Re: A bite for a byte

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <9f731805.36dc6d03@aol.com> QSHIPQ@aol.com writes:

> Not at all.  Nor the point.  I personally find that chasing part numbers for
> everyone is a devine quest.  Certainly not one I would ever entertain.  But
> they are wrote part number posts, most from a specific lister on a specific
> part.  I personally find them a WOB, ...

One way of saying selfish.  The main reason for returning part number
questions to the list is to get them into the archives.  One day, the
archives might be in an even more usable form than they are now.

As it happens, I used them offline today to research an article I've
just written for the UK Audi quattro Owners Club newsletter, concerning
lead-free petrol in the UK.  They're not ideal, and a number of the
files contain vast duplication, but all of that can be sorted out with
time.

The archives are our common resource - the more accurate (and peer-reviewed)
information gets into them, the better.

And pretty often people will half-remember a discussion (this evening,
for the first time, about pollen filters) and realise that there might
be something in the archives.  Extra-somatic information storage is a
human first - let's exploit it.

--
 Phil Payne
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
 (The contents of this post will _NOT_ appear in the UK Newsletter.)