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On Sun, 28 Jul 2013, bad apple wrote:
So, after some due reflection, considering how impossible it is to accurately draw a line between 'idiotic simplistic question that should never have been asked' and 'incredibly simplistic question honestly asked by the inexperienced' I have come to the conclusion that I need to change my mind. I'm not egotistical enough to believe I don't make mistakes, and that was one of them.
:-)I think this is yet another example where Postel's Law ("be liberal on what you receive and strict on what you send") applies: try to make some effort finding an answer to your question before posting it to the list, but try not to be too strict if others ask a question that can easily be found through Google.
(It is also good to keep in mind that it can be easy to overestimate the ease with which an answer can be found through Google by someone who knows very little on the subject.)
I'm still firmly of the opinion that people owe it to themselves to do due diligence though - it's not hard to google things before asking for help, the worst that can happen is it confuses you more, in which case it is worth mentioning that you've at least tried. Kind of like going to a foreign country and at least trying your inept linguistic skills on the natives - they'll laugh at you before replying in decent English, but they'll appreciate the effort, no matter how hapless it is. My moderate French and terrible Japanese are a case in point.
I like this example.Mind you, while I always make an effort to use their language when speaking to the natives here, no one has ever bothered to reply in Dutch. :-)
Martijn. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq