[Pc_Support] Re: Bryan doesn't know jack (so no sense in asking him) -- WAS: NTFS Recovery Information

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Sun, 2006-07-09 at 01:05 -0400, Jason Boxman wrote:
> ROFL.  Did you really need to mention on-list that you had
> corrected him privately? ;)

Okay, now I'm pissed off.

I was the one that suggested he post to PC_Support telling everyone
about the utility he had found to fix NTFS filesystems where the FAT is
screwed up.  I'm not merely being "anal" or "touchy," I really didn't
like how that statement I quoted read.

So I'm sorry!  But I didn't appreciate what he said about me because I
did more than just say "you're screwed."  We had several e-mails back
and forth.  It really came off in a way that put me in a very poor
light.  Especially after I've helped him with several other details --
all for free (even if it wasn't as much as he'd like).

This is really one of the reasons I've *STOPPED* helping people**.  I
spend several e-mails or even several hours with them -- often 3, 4 or
even 5 things -- and then they turn around and post something that makes
me look like a fool who doesn't know anything.  Steve Litt used to
really piss me off with that -- repeatedly.

I'm *SORRY* I didn't know of an utility that he needed.  I was very
happy when he found one and that's why I suggested he post such to
PC_Support, so others would know.  He could have posted that I didn't
know of an utility and that would have been fine by me.  I didn't merely
say "you're screwed" and nothing else -- I tried to explain the problem.

In fact, since I didn't know of a utility, I told him to dd the sucker
before he did anything else.  Yes, I told him maybe a data recovery
service might have something.  But that wasn't my only suggestion
either.  I really just didn't like how is statement made me sound.

**Hell, even when I get off various lists, people still follow me
off-list.  Or when I've tried to make a point about something -- often
in the heavy minority (possibly sole at times?) -- it's not worth
helping anymore, even when 2-3 others with equivalent experience with a
problem verify the majority is wrong and I am correct.

I'm really experiencing that with LPI right now.  I've got people
telling me that LDAP is "too hard to cover," that "no one is running
NFS" and "no one is using RBAC/MAC."  If it was merely LPI level 1 and
2, I'd give in.  But not for level 3/enterprise, when every Fortune 100
company I've worked at is using NFS, and the "Six Sisters" are deploying
SELinux (which is key, because 55% of LPI's revenue comes from Japan).

I'm really at the point where I'm just going to stop helping for free.
When someone e-mails me off-list, I'm just going to tell them, "sorry,
I've just had no good deed go unpunished too many times."  It's not
worth it anymore.  God knows I could be making money, or spending it
with my wife, for all those hours I spend helping people.

Especially given how many hours I spend off-list that you guys don't
even see.  I get several e-mails _per_day_ outside of mailing lists --
from people who find my stuff in Google searches -- especially since I
do things like append the subject line and use UseNet-era posting
ettique that no one appreciates anymore (and many even ream me on!)

Add in the hardware I've donated around and everything else and I really
think some of you are a bunch of fscking leaches at times.  Yes, this is
me being an asshole and frank.  I'm tired of being questioned every damn
time I say, do, etc... anything!  I've been questioned, probed,
interrogated, etc... way too much as of late.

It's like years of giving sound advise has just falling on deaf ears and
I'm constantly questioned by people with far less experience and
knowledge in an area.  Especially when it doesn't fit an "agenda" -- I
can't stand that either in the political space.  I've got Linux users
accusing me of being a Windows bigot, Windows users accusing me of being
a Linux bigot, everyone accusing me of owning Apple, Microsoft, SCO,
Sun, etc... stock ... blah, blah, blah.

Especially when I'm providing information _they_ requested of _me_ --
"sorry I didn't give you the answer you wanted, but you asked."

And God forbid when I don't know something, it's like, "well, I thought
you were the expert!"  No, the only expert is someone who has their
experience and readily admits when they don't in an area.  I'm really
glad he found a solution, that's why I told him to post to PC_Support.
But why he had to put in that paragraph is beyond me -- it really didn't
read well considering all that went on off-list.

Not only for this issue, but others he (among countless others) have
had.

Sorry, but this has been getting worse in the last 3 months.  I know I'm
getting old and I always have to question if I'm sharper or more senile
as I'm hitting my mid-30s, but I really don't know what's up anymore.
Then again, it seems to be following the attitude of America in general.
Everyone wants more for less, free is always best, and we generally hate
people who have more experience in an area, especially if we have to ask
them for help, and damn them if they didn't have an answer anyway.

And damn me for having a traditional engineering degree -- that seems to
piss people off the most even though I *NEVER* hold it over anyone.
Everyone seems to want to tell me how I didn't learn about X or Y or Z
in college and how much better they are than I (duh, did you ever think
I might have learned X and Y and Z outside of college, just like you?).
Same deal with certs and other stupid credentials -- I don't like them
either and I only have them because someone stupidly cares about them.
I don't believe in them either.

Sigh, I'm just glad I'm finding work I like that pays extremely well
with people who are very capable.  And I'm starting to think it's not so
coincidental that these jobs are in the mid-west or north-east -- away
from the south and west.  Although at least in the west, I've had many
jobs where I was respected for what I brought to the company --
something that I haven't seen in the south since the '90s.

End of rant.

-- 
Bryan J. Smith           Professional, technical annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org     http://thebs413.blogspot.com
----------------------------------------------------------
The existence of Linux has far more to do with the breakup
of AT&T's monopoly than anything Microsoft has ever done.