Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!pyrdc!pyrnj!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu!bob
From: bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: X Novice Proposal
Summary: wish it would work
Keywords: efficiently handling novices
Message-ID: <21687@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 13 Sep 88 14:51:02 GMT
References: <264@drd.UUCP>
Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Distribution: na
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer & Information Science
Lines: 47

In article <264@drd.UUCP> mark@drd.UUCP (Mark Lawrence) writes:
>I've seen a few requests lately from self-identified novices
>essentially requesting X mentor pen-pals as they struggle with X...
>It would really be beneficial and efficient for me if someone would
>would permit me to fire off single question notes and questions to
>them which could be answered on short turn-around.
>
>The point is that I am just the tip of the iceberg...  I wonder if it
>wouldn't behoove us to establish a pool of X window guru volunteers
>to take novices under their electronic wing to handle the questions
>about fundamentals that are bound to arise?

Given that X is such a commercially-viable bandwagon in so many other
ways, it sounds like there are some major bucks to be made by
consultants placing themselves in just such a position.  Several such
people and organizations will probably contact you as a result of your
note, offering you their services.

With free software and free advice, you get what you pay for.  While
there will hopefully always be free software and advice available,
this sort of personalized volunteer mentoring arrangement you describe
would require a larger commitment of time, effort, and responsibility
than most of us casual news readers-and-repliers are ready or able to
provide.  Our employers expect us to provide our expertise to them,
and only incidentally (if at all) to the rest of the world.

>I would gladly volunteer in about 6-9 mos time after having enough
>experience with the software to be _able_ to answer fundamental
>questions.

Wonderful, and more power to you!  I truly hope a cadre of such
volunteers arises.  Unfortunately, I suspect that such a group would
have problems with quality control, responsiveness, and all the normal
things you expect from a professional support organization.  Again:
you get what you pay for.

I hate to sound like a wet blanket, but this industry is very, very
commercial and competitive.  People are making money from every aspect
of it.  Finding people to volunteer to do that for which they could be
paid, and to do it as well as they would if they were being paid, will
be difficult (there's usually another motive involved).  I hope it's
not impossible.  I wish I could volunteer, but I've got lots of other
irons in the fire (interestingly enough, some of them are volunteer
consulting) and I'm a relative novice in X-land myself.
-=-
Zippy sez,								--Bob
Yow!  Now we can become alcoholics!