free support and gratitude (was: Re: -RO causes an error)

[Laura Brody]

On Fri, 3 Jun 2005 20:19:06 -0400, Bob Stockler <bob at trebor.iglou.com> wrote:

> My complaint about people posting questions/problems on the filePro
> Mailing List is that, more often than not, some *regular* posters of
> their problems do not disclose one or more of the:
>
>   1 - OS and version of filePro.
>   2 - Processing table code involved.
>   3 - Exact error message.
>   4 - The values of PF* variables in the environment.
>   5 - Command line calling the program.
>   6 - Etc. (fill in the blanks).
>
> Then, after Ken asks for such missing information, it isn't provided,
> but other usless information/questions ensue.

	That is probably one of his biggest pet peeve. He wants to help,
but the person posting the question won't fill-in the necessary blanks
so any kind of diagnosis or testing can begin. When the poster ignores
the request for more details, or gives answers for questions not asked,
Ken & I usually look at each other, shake our heads and say "here we
go again..."  I have told Ken on several of these occations to just
forget about the original question, but he usually keeps posting the
"and what happens when you tried it?" or "I can't even guess until
you post the prc code" until the poster gets a clue and does what
Ken asked them to do or they figures it out for themselves and go
away.

> I think he's a saint for trying to respond to such posts in the first
> place, and then continue to do so after his request for more info, or
> responses to questions such as, "What happens when you do this, or do
> that?", go unanswered.  Just more noise is returned.
>
> I pass on queries that don't give me enough info to follow them up, but
> thrive on researching problems that give me enough information, and are
> within my area of expertise, to investigate.  No saint, but like to help.

	Yeah, me too. Actually, that describes about 2 dozen very
active people on the list -- each with their own area of expertise.
It is one hell of a resource.

	If I have a problem with shell scripts or AWK, you are
the first guy I want to talk to. If a printer is giving me agita,
Jim Asman has the answer. If I have an SCO box with problems,
JP Radley and John Esak probably know the answer off the top of
their heads. Linux, Perl and e-mail - Fairlite and our list host,
Bill Campbell. Making filePro do the impossible and putting a
filePro app on the web - Howard Wolowitz. General Windows weirdness
and fP ODBC - Bob Hausmann, anything Anzio - Bob Rasmussen, *NIX backup
via Backup Edge - Tom Podner. Plus many, many more people with
industry-specific applications, utilities and code which can
save your bacon in a pinch. (I get warm and fuzzy just thinking
about how many people are just an e-mail or phone call away who
can make me look like a genius to my customers in exchange for
a big "thank you" or (for bigger problems) a relativly small
check made payable to them.) The "filePro Resource Guide" was
an attempt to make my filePro rolodex available to everytone.
Download it for free at
<http://www.hvcomputer.com/download/fpres2.pdf>.
(That reminds me that I should update it again....)

	I am the first one to admit that I don't know everything
that there is to know about filePro or computers in general, but
between my own knowledge, Ken's help, the above mentioned people and
Google, I haven't been stumped by a computer-related problem yet.
Some problems may take longer to solve than others, but so far,
nothing that has come across my desk has remained a mystery.

> If someone gives me the URL for the Vatican I'll email Pope Benedict
> (the umpteenth) recommending he cannonize Ken as the only Living Saint.

	I think that you are going to need more than a URL...
Ken may be one of the most patient men on the planet, but I don't
recall the Pope cannonizing many Jews, plus I think that that might
be the straw that makes the camel plotz for Ken's mother - for her,
having both her sons marry shiksas was bad enough...Having her
son made a Catholic Living Saint would definitly do her in <g>.

> We're lucky that Ken reads this list, and pops in now and again.  But
> if his presence here is abused (as I believe it has been sometimes), I
> wouldn't blame him for saying, "Kiss off!", and where would we be then?

	Up that proverbial creek without a paddle? <g>

-- 
Laura Brody, Publisher of the filePro Developer's Journal
+------------- Hudson Valley Computer Associates, Inc ----------+
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