mick mbm@rlogin.net wrote:
MJ Ray mjr@phonecoop.coop allegedly wrote:
mick mbm@rlogin.net wrote:
Chris G cl@isbd.net allegedly wrote:
I want to build an on-line questionnaire, a very basic one, are there any ready made applications in the Linux/Open Source world for doing this?
Do you need to build your own? [...]
[...] nothing to do with free and open source software so why even mention that piece of adware on this list?
Ummm. Look at Chris's original question. "I want to build an on-line questionnaire. a very basic one"
Now look at my reply. "Do you need to build your own?"
That part of the reply was fine, but couldn't it question the need to build without suggesting a horrible divisive pay-for-service site which has set surveying back years?
I didn't even recommend [XXX] - I merely pointed out that it would let you create an on-line survey quickly (which seemed to me to meet Chris's request). The fact that it may not "have anything to do with free and open source software" should not preclude anyone from responding as I did.
So a particular condition on the request should not discourage anyone suggesting anything even tenuously related? That seems unhelpful at best. Even worse, it may lead other LUGgers to consider using inappropriate or defective tools.
After all, I (and many others) have frequently answered questions posed here which have only tangential references to linux or OSS (see discussions of networking and ADSL for example).
The amount of networking and ADSL equipment which runs Linux means almost all of those questions can be on topic. As to the other things, I guess they're not threads I'm reading closely or suggesting things which have caused me massive inconvenience in the past!
Sometimes thare are tools, techniques, capabilities or services which are NOT OSS based but which still might meet a short term specific need. Off topic? Almost certainly. Unacceptable? I leave that to others to decide.
This response suggests that it's not left for others to decide, because if anyone decides to call it into question, you'll get the hump massively. Or is it just left for anyone except me to decide?
I beg all posters *not* to suggest "NOT OSS based" services when the question specifically asks for an open one. If you're not going to help us free computing, then at least don't try to trick people into using closed solutions by giving them in reply to requests for open ones.
Regards,