They just launched it. It’s pretty standard practice to have a few employees fill content websites with content to start them up. Let’s see how many of these employees are still at it in a few months.
So, AWS is hoping to exploit developers' willingness to do free work in exchange for nebulous "reputation" points ("Klout", anyone?) that they have been convinced is worth something on their resumes.
Instead of actually providing a real technical support team.
Well, they've successfully convinced thousands of developers that AWS certifications are worth thousands of dollars, so I expect it might actually work.
Thing the First:
> Instead of actually providing a real technical support team.
Apparently you've never used their tech support team. It is by far one of, if not the best, technical support teams I've ever dealt with. Not only technical knowledge but dealing with customers, providing help above and beyond the actual question in front of their face, etc. The only other technical support team that has impressed me this much is Kraken's.
Yes, I have to pay for that support. I also pay for tech support for other things: my automobile ("What's wrong with my flugelmesserbeano?"), for my medical conditions ("Is it safe to take these two medications together?"), for my house exterior ("If I don't fix that drainage problem what could happen in five years?"), for my house interior ("How should I Remodel the kitchen to fit my lifestyle?"), etc.
I know it's a scam. HR teams don't. If ponying up $400 every 3 years gets me a more senior position with slightly better compensation, it's worth the ROI.
It hasn’t been free, but I’ve regularly used AWS support. My experience has been nothing but very positive.
Meta comment — It’s disappointing the top voted comment does nothing but spread negativity. I see attitude like this that automatically assumes the worst in anything ever happening and tries to poison the well for others. I’m grateful and incredibly lucky that my co workers aren’t like this.
AWS enterprise support is amazing. Everything from calls and emails to multi-day workshops with the product team. You get more than you pay for with them.
I'm also a fan of the AWS certifications from the employee side. Not everybody is pulling X00K at a FAANG. If you want a cloud job at regular enterprise, it's a good way to get your foot in the door.
Any contact I've had with AWS support has been excellent, but we also pay for premium/enterprise/whatever. Had a bug with a recently released API and got attention from the engineering team to fix it.
If they do it right, they’ll treat this internally as a user feedback forum. If a question about a service has hundreds of upvotes that almost certainly means the service itself should change so that either the answer to the question is obvious or (better) the question is no longer meaningful. Here’s hoping!
AWS actually has fantastic support, especially for a tech company. My previous company was tiny, and super cheap (they wouldn't even pay for Slack), and even at that level we never had a problem talking to real, live support people, and they were always pretty helpful.
I created brainpick.co.uk, where people who have given up hopes to resolve the issue, could sponsor a question, so people could work for money, instead of reputation.
I think the certifications are worth it, at least the pro level ones. Because they do give you a full picture of good AWS architecture and what services are a good fit together.
I've seen what some developers without certifications put together on AWS and it's a mess.
But this re:Post thing I don't believe in personally. I'm so tired of these giant tech companies building walled gardens and censoring and controlling anyone inside.
> Instead of actually providing a real technical support team
You sound like someone who has exactly zero dealings with AWS support. They set the bar in this industry. The first thing I do when I join a new employer is reach out to our Account Manager or Technical Account Manager at AWS to set up bi-weekly cadence meetings and ask for specific criticism from their Solutions Architects on whatever I'm thinking of implementing. They will ask my team for feedback on next features they're thinking to implement.
They have been the finest design partners I have ever encountered. I consider my last AM a friend.
Your comment is of such poor quality, it should be flagged for misinformation, and I almost never flag here on HN, even on politically divisive subjects.
Any solution which sufficiently explains the jungle of AWS services efficiently, will be a big win for the community.
I see the whole point of certification driven approval & self-styled AWS ninjas/ gurus/ experts as the failure of a system to efficiently provide its services to a commmon consumer. You shouldn't be needing a microdegree to run a service that you have taken up by own volition to build projects on
And people will keep using StackOverflow for AWS questions anyway.
As long as StackExchange keeps publishing under Creative Commons, I don't know why anyone would bother making their own Q&A forum, even a platform as big as AWS. Programmers would rather have a one-stop-shop for all their questions, which often cut across multiple topics anyway.
As a StackOverflow consumer who only lands their from search engines, I am tired of seeing what seems like legitimate questions closed for being opinions/already asked in prehistoric times/etc. If Amazon owns a platform, they can enforce their own standards which might allow for more relevant posts.
Can’t Amazon just pay Stack Overflow and use the tool they’ve built and license instead of stealing their design and UI and workflow for probably more money?
The AWS console UX is so bad that I would strongly prefer not to spend more time using similarly-designed products. To be fair, good design isn’t easy and it makes you appreciate the real Stack Overflow more.
> For users who do choose to sign in, using their AWS account, there is the opportunity to create a profile, post questions and answers, and interact with the community.
Which account? My org root account? Dev account for some product? Doesn't seem to support AWS SSO.
The multi-account story is one of my least favorite things about AWS. It all just seems so kludgy.
Can confirm I cannot use my personal account I use to publish my Alexa skills. It says I need to give billing information to be fully registered with AWS. They have pretty much all my information because I gave them a lot of my personal information when I signed up to publish Alexa skills.
Maybe this place isn't for random people like me to answer random questions we find but rather for AWS staff to not have to repeat the same answers a thousand times.
» There is no requirement to sign in to AWS re:Post to browse the content. I wish they extended this to asking questions as well. Like I don't want to associate asking question to my work$. Why would I if questions are public?
Contrast with the horror stories which show up here every now and then about Google, how a random post on YouTube leads to being locked out of email and the cloud hosting used to power your side-gig (or full time gig).
Why should my on-line shopping account be linked to the work I do for client #1? Or client #2? or to (one of) my hobby and remote back-up solutions?
One account for each use-category. Clear and clean firewalls.
It’s a little bit weird to call it part of the free tier in the post—I’d certainly hope a crowdsource, no SLA forum for their own product support is free!
In a world of suspended accounts and banning with no recourse, that seems like a setup. Say the wrong thing and you and all your EC2 instances and all the rest of your AWS usage is suspended? Hopefully they've worked out a workable policy for this.
One wrinkle though is NDA'd information. It becomes very difficult to help with certain AWS issues without access to implementation details which they hide behind NDAs. This information is critical for dealing with a certain class of problem. Some answers will have to be very circumspect to the point of being unhelpful without access to the NDA'd information.
> Help my Redshift loads aren't working because <details>!
> Umm... yeah don't do that, do <fix> but I can't tell you why that fixes it or any information to help you reason about the system to avoid similar problems in the future. (But you can hire me as a consultant!)"
I think AWS has become the walmart of tech, or at least how I view walmart via popular media as an outsider of America. I don't know exactly what it is, but the vendor lock-in (in this case community lock-in), the extravagant and insular corporate events and tiers of users, the endless attempts at making everyone into a cog for their machine, the complete lack of self-awareness (from them and their evangelists) at how corporate-dystopian and drab they come across.
In my opinion, don't give Amazon a second of your free time unless they're paying you.
Dump question I guess, but I would like to follow what is said in the security & compliance section. There is a button "follow" that redirects me to a login page.
I am supposed to provide credentials to either a "root" account or an "IAM" account.
Assuming I have neither, I do not use AWS by myself and just want to take part in the discussion forums, should I create a root account or an IAM account?
This is good, hopefully it makes it easier for internal team members to communicate with customers to resolve issues - the internal system has been very cumbersome
[+] [-] NateEag|4 years ago|reply
I got a confirmation from AWS staff in just a few minutes:
https://www.repost.aws/questions/QUTPxjIgdcSWm6tTCacifdDg/is...
So, one thing it has going for it is official AWS staff answering questions.
[+] [-] feupan|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 8organicbits|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] manojlds|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CottonMcKnight|4 years ago|reply
Instead of actually providing a real technical support team.
Well, they've successfully convinced thousands of developers that AWS certifications are worth thousands of dollars, so I expect it might actually work.
[+] [-] jackthetab|4 years ago|reply
Thing the First: > Instead of actually providing a real technical support team.
Apparently you've never used their tech support team. It is by far one of, if not the best, technical support teams I've ever dealt with. Not only technical knowledge but dealing with customers, providing help above and beyond the actual question in front of their face, etc. The only other technical support team that has impressed me this much is Kraken's.
Yes, I have to pay for that support. I also pay for tech support for other things: my automobile ("What's wrong with my flugelmesserbeano?"), for my medical conditions ("Is it safe to take these two medications together?"), for my house exterior ("If I don't fix that drainage problem what could happen in five years?"), for my house interior ("How should I Remodel the kitchen to fit my lifestyle?"), etc.
[+] [-] CactusOnFire|4 years ago|reply
I know it's a scam. HR teams don't. If ponying up $400 every 3 years gets me a more senior position with slightly better compensation, it's worth the ROI.
[+] [-] ozzythecat|4 years ago|reply
Meta comment — It’s disappointing the top voted comment does nothing but spread negativity. I see attitude like this that automatically assumes the worst in anything ever happening and tries to poison the well for others. I’m grateful and incredibly lucky that my co workers aren’t like this.
[+] [-] dataminded|4 years ago|reply
I'm also a fan of the AWS certifications from the employee side. Not everybody is pulling X00K at a FAANG. If you want a cloud job at regular enterprise, it's a good way to get your foot in the door.
[+] [-] Hikikomori|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sofixa|4 years ago|reply
And they state it will be driven by customers, partners and employees of AWS, so at least on paper they aren't fully relying on customers.
[+] [-] tibbar|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jlarocco|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nnurmanov|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] peakaboo|4 years ago|reply
I've seen what some developers without certifications put together on AWS and it's a mess.
But this re:Post thing I don't believe in personally. I'm so tired of these giant tech companies building walled gardens and censoring and controlling anyone inside.
[+] [-] unbanned|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tokumei|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TeeMassive|4 years ago|reply
For me putting my SO profile in my resume really was a boon that allowed me to skip a lot of the technical interview (not all of it, of course).
[+] [-] emptysongglass|4 years ago|reply
You sound like someone who has exactly zero dealings with AWS support. They set the bar in this industry. The first thing I do when I join a new employer is reach out to our Account Manager or Technical Account Manager at AWS to set up bi-weekly cadence meetings and ask for specific criticism from their Solutions Architects on whatever I'm thinking of implementing. They will ask my team for feedback on next features they're thinking to implement.
They have been the finest design partners I have ever encountered. I consider my last AM a friend.
Your comment is of such poor quality, it should be flagged for misinformation, and I almost never flag here on HN, even on politically divisive subjects.
[+] [-] amznbyebyebye|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] artursapek|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] anothernewdude|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] staticassertion|4 years ago|reply
Like literally everyone else?
[+] [-] jsemrau|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] srvmshr|4 years ago|reply
I see the whole point of certification driven approval & self-styled AWS ninjas/ gurus/ experts as the failure of a system to efficiently provide its services to a commmon consumer. You shouldn't be needing a microdegree to run a service that you have taken up by own volition to build projects on
[+] [-] joebiden2024|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Handytinge|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mmahemoff|4 years ago|reply
As long as StackExchange keeps publishing under Creative Commons, I don't know why anyone would bother making their own Q&A forum, even a platform as big as AWS. Programmers would rather have a one-stop-shop for all their questions, which often cut across multiple topics anyway.
[+] [-] 41b696ef1113|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] addicted|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tibbar|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] philliphaydon|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jvolkman|4 years ago|reply
Which account? My org root account? Dev account for some product? Doesn't seem to support AWS SSO.
The multi-account story is one of my least favorite things about AWS. It all just seems so kludgy.
[+] [-] newjersey|4 years ago|reply
Maybe this place isn't for random people like me to answer random questions we find but rather for AWS staff to not have to repeat the same answers a thousand times.
» There is no requirement to sign in to AWS re:Post to browse the content. I wish they extended this to asking questions as well. Like I don't want to associate asking question to my work$. Why would I if questions are public?
[+] [-] mellavora|4 years ago|reply
Contrast with the horror stories which show up here every now and then about Google, how a random post on YouTube leads to being locked out of email and the cloud hosting used to power your side-gig (or full time gig).
Why should my on-line shopping account be linked to the work I do for client #1? Or client #2? or to (one of) my hobby and remote back-up solutions?
One account for each use-category. Clear and clean firewalls.
[+] [-] morpheuskafka|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] orf|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kunchamharsha|4 years ago|reply
Though the enterprise support is excellent on AWS, using its own customers to answer their questions is absolute free loading.
There's nothing stopping them from adding the forum membership, as part of their business package deals down the lane.
[+] [-] albert_e|4 years ago|reply
That seems rather clunky to me
I prefer anonymity and no linkage to my actual AWS account
[+] [-] fragmede|4 years ago|reply
One wrinkle though is NDA'd information. It becomes very difficult to help with certain AWS issues without access to implementation details which they hide behind NDAs. This information is critical for dealing with a certain class of problem. Some answers will have to be very circumspect to the point of being unhelpful without access to the NDA'd information.
> Help my Redshift loads aren't working because <details>!
> Umm... yeah don't do that, do <fix> but I can't tell you why that fixes it or any information to help you reason about the system to avoid similar problems in the future. (But you can hire me as a consultant!)"
[+] [-] vyrotek|4 years ago|reply
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/index.html
[+] [-] charlieyu1|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] theden|4 years ago|reply
In my opinion, don't give Amazon a second of your free time unless they're paying you.
[+] [-] nokya|4 years ago|reply
I am supposed to provide credentials to either a "root" account or an "IAM" account.
Assuming I have neither, I do not use AWS by myself and just want to take part in the discussion forums, should I create a root account or an IAM account?
[+] [-] whoevercares|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aitchnyu|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] ironfootnz|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
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