[Tutor] Homework and the Tutor list

[Jerry Hill]

>    I would have to agree with you Ian.  Coming from an art then computer
> animation visual effects background, it's not until recently that it became
> evident to me that in order to push the potential of this medium, I would
> definitely have to learn to code.  I think the stigma of the "homework
> bandwagon" comes from the very nature of coding and it's secretive and
> cryptic undertones, it's something very personal in the sense that, although
> there is usually more than 1 way to solve a problem, there's always "THE
> MOST" and more efficient way IMHO, that some people are just not willing to
> share. And, of course, this most efficient way utilizes less memory and
> resources.  This is why I always feel apprehensive to post so I purchased
> many books on python, and until I've gone through them and feel competent
> enough to post, then I'll post, which to me does no good.  Thank you for
> your insight, it makes me feel a little bet more human and inspires me not
> to give up.

I don't think that's true at all.  I think people here are happy to
help, including by posting working, efficient, code.  What we try to
avoid is having students come here with their assignments and have us
do their schoolwork for them.  I'm not sure how long you've been
subscribed to the list, but this happens on a regular basis.

If you're concerned that people will think you're looking for help
with homework, just tell us up front that it's not a homework problem.
 If it *is* a homework problem, tell us that up front too, and people
will still be happy to help, though less likely to post working code,
and more likely to try and work with you to get you to figure out the
solution on your own.

In all cases, you are most likely to get useful help if you do a
couple of things:
Tell us what you're trying to accomplish and why, as clearly as you can.

Post some code that tries to solve the problem, but doesn't work
right.  Ideally, post code that is self contained (so that other
people can run it too), along with any error messages (including the
full stack trace, if one is generated), and what your desired result
is.

Try to give us the big picture of what you're doing, as well as the
details of the problem you're having.  Sometimes we can point you to
an entirely different approach that will work better.

-- 
Jerry