Rant--"hit and run" posters

I know what you mean, here's one particular question that i gave a rather detailed answer to, and they never returned. It really annoyed me, but oh well.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ckware-888016/

It's more annoying when they don't come back and they're actually common participators on LQ and you continue to see them later on. (although i can understand this at times because there's been times when i've viewed replies on my mobile and thought i'll reply to them later when i'm on my computer, but then because they aren't in 'mylq' as newly replied, i forget about them)

Originally Posted by Knightron I know what you mean, here's one particular question that i gave a rather detailed answer to, and they never returned. It really annoyed me, but oh well. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ckware-888016/

They had stopped even logging into LQ before you posted your reply.

Originally Posted by Knightron I know what you mean, here's one particular question that i gave a rather detailed answer to, and they never returned. It really annoyed me, but oh well. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ckware-888016/

Well, you know, the entire library of threads is a permanent resource which is searchable at any time in the future. And this, I think, is the proper way to view your posts: "for posterity." It is in the long run worthwhile to try to write an intelligent and complete post, as you did here, even if the original poster never responds to it again. You'll never know how many people you have actually helped with your very thorough and well-considered response, nor how many people in the future will be helped.

Thanks sundialsvcs, that's a very good prospective that i never took into consideration. Good point.

Originally Posted by pixellany I do understand posting and then signing off immediately---but you'd think that someone (on average) would check back after maybe 1/2 day---eg question in the AM, look for an answer in the PM. After > 24 hours, you really wonder if the person was serious

A few possibilities:

1. A person asks a similar question in a number of places over the interwebs. If they get a satisfactory response somewhere else first, they don't care about it anymore.
2. A person does not save the password for the site so they visit the forum in a couple of hours and navigate to the relevant section and read the answer without logging in.

I wonder only when someone comes in and simply asks 'how to install xyz distro/how to find abc information about xyz distro/xyz distro uses which desktop environment'?
I mean, they did the tedious task to register to this site, confirming it and then logging in to ask a question which they could just search on google and get numerous results meanwhile.
Well, guess that's the way it is.

Regards.

I remember posting complex responses in the past only to find that while I was replying the OP had reposted a few times (usually reporting his attempts at trying all the wrong approaches...) and had finally reinstalled/reinstalled another distro and how it was now all working fine. I think we've all been there...?

I usually check the date of the OP and their last response and then check the last time they logged in. If the haven't been on for a while I think they have found the fix to their issue elsewhere. If a thread is a week old and its been nearly a week since the OP has been on the site its a safe bet they are not coming back anytime soon.