Start Page
FAQ
Is use of this site really free?
Yes! There are no charges, no ads, etc. I ask that, if you find the site useful, you share the resource with folks who will find it useful.
How secure are my question and responses?
Moderately at best. There is conflict between my major design goal of ease of use and security. Particularly if you use easy to guess an easy-to-guess Username and Class, the rudimentary security provided with AskClass will not stop a determined individual from seeing your questions and their results. Such a person could participate as well.
Can I have a copy of the source code?
Sure, Email me at charlie@balch.org. The current version is written in ASP with a Microsoft Access 07 backend. Future versions will probably be in PHP or Java with an XML backend. This will make AskClass much more portable at the expense of efficiency.
ASP and Access? Those aren't very efficient are they?
Actually, they are not bad and, so long as you are putting them on a IIS server they are very portable and easy to understand. I don't need the power of MySQL, Microsoft SQL at this point. Compiled .NET has some attraction again at the expense of portability. Right now, this will run off XP Pro with the server installed.I've got a really kewl software application that should be running on AskClass.net -- how do I add it?
Email me at charlie@balch.org. I'm particularly interested in free and useful applications but am not adverse to making a profit.
I've got a great idea on how to improve AskClass
I'd like to hear it. Email me at charlie@balch.org. I'm trying hard to avaid feature creep but convince me more is better and I'll add it.
How come some of my questions aren't showing?
Questions are listed in chronological order with the newest first. Check down the list. You might also have selected the exact match item for searches. With exact match, the search must be exactly the same as the author and/or the class before the question is shown.
Can I erase collected data or reset a question?
Not at this time. Adding that level of interface interferes with the simplicity of the system design. should this site become popular, I'll add extra features for power users.
Someone else is using my questions and messing up my data, how do I find/stop them?
The only statistics kept on any user is there response, IP address, and time stamp. A government entity with a warrent could use this information to discover more about participants but I can't.
Can particpants "stuff the ballot box" by providing multiple responses to the same question?
Yes, in fact under some circumstances they can't help but doing this. AskClass considers every visit to a question a new participant. By design, there is no way for participants to return to their original response. The design reflects considerations including a lab environment with more than one user per computer, the hassles of assigning and maintaining user/password lists, and user desire to for anonimity.
How do I remove/edit a question?
You can't.
I don't want particants to see the results.
I'm considering making this an option.
I don't want particants to be able to change their selection.
I'm considering making this an option.