> -----Original Message----- > From: Bruno Lowagie [mailto:br...@lowagie.com] > Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 2:43 AM > To: Post all your questions about iText here > Subject: Re: [iText-questions] My plan to shut down the mailing-list > > Op 8/10/2012 17:02, McGee, Edwin F. Sr. schreef: >> I would agree with those wishing to keep the mailing list open and > selectively responding/posting the questions which meet mailing list > criteria. > > I see many +1's for answers in favor of keeping the mailing list. > > I'm an autist, and one of my limitations is that I can't stand an > unanswered question (even if it's a rhetorical one). Maybe we should > think of a pre-canned answer that isn't offensive. A > one-answer-fits-many-questions solution for the questions that should be > posted on another forum (such as stackoverflow).
Working primarily in c# (well, really primarily in vb.net), I find the list invaluable for giving me insights into iText that I wouldn't necessarily think about, by reading others' questions and solutions. My primary work does not usually involve iText, or PDF manipulation, but when I do need to use iText, I greatly value the mailing list...here's why: I've purchased the book, and while it is helpful and well-written, it follows a "story" to illustrate the functionality of the library that doesn't always fit my current need. I have worked through the examples in about 2/3 of the book, but it is much easier to ask questions on the list and receive a 1-sentence answer to point me in the right direction. I don't mind being flamed or told to RTFM, if I get lazy and ask for help before trying to puzzle out the answer first. The mailing list is full of people that have already solved a specific implementation issue and are happy to push me in the right direction, for which I am eternally grateful :) I keep an internal archive of the list, following along and deleting out everything but the relevant answers to questions and explanations of functionality, so I can quickly search for answers before posting a redundant question. This "filtered" archive saves me a great deal of time over googling, where many SERPs lead to unanswered questions (or poorly answered questions) on SO and elsewhere. I share Mr. Lowagie's frustration with endlessly repeated, inappropriate questions. I would love to see this list fully moderated, so only relevant/appropriate questions appear, but I understand that this puts more work on the developers/moderators and am content with "self-moderating" my archive. I could live with an auto-reply to every post containing a "how-to-ask-a-question" section (ideally one could turn it off after joining the list), that would explain to the truly clueless why their questions are going unanswered. I'm not sure if that functionality exists in Mailman. Someone made the point earlier that you shouldn't ask a question unless you know 2/3 of the answer (or words to that effect)...deafening silence is a strong motivator to go back and ask the question a different way, as long as you understand that it's not being answered for a reason. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Don't let slow site performance ruin your business. Deploy New Relic APM Deploy New Relic app performance management and know exactly what is happening inside your Ruby, Python, PHP, Java, and .NET app Try New Relic at no cost today and get our sweet Data Nerd shirt too! http://p.sf.net/sfu/newrelic-dev2dev _______________________________________________ iText-questions mailing list iText-questions@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/itext-questions iText(R) is a registered trademark of 1T3XT BVBA. Many questions posted to this list can (and will) be answered with a reference to the iText book: http://www.itextpdf.com/book/ Please check the keywords list before you ask for examples: http://itextpdf.com/themes/keywords.php
