[oclug] Linux School Assignment.

[Brad Barnett]

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 08:39:31 -0500
"Pat Gilliland" <patrick at inkpotproductions.ca> wrote:

> >On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 17:21:21 -0500 (EST)
> >Dan Langille <dan at langille.org> wrote:
> <snip>
> >Part of your assignment is to learn how to research data like this.  
> 
> Isn't that what he's doing?  It seems to me that asking people with the
> knowledge  where to start is a valid research strategy.
> 
> "So far I have not been able to find anything specific. I was wondering
> if anyone could
>  give a pointer in the right direction."
> 
> Doesn't seem to be a request for spoon feeding.


No, it doesn't seem like a request for spoon feeding.  That's why I am
unable to answer.

Any answer would BE spoon feeding.  Effectively, what I've said is, "go
down to the library".  Anything more detailed is the equivalent of
handing the person a book, and saying "look at this book".

That's just wrong.

20 years ago, knowing how to use the library, the Dewey decimal system,
were important research abilities.  Now it is how to use a search engine
correctly.  A person in College today that is unable to effectively use
Google for complex searches, or other electronic search engines/methods is
quite hindered by this inability.

No one is helping this person, at all, ever, by using Google _for_ them
and then providing the data.  No one is helping this person, EVER, by
telling them where to look.  Part of the assignment is _to_ look, and by
looking for them, you are doing their homework.

I helped this person.  Chris was being helpful, but in the end was not
helping.  Sometimes helping someone is hurting.  Sometimes being kind to
someone is hurtful to that person.

This is just such a case.