Re: Dangelling Pointer in C++


"Richard Heathfield" <rjh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ePydnQzm1PonsMTbnZ2dnUVZ8qminZ2d@xxxxxxxxx

I'm sure it was. That doesn't make it appropriate to ask here for help
that could reasonably be found in any decent textbook. I just pulled a
C++ book off my bookshelf at random, and the phrase was right there in
the index. Is it too much to ask people to do a little basic research
for themselves before asking others to write an explanation for them?

For novices it is not always obvious that they can find the answer
in a book. Even graduate students sometimes need to be reminded
of the need to do their own research. I often recommend to my own
students that they search for the answer to a question in a given
location and let me know what they discovered.

However, I think it is not appropriate for us to be impatient with someone
who is honestly trying to get the answer to a question. It is unkind when
we treat novices with sacarsm. In this forum, we have no idea of the
background, education, age, or psychohlogical handicaps associated with
the person making the inquiry. Eventually, after they have participated in
more conversations in the forum, we do get a better sense of who they
are. We all know contributors within each forum who try our patience.

I've been helping people to learn more about programming, in Usenet and
IRC, for the best part of a decade. If you're looking for someone to
accuse of being ungenerous, I think you'd better look elsewhere.

Indeed, you have been helping people for a long time. This is what
surprises me about your reply. Maybe you were having an off day
when you posted. You have certainly been generous with your
replies in the past. I would hope that you would be able to continue
to assist people of all skill and educational levels with your own
knowledge and experience, as you have in the past. My concern is
only in this one case where I was worried about the person who asked
the question and was subjected to inadvertant ridicule for his trouble.

Richard Riehle


.

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