Lately the DSL IRC channel (irc.freenode.net #damnsmalllinux) has been slammed with new users, newbies, n00bs, n00bies, whatever...Thats great. Its great to know there is a huge interest, and people who want to get involved, get into linux, etc... I know SU already posted about this kind of thing once, but if any of you guys happen to find your way here, awesome.
For the record, It is always a good idea to utilize the 'dmesg' command to discover what your kernel wants to talk to you about!!! If you're having trouble identifying a device, try dmesg. If you aren't sure if your HD is being detected, try 'dmesg'. If you want to know what kind of soundcard you have or what speed your CD writer is, try dmesg. Dmesg is the kernel message buffer and anything the kernel has to say to you will most likely be in there! you can page it by piping it with 'more' or 'less'. 'dmesg|more'
Linux distributions come with a variety of tools to help you figure out whats what. What modules are loaded? 'lsmod' What PCI devices do I have 'lspci'. USB? 'lsusb' pnp? 'lspnp' What kernel am I using? 'uname -a'
This will all be added to updated official documentation, especially for new users wanting to make a post to the forums or come on IRC and ask for assistance.
Like G.I. Joe used to say!~ Now you know...And Knowing is half the battle.