Many newcomers to CP QA experience ...
-
Not to worry, Mika, you are angelic :) cheers, Bill
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
-
Sorry about that, Jorgen. Will try to keep it less baroque. cheers, Bill
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
No worries, I'm the one that should excuse myself for drawing to fast conclusions, when my English simply failed me.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
-
Ah, Sascha, sorry about that; I get to drinking my hot soy-milk with palm-tree sugar late at night, and get a bit carried away. Vocabulary may be the only thing I've got going for me. I respect your helpful efforts in QA ! cheers, Bill
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
No worries, Bill, I got it eventually and it's fun to get my English skills challenged :D
BillWoodruff wrote:
I respect your helpful efforts in QA !
Not an awful lot, lately, but thank you. After returning from my break I'm having the impression that the topics of questions have moved away from my expertise.
BillWoodruff wrote:
Vocabulary may be the only thing I've got going for me.
That's not the case! cheers, Sascha
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
-
No worries, Bill, I got it eventually and it's fun to get my English skills challenged :D
BillWoodruff wrote:
I respect your helpful efforts in QA !
Not an awful lot, lately, but thank you. After returning from my break I'm having the impression that the topics of questions have moved away from my expertise.
BillWoodruff wrote:
Vocabulary may be the only thing I've got going for me.
That's not the case! cheers, Sascha
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
Sascha Lefèvre wrote:
my English skills challenged
Bill can certainly do that.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
-
A warm welcome: [^]. (.gif file, SFW&K) First, a down-vote within five minutes of their post. Then a comment that often suggests the OP is mentally-challenged in some way. And, then, within fifteen minutes, either a sermon on homework posted as solution, or a solution that may/may-not have some relevance to the OP's concerns no matter the fact they have not yet answered questions in more serious comments that are really necessary to make any educated guess as to what the question is about. However, lest I give a too hellish flaneur's perspective: within the chthonic technical darkness of this nether-realm, certain angelic presences float, touching with light the dark corners of the mysteries of Linq and ASP, and other demi-urgic entities that must only be referred to by their initials. I dare name a few: OriginalGriff, Richard MacCutchan, Richard Deeming, Sascha Lefevre, Mika Wendelius, but, there are more. Yep, it's just like the real world.
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
-
I do try to give posters the benefit of the doubt. But when I see a question like "Please send college registration source code", or "My thesis is due tomorrow, please give solution", I do have a faint urge to scream.
If they post anything like that, there is no doubt anymore.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
-
Yes, but at the same time the "show him that his message is more of an insult than a question" should be posted as a comment; not as a solution. Similarly; when a poster asks about doing
X, a response of "try doingYinstead" is not a solution and should be posted as a comment/question.There are poor questions and poor answers - you have pointed out one category of the latter. Unfortunately it leads to new "contributors" taking the lead from old hands especially when they see these cut and pasted homilies upvoted by the attendant acolytes.
Peter Wasser "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
-
A warm welcome: [^]. (.gif file, SFW&K) First, a down-vote within five minutes of their post. Then a comment that often suggests the OP is mentally-challenged in some way. And, then, within fifteen minutes, either a sermon on homework posted as solution, or a solution that may/may-not have some relevance to the OP's concerns no matter the fact they have not yet answered questions in more serious comments that are really necessary to make any educated guess as to what the question is about. However, lest I give a too hellish flaneur's perspective: within the chthonic technical darkness of this nether-realm, certain angelic presences float, touching with light the dark corners of the mysteries of Linq and ASP, and other demi-urgic entities that must only be referred to by their initials. I dare name a few: OriginalGriff, Richard MacCutchan, Richard Deeming, Sascha Lefevre, Mika Wendelius, but, there are more. Yep, it's just like the real world.
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
-
There are poor questions and poor answers - you have pointed out one category of the latter. Unfortunately it leads to new "contributors" taking the lead from old hands especially when they see these cut and pasted homilies upvoted by the attendant acolytes.
Peter Wasser "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
Exactly.
-
I'm very twisted on this matter. While I do restrain myself from posting unfriendly comments and not-really-solutions even when it really itches I can often relate when I see someone else doing that. Not in every case of course and I don't know what "the final trigger" for your message was. So the remainder here might be more of a general rant. There are that many "questions" from people who obviously are too bone-idle to read the manual or to google and barefaced enough at the same time thinking they can find a mug here, doing their work for them. I'm not expecting questions of a quality like on StackOverflow in Q&A but it's not even on the same scale. If someone is looking for help he should treat those who he's asking with some respect and that should include trying on his own first, googling and then making some effort in writing his question in a way that it can be understood easily. Failing all that there should be some measure to show him that his message is more of an insult than a question.
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
And with the odd changes to the Stack Overflow licensing model, we might see more people popping over to CP to try alternatives (although to be fair I don't know what the CP licensing model is) which means we'll have a lot more newbs to feast upon upset and confused users.
Er, I can't think of a funny signature right now. How about a good fart to break the silence?
-
A warm welcome: [^]. (.gif file, SFW&K) First, a down-vote within five minutes of their post. Then a comment that often suggests the OP is mentally-challenged in some way. And, then, within fifteen minutes, either a sermon on homework posted as solution, or a solution that may/may-not have some relevance to the OP's concerns no matter the fact they have not yet answered questions in more serious comments that are really necessary to make any educated guess as to what the question is about. However, lest I give a too hellish flaneur's perspective: within the chthonic technical darkness of this nether-realm, certain angelic presences float, touching with light the dark corners of the mysteries of Linq and ASP, and other demi-urgic entities that must only be referred to by their initials. I dare name a few: OriginalGriff, Richard MacCutchan, Richard Deeming, Sascha Lefevre, Mika Wendelius, but, there are more. Yep, it's just like the real world.
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
-
A warm welcome: [^]. (.gif file, SFW&K) First, a down-vote within five minutes of their post. Then a comment that often suggests the OP is mentally-challenged in some way. And, then, within fifteen minutes, either a sermon on homework posted as solution, or a solution that may/may-not have some relevance to the OP's concerns no matter the fact they have not yet answered questions in more serious comments that are really necessary to make any educated guess as to what the question is about. However, lest I give a too hellish flaneur's perspective: within the chthonic technical darkness of this nether-realm, certain angelic presences float, touching with light the dark corners of the mysteries of Linq and ASP, and other demi-urgic entities that must only be referred to by their initials. I dare name a few: OriginalGriff, Richard MacCutchan, Richard Deeming, Sascha Lefevre, Mika Wendelius, but, there are more. Yep, it's just like the real world.
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
And how is this different from what the lounge flame warriors are always saying when they bash stack overflow? :confused::confused::confused::confused:
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
-
A warm welcome: [^]. (.gif file, SFW&K) First, a down-vote within five minutes of their post. Then a comment that often suggests the OP is mentally-challenged in some way. And, then, within fifteen minutes, either a sermon on homework posted as solution, or a solution that may/may-not have some relevance to the OP's concerns no matter the fact they have not yet answered questions in more serious comments that are really necessary to make any educated guess as to what the question is about. However, lest I give a too hellish flaneur's perspective: within the chthonic technical darkness of this nether-realm, certain angelic presences float, touching with light the dark corners of the mysteries of Linq and ASP, and other demi-urgic entities that must only be referred to by their initials. I dare name a few: OriginalGriff, Richard MacCutchan, Richard Deeming, Sascha Lefevre, Mika Wendelius, but, there are more. Yep, it's just like the real world.
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
I blame Google! :-) Okay, it is societal and Google at an intersection. A long time ago, you had to Google 3-5 variations on your question (I still do sometimes), to find what you are looking for. Using alternative words, etc. But, Google got good enough that your first guess is usually right (for non-technical things), so often, that you rarely google twice for "facts/information". My daughter is 16. If her first Google attempt fails. She assumes the answer simply does not exist! (she also hollers into my office FROM her keyboard for the spelling of words, which I tell her to Google in another tab, so there is intrinsic laziness going on as well). Somehow we have to RE-EDUCATE people that "Searching" for an existing answer is NOT a single Google Search, but a series of well thought out searches. It is an attempt to FIND an answer, not just an obligatory quick search of the obvious. We have to get them to understand that their question will be read by MANY people. They will waste 1-2 minutes looking it over. Such that a question NOT ASKED is a real time saver, and a question that is asked but should not have been is Rude. But that last part flies in the face of "there is no such thing as a Stupid Question". Which I tend to believe in. And that, my friends is where the dilemma lies. The ignorance of not knowing enough to do an adequate search, nor having many other options other than asking a group that might know enough to simply answer your question. Kinda like being in a group and just throwing a question out there... Unfortunately, just throwing the questions out there is the problem. Maybe we collect the information, and generate the first 30 google searches they should do. And after they click the links, and spend some time, then they can post the question??? (until they get a reputation?)
-
A warm welcome: [^]. (.gif file, SFW&K) First, a down-vote within five minutes of their post. Then a comment that often suggests the OP is mentally-challenged in some way. And, then, within fifteen minutes, either a sermon on homework posted as solution, or a solution that may/may-not have some relevance to the OP's concerns no matter the fact they have not yet answered questions in more serious comments that are really necessary to make any educated guess as to what the question is about. However, lest I give a too hellish flaneur's perspective: within the chthonic technical darkness of this nether-realm, certain angelic presences float, touching with light the dark corners of the mysteries of Linq and ASP, and other demi-urgic entities that must only be referred to by their initials. I dare name a few: OriginalGriff, Richard MacCutchan, Richard Deeming, Sascha Lefevre, Mika Wendelius, but, there are more. Yep, it's just like the real world.
«Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.» Benjamin Franklin
Require a minimum number of characters for any QA question; and limit the maximum (so as to prevent posting reams of code). Calculate the Flesch Reading Ease of the question; if it false below a certain level, "encourage" the poster to reformat their question by otherwise rejecting it. Note that the poster needs to properly "style" (tag) the question's text versus any code for readability calculations ... (bonus: properly formatted text and code). The extra "thought" required to post a question should eliminate many triflers. A couple of hours / days to develop.