Andy, Fair enough. Answers don't have to be long. Maybe "expect a long answer" wasn't the best choice of phrases. Perhaps "don't be surprised/put out/offended when answers are more than a simple yes or no, because this longer answer helps everyone, whereas yes or no only helps the person asking the question". Like I said, this is a community, and many people have that in mind when preparing their answers. And as you pointed out, it's about the content. People like to add content to their emails to make them relevant to everyone who is interested.
Further, here is a quote from ESR's "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way" that I just dug up (obviously this is a paraphrased qoute from the Bible, but ESR's version is the one that fits here): "Answering one good question is like feeding a hungry person one meal, but teaching them research skills by example is teaching them to grow food for a lifetime." I think people on this list try to do that, and I think it should be encouraged, not discouraged. Check out http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html for more on this. Finally, I'm sorry if you understood this to be "policy". It wasn't my intent to dictate any form of policy. I was speaking from experience based on the types and quality of answers that I have seen on this list, that is all. I am not a member of the executive nor do I speak on behalf of CLUG in any official way. Any proposal to create policy would of course be taken up by the executive and the group at large and be voted on accordingly. Ian On Monday 10 February 2003 10:49 pm, you wrote: > > If you ask a question, expect a long answer - we're trying to help you, > > and everyone else on the list too. If you don't want a long answer, > > don't ask the list, ask someone personally or do the research yourself. > > This is incorrect. > > The length of the answer should be of little consequence. The content of > emails is of importance. It should not be expected that a list continually > has long-winded member responses to everything. > > No other linux/OSS/* lists I know of have a response length policy. > > See? Short and filled with content. > > Andy
