Comments on: How to ask for help on a mailing list http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/2009/05/19/how-to-ask-for-help-on-a-mailing-list/ Archaeology in a Digital World Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:26:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Mateusz Loskot http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/2009/05/19/how-to-ask-for-help-on-a-mailing-list/comment-page-1/#comment-81072 Mateusz Loskot Wed, 20 May 2009 16:59:10 +0000 http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/?p=363#comment-81072 Chris, People who call your presentation as rude don't understand the point, so there is no point to try to help them :-) Also during FOSS4G 2007, when was giving my shot report from GDAL maintenance work, I appealed to users asking for good bug reports and asking questions on the mailing list in the way they allow others to help. I didn't see much understanding on faces of the meeting attenders, except visible support from Ben Discoe (VT project). I'd say, it's a daily bread of FOSS developers to deal with users' ignorance and lack of understanding how important it is users do their homework. You have to have nature of Don Quixote :-) Chris,

People who call your presentation as rude don’t understand the point, so there is no point to try to help them :-)

Also during FOSS4G 2007, when was giving my shot report from GDAL maintenance work, I appealed to users asking for good bug reports and asking questions on the mailing list in the way they allow others to help. I didn’t see much understanding on faces of the meeting attenders, except visible support from Ben Discoe (VT project).

I’d say, it’s a daily bread of FOSS developers to deal with users’ ignorance and lack of understanding how important it is users do their homework. You have to have nature of Don Quixote :-)

]]> By: Christopher Schmidt http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/2009/05/19/how-to-ask-for-help-on-a-mailing-list/comment-page-1/#comment-80892 Christopher Schmidt Tue, 19 May 2009 17:44:07 +0000 http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/?p=363#comment-80892 "How to Ask Questions the Smart Way" is good, but esr is very overbearing in his entire attitude. Howard and I did a presentation, <a href="http://crschmidt.net/blog/269/getting-help-with-open-source-just-a-few-bits/" rel="nofollow">Getting Help With Open Source</a>, (also <a href="http://www.geoconnexion.com/uploads/opensource_intv6i9.pdf" rel="nofollow">in geoconnexion</a>), which sought to be a 'less assholish' take on esr's ranty style. Unfortunately, we got told that we were the "rudest presentation" at the entire FOSS4G2007 conference by some, though I think that they're the same people who would find the tone of this email insulting, so I don't know that there's much more I can offer in that regard. Glad you liked it, to both of you. :) “How to Ask Questions the Smart Way” is good, but esr is very overbearing in his entire attitude. Howard and I did a presentation, Getting Help With Open Source, (also in geoconnexion), which sought to be a ‘less assholish’ take on esr’s ranty style.

Unfortunately, we got told that we were the “rudest presentation” at the entire FOSS4G2007 conference by some, though I think that they’re the same people who would find the tone of this email insulting, so I don’t know that there’s much more I can offer in that regard.

Glad you liked it, to both of you. :)

]]> By: Barry Rowlingson http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/2009/05/19/how-to-ask-for-help-on-a-mailing-list/comment-page-1/#comment-80887 Barry Rowlingson Tue, 19 May 2009 16:36:26 +0000 http://www.archaeogeek.com/blog/?p=363#comment-80887 See also Eric Raymond's "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way", which covers similar ground but trays into 'tl;dr' territory after the first few hundred words of waffle. Chris' post is much more concise! http://catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html See also Eric Raymond’s “How To Ask Questions The Smart Way”, which covers similar ground but trays into ‘tl;dr’ territory after the first few hundred words of waffle.

Chris’ post is much more concise!

http://catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

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