Re: Freebies!

[Jarrodb <jarrodb@NETSPACE.NET.AU>]

How about encouraging the newbies to look in the manual first?
Self help is the best way of learning.

In addition you might find, experienced programmers
trying to pick up SQR who might just need a push in the right
direction here and there.  New people to SQR / Brio certainly
bring value to a user group like this, simply because they bring
different ideas, have come from different backgrounds and can
share experience.  This includes newbies.
Someone might bring a heap of HTML experience to the group
or a DB2 or Oracle experience etc or even a graduate who is
keen to learn and discovers a few things here and there that
nobody knew.

On the other hand I can see where you are comming from.  I for
one would not be too cooperative with a person whom I had to teach
my skills to so they could take my job!  But this group is not
about that.  This group is about people sharing and helping.
Well that's what I thought anyway.

All I can say is that when someone asks me a basic question at work
I tell them to look in the manual.  That way they become confident and
familiar with the manual / help files and with helping themselves.
That said though, I will still keep an eye on them and help them
through and real difficulties.

Just my 2 cents worth.


-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of SQR, Brio Software's database reporting language
[mailto:SQR-USERS@list.iex.net]On Behalf Of David Thorburn
Sent: Saturday, 26 January 2002 11:14 AM
To: SQR-USERS@list.iex.net
Subject: Re: Freebies!


Laura,

I suggest you reread my posting.

I agree with your post, but I also stand by mine.

Some of these posts are obviously from non-programmers who are, as I said
before, looking for a freebie so they don't have to pay our wages.

Regards,

D.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Laura Lopez" <laura.lopez@TRINET.COM>
To: <SQR-USERS@list.iex.net>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 3:57 PM
Subject: Re: Freebies!


> On the other hand, the value of being able to share information within a
> community is a benefit for us all. Even those who are experienced
> programmers need to ask questions sometimes and frankly the smartest
> programmers know there is great value in having user groups like these.
> Beginners are a challenge, but then we all started somewhere and who
knows,
> perhaps a newbie will come up with new better ways to do things. Today's
> newbie will be an expert in a few years and your kid or mine may expect
> help. Hopefully, people remember to pay back in some way.
>
> If you don't want to share your knowledge, don't. But next time you make a
> "withdrawal" from the community, you should ask yourself what you have
> contributed recently. If this becomes an " I'll show you mine after you've
> shown me yours " arrangement, the community dies.
>
> Let me leave you with a definition of the word PARASITE and caution you
not
> to be useless to a society from which you derive benefit.
> PARASITE >> "Applies to one who clings to a person of wealth, power or
> influence or is useless to society"
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: David Thorburn [SMTP:thorburn@CONL.NET]
> > Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 2:50 PM
> > To:   SQR-USERS@list.iex.net
> > Subject:      Freebies!
> >
> > Dear Fellow SQR Programmers:
> >
> > With the economy the way it is, I would suggest restraint in handing out
> > sophistiated
> > programing solutions to non-programmers for free.
> >
> > I like the exchange between skilled SQR programmers, and the question
and
> > answers diapogue where the asker of the question is at least enough of a
> > programmer to ask the right question.  However, supplying programming
> > freebies to those who would otherwise hire or retain programming staff
or
> > contractors is contrary to the best interests of programmers like
> > ourselves!
> >
> > Take a moment to consider the questions and to distinguish between those
> > which deserve an answer and those which are trying to circumvent using
> > skilled programmers.
> >
> > In this ecomony we cannot afford to give away freebies!
> >
> > Think about it programmers!  This is YOUR resource, not your clients!
> >
> > D.
>