Comments on: How to ask tech question and get answer

By: Transcontinental

Transcontinental — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:08:57 +0000

I agree that no rule dominates personalities, still I confirm my remarks, though themselves are… personal :)
Many have been misled to what could have became a skill because of “non parity” with the teacher. More one knows more one is responsible of what becomes of his knowledge, I guess.

By: Rarst

Rarst — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:45:48 +0000

@Transcontinental

Hm, can’t say I noticed drastic differences due to national culture. I notice lot more differences of personal culture.

Naturally not all people like computer. Still some treat is part of modern life, some like hated things that is necessary to do hated job… Personal attitude can make their explanations both really easy and really hard to get.

By: Transcontinental

Transcontinental — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:33:05 +0000

Linguistics, languages, cultures … I guess parity is required between the teacher and the “learner”, and there is, in the ability to teach, a knack one has or has not whatever be his skills, his knowledge. I must say that in the Anglo-Saxon culture, as compared to the French since I’ve been introduced to both, something of a more natural approach to explanation in particular of topivs in the area of rationalism such as science and technology. As a Frenchman I prefer learning computer related matters from UK/US forums and blogs rhan from French ones, only because the methodology in the former suit me better, I understand more quickly. Why I have no idea. French culture is complex (as others) but French appear to me as complex, which is fine for philosophy but problematic for science.

By: Rarst

Rarst — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:14:25 +0000

@DataRat

Ouch, don’t even start me on that. :) It’s like having few dictionaries with different terms and trying to figure out which one user used every time he finishes sentence.

By: The DataRat

The DataRat — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:34:52 +0000

“precise details are
key to troubleshooting”

As the local resident geek (non-expert, but “advanced user”)
everybody goes to for computer problems, the largest difficulty
is linguistics. You know: Novices who refer to their hard drive
as “memory” …etc.

Before getting down to resolving the problem at hand, got to
first conduct a class on computer nomenclature. Only after ~that~
is it possible to even understand what the hell they’re talking
about !

Once everybody is speaking the same language (computerese?) we
have a chance of identifying the issue. And -without knowing the
problem- arriving at a solution becomes impossible.

This the most frustrating part of helping novices: That initial
encounter trying to figure out exactly what they’re complaining
about !

The DataRat

By: Rarst

Rarst — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:29:54 +0000

@Transcontinental

Yeah, precise details are key to troubleshooting. There are some very creepy chain reactions possible in computing so determining what it is exactly is essential for solving.

By: Transcontinental

Transcontinental — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:10:29 +0000

Concerning computing, what is always required when the question deals with an error problem is the process to reproduce that error, and to determinate that process is not always obvious!
Master word in all circumstances, from dealing with yourself to dealing with a hot-line technician, and dialoging with whoever is : keep calm and stay accurate. There are worst things than my little problems! (though when I encounter them I tend to forget that)