[gmx-users] Re: categorization

[Justin A. Lemkul]

Vitaly Chaban wrote:
>> Message: 5
>> Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:21:51 -0400
>> From: "Justin A. Lemkul" <jalemkul at vt.edu>
>> Subject: Re: [gmx-users] Re: requested for GROMACS package
>> To: vvchaban at gmail.com, Discussion list for GROMACS users
>>        <gmx-users at gromacs.org>
>> Message-ID: <48A20CFF.70503 at vt.edu>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>>
>>
>>
>> Vitaly Chaban wrote:
>>
>>> P.S. Justin is extremely strict today. :)
>>>
>> Apologies if I've been coming of a bit dry or sarcastic.  I do try to help, at
>> least by pointing individuals to the proper resources.  We seem to be getting
>> the same questions day after day :)  I myself have received quite a bit of help
>> from generous individuals.
>>
>> My motto is, "Teach a man to fish, and he'll be satisfied for life, but if you
>> simply give him the fish, he'll ask you the next day why his fish gave a
>> segmentation fault."
>>
>> -Justin
>>
> 
> Yeah, it's a permanent problem. Every day new users come to gromacs
> and every new user asks nearly the same questions. And nearly every
> user is given the same answers by Justin  et al. :)
> 
> Maybe, it's worth to try a something like forum (for example free
> phpBB engine, parallel with this gmx-users list) to categorize
> questions and answers by topic? Of course, it is almost the same as
> searching list archives and browsing wiki but perhaps it would be a
> bit more convenient.

Interesting idea, but my concern would be that the resources would become too 
dilute.  If there are three places to search for information, and two places to 
ask questions, ultimately it may lead to information scattering :)

Perhaps a proposition for the developers - would it be possible to make the wiki 
site more visible in printing error messages, or even in the initial "Welcome to 
gmx-users" message?  I joined the list a couple years ago, so I don't know what 
the text is any more, but if it was prominently displayed that *before posting* 
one should check the wiki and list archive, that would be very helpful.  I know 
it's in the footer of the emails, but that may not be obvious until after posting.

Perhaps, as well, error messages from common utilities (pdb2gmx, grompp, mdrun) 
could print something like "Please search wiki.gromacs.org and the gmx-users 
mailing list archive at gromacs.org for solutions to this issue.  If you cannot 
resolve the problem, seek help from the gmx-users listserv."  More advanced 
utilities probably don't need this type of messages, IMHO, since about 90% of 
the questions I have seen recently come from the three I've mentioned.

-Justin

> 
> What do you think about, gromacs site maintainers?
> 
> 
> P.S. Discussion board using by VASP users:
> http://cms.mpi.univie.ac.at/vasp-forum/forum.php
> 

-- 
========================================

Justin A. Lemkul
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Biochemistry
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
jalemkul[at]vt.edu | (540) 231-9080
http://www.bevanlab.biochem.vt.edu/Pages/Personal/justin

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