I have been in IT for 40 years, and in that time I learned a lesson or two.
a) Respect the other person. He is entitled to different ideas.
b) I was once a beginner with lots to learn, and with only a fixed number of hours in the day. Respect me if you recognize the fact that I may not know all the answers. The same applies for your peers.
c) I have no exclusivity on intelligence. I learn from everyone.
d) Questions that appear stupid to you, or where the user should have thought of searching for the answer which is buried in some manual, should not have you admonish that user. We are all trying our best.
e) Software authors write for joy, many put their heart and soul into their work, and therefore, think about criticism before issuing some. If you have to, couch your criticism in postive ways, such as "While using your software under condition xyz, it generated the following problem xxxx, is it possible that
this possibility was not envisioned in your initial design?
f) Finally, ask yourself if you would like to receive the criticism that you would deliver.
So, please, help the beginners, and if some software is malfunctioning, try to find the reason, and with kind words, contact the author. You wil get more using an approach with honey than one with vinegar.
Leslie Satenstein
MSC mathematics,
Capacity Planning and Computer system modeling,
Hardware logic circuit designer
Compiler designer, interpreter designer,
ERP specialist, Project Manager,
40 years of writing and supporting software.
Teacher and now, linux hobbist.
