If you only read one document in your programming career, please read this: (understand that there is some language used that might consider this either PG-13, or "R") http://catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html As I used to tell my students: You don't have to know the answer; you just have to know where to find the answer. Cheers! -- Smug

great suggestions in there - good find!

Thanks Smug, Will definitely go through this. But I reckon here on Buzztouch we can ask our skilled friends before spending 3 days googling :)

I agree with the general premise of the article - that you should spend some time trying to solve the problem before you ask - but I absolutely don't agree with ever being rude or a jerk about it. Yeah, some people take the lazy way and ask without even trying. Those people are obvious, and you can choose to help them or not. More than likely, the answer will come slower to those people than the people who actually tried to figure something out, provided good debug data, etc. Those people actually give us something to work with, and helping them is ultimately easier and more satisfying. But the reason I LOVE the buzztouch forum, and dislike most others, is because we tend to treat EVERYBODY here with respect. I've helped my fair share of people who obviously didn't make the slightest effort to find an answer to their problem before asking. And I've helped a ton of people who tried extremely hard, and still couldn't figure it out. But in either case, the help is the same, from multiple people, and it's always helpful and respectful. Ultimately, I love the people who try to help themselves. But I also HAVE A CHOICE in who I help or don't help. If I don't think they've tried hard enough, and I'm not in the mood to type something out, I can just ignore the question. In a volunteer society like this, nobody is forced to help anybody. So, if you do choose to answer a question, you should do so respectfully, because YOU MADE THE CHOICE to answer it. Just my two cents! Mark

Thanks @Mark, and @smug It's definitely your being lively and helpful (like lots of others in the forums) that has especially caught my respect and favor to Buzztouch. This aspect is definitely one of the main strengths of Buzztouch's SWOT analysis! You've all made a great deal of learning possible.

ok will remember to do my homework first before I ask :)