Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/08/17/11:55:36
Hi, there.
After following this thread, I'd like just to add a few remarks which may
address the concerns of both those who frequently find themselves
answering questions on this newsgroup, and those who ask them.
First of all, I would like to emphasize the important point that DJGPP
packages are not necessarily the "easiest" software around. The purpose of
DJGPP, it seems to me, is to bring many features of UNIX to a DOS
environment. As the joke goes, UNIX is often considered rather daunting
for beginners, although "expert-friendly."
Thus anyone who decides to take up a DJGPP package, it seems to me, should
expect a challenging experience. It can also be a fun experience, but it
calls for lots of patience and trial and error -- as well as reading the
documents as well as one can at a given point in time.
A great deal of the current software culture focuses on the idea that
documentation should be "unnecessary," and that any good program should
explain itself in ten minutes. Yes, I've heard these views from
influential people in the industry, and they've probably influenced lots
of Internet users. Unfortunately, DJGPP calls for a somewhat different
philosophy <grin>.
Really, I would say that the kind of sharing that goes on in this
newsgroup should be based on two important assumptions:
(1) People asking questions are trying their best to learn;
(2) People answering questions may do so efficiently.
Assumption 1 suggests that even someone asking a notorious FAQ should be
treated with courtesy -- although they are actually going outside of the
Usenet charter, however unintentionally.
Assumption 2 suggests that a quick and friendly pointer to the FAQ _is_ a
courteous response, as well as an efficient response. Any programmer who
has used a for loop, say, instead of writing out the same procedure ten
times (or more) will understand how saying "Please see the FAQ, Section
x.x" is efficient. In fact, people more knowledgeable about C than I am
might say that this kind of assistance is one of the most characteristic
features of C -- a pointer <grin>.
Of course, reading the docs is only the starting point. People can miss
details, misunderstand things, or fail to realize that a problem they
perceive in one way is really synonymous with an issue covered in the FAQ
or other DJGPP documentation under a different name.
The solution is a dialogue with our two assumptions being observed at each
point.
Like others, I have been much impressed with the way that those who
frequently answer questions here do manage give the key information
concisely, even when responding to rather obviously FAQ-type questions. If
I'm trying to solve a problem, then a pointer to the best documentation is
indeed "neighbors helping neighbors."
Most respectfully,
Margo Schulter
mschulter AT value DOT net
(To reply, please remove the . from my default address)
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