People who hang out in forums ...

[Kenzo]

are seeking answers to problems or have nothing better to do with their lives.
How many incidents are unresolved in this forum? Any stats on that?
Where are the real gurus? Doing something other than living in a forum like this one I guess 'cause they sure aren't answering the hard questions.

All you do-dads with your self-indulgent avatars will no doubt flame me. Go for it!

How about answering some of the more difficult incident - if you can.

Linux will never be omniscient until it is completely user friendly. Sure Ubuntu has made it easier for the average Joe to use but there is still a LONG way to go. Finding information is still like looking for a needle in a haystack. Lots of common people don't have time for that. Great for nerds with nothing beter to do with their lives but what about 'normal' users who just want things to work fairly seamlessly?

Yeah the OpenOffice stuff is great and sure you can capture, store and burn stuff but anything a bit off the beaten track is like being up sh_t creek in a barbedwire canoe trying to spear tadpoles with a crowbar.

I'm not a programmer and I don't want to be one. I just want to get things working without having to spend days of research and frustration. Times have changed and anyone who wants to live in that era is a dinosaur.

I appreciate the efforts of the genuine community of developers who are doing their best to improve Ubuntu. Thanks and keep at it.

[CK05]

Not bad you can do all that and for free.

But if you're not happy, I guess you can go the safe route and pay for something that you know works.

Just a suggestion.

[ibutho]

Most people on these forums are volunteers, so they are not getting paid to help out. This means they can answer whichever questions they like and omit those they don't. If you have any urgent queations or problems, then maybe its better for you to get a support contract from Canonical or consultants specialising in Ubuntu or Debian.

[Sef]

Moved to Community Cafe.

[dmizer]

I'm nost sure exactly what you're referring to. A quick review of your posting history shows that you have mostly received helpful and satisfactory results to your questions.

Recently, you posted this question: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...50#post7459650 and this question: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...51#post7471751 in "absolute beginner talk", but these are really quite advanced questions. If you want the more experienced people to help you, you might be more successful posting in a section more suited to your problem like here: http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=339

These forums are unbelievably busy, and not everyone who has experience with your issue will watch the entire forum for your question. For example, I rarely post in Absolute Beginner talk because I prefer to give help via CLI commands, and that's not what new users like to see. I mostly hang out in networking and in servers because that's what I have the most experience with.

Not trying to insult or flame, just trying to offer a small suggestion that may help you get the information you need.

[automaton26]

Perhaps "gurus" find it draining to answer the same questions over and over, which is probably understandable, and forgivable ?

Some questions just keep getting asked, when the solution (if there is one) can often be found by searching these forums or the web generally. Whether it's a lack of confidence or patience on the part of the user, who knows.

Search and research, and then search some more - then finally ask.

Just my 2c.

[Chronon]

Dude. Most people here are just other users. Where do you get off being critical of me (or anyone else) because I don't happen to know everything there is to know? I help out where I can and I see nothing wrong with that. I don't get this attitude (which I have seen a couple of times now). Lashing out at forum users just seems really misplaced. Would you prefer it if it was only populated by people seeking answers?

[t0p]

I like to visit these forums at least once a day, which I usually do when I'm at work and things are a bit quiet. I try to help out because that's my way of contributing to the community - I have no programming skills and I can't afford to send donations to devs too often.

I'm no guru, but I have picked up a few things along the way, so I can help with some problems. I also like coming to the Cafe and having a chat. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

These forums are exceptionally friendly and helpful - more so than most others, methinks. Of course not all problems are fixed by the volunteers here - but it's all voluntary. I'm sure you can get better support if you want to pay for it.

[Tews]

Hmmm.. no specific request for any specific problem ... lots of inflammatory insinuations, then wonders why no help is offered ... I smell a troll...

[bryonak]

Where are the real gurus?

Not here. They never were.

The real gurus are at their project's bug trackers, mailing lists and hang out in more "traditional/established" forums than Ubuntu's. Or sometimes at freenode.
The people who come here are mostly new Linux users and a few who switched to a more user friendly distro. Some of those have become quite knowledgable over time, but there are few who were "gurus" prior to joining the forum.

If you want a rather complicated question solved, go and search for the gurus on that topic... google helps.
The ubuntuforums are for easy-to-medium problems, not the hard ones. The last ~10 problem threads I opened couldn't be solved here (well I think there was one that could be resolved)... I had to find the solutions elsewhere.

Still it is a great place for general knowledge or small problems everyone encounters and needs a quick and efficient solution. It is a great place for hints and tips, new ideas and uses of applications.
It is a great place to take part as a community member.