Re: Lua-tutor list? was function pointers in Lua

[KHMan <keinhong@...>]

Patrick wrote:
> "Cynthia was not being rude, just asked a question: mixing Lua and C 
> when you're starting off is definitely starting at the deep end of the 
> pool"
> [snip]
> I feel really bad for the rude comments directed at Cynthia and this is 
> what prompted my thread-starting post but in fact this is the most 
> polite list I have ever joined [snip]

I would hazard to guess that some of us (including myself) 
sometimes react badly when we perceive, whether correctly or 
incorrectly, that there was a lack of effort put into resolving a 
problem.

The hacker's credo greatly esteems problem-solving ability. Now, 
if someone starts asking elementary questions too often, this may 
be, perhaps unfairly, perceived as 'spamming' the list for 
convenient help for each and every little problem that crop up. 
Her last question [1] was also rather sloppy and did not appear to 
constitute usable sample code.

So anyone wanting to help would need to spend extra effort to 
parse and analyze the query. It may be perceived that someone is 
imposing on the community, and using up time and effort in too 
many elementary stuff, as if the community is a private tutor. The 
question is, should the community's effort be directed at 
indulging each and every such query and to what extent? Some in 
the community might be unhappy with such behaviour if it persists.

One should not depend on the list for each and every problem that 
crops up. Each and every IT person or engineer must learn a degree 
of problem-solving skills. Problem-solving skills has to be 
learned the hard way through a sizable investment of time and 
effort (where 'expert' often involves 10 years or more of personal 
development, whether in the sciences or the arts) -- perhaps an 
alien concept in a world replete with instant dime-a-dozen 
celebrities.

Had I been following the thread more closely, I may well have 
snapped at Cynthia too. If Cynthia is a high school student, then 
Thomas Lauer's comments may have been too harsh, but if Cynthia 
has an IT degree, for example, then surely the onus is on her to 
do some homework and invest some time and effort to boost her 
knowledge of the needed thingies. As discussed earlier, without 
proper context, we cannot tailor our response to suit. Thomas 
Lauer has a point, but without information on proper context (and 
no telepathy), he could not tailor a 'perfect' reply.

I hope Cynthia treats this as a learning experience and I hope she 
re-evaluate what she needs to do. Problem solving by asking around 
anyone can do; doing problem solving yourself is a valuable skill, 
but it cannot be gained without effort expended. Remember, 
December 2012 is just around the corner; it doesn't hurt to be 
self-sufficient in problem solving... ;-)

[1] http://lua-users.org/lists/lua-l/2009-11/msg00763.html

--
Cheers,
Kein-Hong Man (esq.)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia