I too have been helped by Thomas in the past, but as someone who moderates a number of web forums, on topics as touchy as traditional music and climate change, I know that it is never reasonable to attack a new arrival who has come to the forum in all innocence looking for help - no matter how misguided they might be.
Many would not even realise that this site was run by Walter and not by Freeway (they used to send people here), and the customer is always right. And even when they are wrong, they must be always treated with respect and patience - as most people here do.
To use one’s superior expertise as a weapon to belittle or insult an innocent enquirer is utterly disgraceful behaviour, and if I was running this site I would have banned both these two, and a maybe couple more regardless of their expertise or track record. It is beyond the pale to talk in those terms, unprompted, on the internet.
I had great sympathy for Historian who did not deserve the bashing he got. Yes his response was intemperate, but that’s what it was: A response.
For every person who stands up for themselves, as I did, there will on average be 5 more who slide away disgusted, never to return, and perhaps 15 more who read but never post, to do likewise.
Given how much tech support costs, companies like Freeway rely heavily on a good community forum like this (and it is good - very good and I’ve expressed my gratitude many times), but if this sort of thing happens then it can only damage the parent company.
I can only assume that our two friends assumed that I was lying about my predicament, (both in terms of the upgrade and the dyslexia) and merely trying to get a free copy of Freeway.
I wasn’t.
They may think their expertise and track record of helping people entitles them to be as rude and unpleasant as they like. Well, plainly they do, as they’ve said as much.
But it doesn’t.
What they forget is that the people they are jumping on might have far greater expertise in some other arena than operating a web authoring package, possibly something actually more important (they do exist, surprisingly), and may even help other people themselves far far more than anyone ever has on this forum.
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