<http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~ts/garbinfo/garb3020.html>
Copyright © 1996-2012 by Prof. Timo Salmi
Last modified Tue 25-Sep-2012 18:38:24
|
|
<http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~ts/garbinfo/garb3020.html> Copyright © 1996-2012 by Prof. Timo Salmi Last modified Tue 25-Sep-2012 18:38:24 |
|
|
I need your advice with this programming problem
Dear Fellow User,
I was very pleased to get your emailed question. I would very much like to help you, but I just can't take the time from my other numerous activities to be a general advisor and look at your question on an individual email consultation basis. Besides it is always possible that I would not know the answer. I would warmly suggest considering the option of posting your question to a suitable Usenet newsgroup where both the question and the potential answers will have a wider forum. The added advantage is that the potential answers on the news might well benefit also other interested readers.
You may have been encouraged by the fact that I frequently answer questions on the Usenet news. It is not impossible that I might end up answering yours on the news if I can. But please note a difference. On the news I can pick the familiar questions to answer. Even more importantly one gets to answer the same question for the hopeful benefit of a number of users at one go.
Please don't be put off by this response. I always look forward to hearing from fellow users, and I hope that you do not hesitate to contact me also in the future.
Dear Student,
It is very nice of you to write to me. Thank your for your confidence.
You really should be asking such questions your own professors / lecturers. That's what they are there for. Besides, even if I can well understand it because of my Usenet activities, you are probably mistaking my field. I am not in CS. I am a professor of accounting and business finance. Furthermore, I already have my hands full tutoring my own students and my other tasks. There is no way I can afford the time to extend my guidance to the students of others. Especially not in writing, electronic or otherwise.
You also might wish to see my FAQ item What is all this talk about "Pascal homework on the net"?
Dear Sender,
No, I am sorry. I am a computer hobbyist who often likes to gather information about e.g. batch programming as you can see from the link references at the beginning of this WWW page. I gather the information for my own interest in programming and for the benefit of the fellow programmers on the Internet. And I occasionally answer programming questions on the Usenet news when I feel like it and I happen to have an answer.
But I certainly am not a general, free computer consultant on call at will. Even if the task would be a small one. If you or your employer wish to have business related computer consultation you should hire a proper computer consultant. That's the normal course of action in business life. However, nothing prevents you from posting your batch question to a Usenet newsgroup like such as listed in Timo's selection of Usenet programming newsgroups in case someone else is more inclined to give free business consultation than what I am.
Dear Sender,
First please (re)read the other items on this www-page. Yes, it is true that I have had the privilege of writing a fair amount of programming related and other FAQs. One of my very reasons of writing those FAQs is to store what I have found out at some stage so that I would not have to solve similar problems over and over again.
It is quite impossible for me to keep current with all the various tasks and just jump back to a sudden problem based on a call out of the blue. I am not that skilful, and way too much time and effort would be involved. Please rather pose your problem to a suitable Usenet newsgroup.