On Mon, 2008-01-21 at 15:46 -0600, Frank Cox wrote: > On Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:43:02 +0100 > François Patte <francois.patte@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > Why don't simply ignore them when they are stupid? > > I think it's because everyone wants to be as helpful as possible. There are a > lot of very nice folks who inhabit this mailing list, and everyone tries to do > the best they can to assist everyone who needs a hand. > Also if Karl doesn't get it, there will be other much more timid folk who also don't get it. When the answer that Karl understands is added to the archives, more people benefit than Karl. I know this from years of teaching people complex topics in Test Engineering. I could tell you some good stories about some classes, but those people were also serious about learning. Better to have helped them than to upset them or tease them. In turn they helped their friends and their company. They become better thought of, the company's profit increases, and everyone is a winner. Not hard, just hard to keep your composure sometimes. I often had to think of EX wife #2 who was Korean. When people would talk to her in the early stages of her arrival to the US, and she didn't understand them, they would move closer and repeat the same thing louder and slower. It didn't help. she could hear very well, was well educated, talented and capable woman. She wasn't deaf, she didn't understand English. All of the information about the OS is similar to speaking English to someone who is Korean. If they don't understand, shouting, name calling or posting the same references over and over doesn't accomplish anything and just reflects that we (all of us) sometimes have difficulty communicating, both reading and listening. Speaking and typing we do really well, but not well coupled to understanding sometimes. Regards, Les H
