I've be frequenting PM daily for about a month now and have receive a lot of help from the people here. One thing that I've found interesting is how few flames I have come across (yes, there are some).

I have yet to have someone tell me to RTFD, even when they quote from some. This is really nice since instead of getting an earfull for asking an ignorant (not stupid) question, I now have a lot more places to look for my answers--yes, learning where to look can take as long as long to learn as how to program well.

So, here's a toast to all those who have enough self-confidence to help rather than flame.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
(Ovid) Re: What!? Where are the flames?
by Ovid (Cardinal) on Aug 06, 2001 at 23:53 UTC

    This is because we excercise, as Mad-Eye Moody would say, "Constant Vigilance!" (with apologies to those who don't get the Harry Potter reference).

    We have definitely had our share of flame-wars here. Without going into detail and posting links, I'll just say that we have managed to keep down the number of flames through peer pressure. Flames still occur, but when they happen, fellow monks politely (and sometimes not so politely), try to remind the errant monk that we are trying to foster a benevolent, tolerant community. Frankly, I think we've done a good job and will continue to do a good job.

    Cheers,
    Ovid

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[reply]
No Flames Here
by azatoth (Curate) on Aug 07, 2001 at 10:21 UTC

    It's nice to browse the Monastery at 7 AM and find such a pleasant post...

    A few points to build on Ovid's thoughts on the Monastery...

    I'm glad a newer member of our family has noticed the effort (by most monks) taken to make new additions feel a valid part of the community from the beginning. As I implored in New Posts / Laziness, we must all make this effort and ensure everybody goes the extra mile to accommodate.

    I think we all realise how a few helpful links to valuable information, provided with encouraging words and a welcome message serve our Perl public better than "RTFM, you swine! Don't bother me! I'm too busy surfing the net!" Well, if you're too busy surfing PerlMonks to reply properly and informatively to a question, what exactly are you doing while you're here?

    Perhaps this is the start of proving Casey West wrong?

    I never thought he was right in the first place :)

    Azatoth a.k.a Captain Whiplash

    Make Your Die Messages Full of Wisdom!
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[reply]
Re: What!? Where are the flames?
by zebedee (Pilgrim) on Aug 07, 2001 at 19:31 UTC
    Like melguin, I am a Perl and Perl Monks newbie, and it's such a pleasant place that I dip in every now and then and learn something new. Not sure what some monks are smoking, though, given some of the stuff that goes on in the chatterbox ;-)
[reply]
      ok, i'll be the jerk. it is definitely possible to naively ask a question that's readily resolvable by consulting the documentation. but it's also very possible to forget about your own responsibility in researching the approach you are taking. as was said in the original post, knowing where to look is a skill as well, and there's a difference between asking for the answer and asking where to look. sometimes the "nicest" thing you can do is tell someone to assume responsibility for themselves ... otherwise we'd all be lawyers, expecting others to take care of us.
[reply]
        Excellent point, and you're only a jerk if lose your cool when telling someone where to find the answer. Your approach seems closer to the "teach a man to fish..." philosophy, so I'd say that's a great thing.

        melguin.

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Re: What!? Where are the flames?
by bhar98 (Scribe) on Aug 08, 2001 at 17:09 UTC
    I have only used it once but one factor that probably helps reduce the flame content is the simple ability to ( -- ) a post. I am also quite new and also impressed with the friendly helpful nature of the Monastery. Peace!
[reply]
      With that in mind, a -- isn't always the best answer either. How do you expect those people to learn? I may get a -- on a node, but not know why I got a --. I would rather somebody come out and tell me that they thought I needed to do some more research because my answer is easily found in the camel book, or in perldoc perlfunc, etc. I personally would be grateful for a comment even (especially??) if I get a -- on a post.

      seanbo
[reply]

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