[ic] Beima's Response!

Dan B db@cyclonehq.dnsalias.net
Sun, 01 Apr 2001 23:19:18 -0700


At 08:04 AM 4/2/2001 +0200, you wrote:
>I would like to comment on the fact that you call newbie questions dumb
>questions. Dumb questions are questions that are not asked. I agree that
>some people might want to search the archives better, but some questions
>seem to be simple to answer, but in the end are rather complex problems
>which cannot be solved by the community of this mailing list.

You're right, Guy.  I was trying to emphasize the point of view that "dumb" 
newbie questions are actually a valuable potential for growth (and 
therefore not dumb), later on in my post.  :-)  Sometimes my english 
writing skills can be compared with Tsunamis (they come in big waves, and 
leave a big mess behind).

I agree with your last post as well: we need to *do* something about the 
docs rather than complain.  Here is my contribution:

"The Heins Bible" (Contains every e-mail ever written by Mike Heins).  For 
it is written, "Man does not live by documentation alone, but by every word 
that proceedeth from the mouth of Heins"

(No offence meant to Christians, I am one)

-Dan


> > What is this list for?
> >
> > Community.
> >
> > In my opinion, that little word can mean a lot.  For those of you that
> > feel
> > annoyed by the sheer volume of newbies asking the same question over
> > and
> > over again, or one that is answered in the docs:  would you prefer it
> > if
> > you were the only user on the list?  Or only 10?  20?  Interchange has
> > at
> > least tens of thousands of users.  We are bound to get all kinds of
> > dumb
> > questions (I'm renowned for asking them).

Dan Browning, Cyclone Computer Systems, danb@cyclonecomputers.com