[conspire] (forw) Testing New Keyboard

[Rick Moen]

I wrote:

> I reviewed with Robert the boot sequence he should be seeing: Power-On
> Self Test (POST), GRUB bootloader, OS startup.  Robert has never seen
> such things, he says.  All he recalls seeing during startup is some
> horizonally moving progress indicator, and then the Ubuntu login screen.
> I _infer_ that both his motherboard BIOS Setup and Ubuntu are
> gratuitously concealing startup progress information.  Accordingly,
> Robert had never been able to implement the suggestion I made on two
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> separate occasions to check his new keyboard's no-OS functionality 
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> by entering BIOS Setup and seeing if keystrokes register with that
> hardware-originated code.


Above is something of a recurring peeve I have, when attempting to help
people in doing diagnosis.  To wit:

User has a problem with his new keyboard.  Among other things, I suggest
a no-OS test of the keyboard, seeing if it works communicating with
_just_ the motherboard BIOS Setup, since User's working theory (that
makes no sense to me) is that new keyboard is incompatible with the OS.

No response to my suggestion.

Two months later, User is still having the same, identical problem.  I
reiterate my suggestion of a no-OS test whereby the keyboard
communicates _just_ with the motherboard BIOS Setup, stress that I
strongly recommend this, and elaborate about _why_ I suggest this.

No response to my suggestion.  Instead, user natters onwards about how
he'd like to test his keyboard on a CABAL member's Linux box (basically,
ignoring what I've said).


Whenever this sort of thing happens, I think 'Well, it's possible that
_both_ of us are qualified experts on Linux hardware certification, but
then why are you the guy asking _me_ for help?  If in the alternative
I'm the expert and you're not, why are you repeatedly ignoring a simple
and extremely useful test I suggested you do?'  Does User _like_ banging
his head on the wall, and failing to solve a problem for months on end?
If so, why does he need my help.  Failure can be more efficiently
achieved as a solo act.

Turns out, Robert did not implement my (repeated) suggestion of entering
the BIOS Setup because he had no idea how to get there.  But that raises
the question:

Is it so goddamned difficult to say 'I'd like to do as you suggest, but
I cannot see how to get into BIOS Setup, and all I see is a horizontally
moving progress indicator and then an Ubuntu login screen'?  Does User
_honestly_ think it's more constructive to simply ignore the expert's
repeated suggestion and give no comment to it whatsoever?

I really cannot figure out what if anything some of these people are
thinking.