I agree with you completely. Beginners have enough problems without being flamed for asking questions. This also goes for people that feel that they have the answers to others' questions. Don't be afraid to speak up. If there is a flaw in your answer and someone points it out, you still learned something in the process. I think that's one of the real strengths of a peer list like this one.
There is one thing that people should keep in mind. Be as specific as possible. Whenever possible try to include both the error message or incorrect output AND what you did to get it. This will make the whole process go faster and get you more accurate responses. -----Original Message----- From: Ron Goral To: Perl Beginners Sent: 4/24/02 7:17 AM Subject: RE: Improving the Quality of Our Beginners was Re: Write permissions and other rights I have only recently started using Perl and the *NIX environment. I am grounded in C++ using MFC in a Windows NT environment. Up until a few weeks ago, the idea of having to set file permissions in order to execute a bit 'o code was foreign to me as well. In fact, there are many aspects of Perl coding (whether for cgi or whatever) that just do not strike me in a "natural" way. I have not been raised on *NIX, therefore I don't know how *NIX operates. Yes, I can read the perldocs and the manpages, but, incredibly, these are written with the notion that I have a half a clue about how to interpret what "chmod" means. And yes, yes, yes, reading more and more documents means that eventually, you will come to understand a word or two here or there. However, the plain and simple fact is that until there is a document written that assumes the reader knows NOTHING AT ALL about the *NIX environment or what an "awk" is (yes, I finally know that awk is a shell language), there is an incredible need for a forum where a potential coder can come ask the obvious. Since this list is called "Beginners" and not "Intermediate" or "Have half a clue", this is as good a place as any to ask those kind of questions. If it bothers you to see those kind of questions, then move up the food chain and find a more advanced list. If it bothers you to answer those questions, then don't!!! Notice the word "potential" above. That is important. Most of us reading and writing to this list are beginners. We are therefore "potential" coders. If the Perl community is such that it will flame a FNG for asking a question, then I'd rather spend my time learning VB. I can certainly make more money and there is a very good IDE for it. Besides, we all know the adage, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life." They always leave off the part that says "But, smack him upside the head for asking a "stupid" question and the world will loose a potential fisherman. And you will gain a potential enemy." Well, I've said more than enough and I have better things to do. "Kudos" to drieux and those like him who know better than most of us here and take the time to explain how and why. BTB drieux, I was one of those "90 day wonders" who was lucky enough to have had excellent NCOs to teach me what life was really like. I should write a book entitled "All I Really Needed To Know I Learned From My Platoon Sergeant". Peace In Christ - Ron Goral [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
