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How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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Edvard:
Y'know it's not the question that is stupid, it's the way it's asked is not likely to get a good answer.
Let's rephrase the theoretical poster:
Subject:New Gignaplextor card troubles - Need suggestions.
Message:Hi all, I bought a new Gignaplextor Supervidium 2.0 GTIIIx ver. 2.5a from Good Deals yesterday.
I installed the card and drivers (with the included driver disk) I rebooted to a black screen and hung system.
I re-installed my old video card (so I could have a working system to do troubleshooting) and hit Google. A post on another forum suggested downloading the new drivers from the manufacturers website, I did so and the same result. There are no posts relating to this card behaving badly with my old motherboard (a PXD Technor 7J with integrated flux capacitance) but I've had problems with video memory not being recognized before. A driver update and a BIOS setting fixed it, but I wonder if anyone else has had problems with this card.
BTW- I am running DoorsOS YQ Service pack e9th54 on a 3.11432GHz box with 4G RAM
--- End quote ---
Now, isn't that better? A few minutes spent putting some details on your post and I bet you'll get more help than you can shake a Gig-stick at...

Concerning Mr. "CANZ U TEECH ME 2 H@CK? I WANNA B A 1337 H@X0R!" you could even re-phrase that and end up learning more than you want to know:
Subject: Need hacking help, really it's for a good cause...
Message: Hey guys, I think my uncle is surfing kiddie porn and I want to stop him. The only way is to find evidence on his box, and he never lets his laptop out of his sight, so I'm going to have to hack in. The only lead I have is an ip I ripped from when he IM'd me a week ago. I have nmap and a few other tools, can anybody give me advice on how to crack this jerk? PM me or let's get together on IRC.

--- End quote ---
:Thmbsup:

housetier:
Definitions:
elitea person who has great, vast, huge knowledge about a certain topicnooba person who seeks one of the elite for help in their field of expertise

When the elite come down to help the noobs they should be prepared to explain the same thing over and over and over and over again. They will face the same questions with the same (obvious for the elite) answers several times a day, day in, day out.

A noob is a noob is a noob and therefore does not know the protocol of dealing with the elite yet. Hence, the elite need a lot of diplomacy. Helping these noobs takes effort: time and energy. And only seldomly will there be a reward.

These rules were made by the elite to give them the good feeling of helping, while at the same time reducing their efforts. Now the noob not only faces a problem, he or she also must follow an unknown protocol before help is graciously given. To see the wisdom of these rules requires experience, which the noobs by definition can not have.

If the elite doesn't have the time or energy to help, then they shouldn't try to. No one can force them to help. If the stupidity is too much, don't listen. If the questions just hurt your sense of logic, don't even consider answering. From a wrong sense of duty the elite created these rules to help, except they only help to easy the elite's pain and not solve the noob's problem.

I was once a noob and was treated badly by the elite I sought for help. After a while I had learned their protocol and got along with them, even behaved like them and, like them, looked down upon other noobs. One day I realised what I was doing and totally left that community for good. I will never return to them, instead I am doing what they are trying to do, except I do it my way. And I also spend a lot of time and energy to help - if I choose to help, that is. Sometimes I am not in the mood, so I ignore all questions; and I don't feel bad about it at all: When I can't help properly I don't help at all. Otherwise it's a double-waste of time and energy: mine's and that of the noob.


Wow, I didn't think it would turn out this long. But this topic is important to me, I have seen noobs being treated so badly, I am still ashamed of it  :(  It's been 5 years since or so, but I am still so ashamed...
* housetier submits this now before it gets longer yet

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