From: David Hitt (dhitt_at_hatbag.net)
Date: Tue Aug 31 2004 - 12:38:06 PDT
An excellent e-mail.
Speaking only for myself, I am only treading water when it comes to
this group.
I used an MP120 over 6 years ago, and tapped about 2 percent of its
potential. At most.
I got an MP2100 about 2 months ago, and am still very much learning
what it can do.
But really the only times I've done anything but lurk on this list are
when I ask questions.
Not because of apathy, but because I'm still very much learning.
NTLK is an impressive group. I'm astounded by how knowledgeable the
people here are.
But I'm sure I'm not the only "average" person on the list. I can't
script. Any hardware experimentation I tried would only result in one
fewer working Newt in the world. To be honest, I haven't even figured
out how to make a Newton book yet (though largely for lack of trying).
That said, I love my Newt. Earlier this week, I just bought two more,
a pair of MP120s, so that my wife could have one.
I'd love to support the platform, and the community. Since stumbling
upon the modern world of Newton, I've been evangelizing about it
frequently on my blog. I've led directly to one person buying a
Newton, and a couple of others are seriously looking at using Newts.
So, yeah, I'd love to do what I can to help. So long as it doesn't
require knowledge or skill.
The little bit of experience I have, I'm willing to share. But I the
reason I don't answer more questions on NTLK isn't apathy, it's
ignorance.
That said, I'd be willing to do things I can.
I can't script software, but I'd be happy to test it.
I woudn't begin to know which developers to write to, but if someone
started a campaign to write to them, I'd gladly participate.
Perhaps if there were a page somewhere that told ways that help is
needed, more people like me would contribute.
Of course, that said, I would still support the "no obligation"
community. The community was a major factor in my decision to buy an
MP. I could easily imagine someone seeing the level of talent and
discourse here and believing they would be expected to contribute at
that level, feel intimidated.
David
On Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at 12:55 PM, MKow1234_at_aol.com wrote:
> While recognizing that nobody needs to feel obligated to contribute
> support
> to the Newton Worldwide Community, I pose the question:
> "What can be done to inspire other Newtontalk list members to
> contribute
> toward the continual growth and development of the Newton platform?"
>
> The ratio of users to supporters is top-heavy, like an inverted
> iceberg.
> Among members of the Newton Worldwide Community, a policy of "no
> obligation
> necessary to join" seems to cultivate an atmosphere more ambivelent and
> entertainment-seeking than philanthropic.
>
> It may be foolish, but I cling to the belief that every member can
> bring
> value to the Community, if only they would step to the plate. The
> contribution
> could take a variety of forms: new software, hardware experimentation,
> new
> eBooks, etc. So I say, be brave, step forward, experiment,
> disassemble your Newton
> to see what makes it tick, seek out interesting and educational
> copyright-free texts for conversion to the Newton eBook platform,
> write to developers of
> discontinued and demo software, learn to program in Basic and
> Newtonscript.
> Your Community needs you.
>
> There are some really smart people in this Community. If people would
> like
> to get involved, just ask on this bulletin board. There shouldn't be
> any
> shortage of ideas for projects, research papers, etc.
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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