[Mageia-discuss] User support mailing list?

Sat Jun 4 04:42:28 CEST 2011

Remco Rijnders a écrit :
+> On Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 08:07:16PM -0400, andre999 wrote:
+>> Remco Rijnders a écrit :
+>>> On Fri, Jun 03, 2011 at 08:32:10PM +0300, Ahmad Samir wrote:
+>>>> On 3 June 2011 17:30, Remco Rijnders <remco at webconquest.com> wrote:
+>>>>> Dear all,
+>>>>>
+>>>>> In the past few days since the release (and also before, but less
+>>>>> frequently) I notice a number of requests for help and assistance
+>>>>> for a
+>>>>> variety of issues being posted on this list. To me this seems to be
+>>>>> not
+>>>>> really on topic for this list which, to my understanding, is more
+>>>>> aimed at
+>>>>> discussing the direction of Mageia for future releases and the role
+>>>>> Mageia
+>>>>> should play in the larger free software community.
+>>>>>
+>>>>
+>>>> "Mageia-discuss is about Mageia general discussions: future plans,
+>>>> community, association, ... Feel free to ask any questions here."
+>>>> c.f. https://www.mageia.org/mailman/listinfo/mageia-discuss
+>>>>
+>>>> I am not sure, if the "any questions" part includes support, but I
+>>>> think so. History tells us that the higher the number of mailing lists
+>>>> the higher the number of unused-and-left-to-cobwebs mailing lists
+>>>> become...
+>>>
+>>> Would that not obsolete half our mailing lists though if "any questions"
+>>> are on topic on this list? I interpretate it as "any questions on the
+>>> aforementioned topics", though I agree that "..." leaves a lot of room
+>>> open to interpretation.
+>>
+>> I agree with Ahmad's interpretation.
+>> As well, I think you will get a better response on this discuss list
+>> than with a dedicated user-help list.
+>>
+>> My reasoning :
+>> Many of those who would help you are interested in following the
+>> discussions. If they see someone needing assistance, and they can
+>> help, they will. But they are not necessarily interested in spending
+>> much time helping others. As well, likely they would not be able to
+>> help with most problems. Those more strongly interested in helping
+>> others are probably already helping on the forums, where it is easier
+>> to focus on particular problems needing solution.
+>
+> I don't understand it (call me thick), but now people are saying that
+> the reason why a user gets an answer faster on the mailing list than on
+> the forum is because a question asked where it is possibly off-topic has
+> a better chance of being answered than in a place where it is on-topic?
+>
+> Also, while I understand there is a big difference of scale, I'd like to
+> invite you to look at the debian-users mailing list for a while or have
+> a look at its archives and see which posts go unanswered there as
+> compared to the calls for help on our forum. If you feel this is not a
+> fair comparison, compare it to debian or ubuntu user forums.
+>
+> Personal preferences aside, I do not see why the opposition to my
+> proposal. Is it really such an outrageous request? I'm honestly
+> surprised by some of the reactions I got on here and on IRC yesterday
+> too, what to me, seems like a no brainer.
+>
+> Thanks and regards,
+>
+> Remco
+
+It is not an outrageous request.
+I (and many others) just think that with the current state of Mageia development, that you would be 
+better served on the current Mageia discuss list than on a separate user-help list.
+Asking for help on this list is not off-topic, in the opinion of most (if not almost all).  It is 
+done all the time, and people willingly help.
+If Mageia had the thousands of contributors of Debian, the situation could well be different.
+As misc pointed out, a large part of the reason there is a better response on this list than on the 
+forum, is that more people frequent this list.  I would add, more knowledgable people than would 
+likely frequent a user-help list.  But that is just my take on the situation.  I just wouldn't like 
+to see such a list being added, and it becoming more difficult to get help.
+
+Another point.  Often a problem brought up on this list makes others aware of potential 
+improvements, which can lead to a better Mageia.  But a developer who might provide the improvement 
+is less likely to monitor a user-help list, as well the the developer and discuss lists.
+So we're actually trying to give you and other users a better experience :)
+
+another 2 cents :)
+-- 
+André
+