[urq] ADMIN: move FAQs

Dan Simoes dans at audifans.com
Thu Sep 6 12:11:02 PDT 2007


Guys,

Thanks for the contributions.  I wanted to quickly address some of  
the common questions I've been getting bombarded with :)
I am carefully reading over all suggestions/offers and will reply  
individually, but here's a quick reply so everyone is in the loop.

Q: Where do you live now?  What do you do?
A: I live in Walnut Creek CA and work in downtown SF.  I run tech  
operations for a startup company and have been working in the IT  
field since 1989.
I'm a unix/linux administrator at heart, but I also have an MBA in  
Marketing.  I've been married for 14 years and have 3 kids (2 girls 7  
& 5, and a 15 month old son).

Q: Why do you insist on owning the hardware?  Wouldn't a shared  
server/grid solution work better/be cheaper?
A: I'm not opposed to shared/managed hosting, but it comes down to  
economics.  Once the box is built, costs will run $50/mo.  A  
dedicated managed server will run around $150/mo, so after month 6,  
the colocated box solution is less expensive.

Q: I'll let you run the list on my server for free.  What do you need?
Q: Run it here on my cable/DSL/FIOS connection.
A: While I appreciate these offers, I prefer to keep the lists close  
to me.  Businesses go under, people move, and the last thing I want  
is instability.
This is the main reason I don't want to run it at my own home.
With that said, I am examining all offers.

Q: I donated in the past and no one acknowledged me!
A: I'm sorry.  I do try to reply to all paypal contributions with a  
thank you note, but may have missed yours.  People who sent checks to  
my old PO box may have gotten mail returned, as I did not keep up the  
box after I moved.  I will also put up a new page thanking people for  
their 2007 contributions (if you do NOT wish to be listed, let me know).
Also, my personal paypal account turned into a business account (I  
started and ran tdiparts.com for several years) so with the volume of  
daily transactions I was seeing, some of the contributions probably  
got buried.  I sold that business, so there should be no problem in  
being able to audit and recognize contributions going forward.

Q: Are my contributions tax deductible?
A: No.  I'm not a charity though I sometimes act like one :)

Q: I want to send money and don't have/trust/like paypal.  Can I send  
a check?
A: I will let you know if/when we need funds.  I don't want to post  
my work or home addresses, and I don't have a PO box anymore.

Q: What type of server do you need?
A: Anything, really,  as long as it is 1U, can hold and control a  
pair of 500Gb SATA drives (which I have already purchased).  Intel,  
AMD, no preference.
I haven't used Sun hardware in over 3 years and prefer to keep it  
that way :)
The site doesn't get a huge amount of traffic, but we have around  
100Gb worth of archives as well as logs.  I want to build something  
that will last for the next 5 years, so we don't have to repeat this  
exercise in a year.

Q: Shouldn't some businesses be contributing as well?
A: Yes, and some already have.  If expenses become unmanageable, I  
will start soliciting for sponsors, but I don't think we will need to.

Q: Do you want to give up control of the lists/site?
A: Not until I can find the right caretaker, if/when someone comes  
along.

Q: Why mailing lists?  Why not a forum like audiworld, vwvortex,  
motorgeek?
A: The lists predate the whole concept of forums.  While I use and  
participate in various forums, members here have expressed a strong  
interest in remaining email-only.
If/when overall list sentiment is to move to forums, I'm not opposed  
to the concept, but then we have to figure out what to do with the  
archives.
Email is push - you get it whether you like it or not.  Forums are  
pull - it requires effort on your part to go read something.
It really boils down to personal preference.



More information about the urq mailing list