Etiquette of constructive criticism 101

[daddymikey1975]

I believe the chefs and developers should post a link to this thread in the first post of their release threads.

This would help alleviate some of the stress

Excellent write up BTW

i agree, but most of this is what should be considered common sense. Even tho i do notice the same questions asked over and over again in some posts, and yes the search function here doesnt work that well, but googles search engine works great. I too have searched for an answer i know that i read here at ppcgeeks and had the search come up empty, but then did the same exact search on google and got more than 100 matches.and one of the top matches google came up with was from here at ppcgeeks and other times google gets my question answered from xda or another source.There are other places to look for answers.
I try to only ask questions that i cannot find the answer to myself. I also try to ask questions only if they are rom specific in anyones rom thread. No one should post a question in someones rom thread asking about someone elses rom. Rom questions should only be posted in the correct roms thread. and only ask questions once please. especially if the rom is newly released. If its just been released and u cant solve or fix the problem yourself then please ask, but dont ask if the 3 posts before yours are asking the same thing.Thats whats taking up so much space and making it harder to find the post with your answer. The posts that have the answers, cab fixes, or whatever solutions are being burried under alot of reposted questions.
I tend to try almost every rom out, but i usually always go bak to the same rom series. This rom i like has everything i want in a rom and is extremely stable,fast,and the slider has almost no lag at all. The pages open and load quickly. It virtually never needs a soft re-set, and has pretty decent memory for a rom with CHT cooked in. If u are lucky enough to find a rom chef or rom series that u really like then it also gets easier to find solutions and after using the same chefs roms for a little while then u get to know the chef a little better and can develope a better relationship with them and then they are more likely to want to answer your questions if they know u are a loyal user and someone who flashes their rom again at every update.Not to mention they take u more seriously. The rom i prefer isnt made by most well known chef, or the most popular rom either, but its the best rom ive found to date. It has awesome customizations cooked right in,matching folder icons and matching icons everywhere that are very clean looking and match the rest of the roms style. But like i said before not everyones going to prefer the same rom. So posting questions saying nothing more than i dont like ur rom because; the icons are ugly, the icons dont match, it doesnt have the right programs/apps cooked in,or any questions like these are not important. U could giv suggestions for future releases, but just bashing a rom because u dont like it is stupid and just makes the poster seem like an idiot. If u dont like it then why are u using it. Flash back to whatever rom u were on before,unless u cant find a rom u like.Which i think is almost impossible with all the roms available for our HTC devices. But if u really cant find a rom that u prefer, then learn how to cook your own and post it so everyone else can post their thoughts,questions, or bugs about your rom and see how u like it.
Everyone should read this thread and try to follow the quidlines mentioned in the first post as closely as possible. It should make for a more useful,better, and easier to use forum. Thanks for finally posting this. It was about time.

[monkeygod]

I am glad that I inspired this post somewhat :P. Anyhow, hopefully now, all the ROMS thread would be much more productive and less bashful.

[Wesley762]

Nice it made the Sticky

[pimpsuprazx]

props to you on your first sticky, may you have many more in the future!!!

[Kliptik]

Congrats on the sticky! I'm sure this will be a helpful resource for everyone!

[siraloz]

Despite your good intentions and effort, your post fails to be helpful as the points you are trying to make are buried in your lengthy post.

Write a summary at the top so that it gives you a clear idea of what is available in your posting later on (where you cab write the explanations). For a long post like this, a table of content wouldn't be too bad. Also, be brief.

Originally Posted by newkidd

monkeygod had an idea here. It seems there are some people who are simply unaware that their posts about a different rom software (available in the CDMA and GSM upgrades section) actually matter. Besides the harmless chatter, most developers take the time to read what everyone says, and makes the changes accordingly.

I have constructed an ever changing guideline to help you make the most of your experience here at PPCGeeks.

Constructive Criticism Tip 1: be specific.
"this rom is soooo buggy. phone always locks up, never does what i want it to, this is stupid, i cant believe we waited this long for this crap, etc" does not help anyone. The more posts a developer has to read and decypher, the longer it takes to fix the problems a rom has. If you do have a genuienly have a completely buggy experience with the rom, there are a few factors out of the chute that might be causing them.

1. bad download: software on the internet actually isnt stored next door to you. sometimes it can be stored thousands of miles away. sometimes while going to your computer, glitches, missplaced data, etc happens. Try to re-download and see if you get the same problem.
2. Bad flash: 1 word. Task29. this program mimics a function that "stock" roms preform and wipes out all data on a phone, just so there isnt any traces of software that could be left over from a previous build.
3. Need for Clear storage: Usually, after an update utility finishes, it removes most installer files to ensure the Maximum memory available. In most cases, some of the software is left behind, and just takes up space. A clear storage can help ensure you get the most out of a rom.

If none of these fix the problem, next step is to let the developer know their rom is acting weird on your phone. when letting them know, try to be precise. They are "troubleshooting" your phone without looking at it, so unless you draw them a picture, they are shooting blanks.


Things like:

• This rom seemed to freeze every time I entered "x" application.
• I keep getting "Application error 500" whenever I use the File Explorer
• My Touch Pro 2 keeps typing an "F" any time i slide the keyboard out after switching out to baller-status rom

These things are actually helpful in isolating problems with particular builds.

Constructive Criticism Tip 2: if you dont know how to fix the problem, dont become one.

Contrary to popular belief, there is not a perfect rom. I am sorry, but perfect rom's and Santa Clause all live together in imagination land. Unless somebody in their "infinate wisdom" builds an imaginary car that goes there, thats the way its gonna be. Developers use their free time to try to make something that pleasing for mostly everybody. if you arent pleased with a rom version, please be constructive about it. What dont you like about it? What problems are you having? What would you like to see? Do you not like having to customize everything every time you flash? there are programs specially built in to help you make the best of your experience. All you have to do is ask!


some of the easiest things I have ever had to fix at Sprint are people who just do not know what to do when a problem arises.



On the other hand, if you are a developer, software programmer, or a user with skill in fixing or modding things, let us know! Its helpful to have a problem fixed before the rom developer even takes a look at it. gives them more free time to partake in human pleasures, instead of keeping their eyes glued to the screen all night long.


Examples of this are:

• "my phone wont lock whenever i flip it up side down" Ive had this problem too! i just installed this .cab file and it worked like a charm!
• "Whenever I access text messages, my phone completely resets" my version does this as well. after pouring through the registry, I see that HTC messenger is set to access a program that doesnt exist anymore. I have notified (programmer x) via PM so they can integrate it into their next release. do this (insert temp fix instructions here) and you should be good!

Constructive Criticism Tip 3: Donating to a particular developer or project does not make you King Hippo. A donation is only a donation.

I will go ahead and appologize if this post causes any people to refrain from donating. but this is something that has to be said.

A donation does not make you project manager, slave driver, or entitle you to be a jerk. it only entitles you to a sense of pride that you are supporting the hard work of someone else. other than that, you dont get special privileges, you arent entitled to beta test things, you dont get special support, and you deffinately dont get permission to gripe and complain when things dont go your way.


Constructive Criticism Tip 4: Use the Search Function.

I dont mind answering the same questions over and over. I really dont. Its my job, and i love my job. Most people here dont as well, but will give you a hard time anyways. Only problem with asking someone a question is waiting for someone to respond to you. If you are needing an answer right now, chances are it has already been answered before. Using the search function makes it easy to fix your problems almost instantly, and reduces on clutter.




Given the Moderators dont wipe this off the face of the earth, I will edit this post and make it more insightful and add more things as need arises. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to PM me and ill see about adding it! PM's that arent constructive will most likely be deleted and forgotten about.

[newkidd]

Made it a little bit easier on the eyes. added a Table of Contents. anything else i may have left out?

[bdurst08]

Great thread!! I read it a couple days ago when you posted it. Congrats the Sticky status! i think it could be very helpful to alot of people.
I agree with kliptik and jmorton and everyone else that there are alot of people that need to search that are just being lazy, and there the resposne of "just search" is wayyyyyy to common. At some point those people who say just search were n00b's themselves and someone helped them learn also!!

Thanks!!=D>

Sweet that my 303 post. being from colorado thatswas my area code. HAHA

[Dr.8820]

Originally Posted by Kliptik

Congrats on the sticky! I'm sure this will be a helpful resource for everyone!

welcome to the lower level!

good thread, sometimes i help, sometimes i say search...but only if a person just comes to the end of a thread and asks something that's been covered and they didn't read the thread.