Somehow I knew it was about time for this sleeping beast to be awakened. It seems like there has been a lot of time for new people to see just how the point system is useful here.
So many people think of it as only a way to feed someone's vanity by giving them a different hat. OK, I admit that I like the hats and I also have to admit that I am rather vain in some ways, but it is also an invaluable feedback tool not only for the people that submit answers (like John S. and others) but also for the people that take the time to actually try searching for answers prior to opening a new thread.
When I search for answers, I always try to find one with a bunny because then I can be more confident that an answer to my problem may actually lie within that thread.
Jerome,
You and I both know that assigning points can take as little as 30 seconds (or less if you are fast with a mouse!). I can't believe that they don't have time to assign any more than you do.
Antoniov,
I can't say that I will agree with the idea of closing a thread after a bunny has been awarded simply because there is almost always more than one way to do something. If you close it off to change after the first rabbit, then you stand a chance of missing some more great information. What I might suggest instead is a closing of point assignment after the original author is satisfied that they have all of the answers they want. That would keep the point-hunters from trying to hit a thread simply for the points, but wouldn't keep an honest person from contributing something that they felt was important.
Of course, you bring up yet another good point about the differences between this part of the forums and the HP-UX (and the Linux section is quickly becoming much like the HP-UX group. GOOD JOB!!) section. There is a different mind set all the way around.
It seems to me that the *NIX people are more used to having to figure things out and both get and receive help from others. It has always been that way and it most likely always will be. Very little, if anything, is ever just handed to them on a silver platter. They need to work for it if they want it to be better.
M$ Windoze has been geared more to the instant-gratification groups and the less computer savvy people of the world. It always asks if you are sure you want to do something, will keep you from doing some of the more stupid things, and is pretty much designed for the home user, not the computer professional. This doesn't mean that there aren't some very professional M$ Admins and users out there, but they are the exception, not the rule. They seem to be easy to spot in the forum. Just look for the Hats and the high point assignment ratios!!
I'm encouraged by what I have seen in the Linux forums. That place used to be every bit as bad as this part of the forums in reference to overall point assignment. Now, if you go there you will see bunnies all over the place!
I'm sure that this part of the forum can be turned around as well, but we have to keep the effort up. Nobody will do it for us and the forumers that don't read this thread will never learn without some education from those who understand and care.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I leave you with this thought:
If we want it to change, then it's up to us to make it happen. At the risk of irritating some and gaining the reputation of being point-hungry SOBs, we have to keep reminding people about the point system and the benefits.
This reminding and education should be approached in a civil manner and as politely as possible, but it MUST be done if we are ever going to see it change in this section of the forums.
The choice is yours...
Regards,
John
"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." Stephen Krebbet, 1793-1855
