How to torment Samaritans

[Monique Y. Mudama]

["Followup-To:" header set to comp.lang.java.help.] On 2005-10-08,
Bjorn Abelli penned:

Sometimes a simple question from an OP is enough to express the
problem, and in those cases no code is needed.

Here we go. This is exactly what bugs me about responding to every
post with a request for a sasquatch, or whatever that acronym is. It
doesn't address the real need, which is "Give us enough information to
help you." That's the real point.

 

[Thomas G. Marshall]

Monique Y. Mudama coughed up:

["Followup-To:" header set to comp.lang.java.help.]

I've never liked this. If what you want is to keep your discussion out of
clj.programmer, then you should have restricted your post to .help. Don't
post in both places and attempt to restrict the replies.

They don't have enough clue to figure out that "my program doesn't
work, someone help me!" isn't enough information for anyone to help,
but they do have enough clue to figure out why they're being
ignored, and enough clue *and* patience to stick around and observe
which questions get answered and which don't? Maybe this is just
bad attitude on my part, but that seems unlikely to me.

Not to be a jerk, but if they can't figure out simple stuff like that,
I don't see how they'll ever amount to anything as a developer
(programmer, engineer, designer, architect). On some level, I don't
see the point of helping them.[/QUOTE]

Again, I think that learning /how/ to ask is part of what they have to learn
to be a good developer. So I don't generally react harshly to questions
that are asked in what may seem a thoughtless fashion. /Generally/ that is.
I do tend to be vigorous (and hopefully not insulting) about educating
people about what subject lines to use.

 

[Roedy Green]

Brilliant!

I think the rest of the world uses "snippet".

 

[Roedy Green]

You are absolutely right Roedy. I stayed a way from the comp.lang.java.*
groups for some weeks,

I get angry every once in a while at those who demand others do the
impossible and are unwilling to put effort into solving their own
problems. Every once so often I just withdraw in disgust.

However, I remember my long term goal of helping spread computer
literacy to the entire planet. I can do that despite these twits.

There have been some promising newbies recently, e.g. Ajay, who
plugged away and plugged away diligently to solve his thread problem,
or Lindsay who tackled reflection.

I am much quicker to plonk than before. I see it more as prioritising
my time.

One thing I have noticed is the old timers work are working together
more smoothly than ever. That makes posting here more fun than ever.
It is nice to know that someone else will fill in the holes in your
knowledge without publicly humiliating you.

 

[Thomas G. Marshall]

Roedy Green coughed up:

I get angry every once in a while at those who demand others do the
impossible and are unwilling to put effort into solving their own
problems. Every once so often I just withdraw in disgust.

However, I remember my long term goal of helping spread computer
literacy to the entire planet. I can do that despite these twits.

Try to look at it this way.

These "twits" are not blocking your way and in your face demanding money at
an airport. They are in a room with their hand raised in the air asking for
help. You periodically walk by this room. Some try hard to help
themselves, some do not.

You have two sensible choices regarding those who do not try hard: 1. help
them, or 2. ignore them.

Getting agravated at them for not helping themselves is not sensible IMO.


....[rip]...

 

[steve]

I get angry every once in a while at those who demand others do the
impossible and are unwilling to put effort into solving their own
problems. Every once so often I just withdraw in disgust.

However, I remember my long term goal of helping spread computer
literacy to the entire planet. I can do that despite these twits.

There have been some promising newbies recently, e.g. Ajay, who
plugged away and plugged away diligently to solve his thread problem,
or Lindsay who tackled reflection.

I am much quicker to plonk than before. I see it more as prioritising
my time.

One thing I have noticed is the old timers work are working together
more smoothly than ever. That makes posting here more fun than ever.
It is nice to know that someone else will fill in the holes in your
knowledge without publicly humiliating you.

you want to know about public humiliation , then pop over to
"comp.databases.oracle.misc"

there's a guy "DA Morgan" who's been hanging about in the group for years, k
he's a bit crusty with newbies, but he is knowledgeable.

there's a log running "flame war" with "fabian pascal" an sql purist.
this is what "fabians" site says

"Fabian Pascal has a national and international reputation as an independent
technology analyst, consultant, author, and instructor of seminars"


so fabin posts a link to an article
http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf
basically insinuating that the whole group is 'scientifically' classed as
incompetent morons, apart from him.

very funny.

 

[Bjorn Abelli]

Henry Townsend wrote or quoted :


I think the rest of the world uses "snippet".

"Examplet" is used in e.g. the "Java Developers Almanac", with the following
definition:


"Examplets are code snippets that illustrate a particular task. They're
designed to show which classes and members are involved in performing the
task, and how the classes and members interact with each other. You will see
blue italicized text in an examplet; this indicates code that should be
replaced if you use it in your program.

An examplet can have enough detail for you to use it, as is. Or you might
have to get more information about the involved classes. A good place to
find information about the Java 2 Platform APIs is the Java 2 Platform API
index."


I intrepret this as something more elaborated than just a "snippet", so it
would work for me.

Not quite an SSCCE, but maybe enough... ;-)

// Bjorn A

 

[Chris Uppal]

"Examplet" is used in e.g. the "Java Developers Almanac", with the
following definition: [...]

Bah! I might have known someone would have beaten me to it (</sob>).

-- chris