[Tutor] A rant about Tutor homework policy

[Todd Stephens]

On Saturday 14 June 2003 07:13 pm, tutor.python.org wrote:

> With all due respect to the great minds which inhabit this list, I wish
> to make known my opinion that this list would be more beneficial to all
> if homework-related questions were not discriminated against.

Hmm.  I understand your frustration, but not with this particular forum.  I 
have seen the attitude you refer to in numerous newsgroups where the regulars 
normally refer people to outdated and arcane HOWTOs and man pages that they 
most likely tried already.  I have not found that attitude on this list.  
When someone posts a request for help with a homework problem, it is often 
quite obvious that they have made no attempt at all to solve it.  Perhaps 
they took beginning programming thinking they would breeze through it and 
they found out they don't have the necessary thought process for such an 
endeavor.  Then I have seen people post obvious homework problems and get 
answers.  The difference is that those people usually include their own code 
that they tried and failed with.  In that case, the great minds here (and I 
am certainly not including myself in that category) *will* help and will 
usually explain how and why the code is wrong and give hints where to look to 
make it right.  It all comes down to the student and how much effort he/she 
is going to put into it.

-- 
Todd Stephens