On Fri, 2006-10-20 at 10:16 +0100, Harold Fuchs wrote: > > On Friday, October 20, 2006 2:58 AM [GMT+1=CET], Howard Coles Jr. <[EMAIL > PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Thursday 19 October 2006 1:15 pm, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Hi! > >> > >>> I have attached a slideshow for you to see what I mean. > >> > >> I love the idea of downloading a 2.3 mb attachement just because you > >> were too lazy to put it somewhere on the www and provide the link in > >> your mail. People who still use dial-up connection will love you even > >> more. Here is my tip: before you attach anything to your e-mail, take > >> your time and think, then think again. > > > > Unfortunately the people have to issues with your reply: > > 1. They never saw it unless you CCed them because they're not > > subscribed to the list. > > 2. They probably thought they were sending this to "a person" or a > > "Help Desk" for assistance. > > > > While I'm on Broadband I still hate using email as a file transfer > > protocol. > > > > However, what I find more offensive is that this went through the > > moderator, who then allowed the 2.3 mb attachement. Not only that, > > but we allow people to send email to a list NOT KNOWING they are > > emailing a list (of course how they could NOT know is beyond me, I'm > > still looking for the link where people with no account on OOo can go > > to post a message.)!! Event though the contact page says "you must > > be subscribed to post a message"!! Why or How is this possible? > > This has caused too much headache. There has got to be a way to FORCE > > people to KNOW they are posting to a list and NOT an OFFICIAL "HELP > > DESK". > > If you go to http://www.openoffice.org/ then click Support (top row), then > click Archives against Users Mail List (3rd down, left hand column) you will > be taken to the Archives page. Near the top it says > > ============ begin quote ===== > List address [email protected] > List description User-level discussion about OpenOffice.org software > (questions, answers, how-to's, etc). > =========== end quote ======= > > This might give people a clue that they can send e-mail to the cited address > if they want OOo support . > > I personally do *not* believe that new users of OOo should have to register > to get support. I often get 100s of e-mails a day on this list and I > certainly would not want to submit a new user to that. > > Even if we did it only as a News Group, new users would be inundated with > irrelevant (to them) stuff. > > So on balance I think the scheme we have is nearly as good as it gets. > However, your point about the moderator stripping attachments is a good one. > Perhaps someone could follow up on that ??? > > Are the auto-responses still being sent? Perhaps an auto-response to > non-registered users saying that any attachments have been stripped ??? > > Harold Fuchs > London, England
There is a direct email to somebody who reads your plea for help and then routes it to the group who can help most. Then that person sends an email back to you - befuddled new person - saying that you might want to sign onto the list to read the solutions to your issue. Stripping attachments on a list (especially a list that accepts mail from non-members) is a good idea IMO, because there is a certain trust level that the members mutually share. Imagine what an immature person with a virus attachment could do to a list if they attached something purported to be a log or a ppt explaining the issue? Membership implies a tiny little bit of responsibility to the group, and so I do believe that new users ought to register and get to know that they have a group of fellow-travellers who will at least try to help. New users in the Open Source world will have to learn eventually that we cannot do things the way they do them in the commercial-for-hire world. Forums and lists, even as daunting as this one, actually seem to get you more expert and quicker help than an untrained person with a procedures manual at a paid help-desk can do. It is different, and quite clubby, really. I used to work at a help-desk, and I think this is the better way. This list does not have a very high bar, compared to bugtraq's security-vulnerability list, or others of this ilk. Wolf Halton Conyers GA, US
