Moving David Epstein's private message to me (which I had explicitly
asked not be done, in accordance with common mailing list netiquette)
back onto the list with my response:
==============================================
On 2007-10-23 9:10 AM, Epstein, David [CNTUS] wrote:
Kaz,
Before receiving your response, I was able to resolve the problem as you noted. Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time until I realized what to do.
Looks like some basic training or book-reading in how to use the
everyday functions of Windows might do you some good! Your dilemma would
have been the same if you had installed and then wished to uninstall
*any* software on your computer, so therefore you have now gotten a
piece of information under your hat that may serve you many times over
in the future.
I was working late on two seminars that needed completion by Tuesday. At least
for me, it was urgent at least for me that this be fixed soon. Fortunately, I
won't be using Open Office, so I won't have any more urgent questions to be
answered.
I am not saying your msg was not urgent to you, but rather that
everyone's need for help feels urgent to them, and that, further, the
subject of your message gives absolutely no meaningful information.
Those who subscribe (rather than simply posting a one-off message w/o
subscribing) receive a copy of *every message posted to the mailing
list*. These folks have subscribed due to their interest not only in
learning more about the product by dint of reading the resolutions to
other peoples' questions, but also to chip in and answer questions they
are able to (i.e., to volunteer to help others). List subscribers see a
few dozen requests per day for help. Imagine if everyone entitled their
messages "Urgent". Or "Help". Or "Yikes". Or "Holy Crap!".
A non-descriptive (or BLANK) subject requires the list subscribers to
open the message and read it before deciding if they are interested in
the thread or qualified to help. If you give your message a meaningful
subject such as "How do I remove" and include information such as "I use
Windows 2000 and have installed OpenOffice 2.3" you have the best chance
of (A) folks actually reading your message, and (B) getting a useful
response from someone.
So once again, I was not chiding you, only offering advice for getting
the best results from a mailing list while simultaneously being
conscious (once clued in) and respectful of the fact that the list
subscribers are not paid employees, nor do we receive some sort of
stipend, nor even glory, if we answer your question for you. Folks help
out simply to help out, at the cost of their own time. Which is just as
tight as yours, chances are.
It is also important to keep your replies going back to the list, not to
the private Inbox of a list-mate (or at least in addition to), so that
subscribers following a discussion get to see the answer to a particular
dilemma, and so that if your problem was resolved folks are aware and do
not waste their time answering something that has already been answered.
So. This is not about you, it's about teaching about the culture of
email discussion lists, which are not in use so much anymore with web
forums having become so prevalent, and therefore these "rules of
netiquette" are not known. Therefore yours has become a very common
misperception: "I am writing to the official company for support." Not
the case!! You are asking regular folk to help you out and it is best to
word your messages politely, accordingly, and to express thanks when
someone takes time to help.
I did notice that writing in a word text box that is part of a powerpoint slide
cannot be done after removing the Open Office program.
Too bad -- sorry to hear that. Here are some follow-up questions to help
your list-mates assist you:
1. Was the slide show (presentation, a.k.a. "preso") created in
PowerPoint or in OpenOffice.org's "Impress" presentation app?
2. Do you remember if you saved the slide show while using OpenOffice?
If you did, did you select a file format for the saved document (e.g.,
OpenOffice presentation vs. MS Powerpoint vs. pdf)? You can answer this
question, if you don't recall what you did to the doc while in
OpenOffice by unchecking the setting in Windows (somewhere in an
Explorer window menu -- sorry I'm a Mac user and can't remember where
exactly to find the menu choice on Windows) that says Hide Extensions
(or something like that). Then you will see if the file has a ".odp" or
".ppt" or ".pdf" extension.
If you reply (*to the list, please*) with answers to these q's someone
here may be able to help you resolve the whole problem.
Please forward my message to an appropriate technical expert for advice.
If you've read this whole message, I trust that by now you understand
that nobody here is an employee of any kind and therefore you already
understand that this was an inappropriate request.
Really, I do hope you give OpenOffice a try. Your current dilemma is a
classic example of the kind of situation you are likely to find yourself
in again some day if you stick with a piece of MS software that locks
you into proprietary MS formats that neither read from nor write to
OpenDoc format. Folks here are helpful and patient (at least "the
regulars" seem to be! ... I myself am a rather recent arrival to this
list but a 10-year veteran of many mailing lists ... this one seems like
a very good resource).
If we do not hear back from you, very good luck both with your document
and with today's seminars.
kazar
-----Original Message-----
From: Datatude [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tue, October 23, 2007 6:35 AM
To: [email protected]; Epstein, David [CNTUS]
Subject: Re: [users] Urgent
On 2007-10-22 8:11 PM, Epstein, David [CNTUS] wrote:
How do I remove the open office from my computer? It has slowed my computer
down until it is almost not functional. I'm having a lot of problems with
Powerpoint.
Hi David --
When posting a question to a mailing list it is very helpful (and gives
you the best chance of getting an accurate response) if you include
information about your computer and also the version of the software in
question. OpenOffice.org runs on various types of computers (Linux and
Mac in addition to Windows) and sometimes (tho' not the case with your
question ... I don't think) the proper answer will depend on what
version of the software you are using.
I checked the email header of your message and it was sent out via MS
Exchange, so I'll wager that you are on Windows. In which case just
remove the application the way you would remove any application on your
computer, by using Add & Remove Programs. (Start -> Control Panel, if I
remember correctly). But I'm a Mac user 99.9% of the time so others here
may wish to add information for you.
If you reply, please do so only to the mailing list and not to my
address, thanks.
kazar
PS: It is also "good netiquette" on mailing lists to refrain from
putting Urgent as your subject, for a couple of reasons (1) it is not at
all descriptive of the actual problem, so for those of us who are
subscribed and receive dozens of messages from this list every day, we
could end up with every single message here being called Urgent and
therefore no clue what they are about, and (2) mailing lists are almost
always populated by folks not only who ask q's but who are experienced
and volunteer their time to answer questions for others ... therefore it
is not considered kosher to demand attention for your particular
problem, amongst the many that are posted daily, from folks who are only
other users like you.
Not meaning to castigate, only to educate any and all who are reading
this who could perhaps use these pointers re effective list participation.
--
Datatude, Ltd. -- http://www.datatude.net/
tech strategies & database solutions
Visit our "RAD Tools of Choice" forums at "datatude.network"
http://network.datatude.net/
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
