in reply to RFC: How to Write a Great Thread

I do this because I consistently find that it is the best available source of the best available answers.
I usually have no problem finding lots of threads with people having the same problem.

Unfortunally, most of the time, the question isn't answered ("me toos" are common), or answered in such a way that it's useless to me. (Great that it can be solved in Foonix by running the frobnob, but I don't run Foonix, and my OS doesn't do frobnobs)

Sometimes though, there's a useful answer.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^2: RFC: How to Write a Great Thread
by jhourcle (Prior) on Mar 05, 2009 at 15:24 UTC

    I especially hate it when I find a dozen unresolved threads (although, mostly dups from multiple web archives of a mailing list), then finally find the one that has the exact same symptoms I'm seeing, same OS, etc ... and the last message in the thread is 'Nevermind, I fixed it', with absolutely no explanation as to what they did, or what was wrong.

[reply]
      jhourcle,
      Yes, that is especially frustrating but it is even more so when, after you have done your job of researching exhausitvely, you start a new thread. You explain your problem in detail, your specific environment, what you have tried, what your hunches are, and what threads you have already searched as dead ends. Someone doesn't bother to read your entire thread, does a quick google and finds "it is already solved" in the thread that just says "Nevermind, I fixed it" and they admonish you and point you to that thread. You reply that you already looked at that thread, that you said you looked at it in your root thread and that it doesn't answer the question. You don't get any response - not from the person that made the response (because they now realize they were to impatient when trying to point out your ignorance) and not from anyone else because said person is so respected by that group they assume it is you who is in fact the ignorant one.

      Now THAT is frustrating.

      Cheers - L~R

[reply]

      Hear, hear!

      And you didn't even know bears could type.

[reply]

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