[Python-Dev] Python-dev signal-to-noise processing question (original) (raw)

average dreamingforward at gmail.com
Thu Jul 22 03:28:24 CEST 2010

1. I suggested one improvement to the canned response in my previous post: expand 'using' to 'using or understanding'. I changed wording to "if you're having problems learning, understanding or using Python"

I think it's critical to disambiguate between questions about "using and programming with the Python language" versus working with the actual code base that makes Python. Your boilerplate is appropriate for the former, but completely confusing for the latter.

As to your question of how best to handle inquiries from the blue or "noisy questions", I personally prefer the following (only slightly tongue-in-cheek):

...After a sufficient period of waiting, say a day or two with no response:

"busy busy busy, the gnomes must be hard at work. You've no answer. That means that your question(s) either isn't interesting enough in an obvious way, or it's simply off-topic. If you feel you been unfairly ignored, you might try rewording the question, doing some research to show that you've checked the obvious, or try the following venues:

comp.lang.python, for blah blah blah python-ideas,for pitching your new lambda form, to etc, etc"

In any case, Mr Crute gave a quite perfect answer, not that such detail should be exptected.

Cheers,

Marcos

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