lu*************@aol.com (Lumpierbritches) wrote in message news:<20***************************@mb-m02.aol.com>...
I'm curious as to why some questions posted here get results and solutions,
while others are answered in a seemingly foreign language and I can't begin to
comprehend or understand the answers that are given. Is there a place to learn
this foreign language to be able to better communicate questions, as to derive
the solution that the poster is attempting to receive? If so, where please?
...
Michael
Here are some other possibilities you may or may not have considered:
Company A asks me to quote a job. Afterwards, they decide to hire
someone else to do it. I soon notice a posting to
comp.databases.ms-access from Programmer B asking how to do what
Company A wanted. I also happen to know that the first name of
Programmer B matches the first name of a programmer that Company A
knows about. I'm not likely to answer that post even though I know
the answer having just thought about the problem enough to quote it.
I take solace in the fact that even at half my rate Company A is going
to end up shelling out higher bucks and not getting as good of a
product.
I see a posting from a noobie but I can't tell if they're just trying
to learn how to program Access or if they're doing a homework
assignment for their beginning Access class. I tend to err on the
side of helping them. In this case I'll leave a little bit more for
them to do in case I'm wrong.
Some postings are just incomprehensible even to Access developers. If
I have to do too much guessing about their problem it's not worth the
hassle. If they attempted to explain clearly what they are trying to
do I am much more likely to attempt a solution.
I like answering "TV problems" (i.e., ones that can be solved in 30
minutes ;-)). If the problem is going to require a massive amount of
time to solve then maybe they should consider hiring a professional.
It's obvious from the poster's question that they have no chance of
finishing what they are starting. I'll probably answer the question
but I'm left shaking my head. I saw an Access app today that was a
complete mess. Besides things like Command1_Click(), the code
wouldn't even compile and they were running the database anyway!
Sometimes I see a post and think, "Jones, who also reads this NG, is
much better than I am with that subject and will probably answer it."
If it looks like they are not really trying to solve a problem they
personally encountered I start questioning their motive for the post.
If the problem looks interesting enough I might give it a try anyway.
Sometimes I realize that answering a post will cause me to opine about
particular software companies or their software. Flame wars are
usually a huge waste of time. I try not to say things that will bring
out extollers or bashers.
When I was first learning Access I received a considerable amount of
help from this newsgroup so I try to answer questions from time to
time when I am able as a way of saying "thanks" and to keep sharp. I
try to choose topics that I have some knowledge of so that limits how
many posts I attempt to answer :-). Be sure to realize that, in
general, answering posts is a volunteer effort. The Catch 22 for the
original poster is that you have to know enough of the "foreign
language" of Access before you can communicate what new language
skills you need.
Hope this helps,
James A. Fortune
