I agree that arrogance is bad .. but a helpful attitude can look like arrogance to a closed mind.

I see three possible responses to a technical question:

  1. Here's the answer.
  2. Why are you doing it that way?
  3. If you do it that way, you'll likely encounter the following problems ..
Any or all of these might be in an answer. #1 should always be present .. #2 probes gently, to see if the questioner understands some of the underlying issues at work, and #3 is more direct, possibly lecturing.

I understand people don't like to be lectured, but I suppose some of the bretheren come off like that. I bet if merlyn were mechanical, he'd have deep grooves in his eyeballs from the number of times that he's rolled his eyes when someone asks about parsing CGI parameters themselves (or anything that deserves the response "Why re-invent the wheel?"). It's not surprising that some responses from this community go straight to #3. This is bad?

Of course, if you come to The Monastery seeking wisdom (or even knowledge), don't be surprised when someone tries to teach you -- even if you don't realize it at the time.

--t. alex
Life is short: get busy!

In reply to Re: Re: Answering questions and questioning questions by talexb
in thread Answering questions and questioning questions by talexb

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