Guidelines before posting

[samaru]

Dani, I think you need to create a sticky post of guidelines before posting. Maybe have it on every forum. This is for the people that put up homework assignments (or any other type for that matter) and want a quick answer without even trying. This forum is about learning, not about doing some else's dirty work.

[Bob]

Sounds like a good idea, but nothing tooooooo heavy, I hope ;-)

[root]

Dani, I think you need to create a sticky post of guidelines before posting. Maybe have it on every forum. This is for the people that put up homework assignments (or any other type for that matter) and want a quick answer without even trying. This forum is about learning, not about doing some else's dirty work.

I don't think that is needed, for the simple fact that people can learn off from posts the users use to help the user in need of help, so if you wanted to look at it more deeply, people can just lie and say they tryed to look it up, what good will that do ? And secondly I do believe the site admin has posted homework help, and then posted, "Nevermind I looked it up and found it."

[samaru]

I don't know about you or anyone else here, but I tend not to help people on purpose when their post says: I haven't tried to do this problem or solve it. I just want a fast and correct solution and don't want to waste my time because I have better things to do. You on the other hand do. So do it for me.

Now, I'm not like that for everything that I get asked. It all depends on the question. If the solution requires thought, then at least I'd like to at least see some effort. I'm not a snob. But then again, I'm not stupid.

I don't think that is needed, for the simple fact that people can learn off from posts the users use to help the user in need of help

People would learn even more if they at least tried to do it themselves first. Even if they failed at it, they would learn what not to do, and this would be shown on their post by saying what they tried.

people can just lie and say they tryed to look it up, what good will that do ?

Well, when I need help for something that requires thought, like algorithmic, I list what I have tried. Even show some code if I can and pinpoint where I'm stuck at. I think you are right though. You can't stop people from lying. I think it all depends on who posts the solution. If you have time to solve a solution for someone that doesn't want to do it themselves, and not even try, then go for it.

[samaru]

Sounds like a good idea, but nothing tooooooo heavy, I hope ;-)

Doesn't have to be tome or anything. Just something simple. Sometimes I read posts, mostly on other forums, and wonder if people have ever posted on a forum before.

[root]

If you have time to solve a solution for someone that doesn't want to do it themselves, and not even try, then go for it.

I believe thats why we have teachers :P

[samaru]

Almost all the teachers I know only know theory stuff, and no real world stuff. It's a shame. :(

[Tekmaven]

Well, I think that everyone should use common sense when posting a question. I see way to many people coming to TechTalk as a first line of defense.

TechTalk isn't a first line of defense at all, its a backup. Do a search on Google, and consult the help files (not in that order) before posting.

If someone posts something like, "I just installed Microsoft word, how do I double space the text?" I won't give them an answer; I will just tell them to consult the inline help.

[Dani]

I took everyone's advice and posted announcements about homework help in the C++, Java, Basic, and Comp. Sci. forums. As far as homework help, I see no reason why it shouldn't be included here at techtalk and I, for one, am more than willing to help.

I understand, however, that it gets very annoying when people post homework questions verbatim and expect a quick solution for an easy A without having the slighest clue what they're doing. As Dan said earlier in this thread, this forum is about learning.

For the most part, homework help should basically be on an abstract, conceptual basis. Don't simply provide code solutions outright for people who don't try at all.

[olman]

I don't know the questions to ask because I'm trying to learn this for the first time. At 69 years young, I wish to learn how to program in this language. So, please advise.
Thank you,
olman :?:

[ednah]

Well here is a programme I neeed some help with.if I can get guidelines on how to go about tackling Write a program to check the syntax of a C++ program. You must count the number of braces {} and parenthesis () in the program. The number of left braces must match the number of right braces in the program for the syntax to be correct. The same holds for the left and right brackets. You must use random access(binary) files to read the program. The name of the C++ program must be passed in on the command line.
Extend your program to also check if the brackets match, and are correctly nested. For example
• {}(){()} is valid
• }}{{ is not valid
a vector may be useful for this task, using push_back and pop_back
it.

[nanosani]

Well, I think that everyone should use common sense when posting a question.

Tekmaven forgot that common sense is uncommon in this world ... especially in the electronics world:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[tangchengly]

Dear Administrator,

Thanks for register me for a member.

[jscott]

I don't understand how to read a tape.

[nar321]

Dani, I think you need to create a sticky post of guidelines before posting. Maybe have it on every forum. This is for the people that put up homework assignments (or any other type for that matter) and want a quick answer without even trying. This forum is about learning, not about doing some else's dirty work.

I agree, but sometimes the only way is to shown how to. So unless the author really knows everything, a little tolerance would seem to be in order. A example is posting in the (cnet) Help forums about supposedly being required to buy books and/or cds which isn't true. Look before you leap, and yes as I previously noted I agree that some push the limits.

[Turiya]

The homework problem can be an issue if you let it. Students should NOT just talk to us and get an A. I think that if you give snippets of code rather than full projects out to people they will be happy and they will still need to think. I left another site because of too many guidelines. They were VERY strict about what to post and not what to post. In a free market economy the producer tries to make their product the most appealing to the public. If this site is used as a homework help site, then more students would use it and reccomend it to friends. This way your site could earn more money, get more posts, and be of more use to others.

Have a nice day!

[jwenting]

The problem with that is that many kids will continue to scream and rant until someone indeed does their entire assignment for them...

I've seen this in action many times here and (to a greater degree) elsewhere.

If someone shows a willingness to learn I'll be the last to deny them some help, but the problem with ever more kids is that they don't want to put in any effort themselves. Many would rather spend money to get a ready made solution than spend 5 minutes away from their playstations, it's getting that bad.

When we let kids with such attitudes get degrees and enter the marketplace as our potential colleagues, sooner or later we end up with them on a team and have to work overtime to cover for their incompetence and laziness until such a time as we can get it into the heads of management that these people are useless (and then how's the company going to get rid of them?).

By refusing them their easy grades, we help ourselves by removing them from the pool of available workers in the future.
Those of them who are intelligent enough to see the error in their ways will correct themselves and start to work, the rest we can only hope will fail their education and be reduced to unskilled labour where their attitude won't harm us.

If this sounds harsh, it's intended to. I've seen the damage lazy, unskilled people with degrees they shouldn't have (and in many cases indeed didn't have, but had acquired or faked through fraud) can do to a company and a project team.

[sinB]

I don't know the questions to ask because I'm trying to learn this for the first time. At 69 years young, I wish to learn how to program in this language. So, please advise.
Thank you,
olman :?:

I suggest you get a good tutorial on the subject, and if you wan't to continue, you should get a good book.

[Purps]

Sometimes you try and you try but you can only see what has gone wrong when someone else points out your mistakes. Being a mature student of computing and a qualified primary teacher I find it disheartening to find so many people with such a poor view of students, i find that through life the best way to learn is through example and i hope that should i need advice that the best intentions would be returned in my favour. Some people just can't see the wood for the trees.

[zeroth]

Sometimes you try and you try but you can only see what has gone wrong when someone else points out your mistakes. Being a mature student of computing and a qualified primary teacher I find it disheartening to find so many people with such a poor view of students, i find that through life the best way to learn is through example and i hope that should i need advice that the best intentions would be returned in my favour. Some people just can't see the wood for the trees.

The problem is that in real life (as opposed to school) mistakes can cost you much more than bad grades. Realizing that we have to learn from mistakes, a teacher should point out that it is better to learn from other people´s mistakes rather than suffering the consequesnces of your own...

[Purps]

I think that learning from our own mistakes is often the best way to make sure those mistakes aren't repeated, it's just that sometimes in 'real life' or in school people need guidance. I was under the impression that this was a help and discussion forum and that would anyone intrested in computer science would have access to the shared knowledge of collective experts available through this site. I am looking forward to seeing what information I can gather from it.

[zeroth]

And you will find this to be one of the best places to learn that I have ever seen. The people you will meet here are great! and eager to share their formidable knowledge.

[Purps]

And you will find this to be one of the best places to learn that I have ever seen. The people you will meet here are great! and eager to share their formidable knowledge.

That's good to know!! Looking forward to needing some guidance!!

[goldeagle2005]

Almost all the teachers I know only know theory stuff, and no real world stuff. It's a shame. :(

The same situation in my college. So much so that our lab in charge asked me to teach her how to install Windows XP...

[yaredo]

I want some advise. Is it necessary to be a mathmatician to be a programmer.

[~s.o.s~]

Not really, but knowing it really helps.

[jbennet]

I want some advise. Is it necessary to be a mathmatician to be a programmer.

Not really. I am looking to study computer science at uni and the entry requirements are (i live in britain):

A or B at maths (age 16)
A-C Maths (age 18) =OR= A-C at Computing (age 18)

Most unis are like this. They say that to do a degree in computer science, maths is very important but you do not need a qualification in it if you have previously studied a computer programming related course and got a good grade

You will definately need to be excellently qualified at maths to program games though !

[KevinADC]

I think hes really checking to see how many people will respond to a very old thread. So far 3, counting me. ;)

Do you need to be a programmer to be a mathmatician? Or does the inverse logic not apply?

[Ancient Dragon]

I want some advise. Is it necessary to be a mathmatician to be a programmer.

You don't need to be a mathematician unless of course you work for a company like NASA. But you do need to know college algebra and trig. Never needed anything else in over 25 years programming.

[Dani]

Well you need to have good math skills to do games programming (ie OpenGL and DirectX). Even so, I don't think it's necessarily the knowledge of math as much as it is a good set of math-related skills to be able to think logically and abstractly, etc.