[ic] Beima's Response!
John Beima
jbeima@reality.palb.com
Sun, 01 Apr 2001 21:26:43 -0600 (MDT)
G'Day cmf@maine.com
THANK YOU!
John
Quoting cfm@maine.com:
> On Sun, Apr 01, 2001 at 05:48:07PM -0400, Christopher VanOosterhout
> wrote:
> >
> > John,
> >
> > Thanks for the offer. You suggested that if there is a question about
> how
> > to use the documentation, then we should ask. I appreciate your
> offer. I
> > think that may be helpful to a lot of us. InterChange seems to be a
> great
> > program and I am really enjoy working with it. I have read through
> ever
> > single page of the documentation on the Red Hat interchange site (the
> six
> > PDF documents) ... and very frankly Jim is right that the references
> in the
> > documentation do not relate directly to the software package currently
>
> > being distributed. There is a lot of reference to simple and another
> > sample store that does not exist in the current distribution (at least
> as
> > far as I can see).
>
>
> There was mail on list just a week or so ago about where to find simple
> and
> sample.
>
> Yes, the docs are hard to sort through because a simple query will
> return
> too much. However, if you want to know about where to send email:
>
> cfm@jr.maine.com:/var/mvdocs-4.03/docindex$ ls | grep -i mail
> 22.28.SendMailProgram.html
> 24.33.MailOrderTo.html
> 24.67.SendMailProgram.html
>
> or
>
> ( cd /var/mvend-4.03/lib/Vend ; grep -i mail *.pm)
>
> And those will give you other less common paths to follow.
>
> Yes, still 4.03, but the idea is the same even though the docs have
> been reorganized a lot.
>
> What does [mail] do? Find the tag. Read the code. You may not be able
> to figure it out exactly, but you ought to be able to get a rough idea.
> If you can't get that far you are over your head.
>
> Beyond that, don't ask about how to email the customer, be specific
> and give details. The quality of replies will be directly proportional
> to the quality of the question. Poorly asked questions just get deleted
> and the questioner then wonders why he is ignored.
>
> If you want help, help the helper to understand quickly. I'd bet you
> could
> pay John a lot of money per day to ask him poorly framed questions, but
> he's not interested in doing that for free. I know I'm not.
>
> Bad list, not helping the newbies, you know-it-all wizards, bad list,
> stop biting.
>
> cfm
> >
> > I know that in the open source world we have to be willing to dig in
> and do
> > some learning for our self ... and I want to do that. However since
> you
> > have suggested that we ask about how to use the documentation, I would
> like
> > to take you up on this. Maybe then we would not waste so much of your
> time
> > with issues that we should be able to find in the documentation if we
> only
> > had the training.
> >
> > One of the topics that you may want to illustrate on is the topic of
> email
> > confirmation to the customer. In the FAQ online it says to look into
> the
> > documentation. In the documentation there is a simple three line
> statement
> > talking about how we should use the [mail...] tag ... the problem is
> that
> > in my searching both of the Web site and the pdf documentation there
> is no
> > details that I can find on the use of the [mail...] tag (and yes I
> > understand that the dos are not literal. Any while I have started my
> store
> > on the path of using the confirmation provided in construct, I have no
> idea
> > how it is happening or what actually envokes it ... For instance why
> is the
> > report. file used instead of the receipt.html file. Things like that
> ...
> > and simply what are the options for this feature.
> >
> > I understand there is no obligation for anyone to answer any of these
> > questions ... I know that you folks are all busy and if you can not or
>
> > choose not to answer I understand and will continue to struggle along.
> I
> > am not trying to get a free ride ... in fact I would like to
> contribute and
> > help any way that I can ... and maybe the best way to start is
> learning
> > more about how the experts suggest we use the documentation.
> >
> > I appreciate all of your expertise and help.
> >
> > Christopher Van Oosterhout
> >
> >
> >
> > >The documentation is actaually very good and very helpfull, once it
> sets in on
> > >how Mike has written it. Which can be confusing... Then ask HOW to
> use the
> > >documentation.
> > >
> > >Simply put questions that are ignored are most likely do to the fact
> they have
> > >been asked 50 times before or they are simply in the documentation if
> you read
> > >it...
> > >
> > >I am tired of getting 20 messages a day from people who want a free
> ride.
> > >If you
> > >plan on installing Interchange and then selling your services to the
> public,
> > >then the least you can do is READ THE DOCUMENTATION from start to
> finish!
> > >
> > >Also it has become more and more anoying people saying "Hey this is a
>
> > >bug!" when
> > >it is in fact a feature put there, that is they took to the time to
> READ THE
> > >DOCUMENTATION they would know why it is happeneing...
> > >
> > >Frankly quit wasting the lists bandwidth and time with questions that
> are
> > >answered in the documentation...
> > >
> > >John Beima
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >Quoting Jim Balcom <jim@idk-enterprises.com>:
> > >
> > > > On Sun, 1 Apr 2001, John Beima wrote:
> > > >
> > > > JB>>Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 14:52:20 -0600 (MDT)
> > > > JB>>From: John Beima <jbeima@reality.palb.com>
> > > > JB>>Reply-To: interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
> > > > JB>>To: interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
> > > > JB>>Subject: Re: [ic] Construct Us Demo Colors (Need to convert to
> a
> > > > JB>> variable)
> > > > JB>>
> > > > JB>>Actually my last resoonce to you applies here to... Read the
> > > > documentation...
> > > >
> > > > Frankly, I would much prefer to deal with the non-responses that I
> have
> > > > been (not) getting to my questions than to have to deal with
> smarta**
> > > > answers like yours.
> > > >
> > > > I don't know what documentation you have, but I downloaded,
> printed out
> > > > and bound the documentation that came in the PDF format. It has no
> > > > comparison to anything that I am seeing on my computer! I don't
> find
> > > > it to be useful at all. I've been programming for 23 years, and
> writing
> > > > in C for 15 years. I can't begin to comprehend the frustration
> that
> > > > newcomers are having to go through when I consider the frustration
> > > > level that I am at.
> > > >
> > > > And, then to see your smarta** response!
> > > >
> > > > -= Jim =-
> > > >
> > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > Jim's Linux-Operated Underground Bomb Shelter
> > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Tagline for Sunday, April 01, 2001 at 17:00 PM:
> > > > All I need to know I learned from my cat.
> > > >
> > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > This Linux System has been up 45 hours
> > > >
> > > > My web page: http://www.idk-enterprises.com
> > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Interchange-users mailing list
> > > > Interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
> > > > http://lists.akopia.com/mailman/listinfo/interchange-users
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >John Beima
> > >jbeima@palb.com, support@alocalagent.com, and
> support@alocalchurch.com
> > >
> > >P.A.L.B. Systems - Phone: (780)451-1086 - Fax: (780)447-4760
> > >11639-122 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5M 0B6
> > >
> > >Affordable Web Pages - Phone: (888)932-9990 - Fax: (256)351-7297
> > >2713B Spring Place SW, Decatur, Alabama, United States, 35603
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
> > >Interchange-users mailing list
> > >Interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
> > >http://lists.akopia.com/mailman/listinfo/interchange-users
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Interchange-users mailing list
> > Interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
> > http://lists.akopia.com/mailman/listinfo/interchange-users
>
> --
>
> Christopher F. Miller, Publisher
> cfm@maine.com
> MaineStreet Communications, Inc 208 Portland Road, Gray, ME
> 04039
> 1.207.657.5078
> http://www.maine.com/
> Content management, electronic commerce, internet integration, Debian
> linux
>
> _______________________________________________
> Interchange-users mailing list
> Interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
> http://lists.akopia.com/mailman/listinfo/interchange-users
>
John Beima
jbeima@palb.com, support@alocalagent.com, and support@alocalchurch.com
P.A.L.B. Systems - Phone: (780)451-1086 - Fax: (780)447-4760
11639-122 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5M 0B6
Affordable Web Pages - Phone: (888)932-9990 - Fax: (256)351-7297
2713B Spring Place SW, Decatur, Alabama, United States, 35603