Quoting Christopher Faylor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]): > I've added some comments mentioning how stupid such an activity would > be. > > I'm sorry that our link has generated extra work for you. Even after > many years of supporting the cygwin community, it never occurred to me > that I would have to caution against sending email to people who > obviously have nothing to do with the project but, in retrospect, it > seems pretty obvious that this would be a problem.
Thanks, Christopher. That will be a big help. I (also) regret having put you through extra trouble. Frankly, Eric and I likewise never anticipated that so many people would throw sense to the winds and write us directly about their technical problems. We get about a half-dozen each and every day. With (seemingly) thousands of software and non-software projects linking to the essay, it'll probably never end. (Note that the essay also has its own prominent don't-be-an-idiot warning, near the top.) After years of this, I still don't entirely "get" the mindset involved: I mean, is there any _other_ area of life where you just lob off an inquiry to an utter stranger, expecting free private help with your personal problem? I've followed up with some of these people, and most aren't even embarrassed. (I'd be mortified!) About a fifth _still_ hurl those same questions at me, even _after_ having their gaffe explained. It's very peculiar, in an anthropological sort of way. I have two alternative theories: (1) Opportunism: Some people act in a clueless and impertinent way because it costs almost nothing, and bears fruit some percentage of the time. (2) Shallow end of the gene pool: With 6x10^9+ humans, some will always be doing any dumbass thing you can imagine -- and, if you're unlucky, you'll be the person they do it to. It's probably some from each group. -- Cheers, Now, it's time to hack the real world, and let other Rick Moen people write Web sites about it. [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Donald B. Marti -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/
