Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 14 replies
  • Subscribers 2563 subscribers
  • Views 3729 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Who Are Your RoadTest Heros of 2020?

rscasny

Over the years of managing the roadtest program, I have observed that roadtests and their associated reviews are truly a community collaboration. While product suppliers offer products that they would like roadtested (often times because they are introducing a new product), the products that actually turn into roadtests are not only based on suppliers requests. I make an attempt to ask members what they think about the product before it's on the roadtest docket, and whether they would be interested in roadtesting it. The collaboration does not stop there.

 

I go to our  Top Members group when I have a question about a product or when I need help solving a challenging roadtest problem. And, once again, the collaboration doesn't stop there.

 

When problems occur during a roadtest, I get the feeling that roadtesters (especially new roadtesters) come to me first. I always recommend that the roadtester should post a comment on the roadtest page. Often times, community members will offer help -- and sometimes this help is extensive!

 

Finally, when a review is published, community members will respond with questions, or they will identify errors. They generally offer suggestions to make the review better.

 

This year I'd like to recognize some of these roadtest heros.

 

A roadtest hero is someone who has helped you in a small or big way during a roadtest. I have noticed over the years, roadtest heros have helped troubleshoot "bricked" products. They have also helped writing or correcting code. They have asked questions about ambiguous statements they found in reviews. They have offered comments or help in other ways too numerous to callout here. I'd like to think all the roadtest heros. I am sure if I nominated my roadtest heros of 2020, I would miss some of them. So, I'd like to encourage you to mention your roadtest heros of 2020.

 

In the comments section, share with the community someone who has help you on a roadtest or someone you felt helped on a roadtest that you learned about while reading the roadtest reviews.

 

I'd like to thank everyone for their participation in the element14 community and the RoadTest program.

 

Have a Happy New Year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Randall Scasny

RoadTest Program Manager

Parents

  • I'd like to thank my former self for helping me with my Road Tests. I really relied upon it.

    I've lost my "knack" and am now afraid to touch anything new in fear of bricking it and not relying upon my former self to resolve it.

    I just don't know how consumer's don't have troubles getting consumer IOT products working first time.

     

    It's taken me close to 2 years to get gcc and SDL working properly on a Windows 10 based PC.  My former self would have worked it out in a jiffy but in my ill state I used the Internet to see if it could solve it.

    Apparently it doesn't.  There are many videos and articles out there but all that I have come across contain flaws of some kind.

    This observation has shown that the persons that make and write these videos and articles don't fully comprehend the subject.

    This even includes teaching college professors.  Also, being open source, the accompanying documentation is dismal at best.

    I mean, why on Earth would an "Undefined reference to WinMain@16" error occur if you've followed their instructions to a 'T'?

     

    The answer was to rewind back to the early 1980's when if things didn't work find out for yourself.

    It's very hard and next to impossible to do with no "knack" and no short term memory thus the eternity for me to make it work.

    The relevant information is out there but requires sifting the treasure from the chaff - and boy, there's a lot of chaff!!

     

    One gem was that there was a -mwindows parameter for gcc. It is presented on a rather benign web page i386 and x86-64 Windows Options - Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)

    This alone doesn't work because then it relies upon the prerequisite libraries and their correct order to be linked in which the web page doesn't mention!

     

    gcc isn't well suited to windows because one needs to stuff about with path statements.

    With all that done, some dude decided to rename the make command as mingw32-make!!

    Lastly the Makefile format is stupid where whitespace indentation using both spaces and tabs won't work.  It only accepts hard Tabs.

     

    In summary, it is easy to see that newbies can have a very hard time evaluating new products given minefields similar to the abovementioned.

    On the flipside, some of these products are fantastically powerful but are geared up for then consumer to use simpleton script languages like python.

     

    On another note, I wish that high value RoadTest products could be shared or lent between members.  It would give the sponsors more bang for their buck whilst educating more persons about their products.

    I approached another member and got a resounding NO! which I found to be quite rude considering the huge amount of kit they've been gifted by E14 and their sponsors.

    A lot of this kit is used spasmodically so it lends itself to be shared.

     

    Hopefully others will become wiser, have had a problem solved or share in the Road Test spirit with this Very Compact rant.

     

     

    Cheers

     

    Very Compact

    (And may the Road Test Gods be kind.)

  • in reply to COMPACT

    I hope you are feeling better.

     

    Gordon

Reply Children
No Data