Vague questions

PaulStat · 25 May 2007 at 14:18

To help improve my skills I like to look at other problems on forums and the solutions provided, and wherever possible i'll provide an answer too. I find it helps me immensly.

What I don't undertstand though is peoples very very vague questions, and how they can even expect to get anywhere with programming.

Look at the following example posted on the Sun Java forums.

I don't know Java and I need help.

I am new i don't any thing i mean NOTHING about java and i need help with it. I am running windows 98 SE. If some one with win 98 SE and has java and knows a lot plz post here!!

Someone then asked them what specific problem they had so they answered with:

Well i want to be able to make games with java. So i guess thats what i need help with.

How do you even begin....... :rolleyes:

Jaffa_Cake · 25 May 2007 at 14:30

This is why I dont offer face to face programming support. On a forum you can atleast ignore people like that.

ByteJuggler · 25 May 2007 at 14:40

Yeah it's annoying. There's a reason RTFM and GIYF developed into FLA's... On another forum it's gotten so bad I've put the following into my sig to try and hint to the other posters how to ask useful questions:

Hints for asking effective questions. Always:
1.) RTFM/search forum(s)/Google first
2.) Use an appropriate Subject. "Help, urgent!" isn't one.
3.) Quote full text of errors and compilable source.
4.) Explain what you've tried and where you're stuck.

One can hope eh?

Shoseki · 25 May 2007 at 15:25

Its the "I don't know what I want" people that annoy me.

Those are the ones who are "taxed" heavily at christmas time, because they wander around expensive high street stores looking for inspiration rather than actually analysing a person and thinking of a good gift for them.