mark@drd.UUCP (Mark Lawrence) (09/13/88)
I've seen a few requests lately from self-identified novices essentially requesting X mentor pen-pals as they struggle with X in the interest of conserving network bandwidth and preserving S/N ratio. I am in that same boat and this post represents a 'me too' request. I am at the point of using widgets to create simple composite widgets and such but am still treating some aspects of X as black box and would like to know more. It would really be beneficial and efficient for me if someone would would permit me to fire off single question notes and questions to them which could be answered on short turn-around. The point is that I am just the tip of the iceberg. My company has decided fairly early on that X windows is the way to go NOW (not sometime in the future) and is committed to developing some applications now, therfore I am up to my neck in X application development _now_. I think that we are atypical as far as small software vendors go and that as X-Windows matures and becomes more generally used in the next two years, this group is going to see a veritable flood of novice X window application software types joining the newsgroup and inundating it with novice-type questions. I wonder if it wouldn't behoove us to establish a pool of X window guru volunteers to take novices under their electronic wing to handle the questions about fundamentals that are bound to arise? I would gladly volunteer in about 6-9 mos time after having enough experience with the software to be _able_ to answer fundamental questions. This group is pretty good reading now because of the authoritative sources who read it and because of the meaty questions and answers posted in it. I'm for keeping it that way. Perhaps we should do the atypical thing (for USENET) and anticipate the future flood with preparation and procedure now. Mark -- DRD Corporation @ 5506 South Lewis | [uunet!apctrc,romed,tulsun]!drd!mark Tulsa, IT 74105 (918)743-3013 | mlawrence@jarsun1.ZONE1.COM
bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (09/13/88)
In article <264@drd.UUCP> mark@drd.UUCP (Mark Lawrence) writes: >I've seen a few requests lately from self-identified novices >essentially requesting X mentor pen-pals as they struggle with X... >It would really be beneficial and efficient for me if someone would >would permit me to fire off single question notes and questions to >them which could be answered on short turn-around. > >The point is that I am just the tip of the iceberg... I wonder if it >wouldn't behoove us to establish a pool of X window guru volunteers >to take novices under their electronic wing to handle the questions >about fundamentals that are bound to arise? Given that X is such a commercially-viable bandwagon in so many other ways, it sounds like there are some major bucks to be made by consultants placing themselves in just such a position. Several such people and organizations will probably contact you as a result of your note, offering you their services. With free software and free advice, you get what you pay for. While there will hopefully always be free software and advice available, this sort of personalized volunteer mentoring arrangement you describe would require a larger commitment of time, effort, and responsibility than most of us casual news readers-and-repliers are ready or able to provide. Our employers expect us to provide our expertise to them, and only incidentally (if at all) to the rest of the world. >I would gladly volunteer in about 6-9 mos time after having enough >experience with the software to be _able_ to answer fundamental >questions. Wonderful, and more power to you! I truly hope a cadre of such volunteers arises. Unfortunately, I suspect that such a group would have problems with quality control, responsiveness, and all the normal things you expect from a professional support organization. Again: you get what you pay for. I hate to sound like a wet blanket, but this industry is very, very commercial and competitive. People are making money from every aspect of it. Finding people to volunteer to do that for which they could be paid, and to do it as well as they would if they were being paid, will be difficult (there's usually another motive involved). I hope it's not impossible. I wish I could volunteer, but I've got lots of other irons in the fire (interestingly enough, some of them are volunteer consulting) and I'm a relative novice in X-land myself. -=- Zippy sez, --Bob Yow! Now we can become alcoholics!
mark@drd.UUCP (Mark Lawrence) (09/14/88)
bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) wrote: %% ... %% With free software and free advice, you get what you pay for. While %% there will hopefully always be free software and advice available, %% this sort of personalized volunteer mentoring arrangement you describe %% would require a larger commitment of time, effort, and responsibility %% than most of us casual news readers-and-repliers are ready or able to %% provide. Our employers expect us to provide our expertise to them, %% and only incidentally (if at all) to the rest of the world. %% <and so on> I meant to address two goals: 1. Coming up with a means for _occasionally_ obtaining answers from someone who understands the 'bigger scheme' of things without having to parade my ignorance before the whole net. 2. Creating a scheme that helps keep the newsgroup free of such clutter from others like me who are bound to join. Of course, the first point is most important to me *now* :-). I acknowledge the truth of Bob's first statement and echo the sentiments of the last statement. However, we participate in USENET out of a fundamental interest in the free exchange of ideas, knowledge and what-have-you, and since I'm writing this and you're reading this, I suggest that there is a common good to be derived by addressing the issue. I'd thought also about a comp.windows.x.questions or .d type of newsgroup modeled after comp.unix.questions, but I am loathe to propose YANG (yet another newsgroup). I'm curious as to whether anybody else shares these concerns. I'll admit that I'm all for 'free lunches' (who on the receiving end of such deals isn't), but that there are other reasons to consider the issue. Mark -- DRD Corporation @ 5506 South Lewis | [uunet!apctrc,romed,tulsun]!drd!mark Tulsa, IT 74105 (918)743-3013 | mlawrence@jarsun1.ZONE1.COM
jensen@gt-eedsp.UUCP (P. Allen Jensen) (09/14/88)
In article <21687@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>, bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) writes: > ......... > I hate to sound like a wet blanket, but this industry is very, very > commercial and competitive. People are making money from every aspect > of it. Finding people to volunteer to do that for which they could be > paid, and to do it as well as they would if they were being paid, will > be difficult (there's usually another motive involved). I hope it's > not impossible. ..... Its not impossible, Bob. I have posted several "novice" questions, and every time someone who I would consider an "expert" has mailed me a reply and been more than happy to help me out (thanks everyone). I also just received notice of a FREE seminar on X Windows that a person here at Georgia Tech who is involved in the X Windows development is going to give (thanks dany). The X environment provides an excellent operatunity to extend the area of Technology Transfer. Based on the large number of programs available under X that are FREE and well written (for the most part), I think that we will see more and more good X based software comming from universities. This should also establish a good base of "experts" to help the novices. Once again - Thanks to all the people at MIT and elsewhere who have given their time and effort to help novices. P. Allen Jensen X novice hoping to become an expert. -- P. Allen Jensen Georgia Tech, School of Electrical Engineering, Atlanta, GA 30332-0250 USENET: ...!{allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,ulysses}!gatech!gt-eedsp!jensen INTERNET: jensen@gteedsp.gatech.edu