[ic] Wanted: Support Group - opinions?

Thu Feb 13 22:13:00 2003

On Thu, Feb 13, 2003 at 06:45:22PM -0800, Devin Harris wrote:
...
> There is a wild difference between modifying code and setting up a store 
> to take orders with little or no design modifications. Part of what 
> upsets me is that Interchange is the best open source cart I have ever 
> come across, which means that a lot of ordinary joes are going to come 
> along and try to use it to sell their paintings, or crafts, or whatever, 
> especially as hosting companies supply the program. It is not too 
> difficult to modify the Interchange default store. I had virtually all 
> of my store done without using any documentation. But then I tried to 
> insert the product options, such as small, medium, large, which went 
> fine, except that I found the cart would not remember the customers 
> choice. I took the most obvious route and ran into what so far has been 
> an unsolvable problem. Yet, I have a weeks work in.

Hmmm, **the cart** would not remember.  Bad cart, no biscuit.

> I am an observer, a problem solver by nature. I am used to dealing with 
> complex problems. This is free software. I don't expect much of anyone 
> in this scenario, but it definitely upsets me to find that I don't see 
> the most basic kind of starter documentation, just a simple step by step 
> description of how to create a working store, and simultaneously sense a 
> dislike for the beginners who stumble in to this situation with no 
> experience in how to even remove themselves from the list.

You just explained that you had no problem setting up a standard shop
and then you want more "starter" documentation.

I've been using this program for years and I can set up a very
complex store in a fraction of the time I could "help" someone to set
up a simple one.  I'd bet that is same for anyone that knows what they are doing.

> Perhaps the options issue exists intentionally as a way to get the user 
> who has already invested a lot of time to pay for support, perhaps not. 
> I don't know. At this point I am mystified. What infuriates me is that I 
> see a trap, and people not caring, and somehow staying ignorant of the 
> gross amount of time good people will spend and undoubtably waste, 
> diligantly trying to setup a store. When all they lack is simplified 
> how-to instructions, something that would probably only take a few hours 
> to produce.

That's insulting and ignorant of the gross amount of time good people
have spent building the system.  If you want them to help you, there
are at least two options: 
 1) show yourself a good student and ask good questions
 2) pay them to do it faster

Otherwise you are **wasting** their time and you wonder why they might
"dislike" beginners that cannot even remove themselves from the list????

Yeesh, I gotta go buy myself some more duct tape.

-- 

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/site management, online commerce, internet integration, Debian linux