Performance on this web site

[Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com]

I don't wade through dreck. It's filtered out. When I'm answering new
questions all the unanswered questions for a group are listed on one page. I
read 1 to 5 or so and answer them if I can. Or I can check my profile for
the links to any replies to my posts. Accessmonster takes me directly to
those posts without wading through a cesspool.

If I read or looked at every thread in each group I'd probably see the dreck
you're talking about, but I have the tools to filter that out. They're built
into the site.

Admittedly I have to wait for pages to load but I don't view many pages and I
have a fast connection so it takes seconds. Unlike Microsoft's site.

Chris

[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]

groups, so it's not hard). I skip those posts and concentrate on
posts from people asking questions.

This is nothing like killfiles -- it makes you do manually what a
killfile does automatically. And you have to wade through the dreck,
which makes it easy to miss important stuff.

Unanswered questions are marked and replies to my posts are
tracked and linked for me in my site profile. The layout and
organization makes it one of the easiest and quickest forums I've
posted at.

There is not a single web-based interface to Usenet that comes close
to the ease of use and features of even the most primitive dedicated
news reader. The terminal-based news reader I used in 1994 (tin, as
a matter of fact) had more capability than any website in existence
that is repacking Usenet posts.

 

[David W. Fenton]

Admittedly I have to wait for pages to load but I don't view many
pages and I have a fast connection so it takes seconds. Unlike
Microsoft's site.

Free clue:

I'm not comparing it to Microsoft's site.

In fact, I'm comparing it to NO SITE WHATSOEVER.

Using a dedicated news reader is going to be more efficient and
result in a more pleasant reading experience. Granted, you lack the
permissions to do that at work, but my guess is that your situation
is extremely rare, and thus, not terribly relevant outside your own
circumstances.

 

[Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com]

Most people who post in these groups only post one or two questions and we
never hear from them again. For the majority of us using these groups, the
pleasant and efficient capabilities you need are too expensive in resources
for us to implement.

Why build extra nuclear power stations and add to the national grid to supply
power to light up every square foot of land when 2 D cell batteries for the
flashlight in your glove compartment is enough for the few times you ever
need it?

Chris

 

[David W. Fenton]

Most people who post in these groups only post one or two
questions and we never hear from them again. For the majority of
us using these groups, the pleasant and efficient capabilities you
need are too expensive in resources for us to implement.

Eh? There are free news servers (including MS's). There are free
news readers.

Exactly what expenses are being incurred?

[ridiculous hyperbole about nuclear power plants deleted]

 

[Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com]

It takes 5 minutes from the time the user clicks on "Search the Web for help"
in MS Office to figure out how to post the question on Microsoft's site, post
the question and mark "notify me of replies". (We're assuming Microsoft's
site is working, fwiw.) They get responses in their inbox, which link to the
replies on the web. The answers come to their inboxes. No extra effort to
track or search for them.

Compare that experience with the fact most don't know what a news reader or
news server is the first time. They have to:

1 - Research these to find out what they are.
2 - Figure out if they need to find, download and install new software.
3 - Figure out if they can get it for free.
4 - Figure out how to configure it once it's installed so it works.
5 - Figure out how to subscribe to the right groups.
6 - Figure out how to troubleshoot the config because they missed some steps
the first time or their isp blocks the default port.
7 - Figure out how to post.
8 - Post their question.
9 - Figure out how to track their post and its replies.
10 - Keep checking their news reader to see if anybody replied.

Compare 5 minutes for the web news reader experience with the 45+ minutes to
2 hours or more for research, self training and prep time for a desk top news
reader app. Bear in mind most users only post 1 or 2 questions and we never
hear from them again.

Your method may be more pleasant and faster for repeated use of the news
reader, but for most people using the groups it's way too much hassle for
only 1 or 2 questions - even if it's free and faster than the web once it's
config'd.

Chris

 

[David W. Fenton]

Compare that experience with the fact most don't know what a news
reader or news server is the first time. They have to:

What *are* you nattering on about? I'm addressing people who are
ALREADY READING THE MS NEWSGROUPS, and are dissatisfied with
whichever method they may be using.

I don't really know who *you're* addressing, but it's certainly not
the same people I'm trying to help by pointing out how simple and
easy it is to acquire, install and configure a free news reader.

 

[Chris O'C via AccessMonster.com]

I'm addressing most users of these groups. To quantify that, Microsoft's
netscan tool identified over 90% of posters to the Access groups each month
are new posters. Under 10% are returnees, like you and me who've been
posting here a while.

Chris