> When he said to send him the log files and told me > where these were to be found, I did so immediately. You see, > it really isn't all that difficult. Make the instructions explicit.
The troubleshooting guide actually is pretty explicit. It says: "Please ensure this mail contains: ... any log files." The auto-reply you should have received when you first posted to the list also says: "Note that you need to include a copy of your log files with any message asking for help with a problem, or we won't have enough information to be able to help you." It's quite possible that these are not clear (especially the troubleshooting guide), and we would certainly appreciate any assistance in making them clearer. However, the instructions *are* explicit. > As I previously wrote, they may as well be in Chinese because > although the words are everyday English, they are fraught with > meaning and symbolism that is simply beyond me. FWIW, Google's "define:" is often useful here. For example: <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3A+localhost&btnG=Google+Search &meta=> (Just to be clear: that is meant as an honest attempt to be helpful, not as any sort of offensive comment. I use define: all the time). > Here's my take on it--you have a circle of computer techies who have > developed a very fine program. However, the discussions take > place only amongst people like yourselves, and so ordinary people don't > get into it very easily. I think you would be surprised. I've been helping people with SpamBayes for quite some time now, and the amount of computer experience that users have varies widely. As Tim said, certainly Outlook users have it much easier. But there have been many users of the POP3 proxy (sb_server; the program you're using) without much computer knowledge, who have managed fine. Outlook Express users often need more help than others, which is why there are two FAQ questions specifically for them, that outline the process in much more detail than the regular instructions (which need to cover *any* mail program, so can't be specific). > They're computer geeks who don't understand that not everyone > else in the world thinks their way." Computer geeks or not, if you looked through the archives of this mailing list, you would find a great number of statements along the lines of "the documentation needs to be improved" and "we are technical people, and so need help from others to write instructions in non-technical language". I believe everyone here understands that. This is, IMO, generally the case. Experts in a given field (computing, mechanics, ...) are often called upon (by friends and family) to help out when things go wrong (computer won't start, oil needs changing, ...). These experiences teach you a great deal about what 'lay' people generally know about your field, and what needs to be explained (or glossed over <wink>) in detail. =Tony.Meyer -- Please always include the list (spambayes at python.org) in your replies (reply-all), and please don't send me personal mail about SpamBayes. http://www.massey.ac.nz/~tameyer/writing/reply_all.html explains this. _______________________________________________ [email protected] http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/spambayes Check the FAQ before asking: http://spambayes.sf.net/faq.html
