in reply to Is this the right way to learn?
By answering those questions, I am not actually helping, I am slowly killing the guy, mentally…
I think it is respectful to assume that the poster knows what is best for himself rather than to presume I know better.
I can choose whether or not to answer and I needn't have any reason more substantial than a whim, but it would be arrogant to decline to answer under the assumption that answering correctly would do more harm than good. That's simply not my call to make.
So, if you are inclined to answer a person's question but are hesitant to do so because you suspect you'd be hurting his education in the long run by helping him in the short one, then I suggest you simply ask him if that is the case. A short few sentences like
I've noticed you've asked several related questions. You've gotten answers but they are only helping you incrementally and that doesn't seem like a very efficient way to go about learning this stuff. Are you getting the help you need?would probably suffice. Perhaps he will say no and ask for your advice on a better approach. Or maybe he will say yes, that he is just trying to get through one project and never plans on writing another line of Perl when he is through. Then again, he might ignore you altogether and post yet another question when he hits his next snag, leaving you with the same choices you had before but probably less inclined to be helpful. In any case, there's no point in guessing or worrying that you might be "slowly killing the guy" with your answers.
-sauoq "My two cents aren't worth a dime.";
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