| Features: The Silence of the Masses | Jayhawk | "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."
-- John F. Kennedy
It's one of the great quotes of all time by one of America's greatest leaders. President Kennedy was referring to something far different, but the same principle applies to the community of calculator enthusiasts. Many, if not most of us, when we get bored with calculators and leave the TI community will have left it no different than when we joined. There might be a few comments and basic programs with our names on it, but we'll be forgotten. There are thousands of others like us doing the same things.
Most of the community sites have two major sections -- file archives and news about those file archives. This news isn't usually more than a short blurb of a few sentences describing a new addition or two to the file archives along with a link to download those files. Most of us, however, don't contribute files that are going to be featured in the news -- and can't be expected to do so. A few years ago, a site could be expected to have news every couple of days. Now, half that amount of news is a busy time for the TI community.
Fortunately for most of us that aren't blessed with the skill, patience, and time to be great programmers, there are other ways to add to the community. Most sites' idea of content is mindlessly posting links to new programs.
A few years ago, the TI community was teeming with good programmers. Due to frustration with the community, lack of time, or other reasons, many of these developers moved on to other things. And when they left the community, their knowledge left along with them. Their knowledge and skills weren't passed on to a new generation of programmers; they were lost and forgotten. Those of us in the community who are good programmers ought to feel compelled to pass our knowledge onto others so the community goes on. A good article on programming is as worthy of the front page of TI sites as any news. Unfortunately, nobody's writing any tutorials or documentation.
Go down to your local bookstore and pick up just about any gaming magazine. You're likely to find in-depth reviews of quite a few titles soon to come out or that have just been released. Then take a look at software reviews on the calculator site of your choice. There's a huge difference. Anyone can take five minutes to write a few sentences praising or ripping a program; it takes time to write a real review. So many programs get rave reviews that they're effectively worthless in actually picking out the best software. If people took the time to write quality in-depth reviews of programs, maybe including a few screenshots to give an actual feel for the programs, reviews would serve a purpose. Reviews of this type are just as worthy of the front page as any news. Unfortunately nobody's writing reviews of this sort.
Most TI community sites these days just aren't hiring. They make exceptions from time to time, but mostly they're not interested in new staff. Five and a half years ago, I got my first job at a major site doing news for Ti-Files. The Ti-Files had been around for years before I joined, but up until then they didn't have a news editor. Unlike today's sites, however, Ti-Files was always hiring. There were two ways to join the staff -- take up an existing abandoned section of the site or suggest an idea for a new section and offer to maintain it. Many new sections were added to the site by people like you and I who had an idea to make the site better. Unfortunately we've become a community content with what it is instead of a community of innovators.
We've become a community of people who sit back and watch others work while we mindlessly propagate news of programmers' hard work. Few of us are actually adding anything to the community. We can't all be great programmers, but we can all take the time to add a little something for the next generation of calculator enthusiasts. | | 9 Jan 2005, 14:10 GMT |
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 | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | allynfolksjr | | It's good to see articles like this again, it's been a long drought.
A lot of the points mentioned I've already noticed, but this is the first call I've seen to revitalize the community. Good job. | | 9 Jan 2005, 16:29 GMT |
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| | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | greenorange | | I whole-heartedly agree. However, many of us (like myself) are simple high-school students. I, myself, started in 5th grade, and programming was not really an option. Now, I am very active in the community (as a sophomore can be) and hope to be a productive member. We should do as best we can. I took a look at the TI-86 archives, and, quite frankly, they are pretty sad. | | 9 Jan 2005, 18:48 GMT |
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| | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | allynfolksjr | | Remember that the point that the author is trying to get across is that even those without the time nor the drive to make quality games can still add to the community. He is remarking on the focus on programs only, while letting the community sink into a complete focus on archives, reviews, and downloads. | | 9 Jan 2005, 20:57 GMT |
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| | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | Morgan | | Are you talking about the 86 archives on ticalc or CG? CG yes...very sad...ticalc...no not sad at all. | | 10 Jan 2005, 10:45 GMT |
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| | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | zkostik | CG 86 archive. 86 archive on ticalc is very extensive. Its just that most activity right now is around 83/84 and 89/89t so other calcs kinda tend to sit in the dust. This is sad to hear but that's how it is so we have to accept it (I doubt anything can be done about this).
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09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 | | 10 Jan 2005, 13:17 GMT |
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| | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | JcCorp | | This has inspired me to attempt to learn TIGCC. Thnx. | | 10 Jan 2005, 13:58 GMT |
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| | | Re: Features: The Silence of the Masses | Joe Hargrave II | | Look I agree with your statement but you also should put up an site where it teaches people how to write programs and games of the sort.
You are critisising some people even when they dont have any idea how to write programs. If you tought somebody(like me) and offered a link to another page to teach other people to write games. But then the opposite of your documentation would have the effect. There might be so many programmers out there and not have enough consumers.
There are many possibilities to this arrangment i would be willing to do this but i would have to be tought by an good programmer first.
Contact me if you have any questions. | | 13 Jan 2005, 06:54 GMT |
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