[Tutor] STUPID telnet connection question

[Steven D'Aprano]

davidheiserca at gmail.com wrote:
> 
> I think Steven and Alan misunderstood the Rayon's question.
> 
> Rayon is using his telnet script to pass commands to a device ONE AT A 
> TIME. Then he breaks the connection and reconnects for the next command..
> 
> He is asking how to open a telnet connection, pass MULTIPLE commands, 
> then close the session.

Do you know this for a fact, or are you guessing?

Perhaps you are right.

To be honest, such an interpretation never even crossed my mind. I 
wouldn't have imagined that somebody who knows enough to get a telnet 
connection working *at all* would do this:

login
write(command)
write(exit)
login
write(command)
write(exit)
login
write(command)
write(exit)

instead of

login
write(command)
write(command)
write(command)
write(exit)


Or have I misunderstood what you are suggesting?


> In my opinion, both of your responses border on rude. This mailing list 
> is supposedly for beginners who often don't even know enough to 
> formulate a clear question. If some of the more senior members ridicule 
> the beginner's stupid questions, how will he or anyone else learn anything.

Perhaps our responses were a little brusque. But unlike others, we took 
the time to answer as best we could, and point Rayon towards the 
information we need to give a better answer. Would you rather that we 
just ignored him? What message does that send to Rayon?

I for one would *much* prefer to be told to RTFM (or ask a better 
question) than to be ignored.


> If I were a shy beginning programmer, these responses would probably 
> cause me to think twice before asking any stupid questions. Why put 
> myself out there for ridicule?

Good! You should think twice before asking a stupid question! Don't just 
fire off the first incoherent question that pops into your head. Try 
your best to ask a good question: rudeness goes both ways. We are all 
volunteers, giving our time and experience for free. If people want our 
help, they should do their best to ask a clear question and not waste 
everybody's time with contradictory, unclear questions.

People will forgive a lot if it is clear that you're making an effort.


> There are no stupid questions! There are only stupid teachers.

That is a thought-terminating cliché. Look it up on Wikipedia if you 
don't know what it means.

Of course there are genuinely stupid questions. I've asked my share of 
them myself, and I'm sure I'll continue to doing so.

Some stupid questions indicate ignorance, which can be fixed. Others 
indicate carelessness, laziness, or -- let's be honest to ourselves -- 
actual stupidity. Or a combination of all four.

"Was it you or your brother who died in the war?", as the old joke goes.

Or if you prefer a real example, I can hardly do better than to quote 
Charles Babbage:

     On two occasions I have been asked,—"Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you
     put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come
     out?" In one case a member of the Upper, and in the other a
     member of the Lower, House put this question. I am not able
     rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could
     provoke such a question.

So please, no more with the cheesy platitude that there are no stupid 
questions.



-- 
Steven