DLee@xxxxxxxx wrote:
Whoever;
If I'm in RPG400 forum, it means I'm an rpg programmer, asking
an SQL question that's important to me solving a problem I have
related to a project I'm working on.
This reply is noteworthy, but buried in an off-topic thread. How
many RPGers might one suppose, will actually read that message or
this one? Hmmm... well most RPGers are probably email listers
instead of using a NewsReader, so very possibly all who might
consider or be using SQL. But how many have already grown tired of
this off-topic thread, and will therefore just ignore both messages?
I don't believe I should have to be hopping around registering
in all the forums I might need for one specific problem if the
answers are available in this forum.
I respect that opinion, but I respectfully disagree.
That comment places one's own interests ahead of those on the
other groups on this server; i.e. above the interest of the
community. A bit selfish maybe, but everyone has that right. The
community derives benefit from participating in discussions of a
subject-matter assigned to a group\forum. For subject matter
discussed outside what is intended of the forum, excludes the
interested community [who do not participate in both].
If I'm in this forum asking about an SQL issue, it usually
means I need help in solving a problem delaying my from
completing my RPG related task.
By the same logic, any topic is valid. Although any topic could
be construed as being RPG related simply by claiming one would be
contemplating how they might be using RPG while discussing the
off-topic subject matter, or might even use RPG in accessing what is
being discussed, but that does not make it RPG related. Asking how
to perform some SQL in RPG is on-topic but how SQL works [e.g.
syntax for the SQL CASE] is not, just as asking how to invoke JAVA
from RPG is on-topic but how JAVA works [e.g. JAVA garbage
collection] is not.
I always appreciate the help I get thru this forum, but
sometimes a too structured environment can be as bad as trying
to get something thru congress.
Agreed. But consider there are two ends of a pendulum and there
is the center point around which most momentum should occur. To be
clear, too little structure is also problematic. The occasional
off-topic question seems legitimate, but if everyone does it, does
that remain occasional noise or does it become a din.? At some
point there may seem no longer, any reason for any separation, and
then the group just becomes the convenient heap onto which to throw
the next question irrespective of topic. Is there any reason we
could not just use this group to discuss how best to utilize the
forums, for example, to best serve the users of the /RPG/ language.?
FWIW
FWiW, please do consider two things:
- Not everyone who knows [best] of the off-topic subject will
also be interested in the RPG language, and thus they may not be
subscribed to the RPG list. Those folks not only miss out on the
benefits of the results of the discussion, they also were given no
opportunity to provide possibly valuable responses.
- re-reading the forum rules posted by the forum moderator,
even if intending not to follow that advice. A snippet of note:
The topic of the list is RPG/400 Programming. This
includes, but is not limited to, all aspects of
RPG programming (ILE and OPM), activation groups,
indicators (fie!), extensions, enhancements,
debugging, etc.
Now that we have both completely disregarded the forum rules, we
rightfully deserve to be publicly flogged.
Regards, Chuck
midrange.com
