Thread: God hates cross-posters!

  1. #91
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    So to be clear, the cross posting pepole have a problem against is when they do it on multiple forums at once?
    What if they word it deferent each time, is that deferent? Or is the fact that they don't "trust" your advice what makes pepole mad?

    How dose it waste your time? Do you not post if someone already post an answer? What if after they post it online and they find the answer in a book or soemthing, is that bad it waste your time still?

    Why is it a bad thing to post something in two forums, you will get 2 times the answers, and sometimes yeah it will be the "same" but you know what, go on any forum and look at it, must pepole post "I agree with (enter name here) and then post their own wording of the problem, your getting 6 deferent wordings of the same thing.

    For proof go look at my "help with this code" post in C++ I had four of all say I needed == instead of =, and need to put no in "no". This happens ALL the time on all forums, did they add much besides the fact that my spelling and grammar stink? Not really, thats not to say I don't value the help, I'm grateful for it, but the fact remains none of them add much to it besides awning the problem the same way in deferent words, even with seeing the other posts they are similar they all said , = is for assigns and == means "equal" and no needs to be "no".

    Was mine trivial? Sure, yeah it was, but as been said what is trivial if you don't know it? Did I know the difference between = and ==? Yes, I've used it on a few other programs, I just never saw it while proof reading the code.

    But thats not to say I'm saying cross posting is bad or not, in fact, I'm unsure as to which side I'm on. On one hand I see it like this, its like looking for a job, its okay to send out 4 defreint aplcations to defreint jobs, but it is polite to let them know when you get the job. Then there is the its also polite to tell them upfront "I'm lookign at other jobs to". So I have mixed feelings, I would not say its "wrong" or should be aginst the rules, but maybe its not polite, I might go with that but as I said its really a hard thing to pick a side.
    Last edited by Shawn Belcher; 09-20-2011 at 03:04 PM. Reason: Grammar and mistakes

  2. #92
    ATH0 quzah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    I'm amazed that this thread has gone so long, even considering quzah's trolling efforts.
    Ah yes, the old "I don't agree with him so he's trolling" line.
    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    Here's an idea for MK27 and those who agree with him: mind your own damn business.

    Your arguments ultimately boil down to "it doesn't hurt anyone", but that argument goes both ways. Nobody is hurt by cross posting? Well, nobody is hurt by negative reactions to cross posting either, because the cross poster will still get help from another person or on another forum.

    This whole argument is pointless, move along.

    kthxbye

    /thread
    Translation: This thread is about to be locked, because people are talking on message board, and we can't have that. We're in the general forum FFS.


    Quzah.
    Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

  3. #93
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    Here's an idea for MK27 and those who agree with him: mind your own damn business.
    Hmm... that's curious. I think that's precisely what they are saying you should do more. Isn't moderating all about minding other people's business?
    Last edited by Mario F.; 09-20-2011 at 06:04 PM.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  4. #94
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    I'm amazed that this thread has gone so long, even considering quzah's trolling efforts. Here's an idea for MK27 and those who agree with him: mind your own damn business.

    Your arguments ultimately boil down to "it doesn't hurt anyone", but that argument goes both ways. Nobody is hurt by cross posting? Well, nobody is hurt by negative reactions to cross posting either, because the cross poster will still get help from another person or on another forum.

    This whole argument is pointless, move along.

    kthxbye

    /thread
    I thought that was the whole reason to have a GD forum, for pointless arguments. :randomsmileythatresultsinanotherthreadaboutsmiley s:
    Quote Originally Posted by anduril462 View Post
    Now, please, for the love of all things good and holy, think about what you're doing! Don't just run around willy-nilly, coding like a drunk two-year-old....
    Quote Originally Posted by quzah View Post
    ..... Just don't be surprised when I say you aren't using standard C anymore, and as such,are off in your own little universe that I will completely disregard.
    Warning: Some or all of my posted code may be non-standard and as such should not be used and in no case looked at.

  5. #95
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    Hmm... that's curious. I think that's precisely what they are saying you should do more. Isn't moderating all about minding other people's business?
    I don't follow, could you elaborate? In the matter of cross posters, it's them (MK27 et al.) who decided to raise a stink. Up until then I was minding my own business.
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  6. #96
    ATH0 quzah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    I don't follow, could you elaborate?
    Sure.
    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    In the matter of cross posters, it's them (MK27 et al.) who decided to raise a stink.
    The whole thread is about opinion and reasons for it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    Up until then I was minding my own business.
    So why did you stop minding your own business? Were you getting PMs asking you to lock the thread? Otherwise, I don't feel it's your decision to show up and decide everyone should shut up:
    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    This whole argument is pointless, move along.

    kthxbye

    /thread
    It's not your place to decide we should stop talking about a subject. It's not your place to decide a thread is over. That's exactly what they were talking about. Forum mods showing up being dbags for no real reason. There's no reason this thread should end, just because YOU decide it.


    Quzah.
    Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

  7. #97
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
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    Cboard is a hyper active forum as I'd like to call it. You can usually get answers in under an hour or less.
    Indeed it is. Our response time is incredible. I can come home from work after posting the night before and there are almost twenty new posts in that time and most of them have 5 to 8 replies. This is a testament to how active the forum is. So in light of all the complaints about this or that all of us must be doing something right to maintain this level of activity.

  8. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by VirtualAce View Post
    ....... So in light of all the complaints about this or that all of us must be doing something right to maintain this level of activity.
    Doing something right != High Activity
    We could have a much higher activity if we handed nice code out for all who ask for it; homework or not.
    But that isn't doing something right.
    _____
    Going with the point of the discussion, I myself don't find anything unreasonable with the moderators here.

  9. #99
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    I don't follow, could you elaborate? In the matter of cross posters, it's them (MK27 et al.) who decided to raise a stink. Up until then I was minding my own business.
    Just saying that moderation implies you take action against or in favor of someone or a group of someones, impacting them in some way. For all that matters you have to mind other people's businesses if you are going to moderate. It's however being argued by some (me included, but on a different matter) that moderators on CBoard should probably mind other people's business less. Forum cross-posting being one of the examples where moderator action isn't welcomed, as seen by some.

    Quote Originally Posted by VirtualAce View Post
    So in light of all the complaints about this or that all of us must be doing something right to maintain this level of activity.
    Indeed we are. But I don't think that by itself removes any space for criticism. Although, to be frank, I think we long went past any accepted level of criticism and the whole thing is just being made to look like this is a terrible place to be. I think that's what prelude meant with the "troll" thing. Which, I'm afraid, she's looking like she's right.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  10. #100
    ATH0 quzah's Avatar
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    How is being able to talk about what you want to talk about without having to worry about moderators closing it ... on the general forum no less ... making this a terrible place to be? There was nothing wrong with this thread. No one was insulting anyone, and the closest that you could have possibly come to that was when I pointed out the hypocrisy of posting on multiple forums and saying other people shouldn't be allowed to.

    If that's your definition of trolling, then both you just need to stop posting on all message boards all together, because your skin is just too damn thin.


    Quzah.
    Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

  11. #101
    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MK27
    I think working concurrently is sensible too.
    Agreed. It certainly is reasonable to continue searching and experimenting on your own while waiting for an answer. However, this is different from asking fellow human beings concurrently.

    Quote Originally Posted by MK27
    If you are going to distinguish "concurrent" vs. "consecutive", how will you do it?
    Refer to my post #61.

    Quote Originally Posted by MK27
    Point being, I don't see how you can define a threshold waiting time that will be useful in distinguishing people who work "consecutively, as is sensible" from people who cross-post simultaneously
    That's life. When can you absolutely determine that a beginner has made a good enough effort so that it is acceptable to provide a working code snippet for him/her to learn from? Different people have different opinions, and I know that I am personally inconsistent (sometimes I give examples, other times I just prod the fellow along, even though the amount of effort shown may be roughly the same).

    So, grumpy says 48 hours. You say 2 hours. I would place my opinion somewhere between yours and half a day for the forums I visit. No hard and fast rule, though clearly posts that are a few minutes apart would hardly be "consecutive" since the question asker should be aware that people take time to notice the question, read, formulate an answer and post, if the people with the knowledge are even online at the time. Furthermore, what if you get a reply, but the reply doesn't really help? Wait some more? It depends on stuff like whether it looks like more responses will still be coming in, or maybe someone has suggested an even better forum for your question, etc.

    Quote Originally Posted by Yarin
    if 2 ppl from opposite forums both give a good answer, _no_ harm has been done as ppl here keep suggesting.
    Unfortunately, less good has resulted. Duplication of effort means less overall benefit and the first one would not have been a basis for improvement by the second.

    Quote Originally Posted by Yarin
    I'm simply trying to point out that just because someone doesn't give you that recognition that you want, doesn't mean that they're in the wrong.
    Quote Originally Posted by Yarin
    In other words, someone shouldn't have to wait (48 hours, or at all), just because some other ppl want to potentially feel good about them selves without regard to how a 3rd party is affected (googlers, etc.).
    I agree, but this is a separate issue from cross posting, since the reasons for being against cross posting are not limited to "I want recognition!"

    Quote Originally Posted by quzah
    No one was insulting anyone, and the closest that you could have possibly come to that was when I pointed out the hypocrisy of posting on multiple forums and saying other people shouldn't be allowed to.
    Agreed. You were careful to explain your reasoning and conditions without naming anyone to their face (if I am not wrong, heh), so I can accept that as a reasonable statement of opinion.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
    I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exhibits the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "Finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.
    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

  12. #102
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    Just saying that moderation implies you take action against or in favor of someone or a group of someones, impacting them in some way. For all that matters you have to mind other people's businesses if you are going to moderate. It's however being argued by some (me included, but on a different matter) that moderators on CBoard should probably mind other people's business less. Forum cross-posting being one of the examples where moderator action isn't welcomed, as seen by some.
    I understand now. I was confused because your point doesn't apply to me. Not only do I not moderate cross posters, my moderation style is to let the community police itself until a heavier hand is clearly needed.

    So why did you stop minding your own business?
    Someone started to get up in my business. This typically prompts a response, as I'm sure you're aware.

    There's no reason this thread should end, just because YOU decide it.
    You seem distraught by my choice of "/thread", which is the equivalent of "QED". Am I not allowed to post in threads because I'm a moderator? By the way, I notice that this thread is still open, which means all you're doing right now is fear mongering.
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  13. #103
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prelude View Post
    You seem distraught by my choice of "/thread", which is the equivalent of "QED". Am I not allowed to post in threads because I'm a moderator? By the way, I notice that this thread is still open, which means all you're doing right now is fear mongering.
    Well, I heard the MODS have a stash of WMDs hanging around to take out threads started by people they don't like....
    Quote Originally Posted by anduril462 View Post
    Now, please, for the love of all things good and holy, think about what you're doing! Don't just run around willy-nilly, coding like a drunk two-year-old....
    Quote Originally Posted by quzah View Post
    ..... Just don't be surprised when I say you aren't using standard C anymore, and as such,are off in your own little universe that I will completely disregard.
    Warning: Some or all of my posted code may be non-standard and as such should not be used and in no case looked at.

  14. #104
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    Grumpy said best what we all know to be true:

    You would be better off exercising your enthusiasm by learning from a range of authors, getting exposure to varying perspectives and techniques...
    From this thread.
    iMalc: Your compiler doesn't accept misspellings and bad syntax, so why should we?
    justin777: I have no idea what you are talking about sorry, I use a laptop and there is no ascii eject or something

  15. #105
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quzah
    You aren't getting paid for your time, or for your answer. It's not the same as me crank calling a bunch of pizzas and never having any intention to pay for them. You aren't out anything for answering for them. It doesn't cost you anything. You weren't doing anything useful anyway, other than killing time. Since clearly you are doing this at your leisure, your valuable time isn't actually valuable. You were going to answer it anyway, or you weren't. You aren't out anything. You answer for the sake of answering. If you are answering for any sort of reward, you're doing it wrong.
    > You aren't out anything for answering for them.
    Except time that could have been spent on another thread. Read the asymptotic result of EVERYONE cross-posting everywhere. The chance of any single thread being answered when there are say 1000 posts per day, ALL of them cross-posted would tend towards zero.

    If all helpers have a finite amount of time they allocate to "help" (regardless of whatever value they place on it), then one question getting answered twice directly infers that another thread gets one LESS answer (possibly this becomes zero answers). Now imagine the mind-set of a person who didn't get an answer because some selfish git cross-posted and got multiple duplicate answers.

    It isn't for MY benefit that I point out cross-posts, it's for everyone else who might spend time posting an answer. Instead, they click on the link and see whether what they were about to say hasn't been said already.

    > You weren't doing anything useful anyway, other than killing time.
    If I was just posting to kill time, then surely I would be posting any old pith on any old GD thread - mmm, that sounds like a troll (ring any bells - ezmeralda?)

    > Since clearly you are doing this at your leisure, your valuable time isn't actually valuable.
    So time is only valuable if there is a monetary reward at the end of it? Gee, better not let your significant other hear that.
    Personally, I've no more desire to waste time on cross-posters as I have to do the homework of drive-by poop and scoop types. Neither group is interested in the longer term, only how easily they can pass the class and get back to the party.

    > You were going to answer it anyway, or you weren't.
    I was, but then I saw the cross-posted link in a reply, and then I wasn't.
    But I did click on the "like" button of the person who saved me from what could have been a big waste of time.

    Talking of wasting time - that's quite enough I've spend on this thread.
    If you dance barefoot on the broken glass of undefined behaviour, you've got to expect the occasional cut.
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