To Dell,

Why are some people allowed to waste other's valuable time by carrying on lengthy conversations in this forum which have nothing to do with technical problems? Some of us have a life and use this forum as a tool for solving computer problems. I do not have the time to wade through pages of garbage every time I enter this forum.These conversations could be done in some other manner such as through personal e-mail or other chat rooms. A little respect and consideration for others would be greatly appreciated by myself and others I am sure!

thanks,

jeff

I assume you are referring to the very long thread currently discussing a Dell theme park. There is a purpose behind it--to test the WebBoard software. The discussion in the message titles is merely a means to fulfill this end. It is confined to one thread in one conference in one forum--quite simple to pass by, as I'm sure many people do each day.

The people who post to this thread also have lives. They also use the forum for the same purpose you do: to solve computer problems. Take Dave Dykhuis for example. I've lost count of how many computers Dave's fixed by now--and that's just on this forum. He operates a website with several excellent resources for Inspiron notebooks (and DellT@lk in general) and helped write the DT Users' FAQ. Chris, Nils, Gil, and Sergei have also made several contributions to the forum.

I can appreciate your annoyance, but those of us behind this project are among the most dedicated to the forum. Again, it's relatively simple to ignore. We're about 3/4 of the way to completion of our goal--with any luck, it should be completed within the week. It would be a profound shame to have come this far and have nothing to show for it.

Very well said Tom! The only thing I would like to add is that Tom has also helped numerous folks solve their problems here on DellTalk, and probably via e-mail as well.

So please, lighten up a little Jeff, loosen your tie, kick back, relax, and have a little fun with us while learning something.

So Much To Learn, So Little Time. But I sure am having fun learning what I can, when I can. You folks that use this board & my I3K are a great help. Thank You !!! :o)	DFH0M	Dell Knowledge Base

Nonsense. The purpose of the long thread is to try to crash the WebBoard software, which would defeat its originally intended purpose of providing much-needed peer technical support to Dell customers. It's an embarrassment to the company that such behavior has been allowed to continue for so long, and that Dell employees have been encouraging it.

(bill)

On 8/10/99 5:01:49 PM, Bill Newell wrote:
>Nonsense. The purpose of the long thread is to try to crash
>the WebBoard software, which would defeat its originally
>intended purpose of providing much-needed peer technical
>support to Dell customers. It's an embarrassment to the
>company that such behavior has been allowed to continue for
>so long, and that Dell employees have been encouraging it.
>
>(bill)

Er, Bill. The purpose of the thread was changed to building a Theme Park a long time ago, and even though you don't appear to like it, you're still invited to the Grand Opening :o)

So Much To Learn, So Little Time. But I sure am having fun learning what I can, when I can. You folks that use this board & my I3K are a great help. Thank You !!! :o)	DFH0M	Dell Knowledge Base

But, of course Dave, we can't give them the discounted price that the posters in the "No Topic" thread will enjoy. They will just have to pay full price.

I'd like to add that the purpose was never to crash DellT@lk. The purpose is and from the time the project was suggested was to reach the right side of the left pane while having some fun along the way. Now that I look at that last sentence, I notice it's a lot like what Dave said: We're just havin' some fun while learning something at the same time.

the right side of the left panel? what do u mean? Also..whos idea was it? And..wouldn't it be nice to learn the limitations of the webboard?

See? This is all about people learning things! =)

By the right side of the left pane, we mean where the topic wraps around to a second line. We really don't know what'll happen:
-the pane might get wider
-the offset might wrap around so that first line of each post is blank
-the forum might stop offsetting the messages
-the forum might not allow any more new messages to be posted

I don't know if you'd really call it the idea of anyone in particular, but it was my suggestion that started all this.

And yes, it is nice to know the software limitations! Dave found a character limit in the topic line, which is good to know.... As he's said, We're just havin' some fun while learning something along the way. =)

Jeff:

To reply to your original question, here is the skinny. Yes, the forum exists as a tool for users to come and find answers to their problems. It is a place for people to freely exchange ideas and commentary on many topics, most of which are computer related. There will be the occasional thread that is off-topic, and does not directly relate to computers. This is quite harmless, and allows the people who spend so much time out here helping others a chance to have a little fun.

In the case of the "thread from hell", this went a little too far and we had to delete it. On those occasions where it gets out of control, we will step in and take action. But this is a very rare occurrence.

I do not discourage others from posting off-topic once in a while, as long as the discussion remains on a proper level. I also do not discourage others from expressing their opinions on most things, even if they cast dell in a bad light. We could run the forum like so many other companies do, editing every post, and only posting such material as we deem appropriate. But how helpful or useful would that be?

In a free society, in order to protect free speech you have to allow everyone to express their thoughts, not just those you agree with. The same holds true here. Almost without exception, people respect others' rights to do the same, and that makes this work. If that means the odd post on the flavor and consistency of 30W oil, so be it. A little fun never hurt anyone.

Thanks for taking the time and contributing your thoughts on this.



Brian McCullough

On 8/12/99 7:09:26 PM, Brian McCullough [DELL] wrote:

post on the flavor and consistency of 30W oil...


Thus started the 30W Oil Thread.

:^)

You know, I thought of doing something like Cris's post, but then I thought, "Nah, Brian's gone through enough. Why, he had to delete 243 messages last night, and at least 50 of 'em weren't even by people whom he normally deals with. Besides, I give him a hard enough time anyway."

If this gets another ten messages or so, I'm gonna hide under a rock for a week.

I've been looking for an animated .gif from the oil commercial where they pour the oil in sub-zero temps to show how good the viscosity is, but I can't find one. Just as well though- I have seen Brian make people stand in the corner for mis-behavin' here before :o)

So Much To Learn, So Little Time. But I sure am having fun learning what I can, when I can. You folks that use this board & my I3K are a great help. Thank You !!! :o)	DFH0M	Dell Knowledge Base

Winter

Yes, I knew this without taking the quiz.

---

So Much To Learn, So Little Time. But I sure am having fun learning what I can, when I can. You folks that use this board & my I3K are a great help. Thank You !!! :o)	DFH0M	Dell Knowledge Base

^{How small do you want?}

This is good.

_{How about this?}

Nah, too small.