Wanted: Comments on Auto FE Updater page

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Folks

I am *not* a good technical writer. One of my many weaknesses.

Could folks who have recently used the Auto FE Updater read the page
at http://www.autofeupdater.com/gettingstarted.htm and make
suggestions as to how to reword the text?

I will shortly be making a Wizard and a GUI for the utility so I'd
like to have the same good wording on the website and in the wizard.

Thanks, Tony

 

[Lars Brownies]

Tony,

It's great you share your work with the community! Thanks for that. I have
no comments about the text.

Maybe it would be nice to add a screenshot of how a ini file for the updater
actually could look like. I think that not all potential users are familiar
with them.

One comment I have is that I think that the Times New Roman font gives the
Auto FE Updater pages an old fashioned look...

Lars

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

It's great you share your work with the community! Thanks for that. I have
no comments about the text.

Thanks for your kind words.

Maybe it would be nice to add a screenshot of how a ini file for the updater
actually could look like. I think that not all potential users are familiar
with them.

I do ship two INI files in the downloaded zip file. Also once I create the Wizard
this won't matter as newbies will be able to use the Wizard.

One comment I have is that I think that the Times New Roman font gives the
Auto FE Updater pages an old fashioned look...

Hmm, you're probably correct there. One of those things I hadn't thought of.

Tony

 

[Gina Whipp]

OMG... YOU have got to be kidding me! All I can say... INCOMING... DUCK!

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

 

[Clif McIrvin]

That's what I thought, too .... but you know, it's conceivable that
Steve really is a good technical writer. I know from personal experience
(as does Tony) that good technical skills do not automatically translate
into good writing skills.

What gets my goat, though is that Steve has the guts to ask for a fee
for something being offered to the community for free!

 

[Gina Whipp]

Unfortunately, even IF in my WILDEST dreams I thought he was I wouldn't use
him... not only is he offering to charge Tony who, as you said, offers his
updater for FREE... he IS soliciting AGAIN!

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

If you are interested, contact me.

No, I'm not at all interested in your help.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

OMG... YOU have got to be kidding me! All I can say... INCOMING... DUCK!

<chuckle> I was rather startled myself to read Steve's posting.

Tony

 

[John... Visio MVP]

Tony,

I am a good technical writer. I have engineering and MBA degrees and did
lots of writing in my classes. During my career I worked as an operations
engineer and a project engineer. I have written armloads of operating
manuals, testrun procedures and project documents. I would like to offer
to write a how-to-use document for you for your Auto FE Updater for a
modest fee. We would collaborate in the writing so that you get document
the way you want it. If you are interested, contact me.

Steve
(e-mail address removed)

Stevie, what are you smoking? You offer to provide your questionable
services to someone you have insulted in the past. You need to get back on
your medication to control your dillusions of adequecy.

John... Visio MVP

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Stevie, what are you smoking? You offer to provide your questionable
services to someone you have insulted in the past. You need to get back on
your medication to control your dillusions of adequecy.

As much as I dislike Streve's many postings soliciting work your posting is not
professional.

Tony

 

[John... Visio MVP]

You are right. I should not sink to his level. Lately, he has been rather
agressive in his soliciting and I just found it quite odd that he would
solict work from someone he has insulted in the past.

John... Visio MVP

 

[JimfromIndy]

You are right. I should not sink to his level. Lately, he has been rather
agressive in his soliciting and I just found it quite odd that he would
solict work from someone he has insulted in the past.

John... Visio MVP






- Show quoted text -

I don't care about Steve. He has a right to ask for money for his
work.

Tony, I am forever grateful to you for providing your excellent
product free.

Thank you. You are the one to be focused on here.

I did have some trouble with your docs, but it was largely due to lack
of faith. When I just fired it up and went with it, it worked
flawlessly, and intuitively. Again, thank you.

I have one issue you might deal with on your next (or later) revision.
If the production front end db is in any way in use when someone tries
to log in, they get an obscure error message saying (reasonably) that
you can't get access to the file. A little less scary message would
make my users less concerned when I have screwed up and forgotten to
lock them out when I open the production front end.

Not a big deal since it's only when I screw up when it happens.

Again, thanks alot, Tony!

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Tony, I am forever grateful to you for providing your excellent
product free.

Thanks for your kind words.

Thank you. You are the one to be focused on here.

I did have some trouble with your docs, but it was largely due to lack
of faith. When I just fired it up and went with it, it worked
flawlessly, and intuitively. Again, thank you.

Technical writing is one of my weaknesses. But understandible when it comes to

I have one issue you might deal with on your next (or later) revision.
If the production front end db is in any way in use when someone tries
to log in, they get an obscure error message saying (reasonably) that
you can't get access to the file. A little less scary message would
make my users less concerned when I have screwed up and forgotten to
lock them out when I open the production front end.

Not a big deal since it's only when I screw up when it happens.

Ah, I see what you are saying. Personally I keep the FE somewhere else and work on
it there. I then make an MDE and copy it into the folder when required. The copying
only takes a few seconds so is reasonably safe.

I do need to put a check in to see if the target Access file(s) have an LDB on them.
If so tell the user they're already in the app and/or ask if they want the LDB file
deleted or something like that. When I do that I can easily put a check in to see
if there's an LDB file on any Access files in the source folder (or subfolders once I
put that logic in place.) If there is any LDB file present anywhere then I won't
do any file copies whatsoever but start the app anyhow.

Tony

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Tony, I am forever grateful to you for providing your excellent
product free.

That said I plan on putting in some features soon that will cost some
$$$. The current functionality and minor enhancements to such will
continue to be free. Just the extra "Enterprise" functionality.

The first thing I have in mind to charge for is the ability to copy
subfolders and their contents to the PC.

Tony

 

[Larry Linson]

I don't care about Steve. He has a right to ask
for money for his work.

Jim, Steve does have the right to be paid for work, even work that others
might give away, but neither he nor anyone else has the right to solicit
paid work in this newsgroup.

See the FAQ and charter for this newsgroup at
http://www.mvps.org/access/netiquette.htm. The newsgroup is defined by its
charter, originally issued in 1993, and operates under the general rules of
USENET newsgroups. Most ISPs and providers of news servers also have
specific rules against posting advertising to newsgroups unless the
newsgroup's charter specifically permits advertising, which the charter of
this newsgroup does not.

No one, in the entire history of comp.databases.ms-access, has violated the
charter and rules, and posted specifically prohibited advertising, to the
extent that Steve has done. That is why so many people here respond to him,
and point out to possibly-uninformed posters that his answers here are so
often wrong, and his questions here are so often elementary, that it is
unlikely that his rates could possibly be sufficiently modest.

Larry Linson

 

[David W. Fenton]

:

I don't care about Steve. He has a right to ask for money for his
work.

But not in these forums.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

So, you think you going to get paid to document something that is being
giving away for free to the community?

Come on. Lets not really stupid here. Are you serious?

I have ZERO, I repeat ZERO problem if this updater product was a paid for
commercial product.

To come here and suggest that you are available for PAID hired work to
document something being given to our community for free is an unbelievable
insult to everyone here. What makes you think we would choose you? The way
you been treating this newsgroup, I would not recommend you to my enemies,
let alone anyone in this community. In fact if we received a grant from some
company like Microsoft, you be sure that you would be the LAST person we
choose here. Companies often do come up with money for these types of
projects and you are shooting your foot in this regards.

Do note that Google will nicely index this post, and for the rest of your
life, these newsgroup posts will follow you. Please do consider this issue,
as the internet has memory like an elephant, and the reputation you have in
the developer community is not only tarnished by your behaving, but keep in
mind that the internet is VERY MUCH based on reputation. This how the whole
internet thing works. This is how ebay works (you build up a reputation).

Today, employers and perspective hires of your work increasingly check out
Facebook, and newsgroups as a pre-requisite as to how appropriate your
services are. PLEASE keep in mind your public behavior increasingly effects
your ability to find work in our industry. The internet makes the whole
ms-access community VERY small. We call this the internet, but it really is
the global village.

It is not my job as an MVP to police these newsgroups. In fact I have no
more any special rights over that of you posting here. However, I do urge
you to heed my above advice about reputation and how you are damaging your
ability to find future work in our industry.

Clearly you are from a diffent type of culture or simply do not understand
this western concept of sharing and giving things to the community here.
This is a volunteer community and it is ALL about sharing and giving.

By the way, there nothing wrong with using the internet to find work. There
is 1000's if not 10's of thousands of job and work boards on the net. So it
not like you can't find a place or outlet if you looking for work in our
wonderful IT industry.

Unfortunately your continued miss-use of this community is SIGNIFICANTLY
damaging your reputation in this community. Your continued disrespect of how
this community is to function is well noted here, and anyone Googleing for
your name will see these many posts. You are ONLY hurting yourself here.

You have a LOT of work here if your going to improve your reputation in the
ms-access community and industry.

Again, to be clear:
If this was soliciting of comments for a PAID product and commercial
product, then I have absolute NO problem with you offering your paid
services to that company.

To suggest that are you available for hire to document a product being given
FREELY to the community here is simply an insult here. You really are
shooting your prospects of gaining work in our industry here!

Just exactly how can you lack SO MUCH understanding as to what this
community is all about?

I am not asking you to join some open source project. I am not asking you to
give your work and skills away for free. However to use an environment that
designed for giving to the community for your own personal gains and not
play by the community rules is simply wrong on your part. You don't have to
give your work away, but you do need to respect the communities on the
internet that are designed around this wonderful ideal.

I only give you the above advice out of compassion and for your own good.

Please, do respect this community. Please respect what this precious
community is all about. These communities don't grow on trees and they are
actually quite fragile.

If you give this community the respect it deserves, you find the work and
respect given back to you by this community will FAR outweigh any time you
spend giving your time here.

 

[John W. Vinson]

<chuckle> I was rather startled myself to read Steve's posting.

Tony

Three possibilities:

1. Steve in fact has an unexpected self-mocking sense of humor.
2. Somebody's spoofing Steve, in a pretty sophisticated way. The headers look
good to my untrained eye.
3. Steve's got even more chutzpah that I would have guessed (not QUITE as much
as the classic case of the boy who murdered his parents, and when tried
demanded a lenient sentance because he was a poor orphan).

 

[Keith Wilby]

blah blah blah

No $teve, you are a lame donkey and nothing more. You offering Tony paid
help is like me offering to give Paul McCartney song writing tips.

 

[Keith Wilby]

No, I'm not at all interested in your help.

LOL I bet he gets e-mails like that by the bucketful.