[mythtv-users] "get the sources and fix it yourself"

[Bearcat M. Sandor]

On Friday 28 September 2007 in an email titled "Re: [mythtv-users] "get the 
sources and fix it yourself"" Jay R. Ashworth wrote:

>You didn't read the part where they were careful to make clear that
>hackers are a different cultuer from civilians, and like all
>intercultural interactions -- say, a Texan and a New Yorker? -- people
>are likely to misinterpret as hostile behaviours which are not intended
>that way... did you?
>
>Cheers,
>-- jra

I did read it. It seemed like a really lame excuse on a first pass.  In a way, 
it still does.  I agree with what people are saying here and i agree with the 
content of the document. I don't like the tone. I still don't feel that being 
part of hacker culture is an excuse.  

If someone came to me and says "I'm lost" and i said "your being lost concerns 
me how?" They would rightly be offended.   

What about it being a computer related question and the fact that i have been 
using linux for 10 years makes that OK to do in a chatroom?  Why is "Where do 
you want to go, how do you want to get there?" such a big hassle to ask?  So 
i had to ask what distro they were using and what the error message was. My 
fingers are strong and i can type that much.  It's great to encourage people 
to give that info up-front, but if they don't it's not a big deal is it?

If someone follow me around and asks me for directions while i am busy or just 
looks at me impatiently and says "I'm lost, help help" and they have the same 
map i do in their hands that's different.  Even then, i might seek to find 
out why they were lost. Perhaps they just had trouble reading it.

I donno, maybe it's just me. I tend towards compassion where most people 
wouldn't. I recognize that the person in the chat room who says "help! help" 
probably isn't a jerk. They're just paniced, unprepared  It doesn't take me 
any more effort to help them calm down then it does to be snide, short and 
antagonize them, and it does me more harm to do so.

I'm willing to spend the few moments it takes being kind to someone even if 
they don't know how to help themselves, before i start getting in to the 
one-on-one assistance.

Bearcat M. Sandor