Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • Evil Kraig F (8/8/2012)


    Since we haven't heard from Steve,

    The newsletter says that he's on vacation.

    Wayne
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
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    If you can't explain to another person how the code that you're copying from the internet works, then DON'T USE IT on a production system! After all, you will be the one supporting it!
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  • Politics in the States tend to raise high emotions. The picture could be symbolic of something historical (that I missed) or it could just be that a supporter of Obama was deeply offended by the imagery and asked for it to be removed.

    I have a notion as to who reported it, but that (and the reporter's reasons) are between the reporter and the editor unless the reporter chooses to answer the question here. And I see no reason why this person should, honestly.

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

  • I haven't checked in here in quite awhile and had a couple hundred posts to read through. Not much I'll comment on so I don't stir anything up again.

    I haven't been on much lately because I'm more interested in R&R when I'm done work than more SQL, at least right now. Plus with home maintenance, kids' activities, my leisure activities, there is less time for forums and blogging. I do want to do more, but now that I work from home 100%, I actually don't want to be on my computer beyond working hours. When I went to an office being on my laptop at home was still a change, even if I was still doing SQL.

    Hope you enjoy your vacation Gail. I'd love to get a good family vacation in, but that looks like it might be 2013 not 2012. Having work done on the house and had to buy a plow truck for the winter since my driveway is 600+ feet so shoveling or snow blowing it would be a bit much.

    Congrats on the work in publishing Brandie. Are you goign to be at SQLSaturday Orlando this year? As of today I'll be there.

  • bitbucket-25253 (8/3/2012)


    Steve Jones - SSC Editor (8/3/2012)


    FYI, since some of you submit questions. I'm no longer accepting images of code.

    Please feel free to debate me.

    A. I consider the QOD as a teaching exercise, and/or a test of past learning.

    B. No more images makes the QOD a copy and paste exercise, for far too many people, who value the point more then they value what they could have learned.

    C. Note how masses scream when they believe an answer is wrong. One reads nothing but "gimmie my points".

    D. As if you did not have enough to do.. rewrite your original article on the QOD, omitting most of the history of how it evolved, but add emphasis that is is a LEARNING TOOL[/B], but errors may occur for we all are but human. And suck it up, no points will be awarded after the fact and yes who said life is fair, but that is the way it is and the way it wil be in the future

    E. Add a new rule for submittal, if the author elects to use an image, and there is an error in the image of the code and that error negates what the author has said is the correct answer or answers, then the submitter will have not less than 100 points deducted from their over all total point score. Thus putting the burden of submitting a valid QOD on the back of the individual submitting the QOD for publication.

    Anyone else care to join the debate ?

    A: Agree

    B: I disagree with this in that we are not here to force people to work a certain way. If they wish to copy/paste, that's their decision.

    C: Not sure images change this one way or the other.

    D: Probably need to do this. The fact we've put out a bad question does not mean we don't want to correct it if there are issues. I'll award back points if it's my fault, but not if someone mis-reads the question or thinks it's ambiguous without an overwhelming consensus

    E: The issue here is that I have the burden of fixing things, which might be simple typos. In code or in spelling.

  • WayneS (8/3/2012)


    However: the only reason that I can see to NOT accept images is to make the QotD's easier to pre-validate the answers prior to publishing. If this is the plan (either by yourself or with a team), then I fully support this.

    Yes and no. It also means that I have the ability to correct typos of rewrite the question if it has significant issues.

  • GSquared (8/6/2012)


    QotD peer-review has been suggested a number of times. There have been threads on specifically that subject.

    I think there have been some technical and/or editorial barriers on it. For example, people who review a question need to be barred from getting points for answering the question. There needs to be a mechanism in place to bar discussion of the question before it's issued for general consumption - that's not technically feasible, it needs to be more of an NDA, and it raises liability and copyright questions. And a few other points. I don't remember all the details from prior discussions on the subject.

    Wayne sent me a note, but Gus has put a few things in place here that are issues. I don't have a good (technical) way to get you questions. Before you ask me to copy/paste, there are merge issues here, and issues with the timing of getting questions to people and then sorting out comments. No offense, but a few of you are quite wordy, and I could see this being a problem.

    I'm not really worried about copyright or liability, but more just the work.

    I did build a system years ago that let people see questions early and send email comments, but it was something that only worked well with 2-3 people.

    If I get a new developer (job ad out), I may ask for this.

  • Links are OK here.

    Just an FYI, I had someone complain about the humor/political nature of the image. I don't think it's a big deal, but I also don't want to broadcast political images here.

    Believe what you want, vote how you wish, but looking to limit the inflammatory nature of some images.

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (8/8/2012)


    WayneS (8/3/2012)


    However: the only reason that I can see to NOT accept images is to make the QotD's easier to pre-validate the answers prior to publishing. If this is the plan (either by yourself or with a team), then I fully support this.

    Yes and no. It also means that I have the ability to correct typos or rewrite the question if it has significant issues.

  • I'm back. Out camping Sat-Tues in Glenwood Springs. Had a nice time, and catching up, slowly.

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (8/8/2012)


    Links are OK here.

    Just an FYI, I had someone complain about the humor/political nature of the image. I don't think it's a big deal, but I also don't want to broadcast political images here.

    Believe what you want, vote how you wish, but looking to limit the inflammatory nature of some images.

    Basically what we thought, thanks for the clarification.

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (8/8/2012)


    No offense, but a few of you are quite wordy, and I could see this being a problem.

    Hahaha! :hehe:

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  • -- Ignore this, bad joke that's not going to work as planned... I'm not going to get it wordy enough without copy/pasting a phone book or something...


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  • Evil Kraig F (8/8/2012)


    -- Ignore this, bad joke that's not going to work as planned... I'm not going to get it wordy enough without copy/pasting a phone book or something...

    Let's see that phone book.

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  • Evil Kraig F (8/8/2012)


    -- Ignore this, bad joke that's not going to work as planned... I'm not going to get it wordy enough without copy/pasting a phone book or something...

    I'm sure I can easily get quite a bit more verbose than a phone book. Hyperloquacity is one of my specialities. Along with paragraphs that are WAY too long, composed of sentences that are complex, generally because of multiple, sometimes even nested, parentheticals, often obfuscated by erudition, frequently taken to a brobdingnagian extreme, combined with a tendency towards both spleling and otter errors.

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  • GSquared (8/8/2012)


    Evil Kraig F (8/8/2012)


    -- Ignore this, bad joke that's not going to work as planned... I'm not going to get it wordy enough without copy/pasting a phone book or something...

    I'm sure I can easily get quite a bit more verbose than a phone book. Hyperloquacity is one of my specialities. Along with paragraphs that are WAY too long, composed of sentences that are complex, generally because of multiple, sometimes even nested, parentheticals, often obfuscated by erudition, frequently taken to a brobdingnagian extreme, combined with a tendency towards both spleling and otter errors.

    I could do this too, and I don't specialize in it to the level you do. But I will leave it to the professional.

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