Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 12:46:14 -0500 From: Christopher Sean Hilton <chris@vindaloo.com> To: questions@freebsd.org Subject: This list works poorly at best -- Was: Censorship... Message-ID: <20011031124614.H3717@dantooine.vindaloo.com> In-Reply-To: <15328.10690.181941.964290@guru.mired.org>; from mwm@mired.org on Wed, Oct 31, 2001 at 10:41:38AM -0600 References: <51430008@toto.iv> <15328.7821.910344.11674@guru.mired.org> <20011031083135.B27498@xor.obsecurity.org> <15328.10690.181941.964290@guru.mired.org>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
--gKMricLos+KVdGMg
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
On Wed, Oct 31, 2001 at 10:41:38AM -0600, Mike Meyer wrote:
[snip]
> I did ask a human directly after the PR was closed. I got no
> response. Maybe I'll try again after the current crisis is over.
>=20
I would have to say that from where I sit the entire system sucks from
cradle to grave. In my typical experience I search the mailing list archives
and get no response since the search engine sucks. The second biggest
problem is that when you get a hit on search engine, which happens if you
are persistant with it, you end up with a list of posts that ask the same
question as yours but no answers. All the responses went back to the
original sender and were not CC'd back to the list. At the end of this
process I compose a post which has a snapshot of the problem that I'm trying
to solve in subject line and details including the a run of the script that
I'm using, the output of uname and dmesg where possible and send that to the
list. This post gets completely ignored. So I make it a little simpler and
post something like:
Subject: Help?!
<some part of> FreeBSD is broken.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Within one hour this post generates a response of:
Hi Chris,
If you want us to help you we'll need a little more information.
Could you send us:
the script that you are using
the output of uname so we can see what kernel you are running
the output of dmesg so we can see that all the relevant device=20
drivers are loaded into your kernel
your kernel configuration file
...
This whole dance gives me a clear understanding of why Tragedy and Comedy =
=20
are covered in the same Literature class.=20
Now, I lurk on this list more than than I post so I may be out of line here=
.=20
However, it would seem to me there are things that we could do to make the=
=20
situation better.
Don't even read posts with a subject line of ``Help'' or ``Question''. To=
=20
read or, even worse, answer such a post bury's useful information in a plac=
e=20
where the search engine won't find it.=20
If you get a response to your question but that response was not posted to=
=20
the list bounce or forward it back. It may save the next guy who has the=20
same problem a couple of steps.
--=20
Chris Hilton chilton-at-vindaloo-dot-com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"All I was doing was trying to get home from work!"
-- Rosa Parks
--gKMricLos+KVdGMg
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature
Content-Disposition: inline
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (FreeBSD)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org
iQEVAwUBO+A45oLaxorQlXotAQFwmQf+Jx6KmDmPkWE8dblQ/uczzS91/Yz81bU9
moLbw/wV6D/Ee7tljZfgtyqJYvAyzE3A7YnQtbTWld2PJzTtWwMC1izdzC5R41ym
+kfNqGpHJ3VhVe9FWJ20C9HmQfv2jSG19Q541ZYUP6zCWhW1aN/QA2rmX1L6K6M3
q/FoT2hD4GOgtqcMvjhzxUEkOceP7gXfxK7ysV9wz5AjZtv0lHY9JrHJmrAUMja7
B6yXqPPdwXaSfOU15LgsqR1YDos95KtomV/VJHU3N3RYhlPMAqt/Z1d0jM9SXMM3
oEbU7lo0wcoY0Z8nEaOtxns9yG0UZo9F8o3VFzH2/5zmLVZ/DRdBCQ==
=LBG4
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
--gKMricLos+KVdGMg--
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20011031124614.H3717>