Wouter van Ooijen voti.nl> writes: >=20 > >> Why on earth is such a comment unacceptable when it is basically true, > >> and could potentially steer the OP towards a course that has more chan= ce > >> of success? (Like the two light bulbs, a relais, and a temperture sens= or > >> - who exactly suggested this??). > > > > This comment is not acceptable because it actively discourages a person= from > > learning. >=20 > I don't recall a rule that forbids discouraging of learning. >=20 > Secondly, learning is best done in moderate steps, not too small, not=20 > too large. The optimal size depends on a lot of factors, the personality= =20 > of the learner being the largest factor. So the blanket statement that=20 > steering someone to a more modest goal is discouraging him is false. >=20 You are right, there is no formal rule that forbids discouraging of learnin= g.=20 However, the encouraging of learning is, at least in my view, an implicit g= oal of the list.=20 Second part is heavily dependent on interpretation. I see that the followin= g two statements will have vastly different effect, although they communicate sim= ilar idea: 1. "If you've got a problem with something so basic, then a PIC temperature controller is way over your head." - quote of a quote from your previous po= st 2. "Before getting to PIC temperature controller, I suggest you read/learn/review xyz. It will help in understanding of the problem and developing your PIC application". - an alternative suggestion I also agree that learning is best done in moderate steps (in most cases). = Also, as you are noting above, the personality of the learner is defining factor,= not personality of someone on the list who spent maybe 2 min to type a good technical answer, and then another 30 min bashing the poster. As I mentioned, we are moving into a realm of interpretation, and as such w= e probably will not be able to have all people to agree on a single point of = view. I respect that, and suggest that we "agree to disagree" and be polite abou= t it. (so far at least this portion of general discussion was polite). I look forward to your reply, and will probably stop this discussion unless= your reply contains a direct question.=20 Best regards, Sergey Dryga http://beaglerobotics.com --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .