Timeline for Refusing to give teh codez, good or bad practice?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2014 at 20:20 | comment | added | Håkan Lindqvist | @JamesRyan The problem with sharing your knowledge in an answer to a poorly stated question is that it's less likely to actually help anyone else and for redundant questions it can easily end up just being wasteful. As for the original point, I'm not arguing against answering specifics/providing examples when that actually serves a purpose other than spoonfeeding the OP but I do think that going straight for the very specifics runs the risk of not teaching anyone anything worthwhile (including the OP). If there are specifics that remain unclear it's always possible to ask for clarification. | |
| Mar 31, 2014 at 10:46 | comment | added | JamesRyan | @HåkanLindqvist as I said, you should not forget that the info is for people other than the OP too. Regardless of whether you are inclined to help the OP, even a badly asked question is an opportunity to share some knowledge with the wider audience of people who find the question later with a similar problem. Often the devil is in the details, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing that someone has dealt with the same issue but given too general an explanation to fill in the vital assumption or implication that you are missing. | |
| Mar 30, 2014 at 14:11 | comment | added | Håkan Lindqvist | @JamesRyan I don't think that "them being lazy" and "you just not being very helpful" are distinct options at all, I rather think that there is a strong correlation between lazy questions and people having a less helpful attitude. I would actually go as far as saying that widespread laziness can easily make people reading the questions feel frustrated and/or used, which can lead to spite instead of helpfulness. | |
| Mar 24, 2014 at 4:18 | comment | added | strugee | if they had read the documentation, we shouldn't have to assume this. OP should have mentioned that they had done so in their question. | |
| Mar 22, 2014 at 14:38 | comment | added | JamesRyan | A generic answer is all very well but often people are stuck on the specifics. It takes more effort to understand exactly which part they haven't got if you don't just go through the whole process. (don't forget a question is for others than the OP too) There is fine line between them being lazy and you just not being very helpful. | |
| Mar 20, 2014 at 21:42 | comment | added | dawud | Good point. Thanks! | |
| Mar 20, 2014 at 21:30 | history | answered | Zoredache | CC BY-SA 3.0 |