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[harry d brown jr]

Great topic:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x96b70bce6f33d6118fff0090279cd0f9,00.html
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x316efd3f91d3d5118ff40090279cd0f9,00.html

Great help in finding them:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0x1e6f84534efbd5118ff40090279cd0f9,00.html

Remember, this forum is supported by people DONATING their time and energies into solutions for you.

live free or die
harry

[Vincent Farrugia]

Nice thread...

I feel that people participating in this forum do not always assign points as often as the other forums. We should be aware that whoever asks something over here, he HAS TO assign points. It's not optional or whatever, it is MANDATORY. We do not force people to assign points cuz that would be babyish, but on the other hand, the points system are there to thank the person/s who helped you in replying.

Vince

[Michael Tully]

Hi Harry,

It's not exactly like donating blood, but it's close. Yes we learn stuff from the forums and yes we help others. The points are appeciation of the effort put in by people who *give* their time, knowledge and experience....

Cheers
Michael

[harry d brown jr]

Vincent and Michael,

If the people who posted here, and some of the other SLOW forum areas, assigned points more frequently, I'm sure more people would be interested in helping assit those that need help, but without an "incentive", it's unlikely to happen.

Even if they assign "N/A", at least they spent the time to reply to acknowledge the posters time.

And Question Posters need to FOLLOW UP and let us know what worked, what didn't, and what wasn't attempted.

live free or die
harry

[Vincent Farrugia]

Hello again,

Yes I agree completely...

Regarding your last point, this is particularly true for this forum, where usually there is no definite answer and you must try this and that to solve a problem, unlike most HP/UX problem where the problem there is usually clear-cut.

[John Bolene]

Harry, you dang wrap around the head hat guy (grin)!

I have realized that some folks will assign points if prodded to do so, they apparently do not know what the points are for.

There are others who will always assign points, and some who will give rabbits to all answers.

Then there are others who will never assign points.

I have to wonder why, but then there are many other things in this world that I also wonder why.

Some questions just have no answers.

[Vincent Farrugia]

P.S. Why do you end your replies with "live free or die"? :-)

[harry d brown jr]

Vince,

Many years ago I received a license plate from DEC that says

UNIX
live free or die

And being that I recently switched from being an ultra conservative to Libertarian, it has become a fitting saying :-)

http://www.libertarian.com/


LIVE FREE or DIE
harry

[Bill McNAMARA_1]

This has always been a poor forum for point awarding..
It hurts more when points aren't allocated than with the hp-ux forum.

I suggest just posting, I'll give you the solution when you start awarding point.

Later,
Bill

[Kurt Beyers.]

I thnk that we should remind the people more to give points. Posting an answer with your given threads is indeed usefull. I do it already sometimes. I don't like it when you solve the problem and they just answer 'thank you'.

Kurt

[harry d brown jr]

I wonder how effective a post like this really is?

live free or die
harry

[Darrell Allen]

Hi Harry,

How effective? I guess you win some, you lose some.

I've seen some people respond positively to suggestions they should assign points. Others (and it seems to happen to me whenever I try to "gently" inform them of the purpose of points) get offended. I've had people reply to my suggestion to assign points tell me that their profile shows they do assign points. The truth, of course, was just the opposite. The last one had about an 8% assignment ratio using Steven Sim Kok Leong's web page, not to mention the person's forum profile pointed out the same.

Each time that happens I tell myself to never, ever ask someone to assign points again. But I get frustrated because I know how helpful it is to me when searching for an answer to see replies "rated" according to how much they helped. And a closure post summarizing what worked is very beneficial.

More to the point of this thread, I've seen it over and over: threads will be getting a low number of replies and invariably I find the person who posted the question has not been doing a good job of assigning points.

I guess some people will never learn.

Darrell

[John Carr_2]

Hi

I totally agree with the threads. I joined the forum to get some help a few weeks ago now I always have a window open to contribute if I can. I enjoy the forum and im learning lots of bits and pieces I could never have imagined.

Bottom line though people who dont give points dont deserve help if they persist to take without any give.


still even if they dont give points I can get the satisfaction if they at least say the posting worked.

be happy
john.

[Michael Tully]

Hey Harry,

How about we compile a list of users who should be blacklisted??

Sometimes you only think of these things after a couple of beers.... Now don't look at the time of the response.... my time is 7:15PM

hiccup and cheers
Michael

[John Carr_2]

Harry

I am quite happy to agree with Michael if he buys me a beer too.

cheers for the beers
john.

[harry d brown jr]

Michael,

I don't think I would black-list them, but I would like, as many many people have suggested, a percentage (the word "firsttimer" for newcomers) of points assigned right beside their names!

John Carr,

I came into this forum a while back, and I was GUILTY of not assigning points - because I didn't understand the forum. But months later I came back and wondered what the hell that rabbit was, and lo and behold I learned the right way. Note I'm almost always at 100% within 3 days. I started helping others in Oct 2001, Oct 21st to be almost exact. Take a look at my "profile". AND WELCOME ABOARD!!!!!


live free or die
harry

[John Carr_2]

Harry

today while browsing on the forum I noticed we have top user lists , now wouldn't it be a great incentive to persistant offenders if there was a top offenders list. I know if I saw my name in it I would be straight out to assign points.

thanks for the welcome.

cheers
John.

[Vincent Fleming]

Doesn't anyone assign points anymore?

As for getting questions answered, most customers have an assigned Technical Consultant (TC) from HP... they're usually a good source of information.

[Michael Tully]

In my country you don't get to see these Technical Consultants unless you have a PSS (premium) support contract. As an indication it would cost us around $A120K to get this. Sure there are some benefits, but they don't in my opinion outweigh the cost, and it would up to the business as to whether they feel that the extra costs are justified.
Time for a coffee!

[Frederic Zeller]

Hi Harry

Good idea

Hope it'll help people to understand the importance of point giving ...

We can't stay with the same hat forever ;-)

Of course, it's easier for me to change hat ( I'm at the beginning ). For you, guess it's still a long way to the next level ... )

For some users, it's just lazyness
for others, lack of interest once their question has been answered

What do you expect : Politeness is not commonly distributed on earth.

So it's so easy not to be polite on a "anonymous" forum with people you'll never meet ...

Too bad that the BAD point givers are not somehow punished

The idea would be : can't post new questions without assigning point to at least a certain % of answers.

Dont' ask for 100%. More like 50-75% ?

But maybe I ask too much !

Fred

[Martin Johnson]

Frederic,

You said:

So it's so easy not to be polite on a "anonymous" forum with people you'll never meet ...

The solution is obvious, let's have a party!

When I worked for DEC, a lot of us only knew each other from the Net (the EasyNet,as DEC's internal network was called in those days). Occasionally, some people would fly into Boston (DEC's headquarters was in Maynard, just outside of Boston). That was an excuse to hold a NetParty. Those who could, would attend in person. Others would attend by the Net. At one party, we had a 6 way conversation (Using the VAX Phone utility) with people from Japan, Austrailia, California, Paris, England and Boston.

I managed to attend a couple of NetParties in person. Got a whole bunch of "So *YOU* are MartyJ". I guess I don't look like what people think of me.


Marty

[harry d brown jr]

Fred,

Around this time last year I posted my first "response" to someone's question, so nothings impossible, well some things are, like making liberals understand economics, but I digress. Even though some "offenders" are really bad, it's the people that post and run that don't care.

btw, if I keep up my replying, I could make salad hat before the end of the year.

LIVE FREE or DIE
harry

[Michael Tully]

Hi Harry,

All out for the salad huh!!!

I thought you were a Meat and Potatoes man....

Cheers
Michael
(N/A please)

[harry d brown jr]

Michael,

I'm flexible. I like raspberry vingarette with my salad :-) Then on to the meat and potatoes!

live free or die
harry

[Brian M Rawlings · Accepted solution]

Harry: I appreciate your unflagging efforts to get out the word on assigning points. I fear that you are preaching to the choir, though, since people who 'hit and run' won't bother to read these worthy missives. Nevertheless, I applaud your ideals and persistence.

Now, about your tag line/motto: I assumed that you were either a native of or a resident of New Hampshire when I became acquainted with your inimitable style and tag line. According to some earlier posts in this thread, however, it looks like the connection is circumstantial rather than intentional. I offer the following to enlighten you on the historic reference you cite, which seems altogether in line with your ideals, wherever you got them.

New Hampshire State Motto is the words "Live Free or Die," written by General John Stark, July 31, 1809.

The motto became "Live Free Or Die," as once voiced by General John Stark, the state's most distinguished hero of the Revolutionary War. The motto was part of a volunteer toast which General Stark sent to his wartime comrades, in which he declined an invitation to head up a 32nd anniversary reunion of the 1777 Battle of Bennington in Vermont, because of poor health. The toast said in full: "Live Free Or Die; Death Is Not The Worst of Evils." The following year, a similar invitation (also declined) said: "The toast, sir, which you sent us in 1809 will continue to vibrate with unceasing pleasure in our ears, "Live Free Or Die; Death Is Not The Worst Of Evils."
...

Lastly, I heard a great misquote of another revolutionary war figure:

"Give me ambivalence or give me something else!"

No, I'm not making my tag line... If I had one, it would be Ben Franklin's "We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Alas, it is too long to type after every post. It seems altogether fitting for the subject of this thread. I'll have to come up with something, though, I like the effect.

So, thanks for your posts, your points, and your efforts. I am in awe that you hit the Egyptian hat in a year, thanks for the inspiration. I hear they serve Ceasar Salad in Egypt, so there's hope.

Live Free indeed!

--bmr