Index
2016-07-22 10:49Ted Roche : ProFox Support Request #987654321
2016-07-22 12:24Gene Wirchenko : Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321
2016-07-22 14:56Ted Roche : Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321
2016-07-22 15:00Ted Roche : Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321
2016-07-23 23:53Gene Wirchenko : Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321
2016-07-26 20:06mbsoftwaresolutions@mbsoftwaresolutions.com: Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321
Back to top
ProFox Support Request #987654321

Author: Ted Roche

Posted: 2016-07-22 10:49:38   Link

Thank you for contacting ProFox Support Request. Your delight with

FoxPro is important to us.

In order to better serve you, please supply the following information.

While these steps seem onerous, 83.7% of people who want to contact

ProFox support find these steps solve the problem without the need to

post to ProFox, so this is the fastest path to solving your problem.

1. Have you turned it off and back on again?

Most problem with computers occur because of some transient condition

caused by a faulty process gumming up the works, an update in the

background causing strange behavior, a file lock that failed to

release, or a runaway task that has consumed all of a resource.

Restarting the computer often solves this problem. If you cannot

reproduce the problem after rebooting, it's unlikely anyone else will

be able to, either.

If you are working with a separate client and server machines, restart

them both.

2. Search for the problem on the internet or the ProFox archive.

If you haven't tried to search for solutions, consider doing that

before posting to the forum. It's likely your issue has been seen

before, and a solution can be found on the internet. Note that profox

has a searchable archive, and your solution is likely in there.

The exact text of the error message is a good search term to start

with. Omit the information specific to your app, like the table or

field name or record number.

If that fails, consider asking for help on the list. The following

steps will lead to a faster, more accurate solution and then we can

all get back to work.

By writing an email that includes steps 3 through 7, most people

realize they failed to try something else, and fix their problems

before having to post. There's no faster solution than the one you

don't have to wait for.

3. Describe the steps you have taken.

In order to reproduce the problems you see, others need to be able to

take the same steps.

If you can't reproduce the problem, say that.

If it was working but then stopped working, say that.

If you've never gotten it to work, say that.

Attempt to provide a small code sample that shows the problem. a

simple CREATE TABLE, INSERT statements and then your demo code will

let others test the problem, and determine if their proposed solution

solves the problem. Right away, we'll all know if this is a problem

with your machine or configuration, or with everyone's.

4. Explain what you expect to see, and what you see instead.

"It doesn't work" is not a bug report. How can you tell it doesn't

work, and what did you expect it to do? If your SELECT statement

returns no records, it may be working fine, but not doing what you

expect. If it throws an error 1234, report the error number and any

messages. If it crashes the machine, describe what you see.

If you see this on only one machine, say so. If it happens on all the

machines, say that. If it works on the file server that has the data,

but not the workstations, please tell us that.

5. Describe the problem you are trying to solve

People often get themselves into trouble because they have come up

with a solution to a problem and the solution keeps throwing different

problems at them. It may be that your initial solution isn't the best

one, or may not solve the problem at all. You may not understand what

the command is doing, as some are badly misnamed. Explain why you are

doing what you're doing, and be open to suggestions that there are

better ways to get to the solution you need.

If you tell us "Don't ask why" or "Don't suggest I do it another way,"

you're asking us not to help. If we're smart, we won't.

6. Be nice.

People are voluntarily donating their time and expertise to solving

your problem. They may misunderstand or suggest inappropriate

solutions or miss clues you have provided. Be patient. You are likely

under a deadline and a little frantic. Understand that being rude just

decreases the likelihood that anyone will help you solve your problem.

7. Describe solutions you have tried, or resources you have used.

It's likely people will suggest the first answer found by searching

the internet. If you've already tried that, say so. If you've looked

up the error message, and tried the workarounds suggested, say that.

Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time.

8. Report if you find the solution.

The ProFox forum is only as valuable as the problems that are solved.

Report if you figure it out, or if a proposed solution fixes it.

--

Ted Roche

Ted Roche & Associates, LLC

http://www.tedroche.com

_______________________________________________

Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com

Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox

OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech

Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox

This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/CACW6n4vDR3y+U71T053JS3wWKvCH1GkPfsULsWjPec9yA4maiw@mail.gmail.com

** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.

©2016 Ted Roche
Back to top
Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321

Author: Gene Wirchenko

Posted: 2016-07-22 12:24:05   Link

At 08:49 2016-07-22, Ted Roche <tedroche@gmail.com> wrote:

>Thank you for contacting ProFox Support Request. Your delight with

>FoxPro is important to us.

Please note that we are not Microsoft.

>In order to better serve you, please supply the following information.

>While these steps seem onerous, 83.7% of people who want to contact

>ProFox support find these steps solve the problem without the need to

>post to ProFox, so this is the fastest path to solving your problem.

0) Please read

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

By Eric Steven Raymond

and

http://radio-weblogs.com/0117767/stories/2004/05/19/whyIDontAnswerYourQuestions.html

Why I Don't Answer Your Questions

By Ted Roche

>1. Have you turned it off and back on again?

>

>Most problem with computers occur because of some transient condition

>caused by a faulty process gumming up the works, an update in the

>background causing strange behavior, a file lock that failed to

>release, or a runaway task that has consumed all of a resource.

>Restarting the computer often solves this problem. If you cannot

>reproduce the problem after rebooting, it's unlikely anyone else will

>be able to, either.

>

>If you are working with a separate client and server machines, restart

>them both.

Keep a set of test data so that you can restore to a known point.

>2. Search for the problem on the internet or the ProFox archive.

>

>If you haven't tried to search for solutions, consider doing that

>before posting to the forum. It's likely your issue has been seen

>before, and a solution can be found on the internet. Note that profox

>has a searchable archive, and your solution is likely in there.

>

>The exact text of the error message is a good search term to start

>with. Omit the information specific to your app, like the table or

>field name or record number.

>

>If that fails, consider asking for help on the list. The following

>steps will lead to a faster, more accurate solution and then we can

>all get back to work.

>

>By writing an email that includes steps 3 through 7, most people

>realize they failed to try something else, and fix their problems

>before having to post. There's no faster solution than the one you

>don't have to wait for.

>

>3. Describe the steps you have taken.

>

>In order to reproduce the problems you see, others need to be able to

>take the same steps.

>

>If you can't reproduce the problem, say that.

>

>If it was working but then stopped working, say that.

>

>If you've never gotten it to work, say that.

>

>Attempt to provide a small code sample that shows the problem. a

>simple CREATE TABLE, INSERT statements and then your demo code will

>let others test the problem, and determine if their proposed solution

>solves the problem. Right away, we'll all know if this is a problem

>with your machine or configuration, or with everyone's.

>

>4. Explain what you expect to see, and what you see instead.

>

>"It doesn't work" is not a bug report. How can you tell it doesn't

>work, and what did you expect it to do? If your SELECT statement

>returns no records, it may be working fine, but not doing what you

>expect. If it throws an error 1234, report the error number and any

>messages. If it crashes the machine, describe what you see.

>

>If you see this on only one machine, say so. If it happens on all the

>machines, say that. If it works on the file server that has the data,

>but not the workstations, please tell us that.

>

>5. Describe the problem you are trying to solve

>

>People often get themselves into trouble because they have come up

>with a solution to a problem and the solution keeps throwing different

>problems at them. It may be that your initial solution isn't the best

>one, or may not solve the problem at all. You may not understand what

>the command is doing, as some are badly misnamed. Explain why you are

>doing what you're doing, and be open to suggestions that there are

>better ways to get to the solution you need.

>

>If you tell us "Don't ask why" or "Don't suggest I do it another way,"

>you're asking us not to help. If we're smart, we won't.

>

>6. Be nice.

>

>People are voluntarily donating their time and expertise to solving

>your problem. They may misunderstand or suggest inappropriate

>solutions or miss clues you have provided. Be patient. You are likely

>under a deadline and a little frantic. Understand that being rude just

>decreases the likelihood that anyone will help you solve your problem.

>

>7. Describe solutions you have tried, or resources you have used.

>

>It's likely people will suggest the first answer found by searching

>the internet. If you've already tried that, say so. If you've looked

>up the error message, and tried the workarounds suggested, say that.

>Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time.

>

>8. Report if you find the solution.

>

>The ProFox forum is only as valuable as the problems that are solved.

>Report if you figure it out, or if a proposed solution fixes it.

Others may be interested in your problem, because they have run

into it, too.

If you post a "Never mind. I solved it.", the "Never mind."

will probably be applied to your next question. You might not want that.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

_______________________________________________

Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com

Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox

OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech

Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox

This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/0f0e4b9449e2f934281f5e2999948d54@mtlp000087

** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.

©2016 Gene Wirchenko
Back to top
Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321

Author: Ted Roche

Posted: 2016-07-22 14:56:45   Link

On Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 1:24 PM, Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> wrote:

> At 08:49 2016-07-22, Ted Roche <tedroche@gmail.com> wrote:

>>

>> Thank you for contacting ProFox Support Request. Your delight with

>> FoxPro is important to us.

>

>

> Please note that we are not Microsoft.

>

Well, of course not. They haven't been delighted with Visual FoxPro

for quite some time.

_______________________________________________

Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com

Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox

OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech

Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox

This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/CACW6n4vSs7kSKSkMmxhQ0JPybwuFAnLj+No3OyJupySbb0-4Ag@mail.gmail.com

** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.

©2016 Ted Roche
Back to top
Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321

Author: Ted Roche

Posted: 2016-07-22 15:00:24   Link

On Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 1:24 PM, Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> wrote:

>

> 0) Please read

> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

> By Eric Steven Raymond

> and

>

> http://radio-weblogs.com/0117767/stories/2004/05/19/whyIDontAnswerYourQuestions.html

> Why I Don't Answer Your Questions

> By Ted Roche

>

An excellent suggestion!

I'm astounded the radio-weblogs.com site is still up. They've been

out-of-business/in statis/bought by somebody else for a decade now.

An updated link, same content:

http://blog.tedroche.com/2004/05/19/dont-answer-questions/

>

> Keep a set of test data so that you can restore to a known point.

>

>

> Others may be interested in your problem, because they have run into

> it, too.

>

> If you post a "Never mind. I solved it.", the "Never mind." will

> probably be applied to your next question. You might not want that.

>

Well said!

_______________________________________________

Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com

Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox

OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech

Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox

This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/CACW6n4v6khj=cSk8kKX4xOJ2RTnV+y4Pqt2J0bsDE9uMvJ=uXQ@mail.gmail.com

** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.

©2016 Ted Roche
Back to top
Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321

Author: Gene Wirchenko

Posted: 2016-07-23 23:53:31   Link

At 13:00 2016-07-22, Ted Roche <tedroche@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 1:24 PM, Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> wrote:

> >

> > 0) Please read

> > http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

> > How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

> > By Eric Steven Raymond

> > and

> >

> >

> http://radio-weblogs.com/0117767/stories/2004/05/19/whyIDontAnswerYourQuestions.html

> > Why I Don't Answer Your Questions

> > By Ted Roche

> >

>

>An excellent suggestion!

>

>I'm astounded the radio-weblogs.com site is still up. They've been

>out-of-business/in statis/bought by somebody else for a decade now.

>

>An updated link, same content:

>

>http://blog.tedroche.com/2004/05/19/dont-answer-questions/

Thank you for the update.

> > Keep a set of test data so that you can restore to a known point.

> >

> >

> > Others may be interested in your problem, because they have run into

> > it, too.

> >

> > If you post a "Never mind. I solved it.", the "Never mind." will

> > probably be applied to your next question. You might not want that.

>

>Well said!

Well, I know I sure feel that way. We are a community, but

some do not appear to have caught on.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

_______________________________________________

Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com

Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox

OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech

Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox

This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/2db47b3355df65e00bccc24a107a45c0@mtlp000086

** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.

©2016 Gene Wirchenko
Back to top
Re: ProFox Support Request #987654321

Author: mbsoftwaresolutions@mbsoftwaresolutions.com

Posted: 2016-07-26 20:06:50   Link

On 2016-07-22 15:56, Ted Roche wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 22, 2016 at 1:24 PM, Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>

> wrote:

>> At 08:49 2016-07-22, Ted Roche <tedroche@gmail.com> wrote:

>> Please note that we are not Microsoft.

>>

>

> Well, of course not. They haven't been delighted with Visual FoxPro

> for quite some time.

ROFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!

_______________________________________________

Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com

Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox

OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech

Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox

This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/70430956847441d139b460bbb59cd11f@mbsoftwaresolutions.com

** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.

©2016 mbsoftwaresolutions@mbsoftwaresolutions.com