On Friday 16 March 2007 13:48, Ryan Novosielski wrote: > Alan Davis wrote: > >>El vie, 16-03-2007 a las 16:14 +0100, Marc Cuypers escribi?: > >>> Hi, > >>> > >>> Has someone bacula working with a HP MSL2024 autochanger? > >> > >>Indeed. > >> > > /rant mode on/ > > > > Ladies and Gentleman, > > As I feel that this could be partially directed at me, I feel inclined > to weigh in a certain amount. More posted below. > > > The mailing list is the primary customer support mechanism and one of > > the only expressions of "community" for the excellent "community > > supported" product that is Bacula. > > > > I have seen too many responses on this list that, while they may answer > > the question /exactly/ (although too many aren't even that helpful) they > > provide absolutely no useful or meaningful information. > > The problem with too many initial posts on this list lately is they too > provide absolutely no useful or meaningful information. There are far > too many posts to the list asking for far too much information. "I am > new to Bacula !! How I can set up my tape drive?" I understand we are a > support community, but the expectation is that the user will at least > pick up the manual and say where they have gone right or wrong... they > will provide their version number and platform, and often that they'll > provide config files that they've tried that don't work. The expectation > is there that if someone is going to take the time to help them, they > are to take the time to try to help themselves. I personally get enough > of the former at work, where I am paid to answer those kinds of questions. > > > Please keep in mind as you respond that users come to this list looking > > for help with a complex system that they probably don't understand fully. > > While sometimes the assurance that something is indeed possible is enough > > to spur a user to more detailed tests and a re-reading of the manual > > quite often additional information from more experienced users is most > > helpful. > > Unfortunately, often times the initial poster has not even read the > manual at all. When someone comes in asking how to do something that > even has a chapter heading, how much sympathy is one supposed to have? > In cases like this, I didn't even really see anything negative about the > response. Does this autochanger work with Bacula? Yes. In fact I've > asked that question myself, just to make sure I'm not barking up the > wrong tree. That doesn't mean I want someone to provide me with a > definition of how to do so. Also, since I see this particular > autochanger in the subject line -- if the original user bothered to > search the mailing list archives, they would have answered their own > question with any number of the ten and change posts since May of 2006. > > > It's not difficult, as experienced users, to anticipate the type of > > information that might be required to guide someone past the difficulties > > expressed in their posting to the list. > > In this case, it might be, considering the user didn't post whether or > not he even owned one yet -- perhaps he's just considering purchasing one? > > > Vendors of proprietary products are quite often judged by users and in > > the trade press on both quality of their products and quality of their > > support. The same is true for FOSS products except that /we/ are the > > support staff and the competition is just a download away. If a Bacula > > user can't get their problem resolved quickly and easily with help from > > the mailing list they'll quickly move on to another solution. They don't > > have the options that are available to users of proprietary products - > > find another support vendor or use financial incentives with the vendor > > to improve response from them. > > And if, with an excellent manual available, and fairly expert help > available on the mailing list when people ask a proper question, I would > say anyone who can't get the help they need to get their problem > resolved fairly quickly (by resolved, I mean maybe not having their > issue fixed, but at the very least finding out the reason for their > trouble) is probably going to need commercial support anyway (which is > not generally any better than open source support, except for the fact > that the customer service people are paid to be nice to you). In this > particular case, I don't even see what set off the rant. > > > /rant mode off/
I agree with everything said in both of these posts, but would like to add one further observation. That is, that many posting to this list are not native speakers of the English/American language and have difficulty expressing themselves. As someone without the ability to speak any other language than English I am very sympathetic to their struggles. In this instance I chuckled at the one word response to the question--I've done it many times myself to the great irritation of my family & friends--but wondered if the questioner really wanted further information but just wasn't sure how to ask. Anyway, just my additional two cents worth to the thread. Cheers! cmr -- Debian 'Etch' - Registered Linux User #241964 -------- "More laws, less justice." -- Marcus Tullius Ciceroca, 42 BC ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
