Python Origins

[Miles R. Fidelman]

Nathan Gray (nospam at caltech.edu) wrote:
: What a rude response to a polite and legitimate question.
<snip>
: It's really upsetting how often I've seen this sort of response to a polite
: question on this newsgroup lately.  Tell me, what's so terrible with asking a
: group of experts for pointers when researching a subject?  It's a perfectly

Just to provide some perspective: I run a non-profit that focuses on on
telecom. policy issues. It's amazing how many times I get emails from
people asking for answers to incredibly basic questions - often ones that
are answered on the web site where they found my email address in the
first place.  

It's one thing to get questions from somebody who's done some basic
homework first, it's quite another to get questions that indicate that
someone hasn't done even the most rudimentary research on their
own. Personally, I find that particularly irsome when it comes from a
graduate student or author who could be expected to have some research
skills under their belts.

I always figure that people's time is a resource to use AFTER one has done
one's homework and is now stuck.

<snip>
: If you weren't going to help why did you even bother to reply?  One of the
: great merits of the Python community has always been the willingness of people
: on this newsgroup to help others with their questions.    Since you're so
: savvy why not just help the guy out instead of fueling up the flamethrower?

Now this I agree with. The amount of bandwidth consumed by jumping on
people is absurd :-)

Miles Fidelman