How to ask a question for specialized support

[trinidad]

I do not consider the recent dust up here to be of any importance to Linux Lite or the Linux Lite community. I considered replying to Ben's original query myself, but I've always found his posts a bit too obtuse. What I mean by that is, that he made the same mistake a lot of people seeking specialized support do: he did not really define what he was trying to accomplish with the software modification he requested i/e explain why you would want the logout button removed. His claim to be "administering" two machines for a specific charity seemed a worthy pursuit but I have yet to understand his request other than perhaps he wanted the machines to always be shut down when not in use, something that could be accomplished with an entirely different script. Furthermore there is really no need to modify the GUI of lightdm to accomplish what he requested as he could have used policy kit to take away lightdm's permissions to the logout, suspend & hibernate buttons. Questions like Ben's need to have an explanation of why and what is trying to be accomplished attached to them as they are not really "support" questions i/e how to use the base software, something is not working right, updates failed, etc. I have no comment on his character as I do not know him, nor do I have any criticism concerning his behavior or Jerry's. It's none of my business, and has nothing to do with computing. I do find the loss of the original topic a little regrettable as it may have eventually gotten around to the utility Ben was seeking and perhaps I could understand then what he was trying to do and offer some alternative suggestions for the future. Linux Lite and its Forum and growing Community has grown into more of a general community resource and service than we may imagine here, and that is an admirable focus and accomplishment.
"What are you trying to get your computer to do, and why?"

TC

[trinidad]

The object of this forum is to provide an accessible resource that can help new users have a successful experience with Linux Lite. Defined as such, the forum itself is quite successful.

TC

[MS]

There is a lot of burden on the shoulders of [member=2]Jerry[/member] regarding the project and I suspect he is starting to feel like a slave to this forum - the people visiting this forum, asking repetitive questions, while demanding an abundance of time and attention, without being ready to do their homework in Linux. Perhaps [member=2]Jerry[/member] should withdraw from the ambition to answer every individual case in terms of community service. Should the forum PR suffer on that - for certain, but the personal wellbeing is also the case. I would even say [member=2]Jerry[/member] should be ready to drop the project if everything around it becomes simply too much pushing. Nonetheless, the merit of this place is that the community has grown large enough, having certain long time members familiar with one another to the point where they could simply take over the role of community support, having [member=2]Jerry[/member] called only in extreme cases.

In summary, just take it easy, you ought not to consider yourself responsible for some people having it difficult to deal with Linux, especially if a newcomer. LinuxLite is nothing short of XFCE environment on top of Ubuntu engine, so basically anyone can also ask on there forums as well.

[Valtam]

[Valtam]

There is a lot of burden on the shoulders of [member=2]Jerry[/member] regarding the project and I suspect he is starting to feel like a slave to this forum -

Not at all! I love answering questions. Firstly, it's the technical challenge of posting the correct solution. Secondly, this must be one of the few top 25 distro Forums where the Creator actually answers Support questions. That in itself I feel, gives a positive impression of the community. My 'posting style' I recognize can appear abrupt and concise, but that is simply a product of my personality. I like to deal with things efficiently and no one should ever be offended with my replies, unless ofc you are directly attacking me, the distro or the community. That's a whole different story, and gets dealt with on a completely different level. Other than that, bring on the Support questions baby!