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RyanDev wrote: Why not offer help regardless of magnitude of project?
Myself I do offer help. But the type of help is different.
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Agreed. Assuming the person shows they have put forward the effort, help them. It is however a fine line. I think the amount of help varies based on what it is for. Homework the most abstract, regular work less abstract but not the exact code required, and for hobbyists it depends on what they are asking for. Sometimes I have a problem and I just need an example in code, not a copy/paste solution but more than hunting through the online documentation.
While still in college, I know sometimes my professors wanted us to work it out ourselves and if we couldn't figure it out, we were to ask them. This normally resulted in a similar answer to how questions suspected to be homework should be handled. "Here is how to think about it and I'm feeling generous so here is a bone... use recursion, it is the chapter we are currently studying." This helped them gauge how everyone was doing and how much help a student needed.
Throwing someone the code doesn't help anyone. It doesn't help the student because they don't learn and it doesn't help the community because we will have to support them later.
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The smarter ones disguise homework questions as work related help requests. It only takes a minute or two to add a few sentences that make it look as if the OP tried. Then watch others answer it for you for a few rep score points, and even fighting it out to see whose post gets marked as the answer. 
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Since before Q/A existed. The problem existed in the discussion fora as well.
RyanDev wrote: Whether it is homework, regular work, or hobby if someone asks a question they should all be treated the same.
Yes.
RyanDev wrote: Help if you can
Help comes in many forms. No one should be coddled. For many, the proper help is to say "try it yourself first".
You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.
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My college days predate the Internet, so make allowances in the following. Back then, the only source of help when you were working on a programming project were either your fellow classmates or the occasional tutor. Neither of them would give you any help unless you could show the work you'd done thus far. You were expected to put forth significant effort before you asked for help.
Homework questions in Q&A are reviled because there have been too many cases where the poster doesn't demonstrate what they've done on their own, and simply asks for the code.
Software Zen: delete this;
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Quote: Homework questions in Q&A are reviled because there have been too many cases where the poster doesn't demonstrate what they've done on their own, and simply asks for the code.
True. But it isn't unique to homework questions nor do homework questions always fit this category.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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There is a distinct difference between "Do my homework for me" and "Help me, I'm stuck with my homework."
As the other have stated, put in some honest effort, don’t just post the question. You don’t want to be the bread and potatoes boy[^].
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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Asking a question is fine: but I do draw the line when they post the actual homework question (complete with the question numbers, and the date it is due to be handed in occasionally) and ask for code! We even had one who posted his tutors email so we could send the solution directly for him... 
No, actually I draw the line before that. If you try and get stuck, that's one thing. If you try and get us to do it for you without making any effort at all, that's another. And the geniuses that think we can't tell a homework question from a work project...I think they are in for a real shock when they find out that a real project is rather more than a 100 lines of code for a hotel booking simulator!
Why should I do their work for them? If I get them through their course I could end up sitting next to them and having to do their work then as well! 
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952)
Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)
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Quote: If you try and get stuck, that's one thing.
Agreed. My point is I have seen some homework questions where they did show effort and the immediate responses by CP community where of no help.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Yes...some members are rather intolerant of beginners, and if the question is not phrased exactly correctly they are unnecessarily rude and unhelpful - I suspect it makes them feel big to pick on newbies... Pity, because apart from their complete absence of interpersonal skills most of them are actually competent and in some cases very good technically. Shame that their personalities don't match that level of technical expertise. 
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952)
Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)
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OriginalGriff wrote: complete absence of interpersonal skills, most of them are actually must be competent and in some cases very good technically
Sounds like a job description for a developer. 
The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
I'm on-line therefore I am.
JimmyRopes
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RyanDev wrote: My point is I have seen some homework questions where they did show effort and the immediate responses by CP community where of no help.
So every question that you have seen that wasn't a homework question had only helpful answers?
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How does this make sense in your brain? You always go off into the weeds. No thank you, I'm not going on that crazy train with you today.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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RyanDev wrote: How does this make sense in your brain?
Because when you say
"My point is I have seen some homework questions where they did show effort and the immediate responses by CP community where of no help."
If in fact that happens on all types of questions, not just homework questions, then your statement is irrelevant in terms of just homework questions.
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Quote: then your statement is irrelevant in terms of just homework questions.
No. It is my statement and it is what I said. You can't change it and then claim it to be mine still. You may see a relation to something else but you are expanding the context, not me.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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RyanDev wrote: You can't change it
Since I didn't change it that statement is as irrelevant as the first (no context relevant to other questions.)
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There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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OriginalGriff wrote: posted his tutors email so we could send the solution directly for him
Oh, yeah, I had forgotten about that one.
You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.
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OriginalGriff wrote: his tutors email so we could send the solution directly for him.
Oh! my! I wish I had seen that one! His tutor would have been surprised at my solution!
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OriginalGriff wrote: Asking a question is fine: but I do draw the line when they post the actual homework question (complete with the question numbers, and the date it is due to be handed in occasionally) and ask for code!
Give them code that doesn't work. 
The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
I'm on-line therefore I am.
JimmyRopes
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Persuading others to do your work for you is a wonderful skill to learn.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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Indeed. Most bosses have figured that out.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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chriselst wrote: Persuading others to do your work for you is a wonderful skill to learn.
Essential if you are going to manage a project.
The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
I'm on-line therefore I am.
JimmyRopes
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Easy. When the responders started giving away the answers, giving the OP, literally, "copy'n'paste this code" answers.
Is the OP going to learn from having their code written for them? Absolutely not.
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Quote: Is the OP going to learn from having their code written for them? Absolutely not.
My point was that when someone does show effort if it looks like homework often the first response is to attack. It shouldn't be that way.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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