Eric,

        Well put.

        Stephen C. Nill

At 10:12 PM 9/10/98 +0200, you wrote:
>>I turned to  Eric Thomas (Listserv "father") for
>>help. Eric, knowing exactly what should be done about it, turned my request
>>for help down "since your management decided that you did not need any
>>support" (meaning that we don't pay for Listserv support), and sent me
>>to look for the solution myself ("You can find about 100 postings with
>>a solution through searches to relevant lists" were his exact words).
>
>I am sorry if you got the impression that I spend my days sitting in a cosy
>armchair smoking cigars while reading the newspaper. As a matter of fact,
>I have a heck of a lot to do right now, and on top of that I have to move. I
>still haven't finished the work plan for the 5 people who showed up on
>Tuesday and asked for their first assignment, and they have a higher
>priority on my to-do list than people who decided not to purchase a
>maintenance contract and thus expect to receive the service at no charge
>because otherwise they would be inconvenienced - and will keep informing
>more and more people of my unwillingness to help, in the hope that
>eventually I will give in.
>
>I gave you the "usual telegraphic answer" because it was much faster
>for me than to assist you for free, whereas you could have found the
>answer to your questions in half the time it took you to write this
>message, not to mention your other long private message. Moshe, I
>don't like to give people a fish, I like to teach them how to fish so they
>don't come back every day asking for more fish. People who have no
>money and think that fish should be free so that they don't have to learn
>how to catch fish may have a place in this world, but not at my table.
>
>  Eric
>