[Asterisk-Users] Busy not jumping n + 101 anymore

[Andrew Kohlsmith]

On Sunday 16 October 2005 20:08, Kevin P. Fleming wrote:
> Could you be slightly more abusive with your questions? Your attitude
> will certainly encourage people to want to help you solve your problems...

:-)

[ many good points removed ]

Ok, but can you please tell us how in the world we're supposed to read the 
application result code?  It's *NOT* documented anywhere, not in CVS HEAD's 
samples, not in the README.*s and not that I can see on the list.  Digium 
went to great lengths to make sure that every application's results were 
shown in the help which is *great*, but how in the hell do we find the 
result?  

I'm not talking Dial()'s result (DIALSTATUS), I'm talking ANY application.  
Every application returns a code, so how do we get at it?  $?  ${?} 
${APPRESULT}, how?

A lot, and I mean A LOT of the frustrations borne out on this list come from 
wrong, half or not-documented changes aside from little (and oftentimes 
confusing) comments in the CVS logs.  The odd time I've posted a question 
about a CVS commit, I've gotten silence.  The half million times I've asked a 
question with a LOT of detail in reproducing the question, I've gotten 
silence or dubious answers.  It seems the only real way to get answers is to 
manage to corner yourself or Mark directly on IRC, and that really isn't 
scalable.  It works VERY well, but it really doesn't mean it's a good way to 
do it.  :-)

Please, let us help you.  How can we help?  How can we bridge the gap between 
the smarts at Digium and the smarts out in the lists and on IRC?  I'm very 
serious about this.  I consider myself one of the unpaid, unwashed volunteer 
helpers.  Like you, I wade through -users and do my best to stay out of the 
flamefests.  Like you, I hang out on IRC and try to answer questions as best 
as I can.  But when I need help -- when reading the source has me confused or 
asking more questions than it's helping, when posting to -dev gets (almost 
no) response...  where do the helpers go to get help?

-A.