473,326 Members | 2,815 Online
Bytes | Software Development & Data Engineering Community
Post Job

Home Posts Topics Members FAQ

Join Bytes to post your question to a community of 473,326 software developers and data experts.

comp.databases.ms-access

Google Groups reports numbers postings to CDMA as follows:

2001: 136000
2002: 148000
2003: 103000
2004: 45400
2005: 35500

-------

Looking over last weeks postings I find only a few long-term regulars,
(David Fenton, Larry Linson, Steve Jorgensen, Rick Brandt, Tom Van
Stiphout, Allan Browne. Chuck Grimsby), and only a few posts from each.
I did a very cursory examination of these postings, so if I have missed
you, please forgive me.

-------

Today, at 07:00 I can find just five threads that have been active
since midnight.

-------

Comment?
Do you think:
CDMA, in general, has declined;
The quality of CDMA posts has declined, (as well as the number);
MS-Access use is declining;
The potential reward of MVP status has lured some of our regulars to MS
groups;
The acrimony surrounding Access 2000, MVPs and XMVP trolls drove
members away?
CDMA can or will return to its previous frequency of use and high
status?

Nov 13 '05 #1
16 2547
On 19 Sep 2005 04:44:08 -0700, "lylefair" <ly******@yahoo.ca> wrote:
Google Groups reports numbers postings to CDMA as follows:

2001: 136000
2002: 148000
2003: 103000
2004: 45400
2005: 35500

-------

Looking over last weeks postings I find only a few long-term regulars,
(David Fenton, Larry Linson, Steve Jorgensen, Rick Brandt, Tom Van
Stiphout, Allan Browne. Chuck Grimsby), and only a few posts from each.
I did a very cursory examination of these postings, so if I have missed
you, please forgive me.

-------

Today, at 07:00 I can find just five threads that have been active
since midnight.

-------

Comment?
Do you think:
CDMA, in general, has declined;
The quality of CDMA posts has declined, (as well as the number);
MS-Access use is declining;
The potential reward of MVP status has lured some of our regulars to MS
groups;
The acrimony surrounding Access 2000, MVPs and XMVP trolls drove
members away?
CDMA can or will return to its previous frequency of use and high
status?


1) (CDMA, in general, has declined) No.
2) (The quality of CDMA posts has declined) No.
3) (MVP status) No.
4) (trolls) Yes.
5) (return to its previous frequency of use) Maybe. Since a number of
users are going to Web-based applications, the number of people
needing Access-specific answers are going to reduce the traffic here.

Although, don't forget that as we all answer questions here, Goggle is
building up quite the knowledge base of answers! And, as we often
remind people, Goggling a question is often a faster way to get an
answer then asking and waiting for someone to answer.

--
Drive C: Error. (A)bort (R)etry (S)mack The Darned Thing

Nov 13 '05 #2
Chuck Grimsby <c.*******@worldnet.att.net.invalid> wrote in
news:6o********************************@4ax.com:
1) (CDMA, in general, has declined)
I'd say it has. I use xNews and select certain posters who I want
their posts highlighted. The number of such posts is much lower than
it used to be (and that's accounting for people who are still
posting who have changed email addresses that I haven't yet gotten
into my scoring file).
2) (The quality of CDMA posts has declined)
I would say not. It seems the quality of questions is now more
severely skewed towards the novices, though.

But I do think that the number of people using Access is lower than
it once was, but that the people who *are* using it, even the end
users, are more serious about it than they were, say, 5 years ago.

That said, most of my work these days is in supporting people who've
already committed to using Access. I"m not picking up any work for
clients who don't already use Access databases.
3) (MVP status)
I think this one is irrelevant. Anyone who abandons this group for
the MS newsgroups is insane, in my opinion. I can never find
anything in those newsgroups, as they are just way too broken up to
be able to tell where to post a specific question. The result is so
much fragmentation that overall the topic-specific groups are less
helpful than this one omnibus group.
4) (trolls)
I don't know if this has actually driven anyone away, but I couldn't
say.

A number of people who used to post regularly just aren't here any
more because their work has taken them elsewhere.
5) (return to its previous frequency of use)


I doubt it. I think Access is in decline as the product we know it.
This decline began in 1999 with the release of A2K, where it was
made quite clear that Microsoft cared more about the Enterprise
market than they cared about small businesses.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
dfenton at bway dot net http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc
Nov 13 '05 #3
On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 20:48:09 -0500, "David W. Fenton" <dX********@bway.net.invalid> wrote:
<big snip> Anyone who abandons this group for
the MS newsgroups is insane, in my opinion. I can never find
anything in those newsgroups, as they are just way too broken up to
be able to tell where to post a specific question. The result is so
much fragmentation that overall the topic-specific groups are less
helpful than this one omnibus group.

I can vouch for that. It may explain some of the mildly off-topic posts we
get here, which I for one don't mind.
This group has a VERY high proportion of posts answerer, and promptly
too.

Nov 13 '05 #4
"Although, don't forget that as we all answer questions here, Google is

building up quite the knowledge base of answers! And, as we often
remind people, Goggling a question is often a faster way to get an
answer then asking and waiting for someone to answer."

This is quite true. I look at this newsgroup everyday and it is a
godsend. I have never found the need to ask for a specific piece of
information because I find the information is already on the board and
I can just google the newsgroup.

I have been using Access and VBA for Apps for a few years now and I
have become fairly competent at both. But I would be no where near as
good had it not been for this newsgroup solving my puzzles and pointing
me in the right direction.

Thanks to all the newsgroupers through the years that have asked and
answered all the questions I have found useful for the last three
years!

David

Nov 13 '05 #5
Hi lyle,

"lylefair" <ly******@yahoo.ca> schreef in bericht news:11**********************@g14g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
Google Groups reports numbers postings to CDMA as follows:

2001: 136000
2002: 148000
2003: 103000
2004: 45400
2005: 35500


Indeed a *big* difference from 2003 to 2004.
Are we sure these figures are right? I can't find messages sometimes when I know for sure they existed ...
My 'trust' in Google has declined since the 'new look'.

Still (2005 is not over yet ...) an average of 124 posts every day in 2004.
IMO that is not a bad score.

For me: I am not able (time) nor do I want (interest) to read *all* the posts.
So I am happy when a lot of questions (and answers) are 'Googled'.
I always 'Google' myself before asking here.

I don't think cdma nor the quality has declined.
Ms-Access use might be declining indeed (not by me that is ...)
Ms-Groups and/or trolls have driven people away? Might be

IMO cdma still has a high status and is the best newsgroup on ms-access.
Lets keep it that way!

Arno R
Nov 13 '05 #6
On 19 Sep 2005 04:44:08 -0700, "lylefair" <ly******@yahoo.ca> wrote:

I bet the ratio of posts answered hasn't changed very much, and is
still very high. The ones that remained unanswered probably should
have.
In short, I think this is still a very healthy NG.

-Tom.
Google Groups reports numbers postings to CDMA as follows:

2001: 136000
2002: 148000
2003: 103000
2004: 45400
2005: 35500

-------

Looking over last weeks postings I find only a few long-term regulars,
(David Fenton, Larry Linson, Steve Jorgensen, Rick Brandt, Tom Van
Stiphout, Allan Browne. Chuck Grimsby), and only a few posts from each.
I did a very cursory examination of these postings, so if I have missed
you, please forgive me.

-------

Today, at 07:00 I can find just five threads that have been active
since midnight.

-------

Comment?
Do you think:
CDMA, in general, has declined;
The quality of CDMA posts has declined, (as well as the number);
MS-Access use is declining;
The potential reward of MVP status has lured some of our regulars to MS
groups;
The acrimony surrounding Access 2000, MVPs and XMVP trolls drove
members away?
CDMA can or will return to its previous frequency of use and high
status?


Nov 13 '05 #7
Tom van Stiphout <no*************@cox.net> wrote in
news:n8********************************@4ax.com:
I bet the ratio of posts answered hasn't changed very much, and is
still very high. The ones that remained unanswered probably should
have.
In short, I think this is still a very healthy NG.


Well, the actual number of posts really has declined markedly. I've
got records for daily number of posts going back to 1999, back when
CDMA had 400-500 a day. Now it's unusual to hit 200.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
dfenton at bway dot net http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc
Nov 13 '05 #8
On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 13:34:32 -0500, "David W. Fenton"
<dX********@bway.net.invalid> wrote:

Sure the counts have come down. That's the whole point of the OP. My
point is that those who post, still typically get a quick and good
response.
I'm not concerned the counts have gone down. Access perhaps isn't used
as much, and many questions have already been answered and people know
that groups.google.com (among others) can pull up these old answers.

-Tom.
Tom van Stiphout <no*************@cox.net> wrote in
news:n8********************************@4ax.com :
I bet the ratio of posts answered hasn't changed very much, and is
still very high. The ones that remained unanswered probably should
have.
In short, I think this is still a very healthy NG.


Well, the actual number of posts really has declined markedly. I've
got records for daily number of posts going back to 1999, back when
CDMA had 400-500 a day. Now it's unusual to hit 200.


Nov 13 '05 #9
quantity <> quality

I lurked this group for years (via DejaNews, now Google) before I ever
posted. Even using tools like Forte Free Agent, the volume was more
than I was willing to deal with as an active participant.

Archive and search capabilities such as those now offered by Google
will (I hope) reduce the traffic volume and consequently increase the
value of new postings.

Gord

Nov 13 '05 #10
> The potential reward of MVP status has lured some of our regulars
to MS groups;
I don't know about the numbers, but the average quality of the
MS groups has gone down also. Looking at the level of technical
difficulty of the posts in 1995, you wonder, is anyone doing that
anymore? Where are the API questions? Where are the replication
questions? Where are the locking questions? The add-in, dynamic
code generation and Office Automation questions?

I suspect that there is just less custom software development
occurring as the small vertical markets are captured.

(david)

"lylefair" <ly******@yahoo.ca> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g14g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com... Google Groups reports numbers postings to CDMA as follows:

2001: 136000
2002: 148000
2003: 103000
2004: 45400
2005: 35500

-------

Looking over last weeks postings I find only a few long-term regulars,
(David Fenton, Larry Linson, Steve Jorgensen, Rick Brandt, Tom Van
Stiphout, Allan Browne. Chuck Grimsby), and only a few posts from each.
I did a very cursory examination of these postings, so if I have missed
you, please forgive me.

-------

Today, at 07:00 I can find just five threads that have been active
since midnight.

-------

Comment?
Do you think:
CDMA, in general, has declined;
The quality of CDMA posts has declined, (as well as the number);
MS-Access use is declining;
The potential reward of MVP status has lured some of our regulars to MS
groups;
The acrimony surrounding Access 2000, MVPs and XMVP trolls drove
members away?
CDMA can or will return to its previous frequency of use and high
status?

Nov 13 '05 #11
"lylefair" <ly******@yahoo.ca> wrote

Did, in fact, Lyle Fairfield write the original post? Lyle has, in the past,
used his full name and has not used a valid e-mail, nor was he posting from
Google Groups, as this post appears to have been. I wonder if someone is
impersonating Lyle and just trying to start an argumentative thread.

In any case, it seems to me the newsgroup is still useful, even with a
significant turnover. And, in large part, group dynamics defy analysis.

Larry Linson

Nov 13 '05 #12
Yes, Larry, I wrote the post. I can't seem to get Cogeco (my ISP) CDMA
to work; it returns no new messages always. Cogeco just doesn't seem to
be serious about newsgroups, but Cogeco is the only game in town. I
like to mention this frequently in posts just in case COGECO might
notice and be shamed into doing something. To direct complaints
COGECO"S reponse has been two fold one being that they pay another
company to supply newsgroup service and when it doesn't work, "It's not
our fault", and secondly a suggestion that perhaps I'd like to start a
competing cable company (Did I mention they wouldn't let me into the
president's office until I tied my shoes? They said it was an insurance
regulation ... No, REALLY!) To sum it all up, as Shakespeare said,
"COGECO SUCKS!".
I was using a German server for a while but it shut down.
So now I'm using Google until someone suggests a great alternative,
(even one that costs.)
How can I prove that it's me? ... hmmmmmmmm ... remember that night in
Galveston when we shared the three red heads? ... no one else would
know about that, now would they?

Nov 13 '05 #13
Lyle, I believe it's you. If it were the Resident Troll impersonating you,
he'd have used the opportunity to try to stir up trouble, most likely. And,
BTW, it's good to be back on better terms.

You have laces on your shoes? Wow! Most of mine have velcro tabs, these
days. :-)

I wouldn't want to be in Galveston just now, for sure -- I don't think Rita
would be a fun date.

Regards,

Larry

"lylefair" <ly******@yahoo.ca> wrote in message
news:11**********************@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
Yes, Larry, I wrote the post. I can't seem to get Cogeco (my ISP) CDMA
to work; it returns no new messages always. Cogeco just doesn't seem to
be serious about newsgroups, but Cogeco is the only game in town. I
like to mention this frequently in posts just in case COGECO might
notice and be shamed into doing something. To direct complaints
COGECO"S reponse has been two fold one being that they pay another
company to supply newsgroup service and when it doesn't work, "It's not
our fault", and secondly a suggestion that perhaps I'd like to start a
competing cable company (Did I mention they wouldn't let me into the
president's office until I tied my shoes? They said it was an insurance
regulation ... No, REALLY!) To sum it all up, as Shakespeare said,
"COGECO SUCKS!".
I was using a German server for a while but it shut down.
So now I'm using Google until someone suggests a great alternative,
(even one that costs.)
How can I prove that it's me? ... hmmmmmmmm ... remember that night in
Galveston when we shared the three red heads? ... no one else would
know about that, now would they?

Nov 13 '05 #14
Larry Linson wrote:
I wouldn't want to be in Galveston just now, for sure -- I don't think Rita
would be a fun date.


Forget Rita, tell us more about the red heads. :-)
Nov 13 '05 #15
rkc
Larry Linson wrote:
You have laces on your shoes? Wow! Most of mine have velcro tabs, these
days. :-)


The greatest invention since white lines on the edge of the road.
Nov 13 '05 #16
"Trevor Best" wrote
Forget Rita, tell us more about the red heads. :-)


Memory, Trevor, is one thing that does not improve with age; I seem to have
a full mental block on this subject.
Nov 13 '05 #17

This thread has been closed and replies have been disabled. Please start a new discussion.

Similar topics

11
by: George Augustino | last post by:
REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD) unmoderated group comp.databases.mysql Newsgroup line: comp.databases.mysql MySQL relational database system discussion group. This is a formal Request For...
1
by: Otis Green | last post by:
Vote for or against a new newsgroup proposal. To summarize what you need to do, just send an empty e-mail to postgresql-ballot@netagw.com You will receive a ballot by e-mail. Follow the...
8
by: William Drew | last post by:
REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD) unmoderated group comp.databases.mysql This is an invitation to discuss the following proposal to create newsgroup comp.databases.mysql. Please note that YOU...
0
by: Hans Forbrich | last post by:
Section 1. Ballot: ------------------- 1.YES NO: I agree that there should be a periodic post describing the newsgroup charter and providing a FAQ on newsgroup usage. 2.MONTHLY BI-WEEKLY...
0
by: Mark Townsend | last post by:
Following is a summary of articles spanning a 7 day period, beginning at 23 Feb 2004 05:29:19 GMT and ending at 01 Mar 2004 04:12:14 GMT. Notes ===== - A line in the body of a post is...
1
by: phpbird | last post by:
please give me a mail.3q
0
by: Cara | last post by:
LAST CALL FOR VOTES (of 2) unmoderated group comp.databases.etl Newsgroups line: comp.databases.etl Extraction, transformation, loading issues. Votes must be received by 23:59:59 UTC, 12 Dec...
0
by: Cara Altman | last post by:
REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD) unmoderated group comp.databases.etl This is a formal Request For Discussion (RFD) for the creation of a world-wide unmoderated Usenet newsgroup...
6
by: Andy | last post by:
Someone posted this official proposal to create comp.databases.postgresql.general again. He wrote his own charter. As far as I know, he did not consult any of the postgresql groups first. There...
0
by: DolphinDB | last post by:
Tired of spending countless mintues downsampling your data? Look no further! In this article, you’ll learn how to efficiently downsample 6.48 billion high-frequency records to 61 million...
0
isladogs
by: isladogs | last post by:
The next Access Europe meeting will be on Wednesday 6 Mar 2024 starting at 18:00 UK time (6PM UTC) and finishing at about 19:15 (7.15PM). In this month's session, we are pleased to welcome back...
1
isladogs
by: isladogs | last post by:
The next Access Europe meeting will be on Wednesday 6 Mar 2024 starting at 18:00 UK time (6PM UTC) and finishing at about 19:15 (7.15PM). In this month's session, we are pleased to welcome back...
0
by: Vimpel783 | last post by:
Hello! Guys, I found this code on the Internet, but I need to modify it a little. It works well, the problem is this: Data is sent from only one cell, in this case B5, but it is necessary that data...
0
by: jfyes | last post by:
As a hardware engineer, after seeing that CEIWEI recently released a new tool for Modbus RTU Over TCP/UDP filtering and monitoring, I actively went to its official website to take a look. It turned...
0
by: ArrayDB | last post by:
The error message I've encountered is; ERROR:root:Error generating model response: exception: access violation writing 0x0000000000005140, which seems to be indicative of an access violation...
1
by: Defcon1945 | last post by:
I'm trying to learn Python using Pycharm but import shutil doesn't work
0
by: af34tf | last post by:
Hi Guys, I have a domain whose name is BytesLimited.com, and I want to sell it. Does anyone know about platforms that allow me to list my domain in auction for free. Thank you
0
isladogs
by: isladogs | last post by:
The next Access Europe User Group meeting will be on Wednesday 3 Apr 2024 starting at 18:00 UK time (6PM UTC+1) and finishing by 19:30 (7.30PM). In this session, we are pleased to welcome former...

By using Bytes.com and it's services, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

To disable or enable advertisements and analytics tracking please visit the manage ads & tracking page.