove that you do have fundamental knowledge, and would only allow users with passing scores to the questionnaire to post their questions.

This is just food for thought. Feel free to bounce ideas back at me. I'll add anything good you guys comment.

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  • I have seen a lot of assumptions here and in SO that: low rep users are new users, peope are interested in investing time in writing good questions, people want to learn and not just be given a quick "fix". Kali does seem to attract a strange crowd.
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    Aug 11, 2018 at 10:55
  • 1
    @rui f ribeiro, I actually took your advice. A small break from SE did me well. I have made the same mistake a couple of times, assuming low rep = new users. Sometimes I make the mistake by obvious misuse of terminology. I agree, it's a strange mix of users who are attracted to Kali. (If I'm being honest they mostly seem research/reading/google lazy) it's the people who are mistaken for it that I feel bad for.
    – Tim_Stewart
    Aug 13, 2018 at 17:33
  • Glad to know I can be of help.
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    Aug 13, 2018 at 17:40

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4

In theory, we have one already, though it sometimes gets misused. A competent Kali could help themselves by:

  1. asking a good question
  2. if their question is "unfairly" closed as a duplicate of "I'm in over my head", they can do their best to identify how they are not in over their heads by editing their Question and hoping for reopen votes.

I see that as a reasonable litmus test, and is already established, versus requiring additional functionality in the Stack Exchange system.

6
  • Did your position change after the first comment under @gilles post? or from your answer there? this seems pretty similar to what i'm proposing. i think part of the problem is things like this: "If you’re new to the information security field, or are looking to take your first steps towards a new career in InfoSec, the KLCP is a “must have” foundational certification. Built on the philosophy that “you’ve got to walk before you can run,”. - kali.org/news/introducing-kali-linux-certified-professional
    – Tim_Stewart
    Mar 20, 2018 at 21:21
  • it may not be a bad idea to direct people to this, (kali.training/downloads/Kali-Linux-Revealed-1st-edition.pdf), if you look at how they have laid out the sections in the online version, it seems reasonable to direct new comers there. i think some of the testing facility's are cashing in on this user base by saying things like, "In addition, the KLCP provides a foundational knowledge for any information security professional, allowing them to use it as a solid base in their information security career or a first step in more advanced training and certifications." vue.com/kali
    – Tim_Stewart
    Mar 20, 2018 at 21:27
  • 1
    My comments and answers on the Kali meta post were trying to refine my opinion in the U&L community on how to handle various types of Kali questions. Gilles provided an Answer for one class of Kali questions. Re: the certs and pdf, IMHO, Stack Exchange wants to provide self-contained answers, not point to links off-site. Those links could be suggestions for the Kali wiki.
    – Jeff Schaller Mod
    Mar 21, 2018 at 0:04
  • @Tim_Stewart - I've been in InfoSec for a while now, and have never heard anyone claim, as you have, that 'the KLCP is a “must have” foundational certification'.
    – warren
    Mar 21, 2018 at 14:19
  • @warren Tim is quoting that, not claiming it himself.
    – Stephen Kitt
    Mar 21, 2018 at 16:46
  • Thank you Stephen, yes these were examples. In fact I found alot more professionals with quotes like this encouraging beginner's to Kali.
    – Tim_Stewart
    Mar 21, 2018 at 18:33

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