Well, OK, UU, I didn't mean to imply all of this to you personally. It's just that you were the most recent person to offer a justification for offering replies that criticize the manner of newbie questions, and I assumed that it was a global justification rather than a personal one. All of this criticism is not validly yours, and I should have made it clearer that I was generalizing w/r/t a small minority subculture. Honestly, I can't remember all of the users and all of the specifics prompting my reply.

To the extent that you were speaking on behalf of others who have jumped on newbs, the comments stand, but to the extent that you were speaking on behalf of yourself alone, I overstated my reply and owe you an apology. I hope that clears the matter up - I really don't have an issue with you personally.

Having said all that, I really do think that it is rare for newbies to be treated badly here. Rather than focus on the negative, perhaps we need to refocus on the legitimate criticisms and make them better. Here are my suggestions:
  • 1. Let's all try to clean up the documentation where we can. It's not fair to turf newbies to documentation when the documentation isn't good. Those of you who are good at scripting fixes, focus on that, and one of us who isn't good at scripting can help with the documentation.

    2. Once we get #1 in order, when those annoying repetitive questions come up, instead of reacting or restating, we can simply say "please look here" and offer the link. And there's certainly no harm in telling people about the search box and Docs tab while we're at it.

    3. Let's not focus as much on the way others ask questions as we do on the way we choose to answer them.

    4. Let's recognize that there are legitimate criticisms of both Linux and Windows, accept it and move on. It's much better to resolve those criticisms than to argue about who has more.

    5. Let's try to understand the culture of the new person and how it colors the way in which it they ask their questions, rather than to try to force them to conform to a different culture. Windows users, particularly the ones bold enough to check this community out, are intelligent, knowledgable, and have already demonstrated their willingness to work for knowledge simply by coming here in the first place. But they're going to need more assistance, more reassurance, and more guidance than an experienced *nix user, simply because the underlying cultures and philosophies are so different. If you don't want to give that to them, then don't. Some of us are willing to do that, and we will do what we can.

    6. Let's all try to recognize that new people at this site want to learn, but they want to solve their immediate problems first. When they are experiencing an immediate problem, that is not the time to force them into a different curriculum. A Windows person will not become competent in Linux quickly - it will happen over time, and it is unrealistic to expect that they can read any amount of documentation, no matter how good, and instantly become competent in Linux. If we help them with their problems as they arise, the rest will come with experience, and nothing any of us tells them in any post will substitute for gaining that experience over time.

    7. Any of us can be humbled. There have been new people posting what I thought were ridiculous questions, yet it turned out that they offered wonderful ideas and insights. Let's keep open minds, even with people we find challenging.

    8. In the Windows world, you pay for software, and people get mad at buggy software that they paid for. Sometimes the attitude spills over even when the software is free and supported by volunteer efforts. Let's try to recognize and understand that, and use the opportunity to remind in a positive manner.

My $0.02,

jd