[Gllug] socket buffer overrun

[Peter Grandi]

>>> On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 13:58:02 +0100, Simon Morris
>>> <simon.morris at cmtww.com> said:

[ ... ]

simon.morris> That point is excellently put. I don't think "just
simon.morris> fucking google it" helps anyone very much. [ ... ]

>> Maybe so but I don't want that to be the main point in my
>> message. That was a small note and Peter did provide useful
>> help and points, which I'd like to thank him for. I've
>> noticed a couple of detrimental messages in his direction. I
>> don't know the guy or know what the problem is so I'll keep
>> out of it! :-)

simon.morris> Ben, Indeed, I wasn't trying to change the focus
simon.morris> of the thread or make a point in particular.

Really? You singled out a link out of nine, selectively quoted
out the other eight, which I spent some amount of time finding
and checking, and based your whole post on just the URL of that
single one, and now you write this? Keep up the ''good work''!

simon.morris> Peter gave some great advice, but very often in
simon.morris> other Linux forums we see that kind of sarcasm
simon.morris> creeping in which detracts from the help people
simon.morris> give.

Ah I notice that too. And much worse, as recently on this list,
messages that contain no help and things are rather viler than
humour or sarcasm.

The kind of attitude that one sees on some help newsgroups or
lists or channels is more of the "crackpot" Nix sort, where some
people have a kind of holy "I-say-so" attitude towards those
they consider uppity.

But please note that there is a difference between humour and
sarcasm, and perhaps one should be making allowance for the
difficulty of a narrow bandwidth medium like this before jumping
to conclusions as to which is which -- but then there are some
people who seem to assume that they can read my thoughts and are
qualified psychologists too.

That link above was a humourous way to convey diplomatically a
message that perhaps should have been worded more bluntly.

But as to an important point, I handle very diplomatically those
that are _paying customers_ (directly like like employers,
clients or indirectly like managers, coworkers).

But hey, here on this list *I* am the paying customer.

It is me who is paying with my time and resources to ''buy''
problem-solving exercises from those who ask questions (and
the feel-good for helping people is the other component).

  Gratuitous and futile advice to people asking questions: you
  are _selling_ them.  Make them as easy to understand and as
  attractive as you can. Don't expect whoever is willing to help
  to make much of an effort to spoonfeeds you, or to try and
  force out of you the bits they need to know. Don't keep them
  guessing.  I have written these suggestions for IRC GNU/Linux
  channels: http://WWW.sabi.co.UK/Notes/linuxHelpAsk.html

If such questions seem to me of poor quality, as the paying
customer I feel that I can complain (something that I would
never do to someone who _paid me_ for support; the paying
customer is always right); I still attempt most often to be not
that blunt. And I still try to help (and to enjoy the problem
solving too) by using wild guesses.

Also, indirect (or direct) feedback that a question could have
been better presented also hopefully will help whoever is asking
to try harder and to improve their product next time.

simon.morris> You don't see it so much on GLLUG

''Thanks'' for rushing to make similar points about what seemed
to me gratuitous and derangedly paranoid and arguably defamatory
comments posted by someone else recently.

simon.morris> Also if someone Googles for the subject 2 years in
simon.morris> the future for the same problem you are having I
simon.morris> don't think the message "just fucking google it"
simon.morris> will reflect so well on Peter

Well, perhaps you believe that the message in my article could
be so summarized, but perhaps other people with a more realistic
view like Ben himself think differently. ''Thanks'' again for
your fair and balanced views.

:-)

-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug