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Date:      17 Nov 2001 16:25:37 -0800
From:      swear@blarg.net (Gary W. Swearingen)
To:        chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: RTFM: it works!!
Message-ID:  <7cg07c6i2m.07c@localhost.localdomain>
In-Reply-To: <20011116150722.H1363-100000@we-24-126-55-112.we.mediaone.net>
References:  <20011116150722.H1363-100000@we-24-126-55-112.we.mediaone.net>

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Joey Garcia <bear@unix.homeip.net> writes:

> I bring up this subject because one of my coworkers never bothers to read
> manuals or look up information via the Internet.

Why should she/he/it, if others will do it for her/him/it? (See P.S.)

It's a time-honored (and prestige- and money-honored) thing to delegate
one's work to others.  That's what Management is all about.  It's
actually kind of a Good Thing.  It tends to sort people by their
Management/Technician Quotient so they're doing the right kind of job.

I think you shouldn't complain unless you have given the person a good
understanding of where you draw the line in receiving adequate
remuneration for your efforts, whether that be from money, some expected
return of favor, some sort of prestige in the eyes of the person, a
boss, or fellow workers, or even from the Warm Glow of Pure Altruism.

One should be sure that frequent questioners know one's thoughts on the
subject before getting mad at them.  For instance, on freebsd-questions,
I see no (reasonable) occasion where someone should be blasted for
asking stupid or lazy questions, even if done repeatedly.  There may be
(and usually is) someone that wants to answer the question.  If they
only seem to want to, but don't really, that should be their problem,
not the questioner's.  (Actually, answers ALWAYS want to or they
wouldn't have answered, but I hope you got my point anyway.)  Lazy
mailing list questioners eventually tire of the process anyway.  Sadly,
in-person questioners usually must be informed of one's policy,
tactfully at first, later by any means necessary.
 
> Well, I just had to get that off my chest.  I feel better now. :)

I wish I was that confident.  I always worry about having wasted my time
and that of my readers.  (That's not a crack at you or other chaters.)

P.S. Don't answer that first question above -- I know plenty of reasons
why he/she/it shouldn't ask.  I was just trying to illustrate a point.

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