rmechaber (4/6/2009)
Steve, first thank you, thank you, thank you - for the best SQL Server online resource to help this newish DBA get up to speed on the myriad features, capabilities and idiosyncracies of SQL Server. In fact, scratch "online": this site has answered more questions than any book I've purchased, and I have several.I think the vast preponderance of posts to this site are genuine, respectful, and courteous. Online, it's easy and even encouraged to do something that is squelched in person: lose your temper. Be a brat. Hey, who's really looking, right?
As a reader of the occasionally juvenile whining, I can say I have less patience with them than you experts seem to have when you actually respond to them, which speaks highly of your professionalism. Frankly, even if I'm reading a thread I'm keenly interested in, I tend to click off to somewhere else when I get to "Hey, your stupid code didn't fix my oh-so-important problem!!!" I just don't have time in my day to read rants.
So here's a suggestion, worth nothing maybe: if all you SQL Experts out there simply stopped replying when things turn nasty - stop trying to help, stop attempting to civilize them, stop doing what you are passionate to do (solve problems) - just walk away, I think the problems will resolve themselves.
I can assure you most of us out here won't mind a bit!
Thanks again,
Rich Mechaber
Up until a week or two ago, I'd have agreed with you wholeheartedly. However, in the "T-SQL Rant" thread that was mentioned in Friday's editorial, I saw something I never expected. Someone who started off on a rant and then became more and more aggressive through the frustration of thinking himself misunderstood was turned around completely by the patience of some of the forum's most knowledgeable and prolific posters. The poster found, and had the decency to publicly admit, that he'd finally been shown some of his fundamental assumptions about working with sets were flawed and that there was a better way to do things. Personally, I didn't see the potential for the original poster's opinion changing, saw little to think any attempt to do so was worthwhile and would never have had the patience to get anywhere near success. I was evidently wrong.
Now all I'll admit is that I've just as much to learn about the best way to moderate the SSC forums as I have about the product on which they're based.
Semper in excretia, suus solum profundum variat