whats the deal with urgent posts....URGENT URGENT????

[Anonymous]

Fellow Javaranchers:
Just wanted to know other opinions on messages which
have such subject lines! When I see such messages,
I feel someone is really yelling loud!
While some are really in need of help, I hate to see
messages like "I started learning java/jsp (or something
like that). I just installed xxxxxxx. How do I solve my
million $$ project?" (okay, I made up the last words).
Don't you think you have a learning curve to go thru or am I
the only dumb guy? You just start something and your time
is already running out?
Do others feel like this or am I over-reacting?
These are my personal opinoins.
Hi Sherrieffs: I prefer to be annonynous!
- a javarancher

[Jim Yingst]

Well, I understand the desire to remain anonymous. At the same time, we do have a policy requiring something resembling a real name in order to post, so it would be preferable to create an account with a fictitious name if you wish to post anonymously. That we we can at east maintain a professional appearance.
Having said that, I agree - posts screaming "Urgent!" in the title just rub me the wrong way. You'll get more sympathy from me be stating your problem calmly in the body of your message, rather than clamoring loudly for attention. And of course, the more sympathetic I am, the more likely I am to answer a question. I suspect many of the other ranch regulars feel the same way.

[octavyn pittman]

I concur with both of you. I rarely check into an urgent posting, which is really very unsympathetic of me, but I having witnessed a consulting group come in with incompetent programmers billing themselves out at ridiculous rates, and who did not use basic trouble shooting methods (don't get me wrong, I am a contractor myself, but I am honest about what I can and cannot do) and constantly needed "URGENT" help because they were way in over their head; I burned out on that a long time ago.
That said, I think Jim's point is particularly poignant, that a calm mind and clear presentation is definitely more likely to lure a helpful comment. And a clear header will bring in those who really can help out.
OP

[Angela Lamb]

What I find even more annoying is when these "URGENT" posts say they need a program to do xyz and then ask you to send the completed source code to them. Do they really expect us to do their work/homework for them?

[Thomas Paul]

I have a feeling that most of the "Urgent" messages are college students that waited until Sunday night to complete their assignment due Monday morning. "Urgent" says to me... "Warning! Stay Away!"

[Andy Ceponis]

I had a nice long post typed out but lost it cause i typed in my name wrong(no jokes please ). So heres the short version:
I have thought about using the "URGENT" title as well, but i dont in respect to other people. I figure if i dont push something on them they will be more willing to help than if i demand something. Although there have been some days(nights) that ive been stuck on a project and needed help "YESTERDAY" and the project is due in the morning for school. But i resisted and just handed it in incomplete. I dont want to exhaust my resources here. As im sure the "pros" dont need to help us newbs yet they do kindly. And for that im sure we are all grateful.

[Madhav Lakkapragada]

I agree with Jim, it rubs me on the worst side.
Thomas says it too "Urgent means stay away - they
are asking too much"....
Andy:
If what you said is the situation, I don't mind going
to the extent of posting the code also, but if you have
made a sincere attempt, a hint/codelet is all you will need.
From which I guess you could develop your project. But then,
you should learn when to ask for help. Don't wait till the
eleventh hour to ask for help. When you spend a reasonable
amt of time on a task and can't figure it out, thats' an
indication to ask for help, not the deadline.
My 2 cents.
regds.
- satya

[Matthew Phillips]

I usually read the "Urgent" posts and wonder how they can misunderstand what this site is all about. I see this site as a community of people willing to help each other learn. I certainly don't want someone writing my programs for me and I won't do it for other people. It seems that just about every "Urgent" message is someone asking someone to write a program for them. I am working very hard so that I can charge people to write programs for them. I am not going to help someone else by doing it for free. I certainly don't have a problem with sharing my knowledge and helping someone write it themselves, though.
Matthew Phillips

[Andy Ceponis]

I would never want someone to write a program for me(defeats the purpose of taking the calss in the first place). Ususally i am stuck on what turns out to be a little error or a little snipet of code i forget/dont know how to implement. I find it so much more rewarding if when i get stuck and someone helps me out with a hint/short example than if someone was to just gimme the answer. I am in university, and since i chose to take this or that class, i want to be able to pass on my own. Especially in a field that i want to be in someday.

[David O'Meara]

Personally my peeve that's bigger than the 'URGENT!! URGENT!!' are the questions that start 'help me' or the like.
Its impossible to know whether or not I'll be able to help or if its an area that might interest me and is worth reading.
Wow, I'm actually starting to get worked up here so I'll stop
Dave.

[Thomas Paul]

When I was the moderator of "I/O and Streams" it seemed like every other post was an urgent call for code for a chat server. I know there is no way that actual corporate programmers are out there writing chat servers. These have to be students who are looking for the easy way out to get through an assignment. if you have a question, "I'm trying to write a chat server for a school assignement but I'm really stuck... could you look at my code and see where I'm going wrong?" then I am more than willing to help. But those, "Send me the complete code for a chat server... it's really urgent!" just tells me that the person is lazy, really doesn't want to learn Java, and should change majors.

[John M. Gabriele]

another good one is
importanceOfPost = c * numOfQuestionMarksInSubject;
is it really linear?! perhaps exponential...

[Madhav Lakkapragada]

hmmmmm....John: I din't get you, are you for ??? or
against ???
Also, there are abt 200 posts (not too bad)
mentioning urgent. One other thing I have noticed
is that some people use "urgent" very frequently.
Almost every other post.....
- satya

[Angela Lamb]

I know there is no way that actual corporate programmers are out there writing chat servers.

Actually, I just got done writing a chat server & applet for work. Why do you think people other than students wouldn't write these?

[John M. Gabriele]

Madhav,
i would suggest that any more than one ? is too many,
but that's just me and my tender sensibilities.

[Thomas Paul]

Actually, I just got done writing a chat server & applet for work. Why do you think people other than students wouldn't write these?

Because you can buy them for about 5% of the cost of developing one? Plus you get free support and enhancements? Did you also write your own web server?
Sorry couldn't resist the dig.

[Angela Lamb]

Hey, I don't make up the projects, I just do the work.

[Angela Poynton]

Fair enough. I'm doing something similar right now. writing JSP tag libararies ... which include tags that do the same thing as many tags available out there on the net ... wierd eh!

[Thomas Paul]

We have a philosophy at our place... if somone already wrote it, buy it from them. If your company needed a bulletin board like this one, why wouldn't they just buy UBB?

[shailesh sonavadekar]

Thomas , you are talking about the reuability of oops. good.
Your Friendly Bartender
Shailesh.