Topic: samba

[krustykev]

What is samba for? How do i set it up?

[Bob Todd]

I've answered this in the general forum - dont cross post, it just annoys people, unless of course you dont get an answer to your first post.

[Charlie Brady]

Bob Todd wrote:

> I've answered this in the general forum - dont cross post, it
> just annoys people, unless of course you dont get an answer
> to your first post.

No Bob, cross-posting annoys people, even if someone didn't get an answer to their first post.

Charlie

[Bob Todd]

I stand corrected

[Cyrus Bharda]

So what happens when I post in the General, then some poeple who only check the Experienced forum might be able to answer, but because it wasnt posted in the Experienced then they miss out.  I am sorry if it is annoying, but I always double post just so I can maximise the responce. Obviously if it is quite a noobie question then I dont bother the Experienced with it, but I always double post my questions, sorry in advanced if it annoys you.

Cyrus Bharda

[Dan Brown]

I'd expect that 90+% of those who might be able to help do what I do, which is have the forums delivered via e-mail.  The rest tend to browse both forums.

[Cyrus Bharda]

So how do you get the forums delevered via email?

Cyrus Bharda <-----NOOB

[Michael Smith]

So how are you getting to each forum without having the link to receive via email staring you right in the face?  I don't think there ARE any forum pages that don't have the links at the bottom, but just in case ...

http://www.e-smith.org/bboard/search.php#fora-list

I think the original poster is a troll ... I mean really, "what is samba?  how do I set it up?"  Either that, or he is TRULY a newbie and never has even used Google.  If that's the case, Kev, then get out there and FIND STUFF OUT!

samba.org is the #1 hit when googling for "samba"!

Not that this attitude of "I'm a newbie but can't be bothered to do ANY research myself" isn't commonplace ... I enjoy reading comp.networks and have made a few, I hope useful, contributions there ... but I do get angry when I see "Hi, I'm new to networking but need to set up a LAN w/server-to-server VPN to a remote site, plus set up three computer labs with secure access to an old Novell server, could you design my entire network for me and hold my hand through the entire process?  And by the way I don't want to spend any money on an IT professional because they're all greedy and don't know anything.  Thanks in advance for helping out this newbie!"

Phooey.  The Internet is a great resource but come on people, if you want help from the experienced you have to do SOME of the work yourself!

Okay, I'll go dunk my head in a bucket of icewater now.

P.S. "Sorry in advance if it annoys you" doesn't absolve, either.  Crossposting stinks.

[krustykev]

maybe you and i should take the time to cross paths

[Michael Smith]

If that's Oz-speak for "I'm going to drive to your house and kick your ass" please do, only you'll have to FLY to my house.  If you come halfway around the world to kick my ass, I'll buy you a beer.  Can't get much fairer than that, now can I?

[krustykev]

now that gets me laughing and that i like. Not my fault i don't know much about linux. Only been using a computer for 12 months. At least i am willing to try it. Sorry about the vauge questions will try harder next time

[Michael Smith]

That's all anybody could ask for.  None of us were born knowing this stuff ... I don't know 1/20th of what a lot of the people that post here regularly know, which is why I lurk a lot and post a little.  When I come across something I don't know anything about, I Google first and ask questions later.  Google is your friend.

[Greg Zartman]

I've been watching this thread with some interest.  That is, I find it interesting that a person would ask a very relevant question about SME server and get flamed for doing it.  

Michael, you are way out of line for calling Krustykev a troll.  I think the contrary is very true.   Who cares what google does or does not produce.  Krustykev posted a simple question that is 100% on topic.   Heck, if I goto the Samba main page, it defines Samba as: "Samba is an Open Source/Free Software suite that provides seamless file and print services to SMB/CIFS clients. "    Now that makes a WHOLE LOT of sense to a person that comes from a 100% windows background.....   Krustykev, if you want an honest explanation of Samba, please feel free to email me offlist and I would be more than happy to give you a quick summary.

Cross posting is one thing,  and as Charlie pointed out is almost always annoying.  Posting a relevant question about an SME service is NEVER annoying.  Michael, you need to grow up and deal with it.  This is an open source forum for discussing technical topics about Mitel SME server. If you don't like what you see, my suggestion would be not to browse the forum.  

Respectfully,

Greg Zartman

[Dan Brown]

Actually, Greg, it isn't really a relevant question about the SME server.  Yes, SME uses Samba, but a complete SME newbie isn't likely to know that.  Somebody who's used it a bit and/or played with Linux a bit would have heard the name and probably have a general clue of what it is.  I'm not quite sure where Krustykev fits in.  In any case, that doesn't seem to be what prompted Michael's "flame".

Michael's message came directly after "how do I have the forums e-mailed to me"; as you're aware, the answer to that question is on the top of EVERY page that you could post a message from.  The answer was literally staring him in the face, but he didn't see it.  Now, that happens to all of us at times (I know it's happened to me), but it can still be a bit frustrating to the person who's being asked.  That, combined with the cross-posting, combined with arguing about cross-posting, combined with an initial question that shows a curious combination of knowledge (heard of Samba) and lack of knowledge (no clue of what it is), could pretty reasonably lead to the conclusion that he's trolling.  I'm not saying I agree, but it's not so very far out of line.

I can't agree that "posting a relevant question about the SME server is never annoying."  I don't think it's unreasonable to expect people to make an attempt at answering their own questions--at a minimum, to read the manual and search the forums.  A Google search would be a really good idea as well.  Not only does this avoid needlessly annoying other people, it's also (often) the quickest way to find your answer.  If the answer is in TFM, a response of RTFM isn't entirely out of line.  It's not very nice (depending on how it's delivered), but it does still help the person who asks.

[Greg Zartman]

> Actually, Greg, it isn't really a relevant question about the
> SME server.

Dan, I'd have to disagree.  If asking a question about Samba here is off-topic where else would one ask it?  Sure you could goto the Samba mailing list and ask the question, but that is a bit rough.   Maybe it is a little annoying to see such elementary question being asked, but I know I would have answered it if I'd seen the post before everyone started jumping in about cross posting and what not.

> sure where Krustykev fits in.  In any case, that doesn't seem
> to be what prompted Michael's "flame".

I thought Michael's flame was prompted by him already posting a reply in the general forum and the ease at which he was able to get information about samba on google.
 
> I can't agree that "posting a relevant question about the SME
> server is never annoying."  I don't think it's unreasonable

It's very easy to hit the delete key, or simply ignore the message (as I should have done with this thread.  )  )  This forum doesn't see that many stupid questions.  I can make a fairly long list of groups I've listened in on that get far more newbie questions than this one.   Coincidentally, have a look at the Samba mailing list archive.  Look at how many times people ask the same questions over and over and over.    

I did learn something new as the result of this thread:   Troll = a person trolling for information..    Good one!!!

Greg

[Charlie Brady]

Greg Zartman wrote:
>
> > Actually, Greg, it isn't really a relevant question about the
> > SME server.
>
> Dan, I'd have to disagree.  If asking a question about Samba
> here is off-topic where else would one ask it?

I have to agree with Dan - asking how to configure samba is off-topic here. The answer here is, you don't configure samba, it's done for you.  And "What is samba?" is just as off-topic here as "What is a CPU?".

>  Sure you could go to the Samba mailing list and ask the
> question, but that is a bit rough.

Why?

I came across a document today which is highly relevant to this discussion:

http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Here's a brief excerpt:

...
Before asking a technical question by email, or in a newsgroup, or on a website chat board, do the following:

   1.  Try to find an answer by searching the Web.
   2.  Try to find an answer by reading the manual.
   3.  Try to find an answer by reading a FAQ.
   4.  Try to find an answer by inspection or experimentation.
   5.  Try to find an answer by asking a skilled friend.
   6.  If you are a programmer, try to find an answer by reading
       the source code.
...

Charlie

[Michael Smith]

Greg, while it's noble of you to rush to the defense of C.Bharda and krustykev, I stand by my posts.  The signal-to-noise ratio in these forums is fairly high as such things go:  cross-posting and asking elementary questions will only increase the noise level.  If I can persuade either of the gentlemen in question, and perhaps others, to do a bit of thinking & researching on their own ... or at least to think twice before posting ("the burned child fears the fire") ... I'll feel I've done fairly well.

Yes, there are groups that get a lot of newbie questions.  Samba has no doubt been discussed many times therein.  I think it's just plain lazy to ask such questions outside of those groups, period.  At least I'm consistent ... I refer you to

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=4832.msg16838#msg16838

wherein I flamed a knucklehead who had the gall to say that asking in the forum was easier than doing the legwork because of "time restrictions"!  Sheesh!

What prompted my missive was Bharda's assertion that while he knows crossposting is annoying, it's OK for HIM to do it so he'll get the most responses.  No, Cyrus -- it's not OK on Usenet and it's not OK here.  Especially when done knowingly.

You are very nearly correct, Greg, in your understanding of what I meant by "troll."  In Usenet terms, "troll" has two meanings.  Both derive, as you inferred, from fishing.  A message that is a troll is one that is designed *specifically* as flamebait ... so in responding to krustykev's message, I in fact responded to a message I considered a troll, and became the object of the verb form.

The second sense of the word "troll" is fairly obvious:  one who posts messages that are trolls is him/herself a troll.  So you were mostly correct, except that a troll trolls for flames, not just information.

A true troll revels in flamewars and is always trying to start something, which I don't now think is the case with krustykev. (He'd've done something much more interesting than just offer to kick my ass, if so.)

The document Charlie recommended is great.  I think I'll close with this quote:

"So, while it isn't necessary to already be technically competent to get attention from us, it is necessary to demonstrate the kind of attitude that leads to competence — alert, thoughtful, observant, willing to be an active partner in developing a solution. If you can't live with this sort of discrimination, we suggest you pay somebody for a commercial support contract instead of asking hackers to personally donate help to you."

Amen to that!

[Cyrus Bharda]

OK, I totally SINCERLY appologise for ALL my cross posting! I DO research and try to find my own answers before posting to the forums too, but honestly, I really didnt know you could get them via email, now I do see the error of my ways, and can see how cross posting would be very annoying to everyone who gets the list via email.

If I had known about this earlier then maybe I would not of made an ass of myself and try to justify what I had been doing. So from now on I will not cross post.

And personally I do think that the original question might not belong here, seeing as there is an abundance of information all around, but it was posted none the less, but it doesnt mean that you have to answer it. I would've happly answered it if I couldve given an answer. We were all noobies at one stage, even if I still am .

Cyrus Bharda

[krustykev]

i would like to say that this has become most interesting  as for the names i am being called.  sticks and stones fellas. like water off a ducks back